The Sales Evangelist

Believe it or not, changing your sales communication strategy can be all you need to close more sales! In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the CEO and Founder of Ajax Union, Joe Apfelbaum, to learn how he changed his sales approach to land more deals with larger accounts. Break into larger accounts without wasting too much time: Everyone says to go on LinkedIn, but many people don't understand how to use LinkedIn effectively. Anyone will see through a counterfeit pitch, even if it's just a mutual connection request.  Don't waste time talking to unqualified leads by creating a strategy to guide your connection requests. Know the buyer, their issues, and their goals to sell effectively. Features tell, stories sell. Become a storyteller to motivate and inspire people to create positive interactions on LinkedIn.  Coaching without permission is criticism, so build rapport (through storytelling) to build the relationship beforehand. When you get a referral, the buyer or prospect doesn't go to the company's LinkedIn page; they go to yours. Keeping your own page updated is critical to a good interaction. Get familiar with the contact by reading their posts and looking through their content on other platforms to see what you can mention.  To the sellers who say they don't have the time: It's much easier to ask a friend for an appointment than a stranger. Build relationships, and you'll have a perspective of abundance. Set a goal for how many conversations you want per week or month. Start with the end in mind. Joe's secret? Exposure, credibility, and direct messaging.  LinkedIn has a high organic reach, so post engaging content that grows your personal brand. When interacting with others, discuss something of interest and don't jump into a sales pitch. Connect with Joe on LinkedIn for more great content, insights, and information. To find more than 200 pages of sales insights and the key to building lasting sales relationships, read Joe's book High Energy Networking, available on Amazon.  This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Some salespeople say LinkedIn doesn't work for their industry. But LinkedIn is effective! (Chances are, you're simply not using the platform correctly!) In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald explains the different LinkedIn features available to help make anyone a LinkedIn success. Connect with Donald on LinkedIn to share what features are effective for you that everyone should know! Name Pronunciation By enabling pronunciation on your LinkedIn profile, people can listen to you explaining how to say your name. While simple, this powerful tool will foster better communication and greetings, especially when utilizing cold outreach in the sales process. If your name is easily pronounceable, it's still a quick intro to your personality and how you approach greetings. Utilizing video in messaging: The video introduction feature on LinkedIn is an opportunity for a more in-depth look at who you are, what you do, and what motivates your professional pursuits.  Engage your audience, direct them to a website, or add a CTA urging people to sign up for your latest class.  When messaging potential leads, supplying video explainers or commentary will build rapport and make you appear more trustworthy than a text message. Utilizing voice in messaging: Recording audio messages is a mobile-only feature that allows you to quickly add an audio component to a message. This is an opportunity to explain your actions, engage your audience, or connect and build rapport. Actually posting content. LinkedIn has close to 800 million active users, but only 2% of users post content regularly. Posting content is one of the most underutilized yet obvious strategies to drive lead growth and offer value to others. If directing people to a website off of LinkedIn, try linking the site in the comments instead of the actual post to generate more impressions. The people who view your profile: Linkedin allows you to see who viewed your profile. While not everyone might apply, this is an excellent database of names to start connecting with potential leads. They clicked on your profile for a reason; you or the other person will benefit from the interaction! This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

In pretty much any team dynamic, some will perform at their best and some less than up-to-par. So how can we utilize our tech stack to help low-performers blossom into the great sellers we know they can be? In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the CEO of Logik.io, Chris Shutts, to understand how to best manage and create strong sales teams. It's commonplace for new sellers to struggle in complex industries. There's often a massive difference between an experienced rep and a new hire, beyond what experience alone can account for in productivity and time-to-value ratio. Logik.io helps standardize sellers' effectiveness to help everyone reach quotas and KPIs.  Buyers are becoming very particular in the way they interact with tools. In B2B transactions, people put up with complications. However, that impatience found in B2C transactions are moving into B2B. If your company can respond faster, your margin will grow. Technology helps guide the user. With Logik.io, they want feedback from the sales team to iterate and make it ideal for the users. A $6 billion tech company client self-implemented the platform, and they were a nuanced company with a complex product. With Logik.io, they created a migration path to download data from one tool and upload it into Logik, moving hundreds of models. Because they have so many models, they wanted configuration inside their CPQ tools, primarily Salesforce, and in e-commerce applications. With this platform, any seller can utilize those configurations to help seamlessly provide clients the same value and options. Indicators that mean you might need a tool like Logik.io: All companies want to grow and make transactions more efficient. The problem with existing configuration engines is that they don't support an omnichannel experience either. From a cost efficiency standpoint, consolidating multiple engines into one for product data maintenance is a great way to reduce administrative workload. Speed of market and new product introductions. Logik.io requires a short window of implementation, helping companies deliver accessible channels quickly. Chris's final takeaway? There's a shift in the market, and buyers and sellers are becoming more particular. Sellers want to sell solutions, not bundles of parts. This combination makes Logic an awesome differentiator, and it can help other companies differentiate and compete with others For more information and content, connect with Chris by visiting Logik.io or sending an email at chris@logik.io. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Believe it or not, anyone can go from small-scale deals to multi-million dollar closes. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by sales and mindset coach Cheryl Parks to discuss how she gets the right people in the conversation to close large-scale deals. Believe in your own story: You don't need to be the best salesperson; you need to be the best thing your customers dictate. If you don't know the answer to something, toss the answer to someone else. Be honest and approach situations as needed. Starting the conversation with larger accounts:  In today's environment, there are so many more opportunities. Sales is a treasure hunt, not a linear scenario. The insights you provide to a CEO or CFO mean more than just sending a case study or book; be the extra set of eyes and ears that provide concise thoughts. Large deals don't happen overnight - you need to have conversations, talk to new people, and determine where they spend their time. Go to the companies you are loyal to, because you'll be more excited about it. Initial messaging outreach: Cheryl teaches the heart-centered framework, and one of the “h”'s is human-to-human contact. Don't be a robot. Instead, be authentic and show passion for your work to trigger meetings and events that push prospects further into the pipeline. Relationships come from serving and providing value for the prospect. The buyer wants to support the organization and demonstrate competence. What can you provide to help them achieve their own goals and company goals?  Smaller organizations tend to be more agile, adaptable, and long-term. So larger-scale companies can and do work with companies that might be smaller than themselves. How can we make large deals work? Determine their desired outcome, streamline customer experiences, and create specific and actionable reporting.  Throughout her deal, Cheryl based who would be in the meeting depending on who was in their meeting, but remembering there might be more people who need to be in the room.  Cheryl's parting advice? You're living in your story, but change what story you tell yourself. Write affirmations to speak your future into existence. Walk yourself out of your shortcomings to go beyond your comfort zone. For more information, content, and advice from Cheryl, visit her website thesalesgrowth.com or connect with her on LinkedIn. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Unsurprisingly, most people work to get paid (a wild concept, I know.) Despite that, navigating and creating a proper pay scale for sales teams is a seemingly complex and difficult process. How can we create a pay scale that works for the organization and the workers themselves? In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the CRO of LinkSquares, Steve Travaglini, to discuss what he does to strike a balance between these two sides.  