Podcasts about sellingwithsocial

In this week's episode, Vince discusses the upcoming NYC Real Estate Expo, which is a premier event that brings together professionals from all sectors of the real estate industry. Also, he reviews selling NYC real estate using social media as an effective strategy in today's digital age. Featuring guests Anthony Kazazis of the NYC Real Estate Expo, Alexander Zakharin of Nest Seekers, Mike Bussey of Compass, and William Brown of Fairly Even. Filmed at Brown Harris Stevens' Studio 1873, Part of the Mastery of Real Estate (MORE) Network. Subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-new-york-real-estate-with-vince-rocco/id1645541166 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7_x00Dbn3OSlGbpYVDMcT_DI0gFW06hq Connect with Vince Rocco: https://www.bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/vince-rocco Brown Harris Stevens is one of the largest privately owned real estate brokerages in the country, with more than 40 offices across four states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida. https://bhsusa.com/ #Realestate #vincerocco #newyorkcity #TNYRE #nyc

Automotive is as fast paced as ever! With new acquisitions, dealers navigating tricky sales pipelines, opportunities across media, and foreign relations all factors, keeping your head up is of utmost importance. We are in rapid fire mode today and that is only half of the excitement we have headed into NADA Show!TradePending Acquires AutoAPRAutomotive Ventures DealerFund by Steve GreenfieldMulti-rooftop franchise dealers with capacity to embrace new technologiesCheck out the Auto Intel ReportWill dealers push back on Carvana acquisition?Minority Motors Clubhouse room repriseFord has now suspended ops in Russia22k vehicles produced there by an affiliateFord owns 50% stake in manufacturing facilityMade 100k donation to Ukraine reliefAlso announces separate Divisions to run EV productionSeparate names, leadership structures, and P&LsFelicity Ace is sunkTook on water when towing beganAbout $438 million worth of goods were aboard the ship, $401 million of which were cars.Sign up for the ASOTU Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/Listen to other episodes: https://www.asotu.com/media/podcastsRead the most recent Daily Push Back email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-emailShare positive dealer stories: https://www.asotu.com/positivity

My next guest hit $500k in 2021 with $200k in only 4 months! She's here to share her story and strategies to build your business for truly abundant results. In this episode, I'm chatting with the remarkable Allie Reeves. Allie is a social media strategist turned entrepreneur and small business mentor. She is passionate about helping women create powerful social media presences that grow their businesses to reach their goals. Allie is sharing her tips for success and what worked for her when she was growing her empire. In her first year of business in 2018, she was growing her brand and only earned $5k. A fire was lit under her and in her second year, she hit six figures by June! We're discussing all things starting a business in flow by using sales and launch strategies that are in alignment with who you are - not just using push energy. Allie shares how she balances her business with motherhood and family life to create a life that lights her up. Allie is truly inspiring and I'm so grateful to have her on the show today to share her motivational experiences and knowledge with you. LINKSWhere to find Allie: Instagram: @allieireevesPodcast: 6 Figure InfluencerCheck out my workshop CALL IT IN

THROWBACK to past interview with Vengreso CEO interviewing me about sales content. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Connor Dube and I explain the critical importance of leveraging effective sales content. Connor is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Active Blogs, and he's been involved in sales and marketing from a very young age. His insights reach far beyond his millennial years, and you don't want to miss hearing his stories. He understands the relationship needed between marketing and sales departments like few others do, and he shares the top 3 pillars your content marketing needs to be built on in order for it to be successful. Be sure to give this episode your full attention!Leveraging Sales Content is Essential, No Matter Your Company SizeLeveraging sales content is one of the best strategies any company or salesperson can leverage to drive engagement. Content should play a massive role in the life of a modern salesperson because it's a key feature that fuels sales conversations. Buying processes are getting longer and companies employ multiple decision makers that are more informed than ever before. Providing content to prospects allows them to build a trusting relationship with your company, even before they speak to a sales rep.Connor explains that marketing and sales departments must work together to create sales content that sends the right message at the right time. He says, “They have to be married together because the salespeople are going to win by being able to provide the right types of insights to marketing, and marketing being able to regurgitate that into usable content.”Follow this 80/20 Rule for the 3 Pillars of Sales ContentFrom his time managing and training sales teams, Connor has identified 3 main pillars that sales content falls into. Here they are.Educational contentEntertaining contentActionable contentContent marketers and salespeople run into trouble when they start devoting 80% of their content to the actionable pillar. Instead, Connor recommends that only 20% of your content is actionable while 80% is split between the first two pillars. Sales is relational, and educational/entertaining content builds a relationship with a prospect. For the full story behind these 3 pillars and how they can help you improve your sales content game, give this episode your full attention.... listen in for more!

In this episode, Mark Hunter and Meridith Elliott Powell explore topics like social media, LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, and social selling. Is social media in sales a fad or is it here to stay? Is LinkedIn Sales Navigator worth it?  -- If you have a question for Mark and Meridith submit it at saleslogicpodcast.com and it might be answered on the show. Remember, share this podcast with a friend. It's how we grow to help you grow.

In this episode, Mark Hunter and Meridith Elliott Powell explore topics like social media, LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, and social selling. Is social media in sales a fad or is it here to stay? Is LinkedIn Sales Navigator worth it?  -- If you have a question for Mark and Meridith submit it at saleslogicpodcast.com and it might be answered on the show. Remember, share this podcast with a friend. It's how we grow to help you grow.

