Sales Samurai

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Sarah, sharing the best practices to get your team using it and maximizing the solution for them. Episode Highlights 01:55 – Sarah shares, she started working with a bunch of start-ups and a lot of her role within those start-ups was implementing CRMs and getting them set up with them. 03:43 – Sam enquires from Sarah if she has a very broad spectrum from a sales perspective, and what made her start in sales. 05:40 – There's a lot of value in starting at a more established organization, says Sam. 07:25 – Sam asks Sarah if she is seeing the space getting more crowded in the CRM? 09:39 – CRM has always been the necessary evil, and that should be the foundational tool of any sales organization, mentions Sam. 11:00 – There are so many different ways and methods to keep track of your contact information. So finding the right tool for you and your company is important. 13:04 - Sarah highlights, it's important to think about what is your current process looks like, and what potentially is it going to look like a month or even a year from now? 14:49 – If you move to a new tool with the same types of processes and behaviors, you probably are going to end up at the same place, says Sarah 17:25 – It would be great if the flow of data, and where it is coming from can be stored into your CRM, but it doesn't necessarily mean that your team has to be working out of it constantly, it depends on what you need. 21:40 – Sarah points out that there is a reason why user adoption is lower because the users get overwhelmed by the amount of data that's in there. They don't know what they're supposed to update. 23:11 – A lot of sales leaders will stick to a field because they think that they need it. 26:00 – Sarah states, standardization is trying to keep things aligned across the system. 28:25 – Inefficiencies in redundancies if you don't standardize it leads to that drop off from an adaption and those challenging conversations probably with your sales team, states Sam. 31:54 – Sarah highlights, regular conversations, and check-ins are also very important because you implement something in one way doesn't mean it's going to stay that way. 32:22 – A lot of times CRMs are implemented and managed by IT teams or leadership, that's fine, and it's great. However, you do need to have the voice of the everyday user constantly, mentions Sarah. 34:31 - When you initially roll something out, it's easy to create something, but then it can be hard to remember to go back and update those materials. 35:41 - If you're going to document that you got to keep up with the documentation to make sure it's up to date. 37:22 - If everybody is using it, then everybody is going to naturally have that feedback and those types of conversations with each other. 40:10 - If it's implemented and used correctly, then you can see that in the long term. Three Key Points When you're rolling out initially, there are two buckets, first is, rolling it out initially and making people aware of how to use it, what this tool is, where things go, why it goes there, or what this field is used for. Then the other piece of it is what the feedback loop is? Is it working the right way? Do we need to switch this? What do we need to do here? Sarah says she is always on the side of getting everybody on to the CRM and getting everybody involved and trying to get everybody's workflows built-in there because it's not a sales tool anymor

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest, James Buckley, creator of "Saywhatsales", Chief Evangelist & Master of Ceremonies @JB Sales. They're going to be discussing why time management and Omnipresence matter more in 2022 than it ever has. Episode Highlights 01:55 – Where does "Saywhatsales" come from, enquires Sam. 04:10 – James shares that the number one thing a salesperson can say is, how do I make people want to talk to me, content that matters to them is the way, James got through all of it. 08:18 – James’ first sales job was as a Phone Line Salesperson, it was door-to-door B2B in the heat for AT&T. 10:47 – When you're shaking your head, there's a natural tendency for a buyer to agree more or be a little more agreeable with you, highlights James. 13:32 – "Saywhatsales" was the long game from day one because James recognizes that from his days of working. 15:33 – Sam says, time is always been the biggest challenge for him like there's just never enough time. 16:10 – James points out that there are several factors to consider but time blocking is where you want to start, time blocking is so important. 19:28 - If you're not managing your time, everything around you is managing your time and then you have zero control over your outcomes. 20:16 – If there are five people in your general vicinity daily, whether that's in Slack or Office when they bark, they immediately become a priority. That is the way of life and when that happens, you need to be transparent, says James. 21:50 – James suggests keeping your tasks separate, but ensure you're using the time blocking factor to be able to allocate the time no matter what the task is. 23:18 - Segmenting the task into two buckets (Revenue Generating and Administrative), they both got to be done. But there's got to be a priority associated with both. 25:11 – Sam states that if you're finding that there's still not enough time, then start getting up a little earlier or staying a little late or whatever works for you. 27:10 – There's no time limit on value, it can be as impactful in February as it is in April, value does not have a time limit, mentions James. 30:47 – Sam enquires from James about ‘Omni Presence’ as to what is it from a context standpoint. 32:07 – When James says ‘Omni Presence’, he means that once you're on his radar, it is nearly impossible to ignore him. He also explains how he does that. 35:06 – Don't waste time where you’re not, if you’re not actively posting anything on LinkedIn but you’re doing it on Twitter, you're wasting your time. 37:28 – James says your CTA matters, ask them for feedback, give them something and say read this part of it because it's relevant to you. Find something that happened at their company and tie it into your value proposition in some way. 38:06 – What works for one buyer, doesn't necessarily work for every buyer. 40:22 - If you're creating content on Tik-Tok and somebody that's in your space using SEO using hashtags, using all kinds of ways you can get in their feed and they'll see you and you might have an inbound connection request next day. 42:40 – The first thing you need to do is, dial into your ICP and the Personas that you want in your pipeline. The more you know those people, the easier it is for you to filter. 45:55 – James mentions, your energy is what matters, and your energy is what people respond to. Your aura, the thing that you put out there, that's

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest, Steve Richard, Founder @ExecVision: Sales Coaching & Conversation Intelligence Software. Steve's sharing 8 Cold Calling Tactics that have the potential to work for you. Episode Highlights 03:34 – Steve shares his background, how he didn't make it as an Investment Banker, and so he mimic what better people were doing at the time, which made him better. 04:20 – Steve realized that sales are about having the ability to impact and influence how people's lives go in some strange way. 07:25 – If you're not constantly trying new things and testing, experimenting, you're missing the boat, says Steve. 10:11 – It is about understanding all those different nuances to your business that you should understand and then testing it. 12:40 - You take a spreadsheet, you put your personas in your rows, you put your industry verticals, and then you fill in the use case and customer story for each of those. 14:01 – Sam asks, how to leverage a new initiative from a Cold Calling Tactics? 16:30 – Steve shares, they had clients who over time started comparing people in terms of their experiences, but they outperformed their people. 20:19 – People are motivated by fixing a problem, accomplishing a goal, or avoiding risks, states Steve. 23:41 – Steve questions, what about the fact that the seller has more information than ever before? What about the fact that the salesperson could know far more about their prospective customers and prospects than they ever could have before? 25:40 – Sam asks Steve about his thoughts around the title ‘X’. 27:00 – Steve discusses where you get to ask your qualification questions, your pain questions, or your goal questions. 29:30 – Steve points out about second vendor options and their two flavors. 31:30 - We do coaching and behavior change, tracking manager coaching, calibrating with multiple scorecards, some specific concrete things, reveals Steve. 34:10 – There are going to be situations that depending on what you sell and who you sell to, don't want to do the second vendor option, they use a certain competitor. 35:35 – Sometimes with clients, you would hear the same object every time. It was like you literally could predict which objection was going to be before you pick up the phone. 37:25 – Sam says, let's take 30 minutes to figure out if there's a path forward. 42:20 - Some solutions have to be seen to be understood. 43:50 – Steve mentions, in the last 3 to 4 years buyer behavior has changed. 45:55 – Never say pricing even arranger pricing until you have these 35 fields filled out in Salesforce that's not how the modern buyer will work, highlights Steve. 47:30 – Sam asks Steve to give some context behind Crawl Walk Run. 49:01 – Crawl Walk Run makes people feel okay to admit they suck at something. Three Key Points Steve had a sales training company and the clients were telling him that they want the sales training content, but how do you reinforce it? What are you going to do to help reinforce the sales training content? That was the origin of ExecVision, so they started using this in their company and realized that they can reinforce this mastery training. So, it was the marketplace that was asking for this new niche and now they have a new initiative to bring technology to reinforce sales training to a point of mastery. Every time Steve has a scheduled call with some

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest, Larry Levine, best-selling author of ‘Selling from the Heart’. They discuss what ‘Sales Authenticity’ is and how to develop it! Episode Highlights 01:50 – Larry says, he sold copiers his whole life up and down the street, small businesses, medium businesses, and enterprise major accounts. 04:28 – It took Larry five to six months for him to make his first sale. 06:13 – Larry believes that if they do the non-negotiables in the basics and sell well, it creates the foundational layers for how they can go about layering sophisticated stuff. 10:24 – If you're in those environments that don't align with how you sell to your point, you can either accept it or lean into it, says Larry. 13:45 - If you want to bring your authentic self to the forefront you have to be willing to do the inner work to uncover what's in your heart. 17:56 – Larry states that he transformed his career within a period of 10-years when he was around 40 to 50 based on doing the inner work. 19:20 – In his 40s Larry’s first business coach taught him the inner work and taught him how to replicate himself online. 24:48 - If you read 20 pages a day, Monday through Friday, and you took the weekend off, you have read two books a month and 24 books in a year. You are now probably in the half percentile worldwide of readers. Imagine the wealth of knowledge you would have as a sales professional to leverage. 27:16 – Larry states, there is a difference between sales reps and sales professionals. 30:44 - You want to understand what it means to sell from the heart and lead that kind of lifestyle in sales. Then you got to be willing to do the work. 32:33 – Sam mentions, to this day, he blocked off his calendar for specific things because it was a best practice that he learned from a book, went to a mentor at the time, and spoke to them about and implemented. 35:45 – Larry mentions, if you want to become a professional, you got to be willing to do the things that sales professionals do every day. 37:25 – Sam reveals that he is not looking for 50 different things to pick up from a podcast or a book. He thinks that's another area we miss from a professional standpoint. 40:03 – If you're looking for mentorship, you should be finding out people older than you somebody who aligns with your values. 42:50 – Larry Highlights, if you are a reader, take the last three great books you read, look the author up on LinkedIn, ask the person to connect, send them a heartfelt message on the impact the book, add in what you got out of that book, click connect, and watch what happens next. Three Key Points If you want to bring your authentic self to the forefront you have to be willing to do the inner work to uncover what's in your heart, and this is where a lot of people brush it off to the side they go not willing to go there. Larry is going to challenge everybody on this - if you want to become a successful sales professionals who lead with integrity, who's genuine and sincere, you got to connect and relate better to yourself and the more you do it, the better you're going to be able to connect and relate to your clients. Larry highlights that in those 90 days, his coach did two things that transformed his career that he wishes he would have learned in his 20s and 30s. The first one was the road to find out what was in his heart, the inner work. The second thing was how to walk, talk and breathe in an online world. Sales authenti