Salary open for negotiation in sales roles doesn't make sense. If you have two people doing the exact same job, they should be paid the same. Pay isn't the way to motivate people. If you pay people differently, that will eventually get out and will result in a lack of trust in the organization. Base salaries should be standard across a job title, but allow the variable income (i.e. commission) to determine how much a seller's skills allow them to make.  There should be no questions or ambiguous items when an employee signs a compensation agreement. Set the rules before you play the game. What items do sellers find annoying in the compensation package? Having different salaries but the same amount of experience should be a nonstarter. Structure annual bonuses around the hiring period, not the calendar year to give everyone an equal chance of reaching that quota.  Implement rewards and compensations beyond strictly monetary like parental leave, benefits, and even stocks or an owner's portion of the company to keep employees satisfied. Consider advertising jobs based on income; it shouldn't be the taboo topic that it is currently.  Steve's average retention v. other tech companies: Typically tech companies aim to be in the 50-75% range of employee This year, Steve's company is around 80% retention and historically around 70%.  They take risks on sellers with no experience or without the 5-6 years of closing experience, people expect to see. It all comes down to the product and the company; you can be great at your craft, but that doesn't mean you'll be world-class at every company. Steve's final takeaway? Don't forget what it's like to be the rep. Listen to the account executives and those around you; put together a benefits package you would've appreciated if you were in their role. To get in contact with Steve, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit Linksquares.com to view available job openings (but he always enjoys a custom LinkedIn DM.) This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Sellers often look for the newest tool, software, or strategy to find success and increase performance. However, improving the core elements of sales is often overlooked. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Dan Zavorotny, the co-founder and COO of Nurtisense, to learn what elements every great sales team should integrate into their culture. Flexibility Culturally, you have to portray the values that work for your company. However, they might not fit other people. People operate differently. If you are a self-motivated individual and you know what will make you perform your best, you should have the flexibility to do that. People who like flexibility can find a balance in life that drives people's ability to perform at their best time rather than the company's best time. Transparency Many employers sell potential employees on the dream of working with the company rather than the reality. Being straightforward with the reality of working with the company saves time interviewing, onboarding, and training because turnover will drastically decrease. Maintaining transparency after the hiring process and providing precise methods for improvement will make employees more comfortable asking how they are performing. Metrics Metrics shouldn't be arbitrary or difficult to measure - they should be specific and actionable metric that allows people to know how they can best move forward and accomplish new goals. It's easy to get busy with busy work, but this often has little impact on the organization. Before starting an activity, determine the baseline you're starting with and what you'll consider a success. Without that baseline, how can you determine if the work was worthwhile? Bonus: Sleep and Nutrition When sellers get a good night's sleep, they perform better. Their expressions, body language, and enunciation are dramatically better when well-rested. Sleep is derived from your nutrition, meaning the better your diet, the better your sleep will be.  To learn more about Dan and his work, visit Nutrisense's blog, and connect with him on LinkedIn. This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

This is a conversation we need to have. Cold outreach is one of the core tenants of successful sellers, right? In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the founder of Blueprint, Jordan Crawford, to discuss why there might be a better strategy. Every job Jordan has, he's either been fired from, or the company went under. He ultimately found his place helping startups scale and grow for long-term success, and it was through this endeavor he found a better methodology than personalized cold outreach. The ‘spray-and-pray' method was the initial online sales foray. However, that soon led the way to personalized outreach. So, is a new method taking the lead? Personalization has its uses, and there are times it is still functional. However, there are some where it isn't. Personalization helps grab a prospect's attention. But as a B2B seller, you should only want their attention if their company has a problem your solution can help solve. If you aren't making a commercial transaction, personalization can have great power.  Sellers can't test personalization systematically; you must have a way to process the data that is useful to prospects and act on it. Invest in data that leads to understanding product-market fit that solves your customers' core problems. Personalize based on problems, not on the person: Once the potential problems are identified, sellers can sift through potential prospects and interact with them based on those problems the prospect (or their company) might be facing. We're in the world of tactics. But if you lead with insight based on a prospect's problem, you'll be successful.  How can a sales team can implement this strategy: Determine what channels and messaging work for your company. Do a bottom-up analysis to understand everything about the consumer and who you're selling to. Only after this point should you go to market. Score existing customers by a ‘rubric' of your ideal customer. If they are a rough match, you'll know you've achieved a more scalable business. You must determine the data sources to find the consumers struggling with the products you solve. Jordan's final takeaway? If you're in the sales system, spend time with customer success to determine what consumers already know. Because if you know what they know, you can build models that find more organizations like them. For more content from Jordan, connect with him on LinkedIn or email him at jordan@blueprintgtm.com.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Not all companies are created equal. Five key differentiators separate the cream of the crop for sales and sale-focused companies. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald discusses the five key components that successful sales-focused companies have in common. Everyone in the organization is selling. This doesn't mean every position in the company is a salesperson; we still need our accountants and other critical roles.  Instead, this means that the employees believe in the organization's mission, and they sell the organization because of its powerful mission. Adjust your focus and mission to ensure it is clear and something everyone can get behind. Salespeople are treated as the best in the company. Salespeople are the front line of the people giving money to your company. Salespeople are crucial to bringing money into the organization. If you treat your sellers poorly, you'll have high turnover (and thus lower sales.) The key? Treat sellers like they're needed and appreciated. (And you should probably apply that mentality to every role in your company.) Sales education is provided to sales professionals You want your sellers to spread the word about your company's mission. Infuse your salespeople with the greatest of the organization. Provide books, seminars, and boot camps to help provide the techniques sellers need to thrive in their roles. These salespeople will stay with you because you're providing value to them. The Sales Evangelist has training programs you can use to help your sellers master their profession. Sellers are challenged to become better. Top organizations challenge sellers to be accountable for their work. The best sellers are the ones who consistently set new goals and hit new quotas. Look for ways to be better, and you'll constantly raise the bar to make more money for yourself and your company. You have the right KPIs in place that encourages you to grow. KPIs should not focus exclusively on the end result. While outcome-based KPIs are useful, the best companies understand which other metrics best drive results. Leading indicators make better KPIs because sellers have direct control over how they can fulfill the actions associated with them. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