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Success and failure in sales are determined by many things, but most important on that long list is what I’d call your “sales mindset.” It’s how you think about yourself, your role as a sales professional, and the big reasons you’re in a sales career in the first place. To help us think through the obstacles to a healthy sales mindset that every salesperson faces, I’ve invited Bernadette McClelland to be my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Bernadette is the Founder of 3 Red Folders, a sales training and consulting firm that helps clients understand the essentials of sales strategy, sales psychology, and sales science. This intersection of topics is not something you’ll hear talked about commonly but it’s extremely important to understand.  On this episode, Bernadette and I discuss how sales professionals can begin to unravel the mystery behind lagging sales performance by going inside themselves, where they'll discover what makes them tick and find the tools to change their sales career for the better. Don’t miss it! This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. To Increase Your Sales Success You Must Be Open And Be Aware When asked how salespeople can begin to give their sales mindset an overhaul, Bernadette says that it starts with two things: Openness and Awareness. Let’s take those one at a time. First, you must be open to change and growth. She points out that many sales professionals are full of ego, ready to take on any challenge. That's fine, except that they often think they don’t need to do anything more to increase their skills or abilities. She says those individuals cannot be helped because they’ve closed themselves off to growth. But those who are open to change and eager for growth can accomplish much more. Next, you have to become aware that you carry the beliefs, conditioning, and limitations that your family and environment created in you as a child. Those are the things that stop you from achieving all you could and that prevent you from stepping into bigger deals. These are the things that limit your belief in yourself. Listen to hear how Bernadette unpacks this vital topic. Understanding Your WHY Is Important But Not Without Knowing Your WHO Most business people have read the book, “Start With Why” by Simon Senek. He brought a concept into the spotlight that I’ve been asking my sales team to consider for years. It’s the idea that WHY you do what you do is more important than HOW you do it - and that if your WHY is compelling enough, it will drive you to greater levels of success and accomplishment. But Bernadette says that as right as Simon is, he’s missing a key component - another element that even informs that WHY. It’s WHO you are. She tells the story of how she used to be a smoker and that no amount of warnings on cigarette packages was enough motivation to make her stop smoking. But when she decided that SHE was not a smoker, that it wasn’t going to be a part of how she thought of HERSELF, everything changed. Listen to hear how she applies this story to the development of a positive sales mindset. The Key Questions All Sales Leaders Need To Be Asking Whether you lead a sales team or are an individual seller, Bernadette provides two simple questions and a follow-up exercise that will help you overcome blockages to achieve greater success in modern sales and a growth mindset. She poses the questions as if a leader of a sales team were asking them, so if you’re an individual salesperson, just modify the sentences to apply to you personally. Here they are...  1 - What are the behaviors you need to see that will give you confidence that your sales team will overachieve? 2 - What is the negative impact on your business if that doesn’t happen? Bernadette’s follow-up exercise is for those who can’t clearly answer the question. She instructs you to pretend that you knew the answer. What would it look like? What would it feel like? You’ll soon discover you have the solutions to your own problems. Listen to learn more. Sales Mindset Mistake: Not Knowing The Purpose And Outcome Sales Calls  Much of what goes into a successful sales mindset has to do with preparing yourself for the sales calls you have scheduled. And that preparation is about more than just knowing your product specs and discussing the client's need within the scope of their buyer’s journey. To become a successful salesperson, you need to be clear on what both the purpose and the outcome of that sales call need to be. Bernadette points out that purpose and outcome are not the same. “Purpose” speaks to the buyer’s needs and agenda, which could be nothing more than a fact-finding mission for them. But “outcome” is about your goals, what you need to get from the appointment - and it’s not always getting the sale. This is a great opportunity for sales leaders to teach reps how to accelerate their pipeline. Listen to hear how Bernadette breaks it down and you’ll understand why she’s an in-demand sales speaker across the world! Join us for this episode of Selling With Social. This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. Outline of This Episode [1:49] Introducing Bernadette McClelland, sales influencer from the land down under [9:16] What does psychology have to do with sales? [14:51] When a business (or individual) is not making its numbers, what’s wrong? [19:55] Understanding your WHY is important, but not without knowing your WHO [22:11] One of the key questions Bernadette asks sales leaders [26:06] Common errors salespeople make that prevent them from succeeding [31:27] Talking about the elephant in the room and helping buyers help you [37:01] Sabotaging behaviors that often happen among sales teams  Resources Mentioned 3 Red Folders - Bernadette’s company Bernadette’s book: The Art of Commercial Conversations (Bernadette’s affiliate link) Bernadette on LinkedIn Bernadette on Twitter: @B_McClelland Bernadette’s favorite movie: The Way Jonathan Livingston Seagull (Bernadette’s hero) Spin Selling Method Challenger Selling Method Gartner CSO Insights Forrester Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Tony Robbins 6 Core Needs  Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts When you really, really need to get the meeting with that high-level exec you’re hoping to build a business relationship with, what do you do? Email? Cold call? Outreach on LinkedIn? Each of those has their place, but nothing is more effective than what my friend Stu Heinecke refers to as “Contact Marketing.” Why am I talking about something with the word "marketing" in the name on #SellingWithSocial (a sales podcast)? Because it’s the most powerful way for sales professionals to get the meeting every, single, time. Yep - you heard that right. Every time. Stu is an author, Wall Street Journal cartoonist, and hall of fame–nominated marketer. Through his writing, he’s taught thousands of sales reps, business owners, entrepreneurs, and CEOs how to use Contact Marketing to get meetings that have dramatic bottom-line impact on the companies they work for. Listen to this episode - it will get your creative juices flowing and motivate you to get outside the cold-calling box you’re in so that you can get the meeting with those high-priority prospects on your radar. This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. Your Messaging Has To Stand Out If You’re Going To Get The Meeting Most meeting requests fail because they are boring, irrelevant, and built on a cookie-cutter approach. Put yourself in your prospect's shoes: After seeing the same sales messaging over and over, both prospects and their gatekeepers tune it out. It’s as simple as that. Stu says that your primary goal in Contact Marketing is to set your message apart from the others your prospects are receiving. That’s the only hope you have of convincing them that your solutions are worth consideration. Stu uses his cartooning skills to create unique gifts that he sends to prospects. But since you’re likely not a cartoonist, what could you do? To give you some ideas, Stu tells the following stories… One sales professional used Cutco knife sets to get in the door - mailed directly to the prospect one knife at a time. His efforts resulted in a 6-figure deal. Another researched his prospect and discovered his love of falconry, so he sent a custom falconry glove. It resulted in 3 referrals and 6-figure deal. Dan Waldschmidt, who’s been a guest on this podcast,sent an actual sword as an image of the message he wanted to communicate. These all sound elaborate or expensive, but your Contact Marketing efforts don’t have to be either of those things. Listen to hear Stu give practical examples of the kinds of things you can do to get the meeting with your key prospects. The New Standard For Meeting Requests: 100% Response Rate It’s every salesperson’s dream to have a 100% response rate to meeting requests, and Stu says it commonly happens when his Contact Marketing approach is used. Why is the method he teaches so effective? Because it is a way of connecting that gets attention, stands out by expressing care and interest in the prospect, and enlists the gatekeepers to help you get the meeting set up. That’s