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with Jeremy Ruch, Founder of ‘Bandalier’. He shares how to interview SDRs who don't have any experience. Episode Highlights 01:14 – Jeremy mentions, most of the companies they work with would say, it is one of the most risk-prone and one of the hardest hires that they make across the entire organization. 04:16 – It was kind of the nexus of two things that made him want to start a company to take a shot at the beginning to solve that problem, highlights Jeremy. 05:15 – Sam enquires, how Jeremy tackles hiring SDRs that don't have the experience like a typical salesperson does? 07:15 - The first thing is to identify what those traits are, and ensure that those traits are predictive. 09:35 – Jeremy states that he always recommends starting with a scorecard, especially if you're designing a high-volume recruiting process, seeing how well the scores match up to the performance in the roles knowing that in those first few hires, you're going to make a few mistakes because your scorecard is not going to be perfect. 13:01 - It's possible to find folks with 6 to 12 months of SDR experience who are killing it in cold calling roles that are new, mentions Jeremy. 16:10 - It doesn't matter what the scenario is; it's about describing a time where you faced some type of adversity in some way. 18:11 - If you were answering the resilience question and describing bouncing back from adversity by lying to somebody about a certain thing that would be a red flag, that showcases the lack of integrity, but beyond that, it is pretty linear. 20:17 – The guest says, they’re trying to build out a matrix where every single person who goes through their interview process will have scores with an overall score, but also scores within each of those sub-areas. 22:00 – Jeremy explains, how assessment and exercise are as close to the role as possible. 24:44 – You should be ensuring that your process as closely as possible matches the role that you're going to have these folks in, says Jeremy 26:34 – Jeremy says they have specific areas where they’re assessing if they took and implemented feedback. That's something they’re certainly going to take note of. 27:04 - When you're bringing somebody on, why are those first two, or three weeks critical from a validation standpoint, enquires Jeremy. 29:49 – Jeremy highlights, if you don't have the experience of having done this with hundreds of people, it's tough to know where to set those baseline parameters. 31:14 – Jeremy shares, they try to make note of all that feedback, and then every six to 12 months they go back to the interview rubric and redo it. 33:49 – Sam asks Jeremy about a good sampling to start making changes to the rubric. 35:46 – The most common areas where they see red flags are on the ability to take feedback, and they take this seriously, mentions Jeremy. 38:37 - There are folks whose default is to push back feedback which becomes an issue. 41:34 – People with more experience sometimes choose less flattering examples, says Jeremy. Three Key Points Jeremy explains how they tackle hiring SDRs with no experience. For the past four and a half years, they’ve designed an interview process where they’re asking questions designed to get at specific traits. Grading out those questions in a very structured way and then every 6 to 12 months, they go back and look at the predictability of those questions of the traits once they&r

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Evan Patterson, Head of Content and Community @ trender.ai. They are tackling the subject of cold calling! Episode Highlights 00:55 - Cold calling is not dead because it's never even been alive. 02:35 – Evan shares, he has always been marketing-oriented in his approach and he’s doing it full time for several different businesses but primarily for ai. 03:39 – Sam asks Evan to give some background of his definition of cold calling. 06:40 - The fundamental issue with that is it was never a very effective use of time. 07:22 – Sam says, his biggest thing when he talks about cold calling is, you got to start with the ICP, and you got to know who is your sweet spot. 07:37 – “What are the right channels for you to be pursuing those ICPs?” Asks Sam. 09:25 – Evan says, millennial are statistically proven to hate unwarranted, unwanted, and unsolicited cold calls. 14:02 – We should be leaning more heavily on text messaging within our tech stack because that is where people want to communicate, states Sam. 16:05 – Salespeople are leaning more on - the let me help you instead of letting me sell you more. 20:25 – Evan shares, you have to look at people’s demographics from age, lifestyle, and communication perspective. 22:16 - There is no such thing as a universal truth in sales, says the host. 25:13 – Evan says he would rather make the sales cycle take longer from an ad perspective, but make it more enjoyable and have a higher close ratio for the prospects. 29:22 - It's all these little tiny nuanced things of data that can be shared a back and forth, mentions Evan. 31:05 – Sam shares, it's kind of table stakes, but it's just connecting the dots that they like to engage with their brand this way, but yet, we've never engaged with it that way. 35:40 - You need to spend less on sales and more on marketing, which is good because that money that you don't need on sales, you can move over to marketing. 37:16 – Evan highlights, it's all these different social, and psychological plays that you can make marketing that will fill in the gaps now that sales aren’t doing as much prospecting or planning. 39:35 – Evan also has an issue with going after leads that do not interact with their content, because the chances of them falling off the sales cycle are higher. 40:58 - Why is it a taboo to tell salespeople to know what sales you're just not going to get, asks Sam. 41:30 - Those are the nuances that separate you from the pack, like leveraging that makes life easier, makes you more efficient, and makes you more effective. Three Key Points There's a lot more technology supporting and lifting that ceiling for social selling and cold calling has not been and will not be able to catch up. So, it's not the most efficient route. Let the buyer tell you where to go. Don't tell them where they have to go and that what cold calling does. You're forcing them into a path that they didn't sign up for. You don't invest more energy into the person you're struggling to read, you invest margin on the other person and you have to know when to quit. So, trying to make the sale work, don't fire. Tweetable Quotes “When I say I'm against cold calling, I am not against using the phone in a sales motion.” – Evan Patterson “Effective calli

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest, Liz Heiman, the CEO and Chief Sales Strategist for ‘Regarding Sales’. Liz primarily helps B2B companies that are trying to grow the sales infrastructure and drive revenue. In today’s episode they discuss tips and best practices to master your sales funnel. Episode Highlights 02:00 – Liz says her dad wrote a book called ‘Strategic Selling’ hence she grew up in the sales business environment, so it’s a natural thing for her. 08:08 – Liz’s first job as the Head of Department was to go to Australia, meet two Australian men, and convince them that they should be selling conceptual selling, not just strategic selling. 10:30 – Liz talks about how she got her next big deal while meeting with the VP of Coca-Cola, Japan. How her 15-minute conversation turned into a 45-minute conversation. 15:05 – Liz states that typically if you ask people, what's their priority, almost everybody says that it is closing business. 17:10 – If you look at your funnel, and you know what your ratios are, how much you qualify out, etc. then you can prioritize. 19:20 – Liz tells her clients to put their prospecting time as an appointment that's busy in their calendar because everybody will schedule over it. 21:15 - It's as important to qualify out as it is to qualify in, mentions Liz. 23:25 - If it's not an ideal customer, there's got to be a good reason for it to stay in Liz’s file/list. 27:30 - No one person decides on a multimillion-dollar deal just doesn't happen, it impacts too many parts of the organization. 29:35 – There's a difference between asking tough questions and beating people up, we're asking tough questions because we're looking for solutions, says Liz. 32:56 - The reason the deals are falling out, or pushing back is that nobody did the work up in qualifying and cultivated when they were supposed to be doing. 35:30 - When you are looking at the funnel, you need to be able to make those decisions with leadership or by yourself about what makes sense and what doesn't, says Liz. 41:40 - If we want to have the freedom to be creative, we need to put the pieces in place that help us make sure that critical work gets done. 43:20 - So I hit my numbers consistently and have the life I want because I've got the revenue coming in to support it right? 46:20 – Liz thinks process supports the creativity, takes the stress away, and it makes selling a lot nicer. Three Key Points When we create a funnel, or a sales process, which is the step of the funnel, the very thing is to think about what is a qualified lead versus a non-qualified lead. The first thing is to look at the process of qualifying not just in that stage of qualifying but throughout the entire funnel so that you can prioritize in and prioritize out those leads that are not helpful. So by understanding our funnel, we can prioritize our work, make sure that we get the stuff at the top of the funnel that we do the work to qualify. We want to make sure that the customers share the values that we have as a company. If they're not talking the same language, if the product isn't a good fit, if it's going to require a tremendous amount of change in their organization that they're not going to be able to do then maybe they're not your ideal customer. Hence, you should qualify them out and move on. If they're interested then tell them what the qualifications are for them to be able to work with you successfully. There are two kinds of funnel reviews, one is when we

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest, Evan Santa, Vice President of Sales at Commerce Bear. They're going to be discussing first impressions in a remote sales world. Episode Highlights 01:13 – This whole COVID thing threw us right into more remote work and more zoom that you kind of lose sight of the basic blocking, tackling, and first impressions, says Sam. 01:50 – Evan shares that his background is in building go-to-market sales teams at various software organizations. 09:25 – There's a loss of intensity because we're not sitting in an office. 11:25 – Evan mentions, those managers that were managing on fear or managing on friendship, they just became friends with those that reporting to them and then they hope that their friendship will push the needle, it rarely works. 27:10 - If you have your camera off as a salesperson, how could you ever expect that your prospect will have your camera on? 29:20 - We're finding ways to brand ourselves in this digital world so that whenever a customer or prospect speaks to us, there's some type of brand there, states Evan. 29:42 – Sam asks Evan what's his thoughts are around virtual backgrounds in regards to creating that first impression. 31:48 – If you don't have a virtual background make sure you have a clean space and it's a presentable professional space. 33:29 – Evan is teaching people how to set up a decent little background at home and it doesn't have to be crazy, just make it clean, make it eat, and make it personal. 40:22 - We're on the path towards a higher level of productivity and return for our investment as an organization, mentions Evan. 42:03 - If you're struggling to close deals online face-to-face, I don't think it's going to help you, states Evan 44:20 – Evan says, he spent a lot of time early in his career, going through these thought processes, developing his sales mantra, and essentially bringing his playbook and mantra from hiring building teams from the ground up. Three Key Points Evan highlights, now that they are digital-first, this is their only opportunity to create a brand for themselves in the organization, a brand with their customers. You need to make sure there are no technical issues; you should be getting in touch with your internet provider making sure that’s tight, logging on early, showing up to meetings five minutes early, etc. So, if you have a technical issue, you could rectify it most likely before anyone joins. One of the biggest things we need to do in sales is be memorable. Tweetable Quotes “Those that are truly driven, that a certain level of autonomy, are the ones who are flying right now.” – Evan Santa “It doesn't take much to look good, sound good, and feel good.” – Evan Santa “The body language is everything, your engagement is everything, and eye contact is everything.” – Evan Santa “You just have to have a good camera, good lighting, good audio, and it's so easy to do.” - Evan Santa “We should not have technical difficulties on our end at all.” – Evan Santa “People buy from people that they like.” – Evan Santa “My first word that comes to mind when I think virtual backgrounds is distraction.” – Evan Santa Resources Mentioned Sam Capra on LinkedIn

In today’s episode of ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Skye Grace, Account Executive for Orum about the 9 Ways to Get Better as an SDR. Episode Highlights 03:33 – Building those personal relationships and providing value to someone else's life and business is what Skye loves. 04:45 – Learning how to Coach people as human beings and having good SDRs is important, states Skye. 06:01 – The first way to get better as an SDR is, you need to understand the industry that you're in and also the customer's problems. 08:38 - Who you're targeting, who do you have the best shot at driving a meeting with and converting into a real tangible opportunity for your sales organization, asks Skye. 10:15 - Sam asks Skye, how she does temper hyper-personalization with relevance from an SDR perspective? 18:34 – Skye highlights that being productive and finding that time for self-care, calendar blocking, and creating that for yourself is important. 23:30 – As an SDR you need to know why are you networking with people and what is the reason behind that? 25:30 – Skye points out, you got to keep track of what's working, where you get a lot of engagement from because ultimately, we're serving other people when we're posting things and sharing content. 28:49 - There are these communities that can make you better. You can become masterful in what you're doing and it teaches you how to get promoted, mentions Skye. 30:45 - As an SDR you need to be disciplined, disciplined with your time knowing you do have only a certain number of hours in the day but being very effective there and that comes down to your integrity as an SDR. 34:14 – Sam enquires, what was the biggest learning curve as stepping into that SDR? 36:30 - What are some tips that you would provide other incoming SDRs, asks Sam. 37:28 - If you want to become the best, you need to go out, pick a book, read it and you need to understand the organization, says Skye. Three Key Points What’s important for every SDR is building a personal brand so that you're able to reach a wider audience faster and you're also humanizing yourself to your prospects. You need to keep track of what's working, what's been successful, and what have you had the most engagement of. She has integrity in her work ethic, she is productive, and she is time-blocking. And maybe it's not today that she books a meeting but maybe it's tomorrow. So, you have to learn to let that go and have trust in yourself. Tweetable Quotes “Sale is something that I always took interest in since I always felt that this was the foundation of being a successful business owner.” – Skye Grace “In sales, we're solving problems for other people and that's something that I've always loved doing.” – Skye Grace “You want to figure out what tools are most important and most effective but at the same point the human element sometimes gets missed and we forget about that aspect.” – Skye Grace “You need to find out what's most effective otherwise it is an information overload, technology overload.” – Skye Grace “The first step as an SDR is, know your industry, know what you're selling.” – Skye Grace “I have generated so many more opportunities and booked meetings for my company because I follow-up.” – Skye Grace “True personalization can't be scalable.” – Sam Capra “Anyone can have a perso