When you have the intention to change your sales approach, the behavior follows suit. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Scott Savage, Managing Director at Franklin Covey, to learn how sellers can increase their close rate by winning more deals.  Salespeople tend to think we close more than we do. In actuality, the close right is only around 17%. But imagine what it could be if that close rate were higher. Why are win rates so low? Many would say the pandemic, but it's not one sole factor.  42% of the time, decision-makers could not tell the difference between vendors. Sellers almost always think they're different. But it doesn't matter how different you are if the buyer cannot differentiate between sellers. Talk less, question more: Executives and other buyers judge sellers based on their questions, not necessarily their answers. Clients don't want sellers to just talk at them; they want a discussion to know their problems are being addressed. It's not that a seller is disliked, but rather that the meeting didn't progress with the buyer's needs in mind. RDM is Scott's strategy to close more sales: Relevant, distinct, and memorable: For relevant, ask yourself what the client truly cares about. What do they wish to buy or add to their current company? Distinct is explaining how they will be dramatically better because of what you can bring to the table. People make decisions based on differences, not similarities. People want compelling contrast. Juxtapose those distinct differences by making those differences easy to share and difficult to forget. Start with the end in mind.  Establish objectives for each meeting to help guide interactions toward those pre-established checkpoints. Ensure your close rate is open: we get too focused on ourselves, and our intention is based on the sale, not the best decision. To stand out, take the RDM strategy. Next, understand what's essential to each decision-maker to get everyone on board. Many people can veto a deal. But, if you know each stakeholder and help them improve, you'll altogether avoid that issue. Your biggest competitor isn't other companies; it's the status quo. Be interesting and stand out to convince each decision-maker to choose you. Scott's final takeaway? Most sellers think they're better than they are. Establish what makes you better and convince buyers of that factor. If you can set yourself apart, you'll close more deals. For more content from Scott, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit franklincovey.com/sds to pre-order his book, Strikingly Different Selling. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Most modern sales methodologies focus on building rapport and trust with the prospect; challenging the prospect's beliefs to make better deals is a hallmark of that perspective. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the Chief Evangelist of Challenger, Jennifer Allen, to discuss her company's methodology that drives relationships with their prospects and customers. Jennifer started as an entry-level seller in account management: A relationship-builder through and through, she worked hard to gain client trust. (Which worked well for a long time.) During the 2008 recession, her peers and customers laid off teams and cut back budgets; that's when her corporate exec board launched a report detailing what maintains relationships with customers. Jennifer was shocked to see none of her current sales components in that report. What worked once now no longer works. Why focus on the relationship side? Jennifer never wanted to be one of those salespeople, but it was also how she was coached - she mirrored the behavior of her managers and peers. She was taught to ease tension with the buyer. However, constructive tension is crucial to teaching a prospect a risk (and why they need to act on that risk.)  When you have a problem and go to the bar, the bartender makes you feel good in the moment, but then you wake up with a hangover and the same problem. Conversely, working towards a productive goal helps make strides toward solving the problem. It's all about your relationships with the people around you. Implementing the challenger sale for success: Jennifer transitioned from a relationship-building to a challenger by reading The Challenger Sale. Her first interpretation after reading the book? Tell prospects everything they were doing wrong. Unsurprisingly, that didn't work that well. She failed to engage in a two-way dialogue and didn't offer a space for the prospect to interact and engage. The takeaway? You have to earn the privilege to say they're doing something wrong. Have an observation about the company, look for something the company is trying to achieve and determine the company's end-state goal. If it's a public company, see if they're trying to acquire AI or how they're trying to grow. Express curiosity in the end goal. Have something of value to share, whether right or wrong. Either way, it's something to think about.  If it's a private company, look to the CEO's LinkedIn page or an exec's podcast and see if they convey any information. Bringing something of value to the prospect throughout the sales experience is a compelling reason for the prospect to work with you. Stop using sales buzz words and figure out how you can bring something to the table. Jennifer's major takeaway? Keep a log of what each company is missing, and what happened to make you realize that particular thing was lacking. As you grow that log, you'll have an easier time when identifying other companies. For more content from Jennifer, connect with her on LinkedIn and listen to her podcast, Winning the Challenger Sale, on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Marketing and sales alignment is pivotal in the modern era of sales, and building credibility and rapport in your communication for all departments is essential. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the CMO of Growth Stage Marketing, Mark Donnigan, to discuss his take on building rapport while unifying departmental collaboration. Good CMOs think about marketing campaigns. Great CMOs bring value to the enterprise. Between the evolution of technology and the pandemic, sales has completely transformed. Buyers no longer attend trade shows to talk with peers; they organize entirely through online forums. Buyers are 50% or more through the buying process before reaching out to their first vendor. A seller's job is no longer to get the first meeting; it's to state the problem that the solution solves while differentiating from competitors. CMO turnover is almost exclusively because they repeatedly try the old playbook rather than embrace these new changes. Credibility plays into rapport building: There's one thing sellers can do at all times - add value to their network through social channels. Nobody wants to be sold to, so content shouldn't be explicitly sales-focused. Instead, create helpful content the audience will read.  People are drawn to others who make intelligent observations about a problem or solution.  Add value to customers as someone who can bring thoughtful insights to the industry - that's the open door in the modern sales landscape. Only 2% of LinkedIn users post content, so seeing thoughtful and relevant content from a person on the platform makes an impression on anyone.  Create your own opportunities by providing internal and external value. Too many executives see themselves as professional managers, but that position is a commodity. However, when you can add insight to a large enterprise organization, you become a lot harder to replace. The new Rolodex isn't names and addresses; it's the community that forms around the network. People who like, respect, and are engaged with your content are more valuable than a simple name and number registry. Create a network that respects your insights and content. There are plenty of other competitors who are just as competent and insightful. However, nobody knows it because they don't post. Mark's final takeaway? Focus on the seller - find every possible way to add value to those in the ecosystem around you. Visit his company website at growthstage.marketing and connect with Mark on LinkedIn for more interesting and insightful content.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

An alignment between sales and marketing inspires the competitive collaboration needed to develop consistent business growth that is scalable across the departments of the organization. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist Donald is joined by Gregg Ames, CCO of Act-On Marketing Automation, to discuss his take on building a proper sales and marketing alignment. Great solutions occur when sales and marketing stop acting as separate processes.  Companies start fragmented. Sales and marketing do their things, but unifying the entire sales funnel leads to a guide for better messaging.  People process information with technology, and that behavior has not shifted. That processing starts with an integrated flow between departments.  Every company has good salespeople. But, when equipped with marketing to canvas a broader market, brings more high-quality leads to allow a focus on later-stage selling. Sellers are (historically) not great at generating demand. Getting marketing to take this role will bring more revenue to the organization How sellers can help with the alignment: Many have seen some semblance of a unified sales and marketing process, and whether it's through your ideal profile or not, you need to create feedback loops.  People need to drive communication upstream; you can't have the left and right hands be completely uncoordinated. Receiving constructive feedback is necessary to properly learn from past mistakes. However, it's also critical for the company to invest in the seller's knowledge. Everything starts with a proper ICP. If marketing's leads aren't the right fit and converting sales, the team needs to reiterate their messaging or scoring methodology to avoid false positives from proliferating. Three implementation times for inter-departmental unification:  When driving sales and marketing alignment, be prepared to plan and evolve your program. You have to access where you are in the organization and understand how it might change in the future. Leveraging data is paramount to a successful program. Marketing is no longer just art; it's art and science. Leverage data to build a repeatable process that decisions are based on. Determine where deals stall, and where wins are created - when you integrate the marketing stacks in the conversation, there's data about site intent, nurture potential, and A/B testing to quality people more quickly.  