a lot of promises - but it really works. In this conversation, Stu describes several ways individuals have used his Contact Marketing method to great success. It sounds crazy, but the beauty is that it’s just crazy enough to work. Be sure you listen. By the time you’re finished, you’ll understand what Contact Marketing is, why it works, and how it could become the most powerful component of your sales enablement strategy. Having Trouble Getting Around Gatekeepers? Make Them Your Allies In this conversation, Stu begins his explanation of Contact Marketing by telling a story of how he has used his cartooning skills to get in touch with high-level prospects. It all starts with targeting the right prospect, researching them to find a touchpoint that will make for a good connection, and creating a unique “Big Board” cartoon that is personalized and meaningful. Stu’s team then reaches out to the person’s executive assistant and explains that they have a cartoon created by a Wall Street Journal editorial cartoonist that features their boss - and they’d like to send it to them. The assistant is immediately intrigued and on-board for getting the cartoon for their boss. Listen to hear how the process goes from there. You’ll find Stu’s insight and creativity inspiring. Once You Get The Sales Meeting, Turn The Conversation Into A Conversion I once had a sales representative reach out to me in a clever way that truly impressed me. He lives in my area and hosts a podcast that features CEOs from our area. He invited me to be a thought leadership guest on his podcast. After working out the details, I was invited to his office for the recording. Once there, he toured me around the place, introduced me to his sales team, and that’s when it dawned on me… I was a prospect for the service he provides. After a discussion about his approach, I discovered that he had a sales pipeline full of targeted, qualified prospects just like me who he had reached and established a relationship with through his podcast. Stu says his approach is a perfect application of his Contact Marketing strategies. He was doing it right. But the story doesn’t end there. The sales rep contacted me later on, to say that he was very frustrated because his sales managers were pressuring him to stop podcasting. Why? His efforts weren’t converting. Listen to discover how Stu diagnoses his problem and recommends a solution. You’ll find it very helpful for your own efforts at Contact Marketing. This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. Outline of This Episode [3:58] How Stu became an editorial cartoonist [9:22] What is contact marketing and why should it matter to sales professionals? [15:42] How to come up with must-reply contact requests [19:50] Alternative ideas for getting meetings in creative ways [24:30] How Dustin used his podcast to get Mario to show up at his office for a meeting [35:01] An individualized approach to sales management is often the issue Resources Mentioned Stu’s website: Stu Heinecke Preorder Stu’s new book: Get The Meeting Stu’s first book: How To Get A Meeting With Anyone Stu on LinkedIn Stu on Twitter: @ByStuHeinecke Stu’s all-time favorite movie: Contact The How To Get A Meeting With Anyone Podcast BOOK: Edgy Conversations Previous SWS episode with Dan Waldschmidt John Ruhlin BOOK: Giftology  Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^CODE SECTION^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The creation of a Customer Success Program is a powerful approach to delivering results for customers. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, I invited the Vengreso Customer Success Team - Ivonne Ribeiro, Mike O’Brien, and Wendy Gertridge to walk us through the customer success program we implement at Vengreso, and that they’ve been instrumental in developing. It’s the process our team uses to understand our customer’s goals, anticipate their challenges, and proactively provide solutions and answers to those issues to drive their success. Listen to learn how our CS program includes team-wide training to ensure that the new skills and concepts we’re teaching are implemented consistently across the board. If you build your customer success team guided by the ideas you hear on this episode, you’ll boost customer happiness and retention AND increase revenue and customer loyalty. This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. What Is The Goal Of A Customer Success Team? Customer success has one goal: Making the customer’s hopes and dreams about using your product or service a reality. If they are super happy with the results you deliver, they’ll be back - and they will tell others about the incredible results they achieved using your services. At Vengreso we take that seriously, so we’ve created an entire customer success team to ensure it happens for every customer. In this 4-way conversation, Mike points out that the customer success process often begins with educating or re-educating the customer on best practices, resources available, and how our expertise can empower them to accomplish their goals. It's the process of passing along the experience your team has as you advise and guide your customer. Wendy points out that on a deeper level, we’re always working with the customer toward 3 goals: 1 - Sales behavioral change 2 - More sales conversations, and 3 - Increased sales win rates.  Ivonne stresses that it’s vital to keep the customer’s end goals in mind, from the beginning. What is the end outcome your customer wants and needs? What is your Customer Success Team going to do to create those outcomes? Listen to hear how we’ve answered those questions at Vengreso - then use our experience to fuel your own approach to a customer success program. Before You Implement A Customer Success Plan, You Have To Assess Everything One of the mantras we’ve developed at Vengreso is that we don’t want to teach our customers how to fish until we’ve provided them with the right bait. In digital sales, the bait is content. What does that mean on a practical basis? It means we have to analyze both the client’s current resources and approach AND their target customer to determine if they have the right bait to catch their ideal customers. This involves reviewing the customer’s website and those of competitors to see what’s working and what isn’t. We also analyze their existing social media strategy including the images, hashtags, and gated and ungated content they offer. We assess their landing pages and forms, their user experience and interface, keywords, topics that are driving traffic, and much more. This careful research is what enables us to create a content strategy that demonstrates our customer’s expertise and ability to solve the problems their prospects have.  Don’t Put Your Strategy In Motion Without Training Your Customer Once we’ve created a data-driven strategy for our customers we want to ensure that they can implement it successfully. That means we often have to re-train our customer’s sales team in doing digital sales the right way. The right connection strategy, implemented properly will make a huge difference in the results they get. One of the first things we do is to help each salesperson with a LinkedIn profile makeover. Why? Because the profiles of our customer’s employees are mini-websites for the company, and they are more important than people think. The most recent LinkedIn State of Sales report says that 62% of buyers look at a salesperson’s LinkedIn profile before considering their company as a partner. That makes employee LinkedIn profiles a powerful piece of digital real estate that can serve as a significant touchpoint in the prospect’s buying journey. The Vengreso approach to this LinkedIn profile makeover takes 8 weeks to implement because our customer’s sales teams typically won’t implement these changes on their own. So we guide them, step by step - to see the importance of what we’re doing and to put the changes into place.   How Will You Make Learning Stick For Your Customers? Most companies train their customers to use their product or service and expect the customer to remember everything from the training. That seldom happens. Your customers need help when it comes to getting the learning to stick, and it’s your responsibility to see that it does. One of the most important aspects of the Vengreso “make the learning stick” philosophy is the way we go about our 15 week-long “Selling With LinkedIn” course. Every member of our customer’s sales teams must work their way through this data-driven, best-practice course to help them break bad habits and establish new ones. Our goal is to help students learn over the course of time in small chunks - and we approach it in three stages: 1 - Learn on their own 2 - Learn through hands-on practical experience 3 - Receive coaching to help reinforce what they’ve learned and practiced This 3-pronged approach enables us to do the hand-holding that ensures our customers embrace and implement the training we provide. But we go beyond that by providing detailed reporting to the leaders of our customer’s sales teams so they can keep their teams accountable for the learning and implementation as well.  