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest, Brendon McAdams, the Managing Director and Founder of Kinetics. He is giving 12 simple tips to elevate your sales effectiveness. Episode Highlights 01:49 – If you get back to some of the fundamentals, those are oftentimes all the things you need to be successful, says Brendon. 03:07 – Brendon shares his sales background. Now he is doing sales coaching and consulting on a very specific basis, usually with early-stage start-up founders. 05:02 – Sam enquires from Brendon, about what has changed for the better and what’s gone in the wrong direction, in his opinion from a sales perspective. 07:59 – Sam always looked at sales tools as it drives efficiency and allow you to scale faster. 09:00 – Sam asks Brendon if there is any context he wants to provide before we jump into the list of simple tips to elevate his sales effectiveness. 11:20 – When customers are measuring you at the beginning, it's the little things that they catch up on like if you can't get their name right in the email it seems such a little thing but it is an attention to detail. 20:00 – Brendon highlights, your customers don't know how you're going to deliver and so they use these little events to measure you. 22:33 – Sam questions, sometimes we get lost in our process and what we need to do is to qualify or disqualify it that we forget the root cause, how can we help this? 24:35 – If you ask the right questions when you need to, it is so liberating. 26:30 – Brendon shares, you have to figure out ways and say this isn't going to work. 28:56 - When you're promising something that you can't deliver, that again is in the category of first impressions, states Brendon 30:48 – You can look at things and say, here's how we can help your business. 41:43 – You've spent less time talking and more time listening. Then when you do speak, you're more educated because you understand the question better. 45:22 – If someone has to leave early, cover the stuff that they need to cover and you can even pin them down and say to follow up with you afterward. 47:00 – The two assets of a salesperson are, being professional and yourself. 48:41 – Brendon shares, he thinks that authenticity helps you to connect with your customer. 50:31 - I don't think you should be doing things that aren't rewarding and satisfying. Three Key Points Brendon says, he tributes this episode being sales tips, but they're just good practices in general and that's intentional because, for a lot of people that he coaches and talks to they're not professional salespeople, their founders are oftentimes very technical. And so, what he is trying is to bridge this gap and get them to understand that these skills aren't exclusive to salespeople, salespeople tend to execute on them better if they're good at it. The customer discovery process is critically important, and the thing you have to do and get better with practice is being able to explain to the customer why you want to ask these questions. If you've got 30 minutes to get through something, you want 10 minutes, in the end, to be discussing where this goes, and working out calendars and figuring out who needs to be involved and what the action items are and who's responsible for them. Tweetable Quotes “I didn't necessarily aspire to be a salesperson initially, but I ended up doing things that were sales related.”

In today’s episode of ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Mark Fershteyn, CEO @Recapped.io who collaborates with buyers through mutual action plans to accelerate revenue, create repeatable playbooks, and ensure seamless handoffs. He shares the why, what, and how mutual cctions plans work. Episode Highlights 01:52 – Mark shares his background. He never thinks they'd have had the opportunity that they have today. 02:32 – The number one problem for most sales teams is the lack of process and lack of standardization, especially when you get into scale, states Mark. 10:43 - If you do want big changes, it does require big investments. You're not going to get a 20% swing on a 5% effort move, says Mark. 12:33 – Mutual Action Plan is a tool, and the internal parties and your customers are to be aligned on what needs to happen, it's a project plan. 14:31 - It's getting clear alignment and expectations on what needs to happen. 16:19 - Your mutual action plan is almost the business case that you're putting together. 20:07 – It’s creating that framework, so that your new reps and people that you bring in an organization, they're able to come in and follow best practices, highlights Mark. 22:07 - All of these different paths can converge, that's when you want to start driving the next steps together. 23:22 – We should understand that our customers or our prospects barely read our emails. We should not expect that they're going to collaborate with us 100% of the way. 26:06 – The deal acceleration is the most popular impact that they have seen by doing this, states Mark. 27:10 - If you're able to have a consistent way that everybody sells, it starts giving you visibility and insight into what's happening because it allows you to improve as an organization because you can't improve what you can't measure. 32:40 - Mutual Action Plans are essentially enforcement of the ‘Why’ but without a ‘How’ you can't implement the ‘Why’. 38:24 – Mark points out, setting a date on a checklist or on a task they found that the chances of that task being completed doubled. 42:15 - It's becomes winning what's winnable, and allocating your resources and being strategic with what you're doing, says Mark. 43:34 – Start implementing a collaborative selling approach, start working together on an action and implementation plan, and it's going to do wonders for you. Three Key Points If you're looking for a big swing, then you got to take a big swing from an investment standpoint, you have to double down somewhere, or you are not going to get there. Mark recommends that the first thing you do is create a checklist of the high-level things that need to happen. Number two is including an executive summary, and the third one is access to resources. There are different ways we help other customers like you, hear all the different proof points and data points that we can help you with. Here's the business case, shoot this over to your boss, here's my contact information. And if your boss has any questions, I'm right here for you. Tweetable Quotes “There's nothing worse than having something fall apart at the finish line….” - Mark Fershteyn “The bigger you are the more important step process and standardization becomes.” – Mark Fershteyn “The Mutual Action Plan, it's just a way for everyone to make sure you're on the same page.” – Mark Fershteyn “So much of sale

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction talks with guest Mike Thompson, Partner at Spark Recruiting. He is discussing why recruiters have to be sales professionals. He shares a great approach for sales leaders around hiring candidates as well as insights from the candidate standpoint. Episode Highlights 01:40 – Mike says, his background is exclusively in recruiting. He has been in the industry for about 13 years. 03:20 – Mike learned a lot about selling and recruiting as you can sell software, widgets, whatever it may be. 04:39 - How are you differentiating yourself from the 1.5 million other competitors that are also trying to hire sales talent? 06:30 – Some organizations are pivoting quicker than others and realizing that they have to be more proactive and sell to potential candidates. 08:20 – People want to be inspired by who they're working for more than the company they're joining, mentions Mike. 10:20 – Remote nature of work these days is a good thing for some companies and not so good thing for others, it’s depending on how you're situated and set up. 12:30 – It's going to continue to get more and more competitive to find talent and retain it as well, it's going to continue to be a problem. 13:37 – Mike shares, the first question he always likes to ask is when you're hiring a salesperson, and what does success look like for the successful individual in a year? 16:11 – You need to start thinking about how you sell the role and how you can simplify what that job is? 17:31 - There's a reason why referrals are the best source of talent attraction. 20:41 – There's not enough money that is going to sustain someone in that role long term if you just have a terrible relationship with your boss. 22:40 – Sam asks, what does the first year look like for a person from a candidate profile standpoint? 24:47 - If you’re a salesperson looking for a job, and you want to follow the leaders on LinkedIn, you get to see what they post, what they're talking about. 26:50 – Mike says, he coaches a lot of his clients and sales leaders to take stock on how candidates are selling themselves because that's their best sales foot forward. 28:05 – If you're hiring a sales individual, and how they approach you is how they're going to approach your clients, says Mike. 30:00 – Sam points out, if you're going through the process of navigating on LinkedIn, then you'd want an engaging leader, creating content, commenting on it, and creating a personal brand for them. 32:25 – Mark states, Automation, and AI Technology do a great job of analyzing resumes, but you're not hiring a resume, especially in sales. You're hiring somebody that's being tasked with creating a relationship and having conversations with customers. 35:23 - You need to be clear on what it is you're looking for, and realistic with that, instead of thinking somebody is going to come in and they're going to bring all these accounts, and all their customer lists over. 37:04 – Mike brought up outside of what's the type of qualities candidates want to look for in a leader, points out Mike. Three Key Points You need to be creative in terms of how you're building your team and not only from an attraction standpoint, but that helps with retention. You can't just throw money at people; you have to invest in the leaders and place them at the core of your hiring campaign because they're going to attract the people that want to follow them that worked for the

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction talks with guest Ralph Barsi and discusses 5 reasons why salespeople miss quotas. He also shares how we can learn and overcome them. Episode Highlights 01:40 – Ralph shares, he oversees the global inside sales organization Tray.io in San Francisco. They are in a general automation platform and help a lot of companies integrate all the components of their tech stack. 03:23 – Sam enquires, how did Ralph got started in sales and what's his origin story around sales? 05:37 – What's not changed in sales is people buy from people and people selling to people must build rapport and credibility quickly by not thinking about themselves but the sellers point out Ralph. 07:10 – Ralph highlights, buyers have access to so much information to learn from, that's where the sellers come in. That's where sellers need to differentiate themselves as trusted adviser. 10:28 - The first obscurity just comes down to so many sales reps, especially sales development reps, who are initiating a lot of first conversations with prospects that nobody knows who they are. 11:05 – Ralph mentions, you attract opportunities by becoming attractive in the marketplace. You do that by adding value to the marketplace, and the best channel to do that is LinkedIn. 13:32 – You've got to build up who you are and why one should listen to you even more. You don't have to do that if you've been avoiding obscurity this whole time. 15:52 – Sam asks when Ralph says lack of focus, how that impacts salespeople missing quota? 16:25 - If you're trying to serve your mission of closing deals, making your quota, and moving the needle as a sales rep, you have to boil things down to one thing, says Ralph. 18:00 – Ralph mentions, one of the best tools that he has seen that might be effective from a lack of focus standpoint is it was published a few years ago, by a gentleman named Brendon Burchard. He created and published a one-page productivity plan. 22:50 – Sam enquires about Ralph’s thoughts around inactivity. 24:13 – It’s about planning your work, and not just kind of hoping it all works out. 26:28 – It doesn't matter at all if somebody opened your email, it does not move the needle but if somebody responds to your email, engages and books that meeting with you that means there's something you're putting in the right spot in terms of how you craft your messages. 29:10 - No matter what models you look at or acronyms you want to toss around, it always comes down to taking action and doing what you say you're going to do. 30:46 – You will establish conversation flow when you have a beginning, middle and an end in your mind in a conversation, states Ralph. 32:15 – You’ve to be prepared as a salesperson at all times to establish conversation flow, mentions Ralph. 42:00 – Sam questions Ralph about his thoughts on failure to keep improving. 46:10 – If you just ask yourself, how good am I at this, you'll get your wheels cranking and, in your head, you'll start making some little changes that make the big things happen. Three Key Points To all the salespeople, keep your finger on the pulse of all that's going on. So be on point with where your competitors are today. Be on point with where your customers or competitors are today so that you can help and meet with your prospects and customers. The five reasons why salespeople miss quota: 1. Obscurity 2. Lack of focus 3. Inactivity, 4. No conversation flow 5. Failure to keep improving.