If you look at these elements, you'll be successful. Create feedback loops, which can be small email or slack technologies, or well-structured interval meetings between relevant parties. AE working for an organization - how to implement? We're chasing numbers, so it's important to measure good metrics to hit the proper revenue targets. However, we're not as comfortable talking with our teams and having earnest discussions about the high-level air cover or ABM strategies that should be the next customers. Initiate dialogues with peers to at least establish a strategy that will move the organization closer to the desired outcomes. Gregg's final takeaway? Embrace your marketing team, because it's much easier to win as a team when sales and marketing are properly aligned. Email Gregg at gregg.ames@act-on.com or connect with him on LinkedIn for more interesting and relevant sales content. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Selling is constantly evolving. There are techniques and strategies you should implement today to set a precedent for long-term success for those looking to thrive in enterprise selling. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Vice President and lead trainer at Empire Selling Jesse Rothstein to discuss his tips to modernize enterprise selling. Modern challenges in the enterprise selling environment: A considerable challenge is the continued expansion and growth of organizations making decisions with a committee or group model. More people involved in the decision make it harder to track, maintain, and influence necessary stakeholders.  Because committees complete research before reaching out to salespeople, it's more difficult for the seller to show a differentiation point. 75% of people are groups and committees are prepared to make a decision before they contact a seller. Three core pillars to modernize sales selling strategy: Build your digital brand. Sellers understand that their digital brand is what buyers will evaluate as they undergo their research. Your network is imperative. It's not what you know but who you know.  Leveraging your network to get into new organizations and make additional connections helps create a stronger sales strategy. Content: Do you have a thought-out, pragmatic, and consistent strategy for sharing content? Buyers want to know your opinion, your industry, and even who you are as a person.  Creating a digital brand: Acknowledge that selling is digitally-focused. A few decades ago, your brand was done by the initial physical impression. And while those days aren't over, they are less frequent. If you're a seller who doesn't buy into digital branding, that's akin to showing up to a meeting in your pajamas. Or with bad breath. Allocate time to determine every point your digital brand touches, consider owning the domain rights to your first and last name, and build out the social profiles that might be involved in a conversation. Utilize your network: It's always easier to get business from people you currently do or have done business with. Modern sellers can (and should) spend more time with this audience - those via referral. It's an outbound sales skill that doesn't get measured or chartered as outbound work. It's no longer as direct as asking for referrals - it's sharing content and using LinkedIn to get an intro or mention rather than an all-out referral. Build a content strategy: Most sellers do not have a consistent content strategy - just by doing that; you're differentiating yourself. Get conversations started that are around you, your company, and your industry. Before the internet, we'd go to trade shows, public forums, and live demos to hand out flyers, brochures, and demonstrations. Today, you just need an internet connection to make it happen. It's not about creating everything from scratch, but instead taking content, distributing, and creating it to form an opinion. To start, set a calendar appointment for a quiet time and develop a content sharing strategy. Once allocated, choose a free scheduling tool like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule your content.  Contact Jesse on LinkedIn, visit empireselling.com, and read his book Carry that Quota on Amazon for more great content and information.   This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Many top sellers using account-based selling are within large tech and SaaS companies. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by sales coach and consultant Ian Koniak to discuss how those large enterprise companies create and coordinate successful sales strategies. Transitioning from transactional to strategic selling: He tried to approach his sales techniques in a more activity-scientific manner instead of qualitative. When Ian transitioned to Salesforce, quantity and hustling didn't work. It wasn't practical to get in the door or drive change. Three qualities for top-performing sellers in tech: They're authentic. People have a bad image of salespeople, but top performers are genuine and there to help their prospects and clients solve a problem. They care for the clients before, during, and after the commission check. They have Integrity for the work. The best sellers help potential clients solve their problems to ensure the client's long-term success. Differentiating a top seller: Their work habits are different, they're focused and organized, and they value their time. They determine the different needs and solutions a specific company might have and build relationships across multiple stakeholders to understand those issues. Identify where employees spend their time and how your solutions can apply to them. They understand where the company wants to go, what's stopping them from getting there, and what they can do about it. It all comes down to focus. The seller knows when to say no, and focuses on strategic accounts and strategic executives within those accounts. They invest their time in the change agents who can make the largest impact within the company. Connect and contact Ian for more content and coaching on LinkedIn, YouTube, and his website untapyoursalespotential.com. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

The days of “spray and pray” selling are over. So how can sellers maintain a consistently full pipeline of prospects and leads? Through targeted and account-based selling. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the VP of Sales Management at Crunchbase, Ang McManamon, to discuss how she uses account-based selling in her own work. Why go into account-based selling? A year ago, Ang's team talked to their best clients and saw an appetite for account-based selling. Prospects would use Crunchbase for funding and capital management news, and people liked the database options for prospecting. There are so many sales tools today, yet finding high-quality accounts and decision-makers is still tricky. Before, there were no strategic ways of looking at accounts and contacts. Now, you can be intentional with your actions. Setting up Crunchbases's account-based selling: First, figure out the target audience. Companies say they do it, but they frequently don't get precise enough to best impact the audience. Narrow down organizations by size, but look for people based on many factors. Ang targeted 50 accounts per person on her 35-person team. Then, they researched the messaging, cadence, and outreach that would best apply to those targets. Look at the potential buyer intent. What web pages have they visited on your website? Luckily, Crunchbase has great name recognition. However, prospects often don't know the specific things they can do with the platform. It takes diligence as a leader to hold sellers accountable. While the account list is a priority, it's not necessarily a restriction. If the seller isn't getting anywhere with a target account, they should be able to move on and find new targets. For outbound selling, sellers use Crunchbase to view recommended accounts or new contacts within those accounts. Then, they create an automatic email from Outreach and set up a cadence. Sellers use strategic intent tools to inform them of their best outreach method, and they use Salesforce to track data and activity. Potential problems (and solutions) with ABM: Initially, Ang's team wasn't using Crunchbase and wasn't ‘surrounding' the sale, interacting with 1-2 people rather than 4-5 who could impact the sale. Incentivizing the sale for larger-scale prospects can help get your foot in the door. Finds reps with a higher sense of ownership when using account-based selling because sellers feel more in control over the process. When working with strategic accounts, win rates increase roughly 48%, but the cycle is slightly longer. It sounds like a great trade-off to us. Ang's major piece of advice? Account-based is here to stay, and it's a better and more strategic way to sell your products. It takes time to nail down, but it's worth it. Visit Crunchbase.com or email sales@crunchbase.com to see what the Crunchbase platform offers. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Sometimes the best way to close more deals isn't by adding new people to your pipeline (though that's always a good thing.) Instead, the best thing is to address the issues that make a deal fail before they fail. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the CEO of Challenger, Andee Harris, to get her take on failed deals and how to address those issues directly with our prospects.  Challenger is a sales training company: The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson explains many of the principles Challenger uses in their training. Early sellers might be timid, which usually leads to a failure to recognize when a deal isn't moving in the right direction. In Andee's experience, continuous feedback is a great way to course-correct throughout the sales process to tailor the experience and selling strategy to the specific prospect.  Passive selling isn't the best form of selling for either party - taking control of the purchase and helping the buyer buy the product is your job. Three ways to notify deals before they go south: Integrate an avenue for continuous feedback. If a buyer likes you as a sales rep, they'll want to share methods to improve their experience.  