Key to driving true customer success is measuring the Key Performance Indicators of how a customer WANTS to measure the success of the digital selling training program. When we track and provide those metrics, our customer success program is truly successful. Listen to learn how it works for us and to begin coming up with your own ideas about implementing a customer success team in your company. This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. Outline of This Episode [1:51] Three special guests on this episode: The Vengreso Customer Success and Implementation team - Wendy, Mike, and Yvonne [9:11] Building our customer success team from scratch: How it happened [15:57] Providing clients with the right bait (so they can catch the right fish) [21:31] The right distribution strategy is vital for company-wide positions, including sales [31:11] What goes into a LinkedIn profile makeover? [35:57] How Customer Success drives an awesome experience [45:65] Why the closeout is as important as anything else Resources Mentioned Connect with Wendy on LinkedIn Connect with Mike on LinkedIn Connect with Ivonne on LinkedIn LinkedIn State of Sales Report The Vengreso On Demand Platform Ivonne’s all-time favorite movie: Empire of The Sun Mike’s all-time favorite movie: The Godfather Part Two Wendy’s all-time favorite movie: Green Book Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^CODE SECTION^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Click to Tweets:   Learn how to drive modern #sales success from the Vengreso #CustomerSuccess team, on this episode of #SellingWithSocial, with @M_3Jr, CEO. Listen now! #DigitalSales #SocialSelling #SalesLeaders @Gong_io #Gong #RevenueSuccess Discover the goals and strategy of a #CustomerSuccess team, from CEO @M_3Jr and the Vengreso team, on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Listen now! #DigitalSales #SocialSelling #Sales @Gong_io #Gong #RevenueSuccess Before you implement a #CustomerSuccess plan, assess everything your customers are doing. Listen to find out how from @M_3Jr and the Vengreso team on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. #sales @Gong_io #Gong #RevenueSuccess Don’t put your #CustomerSuccess strategy in motion without training your customer adequately. Listen to find out how from @M_3Jr and the Vengreso team on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. #sales @Gong_io #Gong #RevenueSuccess How will your #CustomerSuccess team make learning stick for your customers? Listen to find out how from @M_3Jr and the Vengreso team on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. #sales @Gong_io #Gong #RevenueSuccess

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Referral Selling: It sounds like the holy grail of lead generation and customer acquisition, and my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial insists that it is all of that and more. Joanne Black says that getting referrals is a matter of building a systematic approach that eliminates the need for cold calling and puts truly qualified leads into the pipeline. Joanne has made it her business to become the foremost expert on referral selling and during this conversation, we discuss why sales teams don’t make the most of referrals, how referral selling is done incorrectly, and what can be done to develop a referral selling culture that drives your sales organization.  Joanne speaks at sales meetings and conferences around the world, presenting the content she shares on this episode as part of her signature talk “Referrals Are Retro: How to Build a Referral Culture in a Digital World." Be sure you listen!  This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. Referrals Are The Fastest Driver Of Revenue You may not be aware of this fact, but referrals are the number one driver of revenue. The reason they are is simple: When you receive a referral you’ve been handed a gift-wrapped warm lead from someone who has already earned the trust of that lead. As you reach out to that referral, you're riding on the trust the referrer has already established. That gives you a huge competitive advantage when it comes to closing more deals. So, when you call to set an appointment with a referral, you get the meeting. But even more important, when you get referrals by asking the right questions you can be assured that every single one of those referrals is a QUALIFIED lead added to your pipeline. In this episode, Joanne shares how you should ask for referrals and reveals the exact questions you should ask to qualify those referrals. In fact, if you listen you'll hear Joanne put ME on the hotseat as I offer my own qualifying questions and receive Jonanne’s critique. She sets me straight more than once! Listen to learn how you can increase your referral skills by asking the right questions. Do You Believe These Common Misconceptions About Selling By Referral? Though most sales leaders agree that selling by referral is the best way to gain qualified leads, most of the members of their teams are NOT getting referrals consistently. Why is that? Joanne says there are a handful of myths about referrals that cause most of the problem. Myth 1: Telling salespeople to get referrals is all you need Myth 2: Selling by referral takes too long Myth 3: It’s not appropriate to ask clients for referrals because they pay you Myth 4: Referral selling is easy  In this conversation, Joanne reveals why each of these myths is wrong and explains what can be done to dispel them and create a referral generating culture in your sales organization. The Best Process To Build Referral Sales During this conversation, Joanne points out that sales leaders can’t simply tell their reps to ask for referrals and expect it to happen. It won’t. You’ve got to have a systematic approach to referrals that makes the practice part of your organization's selling DNA. She calls it a "referral selling process." Here are the 3 steps Joanne says must be a part of every referral selling process: 1 - Strategy - this includes setting clear achievable goals, time frames, and methods of measurement. 2 -Skills - this includes learning HOW to ask for referrals, what kind of referrals to ask for, and how to qualify the referrals you receive. 3 - Execution - this includes involving the people in your organization who are willing to learn, willing to be accountable, and open to being coached through the process. If you take Joanne’s advice and truly focus on your referral approach, you’ll see referrals become your leading source of qualified leads and sales conversions. So listen to this episode to find out exactly how to coach your sales team to effective referral selling. The Biggest Missed Opportunity For Referrals: Current Clients When I asked Joanne to tell me the biggest missed opportunity for referrals, she didn’t hesitate. It’s current clients. To illustrate, she tells the story of how, at a recent speaking engagement, she asked the sales leaders in the room how many of them had asked 100% of their current customers for a referral. Nobody raised their hand. She asked again, how many had asked half of their current clients for a referral? A few hands went up. When she asked how many had never asked their current clients for a referral, most hands were raised. That story reveals the pot of gold available to every organization in its existing customer base. You have the untapped advantage of trust-based relationships with customers who would most likely be happy to tell others about their experience with you. Who better to introduce you to future ideal customers than those who are already benefiting from and enjoying your services? Listen as Joanne peels back the layers to help you overcome the fear of asking for referrals and increase your ability to secure qualified leads and close more deals through referral selling. This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. Outline of This Episode [1:48] How getting fired pushed Joanne into consulting and referral sales expertise [8:22] A pandemic in sales: the inability to generate referrals [10:34] Why have companies missed the referral selling opportunity? [22:12] What does it take to build a referral culture? [31:55] Big misconceptions about referral selling and how to build the referral sales skill [48:37] Why customers are a pot of gold for future sales relationships Resources Mentioned Joanne’s book website: https://www.nomorecoldcalling.com/ Get Joanne’s books on Amazon Dr. Howard Dover, professor at UTD Kurt Shaver (CSO of Vengreso) Salesforce Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts If you are going to spend the time and money to send people from your company to work a trade show booth, you need to be sure that you get the greatest ROI possible. This episode of #SellingWithSocial features my friend, Alice Heiman who has co-founded TradeShow Makeover, a company designed to help you sell more at trade shows.  Listen to hear the biggest trade show fails Alice has seen, who she says should be manning your booth, what your objectives at trade shows should be, how to convert sales leads from a trade show into revenue, and more.  