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Mr. Joe Barhoum, an Author, Consultant, and a Professor at the University of Portland. They are discussing pipeline versus pipe dream, and the four steps to “gut check” your opportunities and overall pipeline health. Episode Highlights 01:15 – Sam enquires, is this the hardest thing for sales reps to truly understand pipeline and manage pipeline? 03:55 – When you start getting those complex deals that's where pipeline management gets a little bit challenging because there are so many moving parts, says Sam. 05:33 – It’s important to make sure that those opportunities in the pipeline are accurate, states Joe. 06:11 - What you should be doing, to be honest with your pipeline? 07:54 – You need to write all the deals that you have for the current, and the next quarter. 08:37 – Once you have written all the deals the first question is what are the problems that the buyer or the buyers said they need to solve. 10:53 - Why do you think you're going to win, write that down, and then the last step is to write down the two-three biggest risks associated with you winning the deal. 14:35 – Sam asks, how many buyers do we need to be involved with - single thread or multi-thread? 16:13 – If you get to a habit of being critical of your deals, you don't want to be critical of your sales all the time. 23:00 – Joe highlights, if your only justification for winning is a good relationship then that's not enough, because even if you're liked and trusted, you can still lose. 26:20 – Joe points out that you shouldn't win a deal on accident. 30:50 – Sometimes even having two champions is not enough to win, states Joe. 32:00 – A champion is vital and what level of influence that champion has is the most important question, thinks Sam. 33:33 - If there's a risk that you can validate as a risk, you then have to understand what the likelihood of that risk to occur is. 36:32 – Sam says the goal is to minimize as many of those risks as possible 39:28 - What are your thoughts on a mutual action plan and how it works with a more complex sale? Sam asks Joe. 41:58 – Joe feels that formalized buying which aligns with the formalized mutual action plan idea, it's going to become more common. 43:33 - How much trust you can build if you help a buyer become a better buyer? 45:37 – You have to understand that the buyer may not have tried to resolve the problem this way before. Three Key Points All four steps allow you to play devil's advocate with your pipeline. The first step is to write down all the deals that you have for the current quarter and the next quarter; the second step is to what problems they want to solve so that you prioritize them. The third step is to write down your justification for why you expect to win, and the last step is to write down the two/ three biggest risks associated with you winning the deal. If you're trying to figure out the priority, you also have to keep in mind that the priority kind of differs from person to person at the decision-making hierarchy. Of course, asking the right questions, so these things are important to you. The questions you need to ask buyers are I want to make sure that we're the best fit for you. So, what are you seeing in us? What are you seeing in our technology that makes you feel comfortable? That’s a good question to ask it always have to do it. Tweetable Quotes

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Lee B Salz, Keynote Speaker, Sales Management Strategist and Author of ‘Sales Differentiation and ‘Sell Different’. They discuss selling differently as well as the mistakes that salespeople do which cause them to lose deals. Episode Highlights 01:35 – Lee shares that he is a sales Management strategist. He helped put together the strategy, the processes, and the tools to help their salespeople win more deals at the prices they want. 03:15 – It was just natural for him to move in this (Sales Lead) direction, says Lee. 03:48 – Sam enquires from Lee that in his opinion what has changed for the better and the worse from a sales perspective. 06:06 – Sam highlights that technology has been the amazingness of this century. It's made lazy salespeople lazier and great salespeople even better. 08:39 – Lee states, he tells salespeople all the time that you're in one of the few professions that get paid based on results. 09:35 - You've written two sales books on sales differentiate, what sparked that interest, Ask Sam. 11:32 – Lee shares, one of the key messages that he took away at a very young age was the importance of having clarity of the target client. 12:33 – If we go to targetclientsprofile.com, we can download his target client profile worksheet which has nine components to it and that will give us clarity on the right business to pursue. 13:34 - One of the big reasons why that price issue comes up is a lack of clarity on who will proceed meaningful value in what we're offering, says the guest. 14:55 – Sam asks Lee, “You said, salespeople, are overcomplicating the prospecting. How do you believe that? What's your thought process around that?” 15:58- The study found out the key ingredient, the secret sauce to getting that meeting is to take our conversation back to where we started personalization, says Lee. 21:26 – Sam says if we have that TCP, not an ICP, that target client profile, and then we got the right personalization, and then we're consistently following up. 23:14 – Lee asks Sam if you left 100 voicemail messages, what would you ballpark? How many you think call you back out of 100? 27:35 – We need to have creative ways to get some FaceTime with someone, says Lee. 28:42 – Host enquires, “What are your thoughts around pain selling?” 32:50 - This whole thing is about probing for pain and understanding what's an inconvenience or the problem. 34:00 – Lee states that one of the big questions that salespeople don't ask is, how does your executive team feel about this issue? 38:35 - There's a pain in this game and we have to be able to position those effectively so that people want to take action on them, mentions Lee. 40:48 - The opportunity that so many salespeople miss out on, it's the recap email. Within 24 hours of that meeting, you send a recap email that has five parts to it. 42:53 - There are plenty of tools that will help you do a recap. You just have to have the discipline to do it. 44:04 – Lee states, it’s not happening because there’s sales laziness, not enough awareness in the sales management suite of looking at not just the quantitative side, but the qualitative side of every step of the process. 44:49 – There's a video series on the website and it's only available to people who buy the book so you go there, fill out the form, upload your recei

In today’s episode of ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Ashleigh Early, founder of the ‘Other Sales Coaching Consultant’, and the host of the ‘Other Side of Sale’. They talk about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion in Sales. Discussing challenges facing sales professionals with different ethnicity, religious background, race, caste, color, and gender and how as a Sales Leader we can address these things. Episode Highlights 01:44 – Ashleigh shares, her career is building and rebuilding sales teams, and as a part of that she had the joy and pain of working at a lot of different start-ups in the tech space. 03:05 – The other side of sales as a podcast and as a blog came into being because of her original co-founder who has since left because she's doing other amazing things. 06:50 - We want to make sure that we are equipped as a business to address the total addressable market. 08:02 - We need to make sure we've got diverse opinions so that the people who are doing the work get paid properly, and they're included in the decision-making processes. 10:23 - We need to keep educating ourselves, and this isn't just a black history month or a women's history month thing or Martin Luther King Day. This needs to be a conscious, concerted, and consistent effort at every level. 12:34 – Ashleigh mentions, there was a study that was done she forget who but they found that almost 50% of women leave tack within 10 years. 14:30 – Ashleigh points out, some elements are never going to be acceptable, that we're never going to be able to fix, but that we can support the people who are in those situations when they come up. 21:07 – Ashleigh highlights, Madison Butler and Tara Irani, both women of color and LGBTQ, are very open about their experiences and are now helping smaller and medium businesses. 23:44 – Sam highlights, demographics of sales professionals 3.0. 24: 36 – Ashleigh states that if you have to scroll more than twice before you see a person of color, you need to go add a bunch more people of color. 26:58 – Exposing to these other cultures even a little bit makes a big difference just to understand the world is different. 28:39 - It's an understanding that there’s not just the cultural difference on a racial or gender level but there’s an economic level too. 32:06 – If you do D.E.I. wrong, it's illegal, so, it's also making sure you understand the legal ramifications of having a sexist hiring process. 34:00 –You can authentically hire a team that is all white, that's the truth. That's not necessarily a bad thing unless you're telling yourself that the team is also diverse. 36:34 - If you cut experience requirements in half, you're going to immediately get a more diverse applicant pool period, says Ashleigh. 42:45 - When you're losing diverse talent, you're losing incredible essential talent period. 45:05 – Ashleigh points out members of the LGBTQ community are 21% more likely to experience discrimination than any other group. Seven out of 10 women have experienced discrimination at work, versus three out of 10 Men. Three Key Points Sometimes the world isn't fair and that sucks, but at least we're here to support you and we're ready to show you how we're going to try and fix things that we can't control. You need to just look at what you're requiring. Do you need 20 years' experience or do you just need some experience? Do you want a sales leader who is only in it for the money? Think through what you need

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Mark DeChant, Founder of ‘10 Sales Talent’ who gives tips to hire top sales talent. Episode Highlights 01:48 – Sam enquires, what the landscape of the market is today specific to sales, and what you're seeing out there? 03:01 – Mark says, the work from home thing impacted sales a lot. 05:10 - There's just far more entrepreneurship, people are starting their own business than there has been previously, mentions Mark. 07:30 - How you should be approaching the hiring process in general, and your initial outreach, if you will? Sam asks Mark. 09:04 – Mark states that it's not much of a big stretch to turn that needs analysis document more inward-facing to understand what our ideal candidate profile is. 11:45 - What is the hardest thing for people to get their head around when doing this, asks Sam. 13:22 – Mark points out, sometimes there are just perceptions and biases that sales leaders have about what makes a successful salesperson and it takes some time and works to overcome those objections. 15:55 – Sam asks, what is the narrative that will capture an A player's interest? 16:47 - The clients, companies, and the employers have to have a succinct, powerful narrative about who they are, what they have to offer, and why they can make this person specifically successful, states Mark. 18:16 – Mark highlights, it’s not always the number one driver on how much people are making but we should have that narrative of here's where we were, and here's how we've done in the last 12 months. 20:00 - We need to have that narrative of why should somebody come to a series a $5 million company right now. 22:33 – Mark says, the best matches happen when there is openness and honesty about what I have to offer. 24:32 – We just have to be candid about what happens before the leadership changes. 27:47 – Mark tells, your candidate experience is a reflection of your leadership style. 29:30 – If you are a client and employer and you are missing, rescheduling, ghosting, and going dark, you have no chance to land top talent, explains Mark. 31:42 – Sam enquires, what are the biggest misfires when it comes to the candidate experience? 33:28 - The candidates get pretty annoyed by the lack of consistency in the messaging of what the process is going to look like. 35:15 – Mark would strongly encourage putting in a personal development plan with your current employees that you can then use as a selling point while you're interviewing. 41:05 – If you're behind your number, you're going to use a PTO that you require to stay ahead of your number. 43:57 – Sam says that it becomes a drain on an individual if you don't allow them to unplug or allow that candidate to understand that. 45:41 – We should need to have a human being on our team to unplug and relax. 46:45 – Mark states, sales leaders should be realistic about the quality of the talent that they're going to be able to hire at the comp plan that they're advertising for. Three Key Points We need to dig into this, what percentage of our reps are making quota? What is our number one rep earning? What is the spirit of the team? Is it growing or is the revenue growing? It is important to say, is there an alignment where you want to go, and do we have the tools and the resources, and the human capital to take you to where you want to go? If you want to be finding the top sales talent,

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with Jake Dunlap, Founder / CEO of Skaled Consulting and B2B Sales Leader. Jake and Sam are going to be discussing five things every buyer will be grateful for in 2022. Episode Highlights 03:30 – Jake loved reading during growing up, and started to realize very early that sales satisfied a lot of things for him. He was naturally inquisitive. 05:55 - We tend to overcomplicate or bypass some of the things that will make us successful a lot faster, says Sam. 08:00 – Sam asks Jake that from a sales perspective, what's been the biggest change in sales since he started? 12:20 – Jake states, know your industry, and know the people you serve. 14:08 - So either quit or shut up and pay for it yourself because those are your choices, mentions Jake. 16:20 – Jake gives differentiation between extremely relevant and personalization. 18:40 - You don't necessarily have to personalize everything, but everything should be very relevant, states Jake. 21:30 - We've got to realize that you've got to move away from one sales process modality and probably have three or four, no intent, medium intent, high intent, and the way that we interact with those people changes a high intent person comes. 24:40 - Think about for just five seconds here about your expectation management with your customers, when you say requested a demo and the first calls with somebody who can't even answer basic questions. 27:30 - Jake thinks that most SDRs are smart enough to be trained on how to do a level one demo a five-minute walk-through. 29:25 - Jake tells reps this all the time, that any company that's in any decent size that says they don't have 30,000 bucks is lying to you. 32:30 - Outbound emails that show someone took five minutes to think through the fit and message first. 40:30 - Jake thinks that there are a lot of things that they think about sales because it's the way they've done in the past that there's no way someone would want to do this. 45:00 – Jake says that buyers don't need you to be their friend to want to do a ton of business with you, that’s not relationship building. 48:30 - If you're looking to up your sales, and are looking to modernize we've got a ton of free resources on our Insights page, or feel free to reach out to us at our website Three Key Points Jake reveals his sales journey stating that he moved to a startup in New York and then started Skaled Consulting almost nine years ago. They’ve got 45 plus people globally, and they’re helping organizations to modernize their outbound, inbound, go-to-market, sales process, technology stack, anything sales, and revenue engine-related functions. They’re working on engagements around operations, enablement and strategy. Besides that Jake has got a great sales mind the reason Sam wanted him here were the five things on his list. Jake thinks they just have to get out of their heads that not having the power they find a relationship, which is like if you define a relationship on benefits and all that this is not true. They are not in the friend-making business instead they’re into the value exchange business, and it doesn't mean you believe that you're rude. Tweetable Quotes “We seem to overcomplicate things in sales” - Sam Capra “One of the biggest issues that I see right now in sales is many sales organizations are morphing their