Realize that one size doesn't fit all. What works for one client might not work for another.  Constantly be learning. Be curious, and look to understand and be self-aware of your strengths and weaknesses.  Andee's final takeaway? Understand that we're in a complex selling environment. Multiple factors influence the selling process, but it isn't impossible to create wins and do phenomenally well. To get in touch with Andee, visit challengerinc.com or connect with Andee on LinkedIn. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Whether you're the person in charge of leads, a small business owner, or anyone looking to do more business through prospecting (which should be everyone), this episode is for you. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Mike Moll to learn how to attract high-quality leads without ads by using modern techniques and platforms. Sales professionals can't rely on marketing to supply enough leads. Video outreach is an effective strategy to supply your ideal client. Once you're connected with someone, you're guaranteed a 100% delivery rate platform through LinkedIn messaging. Make videos right on the LinkedIn platform. Other options include BombBomb and Loom, but asking a prospect to click a video link might dissuade some from watching. Sending a video far outclasses automated messages. With the pandemic ending in-person conferences, many B2B sellers turned to LinkedIn to conduct business, resulting in a surplus of auto-generated LinkedIn outreach messages.  Sending 50 impactful videos will make far greater headway than frustrating people with spammy-sounding auto-generated messages. Sending messages to build connections: There are two big mistakes: forcing yourself as a needed solution to the prospect and removing a prospect's autonomy in decision-making. Don't be overly friendly. People buy from people, so if they don't like you, they will not buy. Start video messages with a “hello” and a quick introduction. Make the intro as quickly as possible to focus instead on addressing their pain points. Consider listing the features of your product, which can continue to discuss the negative results that arise when that solution isn't present. Mastering the follow-up strategy: Plan one more video or text follow-up. Typically, if someone doesn't respond to either of those, move to email for a 3-5 message campaign. Sending 100 personalized videos per week typically results in booking ten meetings, and when they come on the call, the cadence and familiarity is already present. Mike's final takeaway? Video doesn't have to be perfect. Leave in minor mistakes - we're all human, and those mistakes convey that human element. Don't make it perfect, just make it! Connect with Mike on Instagram @themikemoll for more content and to stay up-to-date on his pursuits. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Creating a mindset for sales involves building credibility and rapport with the prospect, that's always been clear. But should we apply logic or emotion to our negotiations and social selling strategy? In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Andres Lares to discuss. The principles of negotiation are the same, regardless of the negotiation subject. As negotiators, we tend to focus on logic. However, we should instead focus on emotion. Statements and facts mitigate feelings of risk, but they aren't a driver for decision-making. At the end of a call, there needs to be trust and rapport beyond what facts can deliver. Why do we tend to go to logic for negotiating? Because it's easier. You can have the same approach for every client and situation instead of emotionally tailoring conversations to the prospect's problem.  You have to ask questions and determine which features give them the benefits they want. So what should we do? Why focus on emotions? Especially with hybrid work, there are fewer opportunities to spend time with a prospect. We're battling against less time and less attention through the screen. Telling stories that share the problems and solutions signal many elements that help keep a prospect's attention. It's so much more believable than standing by good statistics. This showcases a “behind-the-scenes” perspective that has highs and lows. Building credibility is essential. Statements against self-interest, when not used to manipulate the prospect, show that you care about them. People are motivated by achievement. Why do they do that? Because we're motivated by achievement. If you set expectations for someone, they're more likely to live up to them. Facilitate action by limiting options. If you want an answer from someone, provide 3-5 options to make the prospect feel like they're making their own decision. Andres's final takeaway? People make decisions emotionally and justify them rationally. For more great content from Andres, visit his company's website, Shapiro Negotiations Institute, or connect with him on LinkedIn.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Staying ahead of the curve and the competition is the key to getting ahead as a seller. In today's episode of the Sales Evangelist, Donald discusses some of his top social selling strategies and current selling trends as we enter the second half of 2022. By definition, “modern” selling is always changing. Modern selling is the ability to use new tools, modern techniques, and social selling strategies to find and engage with prospects.  In 2022, post-pandemic sales strategies largely revolve around social selling strategies geared toward a remote audience. Modern sellers use tools like Zoom and have mastered how to work with people, even if you can't see them on the screen. Modern tools for a modern seller: Tools like Gong and Fathom help you conduct meetings that prompt sellers to better engage with the prospect. Modern sellers are used to remote work, which means a microphone like the ATR2100 or Yeti helps you take advantage of your environment.  Gone are the days you could send a blank phone call or email. Instead, use platforms like LinkedIn Sales Navigator to engage with prospects, giving thoughtful comments on their content to be a part of their community. Your organization can have the opportunity to use AI to know what buyers want before they buy, and you can use that information to do personal follow-ups.  Modern sellers take advantage of digital tools. 44% of millennials prefer purchasing without a sales rep in B2B purchase scenarios.  While the sales rep position is still necessary, it might look drastically different than what was initially considered.  We must adapt to these types of buyers, engaging with them through LinkedIn or automation to help them guide themselves through the process. For more stats about selling in 2022, download Gartner's 2022 Sales Transformation report. This upcoming series is all about building rapport in the modern environment - find out how to find out more about your ideal seller and become a modern seller. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Sales enablement isn't just for major corporations; it's for businesses of all sizes. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by bestselling author and VP of Enablement of PRO Unlimited, Roderick Jefferson, to discuss how we can apply sales enablement to any organization.  Three distinct factions of sales enablement: The original enablement began when sellers sold knives and vacuums door-to-door. The second faction arrived during the .com boom of the early 2000s. Finally, the current age of sales enablement is the present day, featuring an innovative approach focused on increasing sales productivity with a systematic, personalized, and collaborative process. Whether a small organization or a large corporation, sales enablement joins the various departments and roles to unify the end goal. Get people to have conversations instead of presentations: The proper discussion isn't just the right topic - it's talking to the right people at the right time in their language. There's a difference between training and enablement - training is a sprint, and enablement is a marathon.  Enablement is a change in lifestyle, including talent acquisition, role-specific onboarding, and coaching for sales leaders.  Enablement should be driven from the top-down. It cannot be something pushed out by the owner of sales enablement. There has to be collaboration and communication across all business lines. To start this lifestyle change, remember: the further you get from the sun, the colder you get. (And sales is the sun.) Understand what the objectives are and what the KPIs are - translate it to understand the goal of sales as a department. Make sure we, first and foremost, tie everything back to the prospect. How do we ensure everything we do helps the prospect or customer increase productivity or decrease pain? Roderick's parting advice? Start a conversation with a simple three-part question: Do you want me to listen, do you want me to coach, or do you want me to fix? As leaders, we go to fix mode. But sometimes, that's just not what's needed. For more great content from Roderick, connect on LinkedIn or follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can find his book, Sales Enablement 3.0, on Amazon. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Many salespeople are bombarded with countless tech tools to make their lives easier. But what if one tool helped unify your department's sales process? On today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the CEO and co-founder of Scratchpad, Pouyan Salehi, to discuss how sellers can utilize Scratchpad to eliminate their sales stack drag. Salespeople have many tools at their disposal but often rely on their own systems. People are digitally duct-taping a workspace together to do the job they need rather than using a unified system. This means sellers can spend hours each week updating the next steps for management to view, creating a massive waste of time.  