This episode could empower your team to get more qualified leads into your pipeline in one weekend than they are able to get all year, so be sure you listen to Alice’s tips. This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. Are You Guilty Of These Trade Show Fails? Alice has seen it all when it comes to the things people do while manning booths at trade shows so I asked her to share the biggest fails she’s seen. Among the many hilarious - and sad things she had to share were: Booth personnel looking at their phones instead of the people coming by Calling out to people like a carnival barker Leaving the booth unmanned Pitching booth visitors immediately without building rapport And the biggest fail of all: Lack of preparation.  Alice says that when a company does not diligently train the people working the booth, they leave a lot of the benefits of being at the trade show on the trade show floor. You’ve got to hear Alice’s observations and tips. Her advice is gold for those who want to make trade show participation truly worth it. After all, achieving success in modern sales means combining digital selling strategies with old-school methods, such as selling at trade shows. This is how your reps have more sales conversations and increase their win rates.  Who Should Work Your Trade Show Sales Booth? Should the people working your trade show booth be Business Development Reps? Or should you send the most experienced closers, people who know how to have conversations that address the problems prospects are looking to solve? Alice says a lot of thought needs to go into who’s going to staff the booth and that the decisions you come to may differ depending on whether you’re a startup or established company, what size booth you have, what your goals are, and more. Most importantly, Alice’s biggest trade show tip is to figure out what you want from your participation at the show. You’ll be able to decide on who should be in the booth based on those goals. Alice says it's often beneficial to have a blend of people at the booth, including senior executives and founders, subject matter experts who can answer questions that may arise, and customer success executives. A Sales Manager’s Guide to Generating High-Quality Leads at the Sales Booth Many companies try to motivate their booth personnel by putting silly contests into place. One of the most common is giving some kind of spiff or reward for the person who scans the most badges. Alice is on a mission to kill that idea because it doesn’t work and isn’t a very effective way to get qualified leads. Rather than scanning badges like crazy, booth staff should be focused on having memorable conversations to generate high-quality leads. This includes asking questions that make people think, providing insights people haven’t thought about before, and expressing empathy for the problems booth visitors are facing.  When you get contact information from people who have experienced those types of conversations at your trade show booth, you’ll have leads that are truly interested in your product or service. How To Get The Best Sales ROI From A Trade Show If you’re going to participate in a trade show, how can you get a high ROI? Alice says it begins with aligning marketing and sales before the show to decide what they’re goals are. That means putting measures in place that you can quantify, such as: How many high-quality conversations did you have? How many pre-appointments were made before the show and how many showed up? How many post-show appointments were made and how many were kept? How many sales opportunities were put into the pipeline? How many of them moved forward? Did you close any business from a contact made at the show? Every company will need to nuance those measures to fit their industry and goals, but the point remains that clear measures need to be in mind - and everyone staffing the sales booth should be trained on those goals and how to go about reaching them.  This is vitally important because when you work trade shows you’re in a target-rich environment where your team can have more sales conversations and qualify more leads. You'll also be in an environment where you can save money overall.  Statistics from the Center for Exhibit Industry Research show that it costs 62% less to convert leads from a show than from leads generated in the field. Listen to learn how to get the biggest ROI from your next trade show booth. This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. Outline of This Episode [1:43] The story behind my friendship with Alice Heiman (and her place on this episode) [12:11] A bit of an aside: about injustice, mistreatment, and discrimination [19:40] The biggest trade show fails - these are funny… and sad [22:26] Why organizers often to NOT want salespeople to work booths at trade shows [26:23] Who SHOULD BE the people in your trade show booth? [33:50] Why rewards for badge scans are NOT the best approach and what to do instead [40:38] How to get a high ROI from a trade show [48:30] How you should train your staff to run successful trade show booths Resources Mentioned Trade Show Makeover - where Alice serves as CRO Connect with Alice on LinkedIn Alice on Twitter: @AliceHeiman Alice on Instagram: @AliceHeiman Diana Geairn - Alice’s co-founder Gartner Modus Capture tool for scanning business cards The Center For Exhibit Industry Research Previous episode of Selling With Social featuring David Elkington Alice’s all-time favorite movie: Hitch Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts If your goal is to increase sales, is it merely a matter of getting more qualified leads into the pipeline or does it depend on other aspects of the customer journey? Steve Niemiec believes that there's a lot more to it and that the sales structure companies utilize can dramatically impact sales growth across the board. Steve is the Senior Vice President of Sales for TechTarget where he helps bring the power of purchase intent-driven marketing and sales services to technology companies. Steve spent his entire career in B2B Tech - and the last 14 years at TechTarget. In that time he’s built a reputation for helping his customers accomplish their goals faster and with greater success. In this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’re going to hear Steve describe how TechTarget has shifted its sales structure to increase sales growth, and why they made the decisions they did. Don’t miss a second of this valuable episode. This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. You Can Increase Sales By Focusing Sellers On The Stages Of The Sales Cycle After living on 90-day sales cycles for years, Steve’s team recognized that a shift was needed in the way they were working so that they could bring in more leads and move customers through the pipeline more effectively. In order to do this, they broke down their core set of sellers (Account Executives) into very specific functions.  They now have a dedicated SDR team that goes after and turns over net new calls. There is now a team focused on helping net new customers understand the value of what the company provides in its new annual subscription model. There is a team of sellers specifically focused on customer retention and growing their top customers. They even have sellers inserted into their customer success teams to help customers get the most from their products. Steve wants to ensure that there are clear goals and objectives in each of those areas of specialization. That’s been instrumental for the company’s growth. Listen to hear how it has been working and how you may want to rethink your sales structure. The Burning Questions Sales Leaders Ask: Are They Being Answered Effectively? Most sales leaders are asking a handful of important questions... How do you increase productivity? How do you get more conversations? How do you increase revenue?” Those are the right questions to ask but the assumption sales leaders often make - that their current sales team is going to address all those issues (and that they will hover over them, analyze their metrics, and require more of them) - is not the best solution. Steve says you might be successful with that model but that you’ll be more successful if you carve out specific portions of your teams to accomplish those specific goals. For example - Steve’s SDR team is dedicated to one thing: Setting qualified appointments so the field sales team can have good conversations that enable them to learn about the customer, their needs and whether TechTarget can provide true value for that customer. They don’t set appointments just to set appointments - it’s about helping customers through their pain so that they can accomplish their specific goals. Is your field sales team overloaded? How might the overall sales process benefit from dividing them into specified roles with clear objectives? Customer Retention Is Just As Vital As Getting New Leads Into The Pipeline The Customer Retention Team at TechTarget is learning to use the data they have about their customers to increase the effectiveness of their solutions for those customers. That enables them to keep the customers they’ve landed as long term customers. Steve believes that making customers successful, faster will increase sales. TechTarget has made this retention process a matter of clear process - focusing on the specific goals each customer