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Jason Bay, Chief Prospecting Officer at Blissful Prospecting. They are discussing the three key shifts (identify, engage and create) to make in your outbound approach. They also talk about the challenges around technology. Episode Highlights 01:14 – Sam says, one can't close the deal unless they get a meeting; everything starts with the prospecting piece of things. 03:34 – Jason says, it's kind of accepted to get a call during business hours if it's related to business. 05:19 – Jason got used to being okay with interrupting someone. 07:03 – In the past 5-10 years whatever shift we have seen in sales, has it gone in the right direction for the better in sales, enquires Sam. 10:15 – We need to find a balance between mass blast and customizing everything. 12:39 – It's a big deal to get a client, so it makes sense to do this type of segmentation, says Jason. 14:52 – We don't always actually need to personalize to the individual, mentions Jason. 16:50 - There's a whole personalization and relevance kind of thing and he looks at those things interchangeably. 18:20 – Sam enquires, how as an individual sales professional, should he think of quality first, what's the thought process behind that? 20:30 - We should be thinking about how can we scale the personalization that we’re doing not how we can do personalization at scale. 23:10 – We need to be like not how personalized can we get, but what's the minimum we can get away with and still be increased by 1%, 3%, or 4%. 24:18 - We have to think about how do we optimize the hours of our week during the time that we do spend doing outbound because we can't be everything for everyone. 26:38 - When we can shift the conversation to what the other person cares about, that's how we get people to talk about themselves, says Jason. 28:04 – Jason states the priority drop is how we can get this person talking about themselves. 30:38 – Jason can shift the conversation away from talking about him by talking about how we help people that we help are into in the problems that they have. 34:50 – What we need to think about is if we're asking for 30 minutes of this person's time what is going to make that time worth it, states Jason. 36:45 - What kind of insights do you share that are helpful for them even if they decided not to use our product or service. 41:10 – People try to overcomplicate what we're doing with outbound, says Jason. Three Key Points We need to get good at figuring out if our target market is this big circle. We need to figure out what the segments are, and how can we find patterns between people? We need to find a balance in how can we still take advantage of the technology that allows us to automate a lot of stuff and make the workflow a lot easier, and not have to customize everything. Jason highlights – he has a good system for identifying good fit opportunities. He has got some tools at his disposal through phone, email, or social to engage and start a conversation with and he’s able to create opportunities out of it and do a little bit of projection. Tweetable Quotes “I'm going to interrupt you, but I get to decide if I am an interruption.” – Jason Bay “Buying cycles are getting longer and people are buying less because it's so complicated.” – Jason Bay “Prospects are starving to interact with sa

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Shawn Sease, founder of 5bynoon. Shawn shares three things that have no place in cold calling. He also talks about the fundamentals of his scripts and variations to your outbound call strategy. Episode Highlights 01:21 – Shawn says, he has spent the last 30 years of his life in sales. 03:04 – Sam enquires, what kind of drives does Shawn has from a sales perspective? 04:20 – Sales are the one thing that's not necessarily linear; there's no one thing that one can do to get to drive the same result, says Sam. 06:09 – Shawn mentions that the process has to have a little wiggle room in it. 08:24 - Sam enquires from Shawn, what does he mean by leading with product value? 11:22- Shawn explains, his job is to get people into a meeting, the best way he figured that out is to help people become the next best version of themselves. 13:02 – What they do in cold calling or messaging workshops is they cover what to say, how to say it, and most importantly, why they’re saying it, reveals Shawn. 15:57 – Shawn says, his goal is to have a two-way conversation. 17:23 - When we start getting into objection handling, it becomes defensive, and keeps escalating things, versus just having a natural organic human conversation with someone. 19:38 - When we write the script, we make it pretty generic. 21:40 – Shawn states, what they figured out is, the best way to introduce themselves is to share some new ideas and innovations around. 23:31 – We need to have the right information, the right data, make sure that we get the right information, and have the right ICP to reach someone. 25:15 – Shawn says there're so many times when they’ve heard people saying that they’re going to give them a meeting because they’re good at what they do. 26:54 – Empathy and sales don’t make sense, especially at top of funnel calling, because we don't have the relationships established. 27:57 - The best customers are the ones who are open to having a real straight talk. 30:28 – Shawn points out that in the scripts that they write they don't deal with the fear part because they’ve mastered it. 32:57 - We need to understand who we're calling first before we start articulating what value prop is what we're going to say. 34:05 – Shawn states that they use survey scripts in a lot of situations for two reasons. 38:14 – How about we put a time on the calendar right now and that'll keep us from getting a restraining order by continuing to follow up. 40:53 – Shawn stresses that they need to lighten the load on the expectation here and do something different. 42:00 - We have people send us lists, so we can run it through our validation process to figure out who answers the phone above their SDR funnel. 44:54 – Sam refers to a book by Scott Chanel wherein his estimates that 70% of the effectiveness from cold calling is the list, essentially who are we targeting. 46:40 - It's kind of a sequence of events, so, its fear, its curiosity, its trust, and a two-way conversation. 50:51 - We better spend our time learning how to handle the objection. Three Key Points The fundamentals of the script of the rhythm of the conversation and starting a two-way conversation involve two things. First, ask for permission to talk and tell the purpose of your call. The second is about building familiarity and then trying to get t

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Brynne Tillman about 11 Linkedin tips for Sales Professionals. Episode Highlights 01:12 – Brynne is in the sales game for a while and he shares what got her into sales. 03:55 – Call centers became solution selling centers, says Brynne. 05:02 – Sam says about Brynne that she found joy, love, and the ability to help people with what she is offering. 08:11 – Brynne says that was the moment where she recognizes she is not an order taker and that's not her job. 10:56 – We have to slow down the sales process to make sure that everything that we're doing is right for that client. 12:45 – Brynne never has to cold call again because she can search, filter, and identify. 14:16 - What has been the biggest evolution? Sam enquires. 16:35 – There's that stereotype of one shouldn't be sending a calendar link. But it all goes back to the framing, says Sam. 18:05 – Brynne explains to convert your profile from a resume to a resource. 22:50 - Connect with everyone we meet, speak or engage and that would add value to our network. 24:36 – If it's someone relevant for our network and we're relevant to them then connect. 26:30 - Use LinkedIn to learn about your buyer’s industry, clients, and their challenges. 27:13 – Brynne points out, the biggest problem with sales on LinkedIn is that there's this mass, we can call enough people. 31:22 – We have to make sure that we're curating content that our buyers care about. 33:24 – They discuss that polls are a great way to engage and if used well, they are amazing discovery opportunities. 35:05 – Brynne shares, some people are attracting the people she wants to engage with. 37:02 - One thing she loves about Sales Navigator is, there's a filter called Spotlight and in that spotlight, one can choose active and LinkedIn in the last 30 days. 38:07 - Take inventory of your existing connections by exploring the list and categorizing them by client prospect and referral partner. 41:25 – If we come across someone that we don't remember, we can go to their profile and click on contact information. 43:03 – When starting conversations, share tailored insights to your targeted connections on an individual basis. 46:50 - As the author of the poll, Brynne says she gets to see who voted. So, she will target specific people who know that voted and she’ll say thank you for voting on the poll. Three Key Points Sales Navigator is the most powerful sales tool available to us today, not just because of the incredible search ability but the ability for them to alert on triggers that can help start conversations and the ability to leverage the existing connections to map out how do we get into certain companies and decision-makers. A study said 74% of buyers chose the sales rep that was first to add value and insights. We need to identify who in our network is connected to our targeted buyers. Ask for referrals or permission to name drops. Tweetable Quotes “I was a natural salesperson. My first job was a waitress at friendlies.” – Brynne Tillman “We were solving problems that our clients didn't even know they had. “- Brynne Tillman “I was able to take what they taught me and interpret that for a client that saved her business. “- Brynne Tillman “When

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest, David Dulany, the Author of the Sales Development Framework and Founder CEO of Ten Bound. He is sharing keys to SDR Hiring Success. Episode Highlights 01:47 – David shares, he was running the SDR teams for about seven years at a different software company, and then started at Ten bound. 03:00 – The salespeople got a lot of the glory and they were getting all the trophies and hanging out with the CEO, noticed David. 04:38 – David points out, it’s all technology and we got a little bit away from the old-school methods of sales, the way they used to be. 06:46 – Sam states, the SDR is the hardest position to fill to recruit for to hire for. 08:15 – It's not an easy thing to do, it's not plugged and play, and it's different than recruiting sales reps. 12:00 – They want to make sure that they design the interview process correctly. 14:26 – Create candidate's scorecard, and ensure that there are some aspects of candidate’s background that could lead to success in the role, not just the resume. 16:16 – David shares, we can send candidates a quick assessment and make sure that they're okay talking to strangers, handling objections, dealing with continuous failure, that basic blocking and tackling of SDR. 18:22 - if we're hiring slow because we're slow, and the process is a mess on our hiring then we're going to lose those top candidates, says David 20:38 – The fourth key is creating a simple project as a part of the process. 22:02 – Sam enquires if David is looking for how candidates are prepared. 24:36 – We can't sit on the offer letter for a couple of days. We have it ready to go and get them in, states David. 29:43 – Managing SDRs is one of the toughest jobs because we have to be able to understand marketing, sales and do training & coaching. 31:41 – Sam enquires that if David educates a sales leader around. 33:47 – Sam asks David that how the SDR will look like in four or five years. 36:20 - Always make sure that the outsourcing agency is sharing their playbook, their research, and the feedback that they're getting from the ideal market. 38:31 – David recommends looking for demonstrable sales experience on the resume even if they've been selling Cutco knives, or Girl Scout cookies, etc. Three Key Points The tech industry has changed the sales profession. All the tools have made the many aspects of sales a lot easier and not as repetitious and time-consuming. But on the flip side of that, we rely too much on technology. We've got to be able to move fast, and have everything ready to go and lock them in as quickly as possible if we've got that top candidate. Sales leaders should focus on appointments and pipeline and how it's converted to sales. Tweetable Quotes “A lot of the software companies in Silicon Valley, when they came out, they put their sales team into basically three parts right.” – David Dulany “The technology is not going to make the sale; it's the classic sales training.” - David Dulany “The reason that the SDR role was created is because businesses need pipeline and b2b businesses need to have 3x or 4x pipeline for their salespeople to be able to reliably hit their number”. – David Dulany “There's a lot of pressure to perform and if we rush through the timeline, then we just cost ourselves probably six months”. &ndash