Scratchpad unifies sellers' efforts by creating a space for sellers to work. Athletes have gyms, artists have studios, and salespeople have Scratchpad - a workspace for them. The end goal? Eliminate sales stack drag. For salespeople, drag is an important concept; it's the burden on salespeople that prevents them from doing their best. This could be due to many reasons, from the available tech stack and new sales methodologies to product information and new competitors. Salespeople have to hit quotas and solve these challenges that create drag in their work. Sellers, on average, only spend 40% of their time selling.  Scratchpad gives you back time in your day, helping you reinvest that time into efforts that contribute to your bottom line.  It helps sales teams share client information to make selling seamless, eliminating additional conversations to verify information already gathered. Scratchpad was built with the seller in mind because If they love it, they're more likely to encourage adoption to leadership.  After adoption, sales leaders often realize Scratchpad doesn't just increase sales performance but also employee morale. From individual usage to departmental adoption: Everyone processes information differently, and that level of flexibility should exist within a team's space.  Scrathpad's deliberate customization meets salespeople where they are and is built to go anywhere with you. It removes bouncing between tabs, uniting everything you need in just one place. The concept of a new tool is thought of as another thing sellers have to learn. But anyone can start seeing value with Scratchpad after just a few minutes of use. Visit scratchpad.com to sign up and get started using this helpful platform, and connect with Pouyan on LinkedIn for more great content. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

You can't keep begging for a piece of the pie; you need to bake the whole pie yourself! In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald discusses three reasons why he baked his pie (and by that, we mean creating his own business development event.) Tune in to learn about Donald's upcoming event to master the art of social selling! Why create the event? While Donald loves West Palm Beach, Florida, he found that existing sales meet-ups did not really pertain to B2B sellers.  Wanting a place for B2B sellers to learn and grow alongside one another, Donald created his own! It's all-around business development. Whether you're a full-cycle sales rep or a frontline seller; if you're looking to find new strategies and tips, BusDev22 is the event for you. Are you not local to Florida? Then, purchase a virtual pass to gain all the knowledge from the comfort of your home. Donald's three reasons to make BusDev22: You can't wait for people to do stuff for you; you have to take action. When it comes to the event, Donald wanted to make it happen. Take risks and try new things to succeed! Donald saw and attended other events, but they never lived up to his expectations. He knew he wanted it to be workshops - a space to take notes, interact, and learn with others. This isn't a college class - it's a space to learn and apply new findings. It's something fun that helps others. If your company hasn't quite found a way to crack the code to top-tier selling, there's no better opportunity to learn how to get there. To find out more, go to thesalesevangelist.com/busdev to learn more and purchase a ticket. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

In today's special episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald discusses the highlights of his new book! Sell It Like a Mango, available on Amazon or at thesalesevangelist.com/mango, is full of principles, practices, and tips to sell your product through a shift in mindset and approach to sales.  The premise of the book: Donald saw many mango vendors in the street growing up in Jamaica. But they all sold the same product! So, why did some mangos sell better than others? Because the seller made the deal. If your product has value, you sell it at that value. Donald set up a mango stand in his front yard, but people couldn't see him and didn't come.  The takeaway? Get outside your comfort zone to be a successful seller. This applies to everyone - people will sell the same thing as you, so you need to stand out. In the book, Donald points out common sales misconceptions: Misconception 1: My role as a seller is to convince the buyer to make a purchase. The real job is to educate the buyer to know they should make a purchase. Misconception 2: The work doesn't require a drive. Whether that's a passion for the product or a desire to be in a better financial state, drive to sell is what will sell. What else can you learn? Handling and overcoming rejection. Sellers often encounter rejection, and it can be stressful and disheartening to experience. How can you bounce back? Identify and attract the right prospect. Because while your product might be able to benefit everyone, you shouldn't try to sell to everyone. How to think like an entrepreneur. Sales reps don't have the business on their back - if you don't hit a quota, your business won't fall apart. But how do you overcome adversities to succeed?  Closing. The “close” doesn't have to be an event. Don't blow it out of proportion! You need to understand that nothing happens until you help people commit. Help prospects commit to minor things throughout the journey, like scheduling demos and signing papers to make it easier to close later! Sell it Like A mango is a great resource, regardless of your experience as a seller. Visit thesalesevangelist.com/mango to preview the first chapter and leave a rating or review online! Let's evangelize the world of sales. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Social selling is a topic many salespeople are familiar with. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the CEO of Pipeline Signals and Sales for Life and pioneer of social selling, Jamie Shanks, to learn how he utilizes relationship mapping to land more enterprise deals. Three triggers matter to your audience:  Buying intent - Who is googling a keyword or downloading something off your website? Product usage - Who uses which software, and how does that integrate with you? Following the human - Humans make business decisions. Whether for a customer company or a pending relationship.  How can you maintain this high-level maintenance for all your prospects if people are shuffling and moving positions in this great resignation? It's not impossible to do it all yourself, but it's very challenging. Missing sales intelligence is happening with all of your prospects because it's just too much information for one person or team to stay on top of while maintaining their actual sales work.  For B2B sellers, nearly every account will experience a turnover, promotion, or job change in your target department each month. If you try to maintain his information yourself, identify your core customers critical to your business and focus on them. At the very least, set up alerts on LinkedIn. Jamie's four-step guide to messaging the same person with a new job:  Social connection - Bring them back to how they know you. Value creation  - Explain how you can help the prospect make money, save money, or mitigate risk for their business. Knowledge or value exchange - when booking a meeting, you aren't selling a solution - you're providing a knowledge exchange. Give something worth spending time on. The call-to-action. Jamie's major takeaway? If you have hundreds or thousands of accounts, it will amaze you how many sales you can unlock by having a monitored database. It's valuable to know what's going on. To learn more about Jamie's companies, visit their corresponding websites at Pipelinesignals.com and salesforlife.com. Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn for more great content. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Every seller wants the same things: more prospects and more sales. So why not use the best tools to help you get there? In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by VP of Sales and Marketing at GPSLockbox Andrew Velker to discuss his favorite sales tools. Andrew's favorite tools start with the swiss army knife of CRMs: CRMs are the first and most important part of a sales tech stack, and Andrew prefers one that satisfies two questions: First, can it connect with other tools? Second, is it easy to use? Hubspot fulfills both. Hubspot offers easy integration and is incredibly inclusive of other technical applications you might need. Use LinkedIn Navigator to connect with the exact people you want. Further turbo-charge LinkedIn Navigator by using Seamless.ai to connect with people you know fit your exact target demographic. Finding the right people and having the right conversations will make your prospecting life immeasurably easier. With these tools, you'll automatically update contacts with new opportunities and touchpoints, which will dramatically diminish administrative work. Other essential tools sellers should consider: ZoomInfo and 6sense have robust tools to measure audience intent. For government-focused sellers, GovSpend shows what different states and government sectors purchase. SalesLoft is a powerful sales engagement platform that, when used correctly, helps keep a consistent cadence of communication to prospects. All of these tools, if used correctly, help you find time to do the things that matter more - genuine engagement with quality prospects.  Andrew's final tool recommendation? His least sales-tech-stack tip is to use follow-ups, flags, and advanced search features to master your email inbox without the long administrative effort other organization efforts might take. To contact Andrew and further discuss his tech stack, add him on LinkedIn (@andrewvelker) or visit his company website at gpslockbox.com. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Sales teams are constantly looking for ways to maximize productivity and increase sales, and tech stacks are a big part of that goal. Only sometimes, these tools don't always give us the results we want. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald shares three common issues salespeople face in finding the right tech stack. Ask yourself: Can you use it? Leadership often implements new tools and tech without consulting the sales staff who'd use them.  Analyze the current selling practices of your organization before purchasing a new tool. If it doesn't fit the existing methods, it might not receive high adoption rates. The sales tools are implemented to cover lousy selling. It doesn't matter if you have the premium tier package of a piece of technology - if you don't know how to sell properly, it'll likely go to waste. If you have bad selling practices, a new tech stack will help you sell poorly… at scale. (Not the most ideal result.) Before you push for a new tech tool, find out if you can perform the basic task without it to practice and improve. There are just too many tools. During your next sales meetings, see which parts of your current tech stack salespeople use more frequently and think are more beneficial. Watch training videos, read books, and visit Reddit groups and other platforms to learn how to maximize capabilities with your current tech before adding on more. What other issues do you see in your tech stack? Let Donald know on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/donaldckelly/. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

One of the best ways to build rapport with prospects is through their topics of interest. (And what better way to do that than by podcasting?) In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Co-founder and CEO at Salescast Collin Mitchell to learn how he uses podcasting to build rapport with his clients. Use podcasting to build a professional relationship. People go on podcasts to contribute thought leadership and share knowledge with the world. Therefore, finding podcasts your clients or prospects have spoken on is a great way to learn more about them. Listen Notes is a helpful resource to view podcasting information like topics, guest names, and show popularity. You can also search for specific people to see if your client or prospect has been on a podcast!  People are often more personal and vulnerable on podcasts. So listening to a prospect's guest episode is a great way to learn about them to use in conversation later. For example, people on this show frequently talk about how they got involved with their organization, started their career, and sales methodology. That's all great information to bring back to the prospect.  Even more important is that you took the time to research and show up differently than everyone else. Other podcasting strategies to build rapport: Obviously, you can host your own podcast. There are many opportunities to get into podcasting, and the barriers to entry are low.  Remember, the goal isn't to get sponsors and downloads. It's to get access to another person. If you're an enterprise seller, you can reach out to those in your target account list and ask if they want to join you for an episode. You'll receive incredible engagement.  Everyone is thankful to join a podcast. They appreciate being elevated alongside their peers, highlighting their expertise to their community. You still need to build the relationship, don't just try to sell something immediately after the recording stops. Creating content for social and video opportunities: Social media is huge, especially for sales. LinkedIn is a major platform to connect to your audience. When we're busy, creating original and consistent content is the first thing that falls by the wayside. But it's a powerful tool to create growth. Social media, if managed correctly, will be a powerful rapport-builder to connect and build relationships with more people in your industry. Collin's best video tip- use it as often as possible. A video conveys the authenticity and the human behind the screen, which shows who you are as a person and builds trust. For more insightful sales content from Collin, check out his podcast Sales Transformation. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

As a salesperson, you (hopefully) enjoy interacting with your prospects. However, a typical sales mistake is forcing the prospect to fit our communication style rather than the other way around. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the author of The Savage Leader and founder of Group Sixty, Darren Reinke, to discuss building rapport the way the prospect wants.  Sellers assume prospects like to communicate in the same style as the seller. Selling should start with the understanding that we're all different. Establishing that early on will impact your ability to build rapport. Some people might like starting with a conversation; others prefer to focus on the tasks at hand. We're all different. Get a sense of the customer's style by learning what motivates and drives them. Listen to the prospect and pay attention to their tone and how they conduct themselves to understand how to communicate. Three steps to learn a prospect's communication style: Intention: Have a willingness to change and do something different. Question if there are better ways to build rapport as a seller and think about the potential achievements. Reflection: Know what kind of seller you are and use that understanding to change your communication (when necessary.) Action: Analyze someone's body language, tone of speaking, and how they interact and put that change into play. A focus on the commission can ruin the relationship.  If you see someone as a dollar sign, you probably won't build rapport anytime soon. Ask prompts to directly understand the audience - How do you like to receive information? How do you want to communicate? Asking questions (and listening to the answers) will indicate how you can best communicate. Be more intentional with your questions. People will come back to the conversation repeatedly because they like talking to you. Less talking and more listening is the best way to build relationships. Darren's biggest takeaway? Don't sell the way you like to sell; sell the way the prospect wants to be sold. Tailor your style to engage your audience. Find Darren on LinkedIn, visit his website thesavageleader.com, and find his book on Amazon. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at https://go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Building rapport with prospects is the bridge that fosters trust needed to move through the sales process. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald introduces our newest season of content centered around building rapport with prospects. So what are three things that sellers get wrong with rapport-building? Find out in today's episode. Sellers put on their fake corporate persona. Just because you represent a company doesn't mean you need to sound like their answering machine. Avoid fake, salesy language that isn't your authentic self. Whether speaking to your next prospect or your close friend, you should sound the same. Sellers aren't interested enough in their prospects. Be interested, not interesting. You should want to listen to your prospect, not try to inform them about yourself (beyond what's necessary.) People love talking about themselves. So allow your prospects to do that by talking about their interests, career, and company goals. Sellers don't create a dialogue with their prospects. Don't just give the prospect your full attention; demonstrate it. In virtual meetings, it can be difficult to  Focus your time on what they do or don't say rather than what your following dialogue will be. A bonus: Use the person's name in the conversation! Mentioning a prospect's name throughout the conversation is a great way to build rapport. It shows you're trying to create a genuine and authentic connection. Make sure you don't overdo it, however. It should fit the context of the conversation. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at https://go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by author, speak, and co-founder of Gap Wireless, Glenn Poulos, to discuss five ways to know your customer's ecosystem. This conversation is based partially on Glenn's recently published book, Never Sit in the Lobby, available now on Amazon. Understand your key stakeholders. Some salespeople sell simple things, and some people sell multi-million dollar systems. Whatever the product is, know what you're talking about. And, more importantly, learn how to explain it to others. Too often, salespeople are very technically proficient at explaining their solutions. However, this is potentially too descriptive for the prospect to understand your solution's clear benefits.  Recognize who you need to speak to, identify their level of understanding, and adjust your speech to accommodate the stakeholder. Isolate the prospects Who are the people that will use and derive benefit from your solution? Those are the people you need to demonstrate to. Showing the benefits to the implementer drives them to further the deal beyond what might happen when speaking exclusively to management. Punch, perfect pitch, and close: You might be presenting for a specific purpose, whether technical, financial or otherwise. Whatever it is, make it a good presentation. The ‘punch' is an attention-grabbing opening that captures the audiences' attention and encourages them to pay attention to the rest of the presentation. People get lost in details. When presenting a pitch, know which elements are essential to the prospect and which are not impactful to their bottom line. The close should come naturally if you've completed the punch and the perfect pitch. If it isn't, you're likely selling too early in the conversation. Visit Glenn's website, glennpoulos.com, to download his free worksheet, find his book, and see more great content. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at https://go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