has as they methodically transition the customer from the field salesperson who landed the account to a customer retention person who will be responsible for the customer’s ongoing success. It takes time, face to face meetings between the field account executive and the support team, and a process that enables the customer to feel that the transition is seamless. Listen to hear how Steve’s team has refined the process to demonstrate to customers that they’ve truly listened and are working to accomplish their unique goals. Successful, Quota-Carrying Sales Reps Move Into Customer Success Role One of the huge changes Steve made to his team's sales structure was to take successful sales professionals on his team - people who had 5, 6, even 7 big-number quotas - and move them into a customer success role. Why? He believed that the customer’s adoption of their tool and the life cycle of what the company needs to get from that customer relationship was equally or more valuable than what that salesperson was driving from the net new side. Be clear - these were not what Steve calls “salespeople lite” - they were successful sellers who were reassigned to this vital role of Customer Success Account Directors. What might happen in your organization if you made that kind of pivot? Listen to hear how Steve’s team at TechTarget made it happen and the incredible benefits they are experiencing as a result. This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to www.gong.io to get started. Outline of This Episode [2:07] Why Steve sometimes feels like an old-timer in tech sales [8:23] Driving growth by transforming the sales structure at TechTarget [17:05] How long should sellers hold onto an account before passing it to a Customer Retention professional? [20:49] How Steve has inserted experienced sales professionals into the customer success organization [28:22] When is the right time to split a sales organization to spur sales growth? [33:07] How TechTarget has successfully moved to an annual subscription model and has implemented Friday sales meetings to make the shift [40:41] How culture plays a role in team retention and customer satisfaction [43:43] Challenges sales leaders are facing today Resources Mentioned https://www.TechTarget.com/testimonials Steve on Twitter: @SteveNiemiec Steve on LinkedIn Steve’s all-time favorite movie: Caddyshack Previous SWS episode featuring Aaron Ross SalesForce  Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Sales leadership is one of the most difficult roles to fill in any company. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial shares why empowering your sales team starts with freeing up your sales leaders and streamlining their responsibilities. Jeff Shore is a highly sought-after sales expert, author, speaker, and consultant who guides executives and sales teams to embrace their discomforts and deliver BOLD sales results with his BE BOLD methodology. Our conversation centers around the biggest problem facing sales leadership, having too much on their radar, and the steps they can take to fix it. Jeff shares how his 4-Pillars of Sales Leadership provides a framework that realigns the priorities of leaders allowing them to work in their zone of expertise. He then reveals how this shift impacts the sales team as a whole. Jeff provides valuable insights into the true role of sales leaders and why realigning priorities at the top empowers those at the bottom to do their best work. Do not miss out on the valuable information this 30-year sales veteran has to offer. A HUGE Problem In Sales Is That Sales Leaders’ Have Too Much On Their Radar The bulk of most sales leaders’ time is spent solving problems, completing administrative work, and attending meetings. Not only are they required to be analytical and use logic to forecast sales, they must also be outgoing and inspiring to motivate and build their teams. These competing priorities prevent most sales leaders from performing their role to the best of their ability and to the maximum benefit of their company. The main focus of sales leadership should be on driving lead conversions and helping their salespeople develop the skills needed to handle leads appropriately. Instead their day is filled with administrative tasks and meetings that divert their time and attention from their main goal of driving sales. Too many tasks are assigned to sales leaders because others in the organization do not understand the amount of time it takes to properly nurture leads.  This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. How You Can Fix The Problem So That It STAYS Fixed Start at the top and work your way down. Organizational change has to start at the very highest level of an organization, with complete buy-in and the will to push the message down the chain. It is ineffective to coach JUST sales teams; the entire organization has to be onboard and willing to learn. If those at the top are not willing to reduce the amount of administrative burdens on the sales leaders then they will not be the most effective at delivering sales coaching and then the desired change will not come. Another solution? Carve up the role and have one person handle the long term and day-to-day priorities and have another handle ongoing sales training and coaching. Many times the title of sales leader encompasses too many roles and responsibilities. The sales team needs to have someone in their corner, supporting them and working to develop their skills, and if the sales leader is too busy, then a second role needs to be created. FIX THE PROBLEM: Put These 4 Pillars of Sales Leadership To Work By using the 4 Pillars, sales leaders are empowered to prioritize the elements of the role and create effective teams. First, focus on lead conversion, next is skill development (or coaching), then team building (recruiting, hiring, training, etc.), and finally the business management and long-term planning pillar. By implementing these 4-Pillars, sales leaders are able to focus on their core responsibilities and are able to build strong sales teams. When an organization allows their sales leaders to focus on coaching and development, the entire team is empowered to reach their full potential. Rather than having “coaching” conversations that begin and end with numbers, the pillars afford leaders the time to dig into strategies that create more effective salespeople.  Leaders MUST Be Able To Coach Those Who Are Different Than Them Some sales leaders aim to hire salespeople that act and sell just like them - because it’s the style and approach that feels “right” to them. But when you’re hiring for a team, the focus should be on more than mere capability and experience. By focusing on candidates with a high achievement drive, positive attitude, and a coachable mentality, you’ll find the most qualified and quality new hires. Those are the things that matter most, so look for those qualities first. Once you're clear that a candidate has them, you'll be able to measure their skills as a salesperson next. Making good hiring decisions that aren’t based solely on how long a person has been in sales requires a deep understanding of the current culture in the organization and how your potential new hire fits in. Sales leaders must also keep in mind that when they hire coachable employees, they have to take the time to coach and nurture them so that every member of the team reaches their highest potential. This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started. Outline of This Episode [2:48] Who is Jeff? A 20-year sales and consulting leader (and why I want to be like him) [7:25] Getting clear on what we ask sales leaders to do so that priorities remain priorities [15:01] How to create better sales leaders: The 4 pillars of sales leadership [17:47] What are the 4 pillars of sales leadership [22:50] Why leaders are driven - and why it’s a good thing for sales leaders [29:28] Your ideal salesperson avatar should be a cultural decision  Resources Mentioned Jeff’s website: www.JeffShore.com Jeff’s new book: “Be Bold” Jeff’s Amazon author profile Jeff on LinkedIn Jeff on Twitter: @JeffShore Jeff’s all-time favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption BOOK: The Talent Code Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Prospecting in the modern sales environment is about much more than finding contacts and making cold calls. In fact, it’s more complicated than ever to reach out to a potential buyer in an effective manner. This episode of #SellingWithSocial features me - on my friend, Will Barron’s podcast - The Salesman. We spoke at length about how social selling has a very specific purpose: to warm up prospects before connecting with them personally. We also discussed what the data tells us about modern prospecting, how you can personalize your outreach for greater effectiveness, how to know your outreach efforts are working, and much more! If you are having trouble with the transition from traditional prospecting methodologies to the new approaches that digital selling has thrust upon us, I suggest you listen carefully to this episode. And if you are already a pro at modern prospecting, you’re sure to learn some new approaches that can increase your success