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Mary Henderson, Founder of Mary Henderson Coaching which specializes in personal branding, and several other things. She discusses why personal brand matters in sales, specifically. She also shares some great tips for defining a personal brand. Episode Highlights 02:08 – Mary wants to share why personal branding and sales go hand-in-hand. 04:36 – Mary shares that back in the year 2000, she realized that she can build a brand around this, she is going to be known in the tech industry for the person that can fix these types of problems. 05:19 – Mary turned around the business from a declining 8 million to a $22 million business in eighteen-month period. 06:08 – The host explains how she became a specialist in personal branding, and also in commercializing personal brains. 08:08 – A salesperson is not a linear person, a salesperson can't cope being stuck in a structured environment, brilliant salespeople are unstructured people, says Mary. 09:44 – Mary says, her passion is bringing the best out of a human being. 10:04 – Sam enquires, how do you define personal branding? 12:15 – One should not be talking about his personal brand from a vanity metric standpoint; he should be talking about his brand from the fact. 14:38 – We are in a fully digitized economy and every salesperson is judged by their brand currencies or their social currency, Mary explains. 17:34 – We need to be proactive, not reactive, and we also need to think about how do we want to show up in the world in the digital landscape (social media)? 18:22 – Sam asks the guest about the difference is a personal brand and social selling. 20:38 - One can't get his messaging right and accurate until his brand is defined, refined and accurate, says Mary 22:34 – The social selling and the brand strategy need to be congruent, and one has to wrap the messaging around the brand and not the other way around. 24:52 – The guest points out that we should be starting the conversation on social media the way we do in a normal human environment. 26:50 – Mary highlights, if our brand and our messaging are not dialed in, it's going to be very hard to create content. 28:08 – What we need to think about when we're creating content is if we're pushing a paradigm, a belief system because no one's interested in our version, shares Mary. 31:08 – How do you educate someone who wants to have a personal brand, asks Sam. 33:14 – We need to upgrade our LinkedIn profile, design a content strategy that is around, and also bring our personality into it. 35:26 – We should be focusing on building our brand currency because that's where we will be judged upon. 36:14 - When we're proactive, and commenting on other people's posts and we're writing really meaningful comments in their post, all of their customers are going to see what we just wrote, and they most likely will follow us, says Mary. 38:00 – We have to feel comfortable with our subject matter that we understand inside and master it. 41:09 – Mary shares the three bugaboos that we just cannot do. 43:20 – Sam mentions, we got to formulate the content that we want to be known for. 44:23 – If someone is serious about defining their brand, they need to become extremely active on social media, especially LinkedIn, with their clear messaging, states Mary. Three Key Points We can't build our brand but we can define our bran

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Nicolas De Swetschin, Head of Sales for noCRM.io, He discusses what are those best practices from a sales coaching standpoint. He also shares tips, and techniques that we all could immediately start to implement. Episode Highlights 01:53 – Nicolas shares, he has been working in sales for the last 15 years. He did graduation as a Telecommunication Engineer but he started straightaway in sales, b2b sales, complex sales, and international sales. 02:47 – Sam enquires, what got Nicolas started in sales and what was his motivation. 03:32 – Nicolas always has mixed technical stuff and sales but then he switched to a fuller business development position. 04:05 – Salespeople are getting much more technical than they used to be, says Sam. 06:15 – Sam asks the guest about the biggest change they’ve seen in sales in 12 years, both for the best and for the worst. 08:23 – “How do you define sales coaching in your world?” Sam asks Nicolas. 10:34 – Nicolas says that tip one would be setting the context and making sure all the feedback and coaching they were doing is taken and made with positivity. 12:25 – Sam asks Nicolas about other goals that they have set up at that meeting every week. 17:35 – Nicolas shares how they chose deals to talk about. 19:44 – Sam enquires from Nicholas about managing accountability to those in roles. 21:32 – Nicolas explains how he manages to coach. 24:00 – They do a team sharing session to share what they are running up against whatever the topic might be, says Nicholas. 25:16 - Where does personal development fall into your strategy, asks Sam. 28:34 – Nicolas states that it would be better if they select their training session. 32:22 – Sam enquires about the biggest obstacle that Nicholas faces in his day-to-day life in making all that happen. 36:46 – Nicholas suggests to the team to think positively and take your failures as a game. Three Key Points Due to COVID, we realized that there were no big needs for traveling around the world and meeting customers each time we wanted to talk to them. Nicolas highlights they've got one-on-one sessions every week with all the members of his team, and in that session, he got to know their feeling is a bit deeper into the deals where they are struggling so that he can help them remove the obstacles. Training is very important, at least self-training, constant training and we should apply this more to sales or any skills in companies. Tweetable Quotes “I started as a Technical Sales Manager, so, it's a kind of mix between engineering, and sales. I learned a lot about sales during that first row.” - Nicolas De Swetschin “I still find a lot of value in face-to-face meetings; I do think there's something to be said for meeting someone face-to-face.” – Sam Capra “I think the training is part of the coaching, it's a very important part”. – Nicolas De Swetschin “It’s very important to keep these regular meetings to build up the team spirit and make people talk together and just at the end of this meeting, we set up our weekly goals”. – Nicolas De Swetschin “Let them think about their solution, instead of always giving them the solution” - Nicolas De Swetschin “We try to build-up the culture of the comp

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Marcus A. Chan, Founder of Venli Consulting Group and Forbes Business Council Member, and discuss how to book more meetings. Marcus shares his thoughts on how to get better in sales as a salesperson. Episode Highlights 01:49 – Marcus shares, how they earn an additional 50 to $100,000 more without making thousands of cold calls. 04:12 – The guest learned how to read some e-books and sell those online. 04:25 – Sam asks about Marcus’s origin story from a sales perspective and how he got into the sales spectrum of things. 06:19 – Marcus says, his first taste into sales was like, pure cold outside sales, outbound cold calling cold email, and door knocking boots on the street. 08:05 - Eventually Marcus figured out how to have success, and by month three, he was one rep in the company. 10:00 – Sam asks what is going in the right or wrong direction from a sales perspective. 12:08 – Automation can help to a certain extent, it can supercharge a talented sales professional, but it can weaken many others due to depending entirely upon it, says Marcus 14:14 – Marcus has an issue with the sales gurus and influencers because they put something on the web, and half the time most of them never actually have done the job. 19:19 – Sam shares, sales mentality has swung the other way. We’d much rather have 50 bright people than 5 million wrong people. 21:33 – If we are scrambling, or thinking what to say next, we're not listening to the clients. 24:27 – When we are mentally preparing for objection, and we know they’re going to give us four objections, we're less likely to give up after two objections, states Marcus 26:21 – If one is handling three or four objections, their chances of booking go up drastically. 28:37 – Marcus gives a little insight about role play in sales. 30:25 – The guest literally would role play out loud on his drive to the office. So that way once he picks up the phones, he is ready to go. 32:44 – Sam enquires about the thought process behind standing up. 35:10 - Tonality is so powerful, it changes how the message is being perceived, says Marcus. 39:50 – Marcus shares, one of the key drivers which help recovery is proper sleep. When you get proper sleep, you just feel way better. 41:00 – Role play does the things that we want to do. 43:55 - When we execute our work at a very high quality, we feel better and that's important as sales professionals. 45:45 – Marcus points out, those who are most consistent with these have a compounding habit, and are the ones who have the most success. 46:06 - When you think about any top performer in any field, they typically are not that much better than the second-place person but they do these little things better. Three Key Points If we can combine both sales fundamentals and technology/automation tools, it can explode us in amazing growth and results. We need to have frameworks and have a pretty clear idea of what we're going to say and should practice inside the script. But the more we internalize it, the more present we can be on the call. When you emphasize certain words, it drives home different points, and when we understand that, it's able to create a feeling for that prospect. But on top of that, when we're on the phone, prospects can't see us so, the way we hook them in and get their attention is not just the words we say but how we say it.

In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Tyler Cole, a Sales & Business Development Leader. They discuss driving next steps, deal closure, and deal acceleration along with building trust that gets to the goal line. Episode Highlights 01:38 – Tyler shares a little bit about his background. 03:06 – Sam enquires from Tyler about his sales background and origin story. 04:58 – Sam says sales wasn’t Tyler’s first call, he fell into it for lack of better terminology. 05:00 - Tyler had people skills and then he realized how does he got paid for those skills. 05:40 – What’s changed for the better and what's changed for the worse in sales from where Tyler started to where he is seeing now, asks Sam. 08:22 - What is the biggest missing component that you see in the process, enquires Sam. 10:40 – How do you think of the next steps? What's your thought process around the next steps? How do you approach those? Questions Sam. 12:49 – Tyler highlights, there's one of 14 combinations of how the sale process can play out. 14:34 – Sam asks, what does Tyler see as the main reasons next steps aren't established. 15:17 – Tyler shares, before every call he does a 20-minute prep with the BDR that sources the meeting, to understand exactly what they discovered and who did they talk to? 17:50 – We as efficient show that we understand our business and we've done our due diligence. It also allows us to be more concise with our time. 20:41 – Tyler shares, he can always move that 30-minute slot but he at least has the structure to not forget any of the details. 24:00 - If one has built the trust, resolved client needs, and given them all the resources, and then they won’t feel the need to go somewhere else, explains Tyler. 27:40 – Tyler points out, we have to go a little rogue and say, “if what other people on my team are doing doesn't work, then I'm going to do things my way.” 31:34 – Tyler mentions that sometimes it is like getting them out of their comfort zone and giving them to trust us. 32:26 – Sam says, his rule of thumb has always been under-promise, and over-deliver. 35:12 – We need to over-communicate, or find a way to get the deliverable there by that time. 37:00 – Tyler says, they need to go talk to 15 people and get to that level where they can find time for us, so, we better do all that stuff that makes it compelling to them to do that. Three Key Points We can understand what the customer truly needs, and then match our solution. We got to make sure that we're doing the right thing and it's a win for both parties. But understanding what their need is and then crafting the story to coincide with it and draw on those opportunities. All the studies are saying deals are taking longer to close complex sales deals. For the average deal, the close rates have gone down; all the things that you don't want to go down are not going in the right direction. We need to reach; we can add that additional personalized touch that even says like a handwritten note or a gift card or something that has value to them. If we don't have a gifting platform, there are ways to do that through our communication. Tweetable Quotes “I built out at the Westin in downtown Phoenix, an upsell environment that they didn't understand at the time and I'm like, I brought you guys $400,000 in revenue. I think I'm supposed to be selling things.” – Tyler “I don't have much for the worse,

In today’s episode of ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, talks with guest Torrance Hart (Founder and CEO of Teak & Twine) about how to leverage strategic gifting sales. They also discuss about the best practices and common pitfalls in strategic gifting. Episode Highlights 02:28 - Torrance knew that she would start a business as she was looking everywhere for kind of niches gaps in the market. 04:13 – Sam says what gifts can we send guests to accomplish their goals. 06:03 – The host says that at some point in time they will have to put on a sale to get their business where they want it to be. 7:15 - Sam enquires, how do you define what is strategic gifting. 09:20 – We can send a gift, host a virtual event, cut our overall event budget in half and accomplish more than what we were accomplishing in person, states Torrance. 11:50 – Torrance highlights how just changing the wording to book a call and getting a free gift made the Calendly Bookings go through the roof. 13:00 – They’re doing their own internal ABM, sending out emails and combining it with a get a free gift, mentions Torrance. 15:00 – Torrance points out that they are booking slightly more meetings that had a lower closed rate but they weren't wasting a ton of money on guests. 18:01- The guest shares, they created a gift around juggling and then the QR code took them to a little class. 19:56 – One of the great things that a lot of their tech partners offer is that they let the recipient choose reveals Torrance. 22:58 – Sam asks Torrance, if gifting works better in the colder stages. 25:35 – They can send something and then basically have their own clients become a warm lead and only pay the money for the ones who booked the meeting. 43 - Branded items are going to go in the trash, they can add that memorable branded experience to the outside. 28: 48 – Torrance states that if they send something in February, it's going to be really hard to be a super memorable December Gift. 30:34 – The more they can do on National Taco Day or National Juggling Day, it automatically puts their gift in the memorable and creative category, says the guest. 31:35 – Torrance points out, those companies care about who is sourcing their gift. 34:51 - Personalized Email or Handwritten Card has really opened doors and done incredible things, mentions Torrance. 36:05 – Sam thinks that sometimes just the smallest little detail which doesn't have to have a gift with it, resonates more with that than the other gift that is probably a lot more expensive. 37:46 – The guest suggests to make a list of your 10 best clients and send them a gift. 39:00 - If we look someone in the eyes and tell them something and use their name and tell them a story, that's an incredible addition that costs very little. Three Key Points Torrance says that strategic gifting is gifting, but there's always an action behind their gifts, there's always a goal. There's always something they want the recipient or client to do when they receive that gift. Sales Hacker did a study and saw that the deal size increased 2.42% in sending a gift. So, they can afford a little bit of waste there with that increase in deal size, for sure. The best practices in strategic gifting are: first, tie the gift to the action that they want the recipients to take. Second, is to offer choice to the recipients or clients. Tweetable Quotes “I think the revelation for me has been that I'm in sales.” – Torrance Hart “Chocolate bars are delicious bu