No matter what level of sales you're in, you are bound to encounter objections. In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, host Donald Kelly is joined by the co-founder and former owner of Solo Stove, Spencer Jan, for an in-depth look at Spencer's experience handling his biggest sales objection. But first, what does Spencer consider an objection?  In general, Spencer sees sales objections as a lack of communication; the disconnect of not understanding the other person. When objections arise, it's not that they're rejecting you, there's simply a gap between you and the prospect. In 2016 Spencer and his brother decided to sell their business. When they went to sell, investment bankers and brokers told them their company wasn't sellable.  They were surprised because the business was very profitable. However, Spencer and his brother didn't understand their buyer. They realized a buyer wants to invest in a company, not necessarily run it. They aren't looking to deal with day-to-day problems. And that was the objection they had to overcome.  From 2016-to 2019, they transitioned to a structure someone would buy. They listened to feedback and knowledge and assembled a self-sustaining team to run the company beyond their departure. They rehearsed their pitch, had dry runs, integrated stories, and planned how to pitch their deck to investors and private equity groups. Spencer and his brother were prepared and knew which objections to prepare for based on their research and conversations. In 2019, they landed a nine-figure exit. When you understand what people want, you can shift your mindset to account for those wants and create value. Be willing to set your ego aside. People will reach a level of sales competency, but every customer is different. Take time to understand what your audience wants and tailor your message to that specific person. Spencer's major takeaway? When things don't work out, just keep trying. Understand your audience's needs, and keep moving to eventually make the sale. Find Spencer on LinkedIn and YouTube for more great content. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  This episode is brought to you in part by The Sales Evangelist Sales Training. Check out some of our upcoming programs designed to simplify selling and help b2b sellers consistently hit quota each month. Learn more here at ww.thesalesevangelist.com/upcoming-training or call 1-833-713-2343 for more information. As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Also, leave us a rating and reviews on Apple Podcast. Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Objections can strike fear into the hearts of salespeople everywhere. But what if there's a simple formula to handle objections with confidence? In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, our guest Ryann Dowdy explains how we can integrate this sales strategy into our sales methodology.  Ryann's feelings on objections: It's about asking questions - focusing on the human to human connection and seeing the value in that connection We think of a “closing problem,” but the “opening problem” can be just as essential to overcome. Help people get what they want by using information they've already shared. Overcome objections from the beginning: It's a simple philosophy: Jeb Blunt's book Sales EQ explains that we have a physiological response (like increased heart rate) when someone raises an objection.  When you get an objection, have a script to follow immediately after the objection to have time to collect yourself. For Ryann, she likes to empathize and understand more about the objection to determine where it's coming from and how to handle it. Asking questions indicates where to speak further: Strictly following a script reduces the human-to-human connection and might prevent you from understanding key information. A short post-objection script can be helpful, but think critically and have a loose framework ready to dial in on the prospect's specific needs. When asking questions, don't let your emotions take control. Take a breath before speaking to think. Often, the prospect will start talking instead and give you more information. Make conversations based on humanity: If you focus on serving that prospect, you'll strengthen the relationship and the trust alongside it. It takes practice to avoid taking objections personally. Remember, you and your job are two different things - you bring value and are worthy, regardless of people saying no to a product or service. The first time you sit in front of a buyer might not be the right time for the buyer - it's all about how you handle the rejection. Ryann's major takeaway? Ask more questions and never assume you understand a prospect's objection. For more content from Ryann, check out her book, The 100k Sales Method, on Amazon and connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  This episode is brought to you in part by The Sales Evangelist Sales Training. Check out some of our upcoming programs designed to simplify selling and help b2b sellers consistently hit quota each month. Learn more here at ww.thesalesevangelist.com/upcoming-training or call 1-833-713-2343 for more information. As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Also, leave us a rating and reviews on Apple Podcast. Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

In today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by COO of People.ai Art Harding. With twenty years of experience in the industry, he's had plenty of practice overcoming B2B objections through digital transformations. What is a digital transformation? Sure, it's Uber and Netflix. But it is not solely a technology play; it's reimagining the customer experience and using technology to facilitate those changes. Uber didn't invent cars, apps, or driving strangers. They just combined those elements in a unique way to make something new. The classic go-to-market functions had relatively siloed expectations. Marketing was responsible for branding; sellers were responsible for closing deals, etc. Those transformations affected these elements at different rates to unlock new digital journeys. Digital transformations start from the inside out.  Younger generations use the tools and data they expect from a professional (or implement themselves as they grow in their careers.) Enterprise sales have dramatically changed in the last few years, and that's as a result of digital transformations. Different departments need to become more connected to limit objections fostered within a lack of communication. As technology moves into the customer journey, the person's role becomes even more valuable. Buyers are more educated now than ever. Sellers need a recurring delivery of value, which means overcoming continual objections far past the initial discovery.  Sellers need to know how a buyer can take the product you're selling and apply it to reach their next goal or outcome. Be informed on how to drive the buyer's next steps with the product you sell. Technology allows a focus on customer understanding. Frontline managers no longer need to remind sellers of internal practices but rather anticipate objections and understand solutions for buyers to progress sales. Technology allows you to understand (as a sales manager) if your sellers are addressing the proper objections, utilizing the correct persona, and scheduling and identifying the suitable methods that will lead to a sale. There's a difference between understanding the objection and addressing the objection. Sales leaders should be able to validate if sellers are hitting the right personas if sellers are prioritizing the correct accounts and if there is a process to qualify unaddressed accounts.  If you don't have a frontline manager program with defined competencies, your future of digital transformations will not progress easily. Connect with Art on LinkedIn or email him at art@people.ai for more great content. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Closers.io. Closers.io helps sales reps land their dream remote sales gig, where they can set their own hours, work from anywhere, and make six or even multi-6 figures per year. That sure sounds good to us! Committed to helping sales reps make a shift, Closers.io will place you in an available sales role that will increase your commissions and help you live the life you want. Apply for free now at go.closers.io/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Are you tired of a digital workspace cluttered with notes, folders, files, and half-filled spreadsheets? (Not that we're speaking from personal experience.) Luckily, we've found the solution. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson's workflow, so you don't have to change your habits. Scratchpad creates a streamlined workflow that allows everyone to be a little more productive each day without the hassle of updating a database with whatever info you can find. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  This episode is brought to you in part by The Sales Evangelist Sales Training. Check out some of our upcoming programs designed to simplify selling and help b2b sellers consistently hit quota each month. Learn more here at ww.thesalesevangelist.com/upcoming-training or call 1-833-713-2343 for more information. As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We'd love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Also, leave us a rating and reviews on Apple Podcast. Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.