even more. Take notes and apply what you learn. Social Is About Warming Up Prospects Before The Phone Call We all know the uncomfortable feeling of reaching out to a prospect entirely cold. It’s no fun and it’s not very effective either. Statistics show us that only 3% of cold calls result in a sale. What about the other 97%? Doesn’t it make sense that we figure out how to reach them with our message in a way that resonates with them? I believe that cold calling is not dead, but that it is dying - at least in the form we’ve practiced for so long. It’s still part of a good prospecting cadence, but we have to use it differently these days. It’s only effective when social has already been utilized to warm up the prospect. That includes social media, personalized video, text messaging, AI, and other tools. Here is an example of a good cadence that demonstrates where cold calling can fit in for maximum impact: Follow the prospect on LinkedIn Pay attention to when they look at your profile Engage with their posts in a meaningful way Next, request to connect with them via LinkedIn Continue to engage with their content, share their content, tag them Send an email Send a personalized video THEN make the phone call And what do you do if none of that gets a response? Listen to this episode to find out how you can modify the approach and get a response. Data Tells Us Exactly What We Should Do And Should Not Do When Prospecting One of the many things I appreciated about the questions Will asked me in this conversation, was that he is interested in the data behind my assertions, not just the anecdotes That’s because he’s a smart seller who knows that data trumps gut feelings every time. So I shared the following data with him about the typical prospecting attempts sellers make: The average response rate on cold email outreach is less than 3% The average response rate on cold calling via the telephone is less than 3% 62% of buyers look at a salesperson’s LinkedIn profile after they reach out initially When a company’s sales force has at least a 25% social selling adoption rate, their win rate increases to 41% When a company’s sales force has at least a 75% social selling adoption rate, that win rate goes up to 61% Why is that data important in the modern sales environment? Because it reveals to us that much of what we’ve done successfully in the past isn’t working with the same level of effectiveness - AND that new approaches, like social selling, are gaining traction. Listen to learn how your sales team can improve its win rate and start more sales conversations. How You Can Know If Your Social Selling Efforts Are Working? It’s easy to say that digital selling techniques are what every seller should adopt, but where’s the proof? How do you know if the things you’re practicing are truly gaining ground? Before we get to the answer, let me point out something vital to understand... The digital network you build is a long-term resource. In other words, the people you connect with now may become buyers in the future. A “No” today doesn’t always mean “No” forever. For that reason, you need to continue publishing content that maps to your specific buyer’s journey and trust that the value you are providing will get you into more sales conversations over time. Now back to the question - how do you know if your social prospecting approach is working? There is one simple question to answer: Did your efforts create more conversations? If so, you’re probably doing the right things. Listen to understand how you can refine your approach and gain even more opportunities. What Is Keeping You From Converting Connections Into Conversations? So if the number of sales conversations you’re scheduling is the main barometer of success, what can you do if you’re not booking those calls? Evaluate - examine each step of your sales cadence (discussed in this episode) and adjust your approach one cadence-step at a time. That way you can discover which methods are not touching your prospects in an ideal way, and make adjustments.  Listen to this episode to learn more about how modern sellers are establishing a basic sales cadence and using it effectively to reach more buyers.  Outline of This Episode [1:16] My appearance on Will Barron’s podcast, “The Salesman Podcast” [2:10] A better way to carry out sales calls in the internet age [9:09] Data-based best practices for outreach and prospecting [15:28] Is the issue reaching or getting a response from individuals? [20:56] How do you know if you’re doing a good job at modern sales prospecting? [27:08] The right way to use social profiles to set yourself up as the expert in your field [34:12] How long does it take to leverage social cadences properly for modern sales? [39:58] The next trend for sellers to get their heads around: AI [43:16] Mario’s advice to his younger self to enable him to sell more Resources Mentioned Will Barron’s “The Salesman Podcast” LinkedIn State Of Sales Report CSO Insights “Sales Performance Report 2019” LinkedIn’s SSI Score: www.YourSSIScore.com Calendly Time Trade Viveka von Rosen Soapbox by Wistia (free tool) Crystal Knows (free and paid) Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts This episode of #SellingWithSocial is a bit different than my typical format - it’s a great conversation I had with my friend, Brandon Bornancin of Seamless.ai. Our chat was recorded originally for his podcast “Sales Secrets of the Top 1%" and he's graciously allowed me to pass it along to you. Brandon and I had a great time walking down memory lane as I shared the story of my sales career. You probably don’t know that I didn't initially choose a sales career for myself. At the time, I worked at a retail camera center in my area as a photo finisher. I loved to make suggestions to customers about things they could buy to make their photos better. As a result, my boss noticed that I was outselling most of the sales staff. When I put in for a transfer so that I could worker closer to my college, my boss said he would only approve the transfer if I’d agree to go into sales. That was the start of an amazing journey. Listen to this episode and you’ll hear how I got into technology sales, climbed the ladder, became a resource to those on my own sales team, and even arranged to be mentored by the President and Chief Sales Officer of the company I was working for at the time - Sprint. But none of that is the best part. I also share the three biggest sales secrets I’ve learned throughout my career so far: I call them "PVC" - Personalize | Value | Call to action. Sales Secret #1: Personalize Your Messaging I wasn’t in sales long, before I realized that every person I encountered, both as a potential buyer and as a team member in my own company, had their own set of unique challenges and goals. It was my job as a seller to personalize my approach to those specific things. When I was able to do that, I built rapport and trust quickly and was able to close more deals, faster. In this conversation, I explain why personalization is so vital to the sales process and give examples of what it looks like when you do it well. If you want to learn how to truly get into the shoes of anyone you need to sell - externally or internally - you need to hear this conversation. Secret #2: Value “Value” is not an uncommon word to hear in the sales world these days. Almost instinctively, we know that people are not going to make a buying decision if they don’t believe the solution we’re offering provides the value they are looking for. But knowing exactly WHAT value you should provide takes discernment and insight - and makes all the difference in moving deals forward. It’s your responsibility as a seller to make that discovery. Listen to this episode as I share how you can look for the “fish on the wall” that enables you to engage in conversations that build personal relationships with individuals. It’s these personal relationships that enable you to learn exactly what the person needs in terms of value. One story I tell is how my real-life experience of buying my first home in the San Francisco Bay area enabled me to connect with a CTO in a personal way - and THAT helped me discover the exact value I needed to provide to him and his company so that we could close a huge deal together. .  My Third Secret: Call To Action Another of the sales secrets I've discovered in my sales journey is this: Never step away from a sales call, meeting, or even a cold call without driving toward something else. Here’s why it’s important: You don’t want to leave the ball in the other person’s court once you’ve engaged with them. If things are going to move toward a deal that benefits your company AND your customer, you have to ensure that the next logical step is put forward for their consideration. When you do this, you’re nudging the conversation forward in a subtle, but powerful way. I share practical tips on how to apply this principle during our conversation.  