Episode 27: Effective Negotiation Techniques for Sales Professionals with Todd Caponi Our guest today is a long-time associate of mine, Todd Caponi, author of The Transparency Sale: How Unexpected Honesty and Understanding the Buying Brain Can Transform Your Results. A self-proclaimed sales nerd, Caponi is passionate and deeply knowledgeable about the behavioral science behind the buying brain, and in this episode we delve into the concept of transparent negotiation. We talk about creating a foundational structure for sales leaders to scale revenue capacity while building trust and honestly aligned win-win situations. He is a huge proponent for ditching the complex (and often underhanded) sales techniques that give the industry such a bad rap, and talks us through why transparency is the single best way to speeds sale cycles and improve win rates. This creates a collaborative rather than confrontational situation in your sales pursuit and actually helps you save time by losing the deals you're going to lose anyway. If you have literally any questions about sales, Caponi's is the brain to pick, and today we get some incredible advice and wisdom from, literally, one of the top sales leaders in the industry today. Press play now to listen in on this exceptional conversation! Key Points From This Episode: Talking about how Caponi got into sales, and the life-changing data that inspired his book. Sales evolving into a life passion, and his desire to use it for good, not evil. The huge power that comes from embracing transparency to disarm the buying brain. Should sales be taught at universities? Some fascinating history about the image of sales and the American identity. Caponi's super interesting take on what's gotten better, and worse, in the industry. Discussing scaling and technology and where it's gotten us. Is negotiation part of the sales cycle? The funny, and accidental, genesis of Caponi's transparent negotiation tactic. Transparency means building trust at the goal line, rather than eroding it. Caponi gives a host of personal experiences in creating collaborative win-wins during negotiation. Discussing the 4 levers, and keeping it simple and mutually aligned. Tweetables: “Transparency sells better than perfection.” — @tcaponi [0:03:58] “I'm reading the subject line plus the first

Episode 26: Phone Prospecting-What you Should and Should NOT Say with Michael Pedone Michael Pedone is no stranger to hard work, and in this episode we get a full rundown of his best advice for what you should and should not say on a phone sale. A pro at cold calling and closing in high-pressure situations, Pedone started his sales career at a very young age and pulled himself up by his bootstraps to achieve all that he has done over these past 3 decades – and it's a lot! In this episode, he shares his personal routine for cold calling, steps to address call reluctance, and the importance of planning, formal training, and role-playing the conversation. We then learn how to ask an engagement question to put your prospect's attention where you want it, and then engaging with the opportunity presented. Pedone also imparts some sage advice, gleaned from hard-won experience, around the importance of constantly upskilling yourself to survive the ups and downs of the sector. If you want to hear prime examples of what you should and shouldn't say, including when to bring up price (it's not when you think), press play now and join the conversation. Key Points From This Episode: A brief introduction to Michael and his passion for working hard to achieve his goals. Describing the numerous and varied sales jobs he's done Pedone asserts that salespeople are weaker today, and talks about why. Discussing the way tools have changed and the double-edged sword of technology. Comparing older and newer ways of looking leads Finding a new angle to constantly outwork the problem. Does phoning work? Pedone's personal routine for cold-calling – preparation, planning, set-up and tactics Talking about the importance of formal training. Tips for lowering call reluctance. Breaking down exact scenarios and questions not to ask, and what to say instead. How to ask engagement questions to put your prospect's attention where you want it. Keeping your skills and level where they need to be. What areas salespeople are more hesitant in nowadays. Working hard and balancing your private life. Knowing what to say before you pick up the phone. Discussing 4 levels of qualifying, and what precise questions to ask, and in what order. Ref

Episode 25: Winning the Complex Sale with Alex Buckles There are transactional sales, and there are complex sales. Neither is necessarily harder, but there are clear differences between the two. Alex Buckles is the CEO of Forecastable.com a platform that delivers scalable sales certainty by simplifying the complex sale. Along with being at the helm of this ship, Alex is also a sales process connoisseur, and in today’s episode, he shares some of his wisdom with us. We dive right into the complex sale, the importance of identifying stakeholders, and how to form relationships that get the needle moving. Complex sales require multiple people to buy-in, which is why it is so valuable to know who you need approval from. We talk about stakeholder mapping, the stakeholder concentration curve, and how you can overcome organizational opponents. Our wide-ranging conversation also touches on red flags you should look out for in an organization, dealing with naysayers, and actionable steps you can take to improve your complex sales skills today. Tune in to hear it all. Key Points From This Episode: Get to know today’s guest, Alex Buckles, and what his company does. Why Alex was so drawn to working in sales. What has changed in sales in the 16 years Alex has been working in sales. How to differentiate between a complex and transactional sale. Alex’s approach to tackling a complex sale; separating the method from everything else. The difference between the economic buyer and the decision-maker. Some of the stakeholders that are important to identify in a complex sale. What a single thread deal is and why it is so precarious. How to strategically map and identify stakeholders, according to Alex. One of the big red flags that Alex believes we should all be looking out for. What authority means and how it relates to approval. Insights into the stakeholder concentration curve and how to leverage this. Everybody in a complex sale is important, so know how to engage all of them. How to approach combative opponents; it depends on their authority in the organization. Why bucketing people is so helpful when you work in sales. Some fundamental steps to take if you are just getting started in complex deals. The importance of knowing whether an organization has done a purchase that big.

Episode 24: How to Utilize Cold Email to Fill Your Sales Funnel with Shawn Finder In today's episode, we delve deeper into the elusive holy grail of sales – the cold email that pays off. The general advice is: keep your email short, sweet, and to the point, and don't try too hard to sell yourself. But how exactly do you get your wordsmith skills to that point, and how to create a call to action that effortlessly galvanizes the reader? Our guest is Shawn Finder, who is a tennis aficionado, author, co-host of the 0 to 5 Million podcast, and Founder of Autoklose. A clear jack of all trades, Finder chats to me today about the challenges and goals of prospecting emails, and shares his top nuggets of gold for getting your foot in the door. It's a pain point for so many salespeople, but he smoothly outlines ways to be efficient and manage it all, amid an inundation of technology and the responsibilities of multichannel networking. We talk about creating a routine for personalization, with learnable examples of using current events to create positive feelings and that elusive initial connection. We also get a concrete list of principal do's and don'ts – specific word count, the 3 second rule, and more – plus actionable advice for upping your click rate and making it easy for the person to answer a call to action. Intent data, the divided opinions on the use of gifs, it's all in here. Just click play and let's dive in. Key Points From This Episode: Some background on our jack-of-all-trades guest, Shawn Finder. Discussing the catalysts for the pendulum shift in emailing and data. How Finder went straight from professional tennis player to a director of sales position. What has changed for better and worse in the industry. How inundation of digital tools can also hinder the efficiency of sales. Where cold emailing stands right now, and why it's the number 1 channel. Finder's advice: don't send an email unless you have 2-3 nuggets about the recipient. Great examples of openers that take advantage of current events. How Finder approaches the balance of ICPs and personalization. The principal do's and don'ts: ideal word count, the 3 second rule, and more! Discussing the most effective style for your call-to-action. Finder shares a genius hack – this one will blow your mind! Are you using your tools to their full advantage? The pros and cons of videos and gifs, and how to use them – if at all. Finder outlines the exa

Episode 23: 5 Do’s & Don’ts of Cold Email with Jeremy Donovan With roughly 300 billion cold emails sent every day, how do you make your message stand out from all the outbound noise? Directly from the sales horse's mouth, our guest today is powerhouse Jeremy Donovan, who is the SVP of Revenue Strategy at Salesloft as well as the author of 5 books - including How to Deliver a Ted Talk and Predictable Prospecting. From AI, to the precise metrics that sales leaders should be using to measure effectiveness, we cover it all. We also delve into the false dichotomy of personalization and relevance, and how to strike that balance, plus the importance of keeping your finger on the pulse of changing trends that boost or reduce customer responses. Finally, Donovan shares, in plain language, his 5 top do's and don'ts that you can implement right now to have a greater reply rate and help the customer do the right thing. This includes specific language, punctuation, sentence length, and more. If you're looking for concrete, actionable tidbits of gold from one of the leading figures in the industry today, you're in the right place! Tune in now and hear what he has to say. Key Points From This Episode: Some background on Jeremy Donovan's varied experience and interests. How Donovan collects and tracks cold emails for testing and analysis. Talking about the effects of the pandemic on prospecting. What's changed for the better and the worst in sales, and the hyper-education of buyers. Talking about the concept of reciprocity and proving you're a human behind the email. Donovan recommends researching Becc Holland. What kind of role will AI play in prospecting? How the relationship between personalization and relevance is a false dichotomy, and how to strike that balance. What metrics a sales rep. should be looking at. What is a great rule of thumb for knowing when to pivot your style or strategy. Examples of specific words and alternatives that can boost or reduce reply rates. 5 killer do's and don't, from subject lines to punctuation marks in the first sentence. Finding the sweet spot of keeping the email customer-centric while keeping it natural. The importance of keeping it short and simple - plain text performs better. When to leverage gifs and video, and being on top of the changing nature of trends.

