Tales From The Field with Amy Volas

Nathaniel Dean isn't new to the sales game. He's spent the last ten years working in enterprise sales for early and growth stage companies, and has had his share of success.But as they say, success never comes without failure...In this final episode of Tales from the Field Season 1, Nathaniel shares about a time when he came unprepared to a meeting with a very detail-oriented new sales leader. He failed to do the work, and fell flat in front of his peers and new manager.... and boy, did he have a tough time recovering from that first impression...Listen to the full episode to find out what he learned, and what he does differently now!

Scott Leese has been a start up leader for nearly 20 years, a VP of sales a half dozen times, and he also runs his own consulting and advisory company.But like most of us, Scott's faced his fair share of failures.In this episode of Tales from the Field with Amy Volas, he tells us about a time when he jumped at a new role without asking the right questions, and it all went down in flames.Inside the episode:- Why you should always take the time to properly vet a new role- What questions to ask before you make your next move- How to use tools to expand your network and leverage new opportunities

Natasha has been in the sales game for nearly 30 years, and has her fair of stories to tell and lessons to share.In this episode, she tells the story of a time she was personally selected to work with the #3 revenue producing account in her company—an account that had been with the company for 25 years!And although she built strong partnerships and did great things with the account for many years,  there came a time when the contract was up for renewal, and the customer decided to go elsewhere...She lost the account, and didn't see it coming. She was blindsided!Tune in to find out what she learned from this defining sales fail.Inside the episode:- The importance of account planning and the power of relationships- Why you should always stay humble in sales, because it can all change on a dime- How to have a win, learn, change mindset

Alex Smith lost a 20 million dollar account... Ouch!

Have you ever said the wrong thing, and immediately regretted it?Maybe the right intention was there, but the words just didn't come out right?In this episode of Tales from the Field with Amy Volas, Billy tells us about a time when his word choice fell short in front of his peers, and what he learned from it.Inside the episode:- Why word choice matters, in life and in sales- How to accept feedback gracefully, and- How to recover after saying the wrong thing

Once upon a time, Kelsey Calabro chased a dream to Seattle for a role as an SDR at a hot tech company. A few short months later, she was let go for not being able to maintain quota.In this episode of Tales from the Field with Amy Volas, Kelsey shares one of her earlier sales fails, and what she learned from it.Inside the episode:- Why it's important to own your own success- Why sometimes it's less about perfection, and more about iteration- How to stay curious and bring consistent value at work

Alex took a job for the money.Because when you work in sales, that's what it's all about, right? The money?Wrong! Not for Alex, at least.He quickly realized that despite the hefty salary increase, the company and the technology just wasn't something he could get behind. He wanted more from his job. He wanted to be able to add value for his clients.This episode of Tales from the Field with Amy Volas is jam-packed full or great sales career tips and advice. Find out what Alex learned from this experience, and why he believes “failing fast” is an important part of the journey.Inside the episode:Why it's important to learn, adjust, and move forward after a failWhy you should prioritize performance (the money will come!)How to use a job scorecard when evaluating a new roleGet Amy's job scorecard template from Avenue Talent Partners: https://avenuetalentpartners.com/2021/07/26/job-scorecard-dream-sales-gig/

Have you ever had your blinders on during a sales process? Maybe you went forward with a sale even though you knew deep down it wasn't the right fit for the client?

Four years ago, Connor landed an account manager role. He was given the company's largest account with little to no training, and off he went. A few years in and things were going great! His goals were through the roof, his margins were high… Until one day, his biggest client walked away and he went from one of the top performers to the lowest.Tune in to this episode of Tales From The Field with Amy Volas to hear how Connor managed to recover and what he does differently now. Inside this episode:Why you should never put all your eggs in one basketHow to make sure you always have a healthy pipelineWhy you should always invest in bettering yourself

Meet Krystal Bonillas - an enterprise sales powerhouse with a knack for building relationships.In this episode, Krystal tells a story about the time she landed her first whale of an account.It was her shot at the big leagues. She was ecstatic! Pumped! Over the moon excited! So much so that her emotional side took over, she ditched her typical sales process, and (spoiler alert) the deal fell through.Inside the episode:Why you should never abandon your sales processHow to set expectations and have tough conversationsWhy you should always keep the door open, even after losing a deal

François jumped at the opportunity to sell to a prospect who was having a lot of trouble with their current solution, only to discover (a bit too late in the process), that the trouble lay with the prospect, not the solution.In sales, we always want to close the deal, but François' tale reminds us that maintaining a level of skepticism throughout a thorough discovery process will save you a load of headaches (and time) down the road. Inside the episode:Why it's important to keep it real (and not get caught up in the potential numbers)How thorough discovery saves everyone's timeWhy a prospect's pain isn't always caused by your competitor

Ashley Coghill is a mom, a roller derby competitor, and a bit of a self-proclaimed hot head.In this Tale from the Field, hear how her temper almost cost her a job in sales, and how she learned to control it to maintain healthy work relationships and grow her career.Inside the episode:- Dealing with tense relationships at work- How to move forward from a workplace scuffle- Techniques to diffuse your own temper

Jim Shields was excited to close a big deal. But after sending over the contract, the client pointed out that he had left out a pretty significant fee from their earlier conversations. Cue the gut-wrenching feeling of being called to the principal's office! An oversight like this could be a deal-breaker at this late stage.Jim could have handled this in a few different ways, but he's a professional. Tune in to Tales From The Field with Amy Volas to hear how he owned his mistake with the hope to salvage this deal without any bad feelings.Inside the episode:How to take accountability for your mistakesWhy reputation matters no matter your industryWhen to slow down and follow the process

When Mike Hook was handed a high-profile, enterprise, inbound lead, all eyes were on him. This deal was worth 80% of his yearly quota, and the pressure was on.Everything was going well! Or so Mike thought...Turns out he ignored a few red flags along the way.For one, he only dealt with one individual… and they were from procurement. Tune in to find out what Mike learned from this sales fail early in his career. Inside the episode:Why you should be more prescriptive internally How to take control of the buyer's process early onWhy the post-mortem is so important after a deal falls throughTips for selling to enterprisesLessons learned: Tech is table stakes, no sale happens unless the business needs itDon't sell in a vacuum, talk to more than one personEnterprise deals need to involve more than just your championWhen a deal falls through, the post-mortem is important

Years ago, Alexine took a sales job when she saw a big flashing dollar sign. Can you blame her?!Unfortunately, however, she didn't take the time to notice the red flags that came with that sweet salary. Quickly disappointed with the culture and the leadership, Alexine considers this decision a fail in her career as a seller. But with every fail comes valuable lessons!Inside the episode:3 things to base your career decisions on that aren't moneyWhy it's important to define what you value in a work environmentWhat's a job scorecard and how to use one to decide if a new job is right for youGet Amy's job scorecard template from Avenue Talent Partners: https://avenuetalentpartners.com/2021/07/26/job-scorecard-dream-sales-gig/