Episode 22: Top 5 Sales Objections and How to Respond when Cold Calling with Kevin Hopp Before the COVID-19 pandemic, people used to pick up the phone as a distraction from work. Now, with people working from home, they are less inclined to do so. Find out how to master the art of cold-calling in this new era as we chat with sales expert and strategist, Kevin Hopp. In this episode, we cover how you can stand out from the noise, which once-popular sales technologies are now obsolete, and why it’s important to make sure your cold-callers are relaxed. Kevin breaks down the top 5 sales objections: the disinterested Prospect, the “send me some information” brush-off, the wrong person, the “I’m busy” brush-off, and “I have other priorities right now”; and gives us simple solutions using his wealth of sales experience. Discover what the X-factor in a cold-caller is, and methods you can use to improve your tactics. We also cover a bonus pointer: when to level with your Prospects. Don't miss out on this fascinating discussion that puts cold-calling in the hot seat. Key Points From This Episode: An introduction to Kevin Hopp, a self-described sales geek, and how he got into sales. Discover how to stand out from the noise: leveraging technology to make cold calling effective. Why a script for your cold-callers is essential. Why you should expect clients not to be interested when cold-called, and how to handle it. How to use a power interruption to prevent a brush-off. Learn to read the situation, leaving the customer wanting to talk to you. Ways you can tackle the product not being a priority. How your business acumen benefits you as a cold-caller. Pattern interrupting: how and when to level with a client. Why it’s important to target who you call, and how to get hold of the right person. Find out what the x-factor for a cold-caller is. Bonus: when you should initiate a high-level discussion. Learn how to build your competitive battle card. Tweetables: “If you’re listening to this, and you’re anywhere from the age of 18 to 22, don’t worry about finding what you want to do. Start going around the list and checking off the things you don’t want to do.” — @KevHopp [0:03:27] “I really do believe that the key to good cold calling is preparation and mindset” —

Episode 21: It's all About the Buyer's Journey! with Chuck Marcouiller People like to buy, but they don’t like to be sold. This might sound like a straightforward sales idea, but it is something so many salespeople get wrong. As a salesperson, you are responsible for shepherding the customer through their buyer’s journey. Your goal is not simply to make a sale. Instead, it is to get the customer to a future state. Today's guest, Chuck Marcouiller, has been in the sales game for over 25 years, having worked in sales, sales leadership, and sales leadership enablement. Currently, Chuck is a Senior Director of Revenue Enablement at Jobvite, a leading recruitment software company. In this episode, we talk about the buyer’s journey. Chuck explains what this is, along with shedding light on the salesperson’s role in guiding the customer through it. We hear about some of the mistakes salespeople commonly make, and Chuck weighs in on where those in sales should be placing their focus. Being in sales means you never stop being a student, and this is something all the best salespeople, like Chuck, are fully aware of. Key Points From This Episode: Get to know Chuck, and how he became an accidental salesman. Why Chuck is so passionate about sales and why he has stayed in the industry as long as he has. How sales have changed since Chuck became a salesman over 20 years ago. What the buyer’s journey means, according to Chuck. The three components of the buyer’s journey. Unpacking the role of salespeople and how they facilitate the buyer’s journey. The importance of helping the buyer through every step of the journey. Using Peloton as an example of how creating a community makes a sticky product. Why you need to decide what kind of company you are. The buyer’s journey does not end with your sales; it’s about getting buyers to a future state. Some of Chuck’s tips on how to best master the discovery call. One of the biggest mistakes Chuck sees salespeople making continuously. A lesson from one of the best salespeople Chuck has ever worked with. Be a student of your customer and your craft. Think about how you like to buy and apply it to your work. Tweetables: “Sales is the art of helping people, if you do it really well.” — Chuck Marcouiller [0:05:23]

Episode 20: How Does Behavioral Economics Apply to Sales? with Nick Mishkin Behavioral economics is an academic discipline that studies the effect psychological factors have on our economic decision making, but how can we apply that to sales? Well, today’s guest is an expert in exactly this topic! Tuning in, you’ll hear how behavioral economics applies to sales from Nick Mishkin, public speaker, podcast critic, music promoter, and behavioral economic consultant. Nick specializes in applying behavioral science to business communication. Since earning his bachelor's degree in economics and music from the University of Pennsylvania, Nick has sold products for several companies across various industries; from music and advertising to SaaS, technology, and information technology. He is currently earning his MA in Behavioral Economics at IDC Herzliya in Israel and curates the popular Spotify playlist, Behavioral Economics. In this episode, we discuss the power of connecting with buyers on an emotional level, the relationship between behavioral economics and emotional intelligence, and how you can use framing and anchoring to rethink how to describe your offering. We also touch on buyer association, vulnerability, and loss aversion, as well as how you can benefit from finding commonalities with the buyer, plus a whole lot more! Make sure not to miss this insightful conversation with Nick Mishkin! Key Points From This Episode: Meet Nick Mishkin and find out how his failures inspired him to study behavioral economics. What initially drew Nick to sales, including how it lends itself to his extraverted nature. How he believes sales has evolved since he got started; the importance of management. The constant need to onboard new technology and how it can overwhelm salespeople. Defining behavioral economics: the study of human decision making. Connecting on an emotional level rather than hyper-focusing on scripts as a salesperson. The relationship between behavioral economics and emotional intelligence. How salespeople can embrace behavioral economics by approaching calls in a different way. Why managers need to become coaches as technology companies start developing emotional intelligence tools. Learn the power of framing and anchoring; rethinking how you describe your products. Nick uses an experiment by behavioral economist, Dan Ariely on the importance of irrelevant alternatives to illustrate buyer decisions. Distilling framing and anchoring into simpler terms: descriptions and reference points. Buyer association and experience and how they inform the reception of certain terms. How to be the expert

Episode 19: Writing the (ALMOST) PERFECT Sales Email with Ryan Lallier Like so many salespeople, Ryan Lallier fell into the sales world by accident, and a very happy accident it was! Ryan refers to himself as a sales practitioner, and managed to build a business, SalesGevity, through the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve brought him on the show today to share the knowledge that he has accumulated about the value of emails through his many years of experience. Emails are such a fundamental element of sales, but unfortunately, due to the pervasiveness of automated content, they have lost a lot of their power. Ryan however, strongly believes in the value of the written word, and has almost perfected the art of creating connection through email. We talk through each part of an email, from the subject line, to the opening lines, the body, and the call to action, and Ryan explains the strategies that he uses to grab the receivers’ attention, establish rapport with them, and ensure that his emails result in a positive reaction. Ryan also has some inspirational words of advice about trusting yourself, and not second guessing what you have to offer! Key Points From This Episode: The exciting new chapter that Ryan and his wife have recently embarked upon. Ryan shares how he accidentally ended up in the world of sales. When Ryan founded SalesGevity, and how the experience has been. Why Ryan advocates for a sales people to move away from technology. Skills that are vital for being proficient in sales. Examples of email subject lines which will catch the receiver's attention. The three strategies Ryan utilizes for writing impactful opening lines of emails; geography, commonality, and value. How Ryan approaches writing the body of an email, and some phrases that he commonly uses. Ryan shares his thought process around calls to action in emails. An example of what Ryan sees as a good call to action. How Ryan builds connection over email. The importance of being brave enough to trust yourself. Tweetables: “Try to get to a “no” as quickly as possible. If you can get it within one phone call or one email, you’re winning.” — @ryanlallier [0:08:04 “The pendulum is swinging back towards less sequence, less technology, more using your noodle and becoming a fine writer and a stronger communicator.” —

Episode 18: Sales Prospecting Simplified with Nico De Bruyn Rather than struggling to start a conversation with someone who doesn’t need what you’re selling, there are ways to streamline and systematize the process to make it more efficient and productive. On today’s show, we discussed some tactical tips for simplifying your sales prospecting with the CEO of Boundless Media, Nico De Bruyn. Nico is an entrepreneur with a focus on helping brands break through the noise to win more clients and live better lives. Tuning in, you’ll learn the value of personalization, creating human connections, and using online marketplaces to zero in on your ideal clients. Nico also shares his insight into Boolean searches and contextual follow ups that add value, as well why he believes that salespeople tend to overcomplicate the prospecting process in the first place. Nico has a key piece of advice for listeners who are struggling with prospecting: ask yourself what sales would look like it was easy, then make that a reality! Make sure not to miss this conversation full of winning sales strategies and practical examples with no-nonsense author, digital marketer, growth hacker, speaker, and entrepreneur, Nico De Bruyn! Key Points From This Episode: Hear about Nico’s background and why he doesn’t consider himself a ‘traditional marketer’. The differences between sales and marketing and why Nico takes a holistic approach. How to break through the noise: find what works and master it before moving on. Find out how personalization can help you connect with more people. Nico shares some elements from his custom email template; don’t overcomplicate it! The benefits of multichannel prospecting, auditing your time, and just being human. Find more people who need what you are trying to sell using online marketplaces. Nico’s tips for developing your ideal client profile (ICP); be specific! How Google has all the answers you need for channel identification. How to use the Boolean keywords, ‘AND’, ‘OR’, and ‘NOT’, to narrow it down. Outreach methods you can try once you’ve found people who need what you’re selling. Nico outlines the benefits of sending contextual follow ups that add value. Why it can take from seven to 16 follow ups in your email cadence to convert a lead. Why Nico believes that salespeople tend to overcomplicate the prospecting process. The value of leaning into the unknown; embrace the no’s!

Episode 17: Why is Sales Enablement CRITICAL with Roderick Jefferson Sales enablement is absolutely critical, there are no two ways about it! Today’s guest, Roderick Jefferson, is an acknowledged practitioner, keynote speaker, and award-winning author of Sales Enablement 3.0: The Blueprint to Sales Enablement Excellence. Listeners will hear the story of how Roderick coined the phrase ‘sales enablement’, what the term entails pre-COVID and today, and how it differs from training. You’ll learn more about the role, which includes talent acquisition support, role-specific onboarding, teaching business acumen, measurements, leadership coaching, and succession planning. Roderick considers training to be a part of enablement, and sees AI and developments in technology as the next level. He gives us his opinion on ‘Shiny Tool Syndrome’, and tells us why he doesn’t hire anyone who isn’t “carrying the bag” before telling us why he believes that shelfware is the enemy of productivity and where companies can start if they are looking to adopt an enablement strategy. Tune in to hear all of this and more from this highly experienced enablement expert today! Key Points From This Episode: Roderick’s background in sales, running enablement, consulting, and VP of field enablement at cyber security company, Netskope. How he coined the phrase ‘sales enablement’. The belief that 70 percent of a sale is already done before a salesperson gets involved. Sales enablement pre-COVID: breaking the complexity of sales into practical ideas through scalable, repeatable practices. Sales enablement today: being woven into the fabric of a company through market strategy. How tools, processes, and people need to shift as you move further up the maturity curve. Why enablement needs to sit under sales, in the thick of things, to stay in the loop. Due to time constraints, the more a company grows, the more they need enablement. The option of hiring a consultant for this role rather than an in-house person. The difference between training and enablement: enablement is ongoing. What a sales enablement job entails, from talent acquisition support to succession planning. Why the biggest challenge is acquiring the right talent that fits your ideal profile. How to delineate between training and enablement: training is a part of enablement. The reason sales leaders should care about enablement: it takes some things off their plate.

Episode 16: 10 Tips to Better Cold Calling for B2B sales professionals with Michael Hanson Cold calling may seem like something that has been in the sales world for as long as anyone can remember, but that doesn't mean there is no new ground to be covered. Today on The Sales Samurai, we are joined by the CEO and Founder of Growth Genie, Michael Hanson, to hear his top ten tips on how to improve your team's cold calling practice and get your offers in front of more ideal customers. According to Michael, setting up qualified opportunities with strangers is the most difficult skill in sales, and is often left to the least experienced members of a sales team! It was with this in mind that he started his company, aiming to support and enable sales professionals to hit the ground running and excel in their careers. As Michael runs through his list of ten tips, with a few bonuses ideas added in, he reminds us that it is no use having the best messaging and product in the world if no one gets to hear about it or see it. So without further ado, let's jump in and hear his amazing advice! Key Points From This Episode: Michael's background in the B2B space and the observations that led to founding Growth Genie. Unexpected hurdles in the process of starting a company; hiring and building a strong team. The initial impetus to get into sales and why Michael leaned into the field after other ideas. Changes in the world of sales; the best and worse of recent shifts in the space. Why cold calling is in a stronger place than ever and how to stand out from other outreach. Getting past obstacles around fear and ego and minimizing discomfort. Detachment from the outcome and allowing a call to be an exploratory exercise. The best times for cold calling people; going outside of office hours! Why sending emails on the weekend garners better response rates. Using trigger events as the 'why' for your outreach and opening statements. The power of closed and open questions when used at the correct junctures. Staying authentic to your own personality and introducing a lead to something real. Giveaways and freebies as an entry point; helpful tips and strategies. Telling customer stories as a way to keep the conversation and engagement flowing. Focusing on the needs of your customers instead of on your product. What to do once a meeting is booked; getting other importa