50% Of Your Job Is Selling Internally: Here’s How To Do It It’s natural to think of selling as an external thing - and it definitely is. But the external portion of what we do as sellers is only 50% of what matters. The other 50% is what goes on internally, within your team and company. You may not have thought of it this way but much of what you are able to accomplish in your career depends on how well you can sell yourself, your ideas, and your position INTERNALLY. What does it take to sell effectively within your organization? First, you have to know your stuff - the data surrounding the issues. Second, you have to know your competition. Third, you must have a strategy in place that you can explain clearly and that makes sense. Fourth, you have to know why the people involved might say, “No.” When you have all those pieces, you are able to sell TO those things. Listen to hear how I discovered and applied that approach throughout my career - to great success. Outline of This Episode [1:16] This special episode: Mario’s interview on another show [4:25] How I got started in sales: working for Ritz Camera Centers as a photo finisher [9:18] Learning to educate your buyers (two examples from two sales roles) [14:36] Hunting down an opportunity I wanted with Sprint (eSolutions) [19:14] Sales Secret #1: Personalize your messaging [25:50] Sales Secret #2: Add value [25:54] Saes Secret #3: Call to action [29:17] Learning to share information with his team to add value internally [34:34] Convincing his professor to “require” him to have a business mentor [41:01] Navigating corporate politics and almost killing my career [50:44] 50% of our job as seller is to sell internally [52:27] The keys to selling internally: come prepared for a conversation Resources Mentioned Brandon on Twitter: @BBornancin Brandon on LinkedIn www.seamless.ai Seamless.AI on Twitter: @SeamlessAI Seamless.AI on LinkedIn Seamless.AI on Facebook Sales Secrets from the Top 1% by Brandon Bornancin Sales Secrets from the Top 1% Podcast Saint Mary’s College of California Implementing The PVC Sales Methodology For LinkedIn Social Selling, Episode #111 Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts On this episode, I welcome back to the show, the man, the myth, the LinkedIn legend, Kurt Shaver. Kurt returns to the #SellingWithSocial podcast to discuss Vengreso’s, The State of Digital Selling Report, and the three key digital sales strategies leaders need to implement ASAP for increased pipeline growth. For everyone who doesn’t know, Kurt is a co-founder and CSO of Vengreso. He shares the amazing insights we gleaned from the report and why branded profiles, with quality connections, and relevant content equal a winning digital sales strategy. You won’t want to miss a single minute of this episode because it is full of valuable information and real-time statistics on current sales behaviors. Are Your Salespeople Sharing Media On Social?  The answer is likely no. 60% of all sellers share no media on their LinkedIn profile. You may wonder why this makes a difference in your sales numbers? Kurt shares the example of Chris Sikora with CenturyLink and the merger that took place with Level 3 Communications.  After the merger, the Level 3 sales teams had unbranded, out-of-date LinkedIn profiles and it confused prospective customers as to which company they were working with. To create a seamless and branded transition, Chris reached out to Vengreso and we worked to update and rebrand all the CenturyLink and Level 3 sales representatives’ profiles.  With newly branded profiles, Chris encouraged the sales teams to share updated media, from videos to documents to reports on their pages. Essentially, together with Vengreso, Chris created a massive army of sales representatives with social profiles all focused on one message and the merger of the two companies became seamless for their buyers. If The New Buyer Looks At Social Before Committing... Then your sales teams should have updated profiles. LinkedIn, in the 2018 State of Sales Report, noted that 62% of buyers stated they check social profiles before committing to work with a brand. If this is the case, then marketing leaders need to be cognizant of what their teams are sharing with the world on social. The new buyer is less likely to reach out and get to know a company if the company does not have a professional social presence through its employees. Encourage customer-facing team members to update their LinkedIn profiles and then provide them the branded messaging they need to exude a unified message and brand to the world. By giving them media to share and a message to perpetuate, you are enabling your teams to build authority in their local space. Authority is one of the major keys to unlock increased sales and to reach higher-level target customers. What Is A Super Connector And Why Are They Important? Super connectors are LinkedIn users with 5,000 connections or more. In LinkedIn’s report, the correlation between the top salespeople and those who had 5,000 or more connections on LinkedIn was high. Why? Because the more connections you have in your industry, the more potential prospects and referrals you have on your digital Rolodex. People with high numbers of valuable connections know how to leverage those connections for referrals. Most of the respondents in our survey revealed that they had fewer than 1,000 connections. Increasing the number of quality connections in your industry beyond those people with whom you already have a relationship is a necessity for a properly engaged digital sales team. Leaders need to create connection strategies and encourage their teams to build and leverage their connections for increased sales. More than half of the respondents in the survey showed that they had not used LinkedIn to ask for an introduction or referral from someone in their network in the last three months… This is a terrible statistic that needs to change! Why Content Sharing Should Be The Backbone Of Your Digital Sales Strategies Once considered solely a marketing function, content sharing is a necessity for sales teams, but it is not being done. With 62% of buyers checking social media before committing to a relationship, relevant content needs to be on the salesperson’s page. This goes back to the authority building that is so important in the digital space.  78% of survey respondents stated that they had either never shared or occasionally shared content on their profile. This means they are not raising their visibility or credibility. Kurt says this is the new skill for salespeople to learn and it is one area that allows your business to beat your competition. Listen to learn the four steps to a solid digital sales strategy and why you need to implement one now! Outline of This Episode [01:16] Welcome back to the show Kurt Shaver, Vengreso’s CSO and LinkedIn expert. [03:06] Kurt shares two things you’d never know about him from his social profiles, and they are good! [06:04] Learn why Vengreso’s State of Digital Selling report is insightful for sales leaders. [08:07] Why should more salespeople share media on their branded LinkedIn profiles?  [15:00] Most sales professionals are not super connectors. Learn how this affects the bottom line. [22:45] Why the vast referral network created on LinkedIn is wasted by the average seller. [29:31] Sharing content is an important new digital selling skill. [37:40] Why properly utilizing LinkedIn requires more than just training and re-training. [39:58] Kurt shares his all-time favorite movie and the character he likes best! Resources Mentioned The State of Digital Selling Report Kurt on LinkedIn Kurt on Twitter: @KurtShaver Seamless.AI Implementing The PVC Sales Methodology For LinkedIn Social Selling, Episode #111 Modern Sales Leaders Need To Follow These 3 Techniques with Kurt Shaver, Episode #80 Constant Improvement Through Sales AI And A Purpose-Driven Mindset with Brandon Bornancin, Episode #74 Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts On this episode of the #SellingWithSocial podcast, I am picking the brain of The Modern Sale Magazine’s #1 Sales Influencer and Leader on their top 100 list — Rafe D’Amico. He provides amazing insights into the radio industry and gives us his most effective sales tips. He’s #1 on the list and he’s a first for the podcast! Rafe is the Vice President of Sales with Cumulus Media and creates integrated marketing programs, developing non-traditional revenue through multi-platform integration to develop partnerships with clients and media companies. Listen to this episode to learn executable sales tips that apply no matter what industry you’re in.  How Statistics Debunk The Myth Of Radio Sales Decline Radio as a medium has been in use since the 1920s when the first commercial broadcasts were transmitted. As Rafe artfully explains, radio is not a new up-and-coming medium with a fresh face and possibilities. Through the invention of the 8-track, the cassette tape, CDs, and now digital media, radio continues to be the leading source of consumable information.  Rafe provides amazing statistics detailing how radio reaches more millennials than any social media platform, including Facebook. The staying power of radio is astonishing given everything the industry and platform have faced in the years since the recession. Don’t count AM/FM radio out of your marketing strategy. The reach and audience share for radio is more than quadruple that of Pandora and the gap is even greater over Spotify.  Why Sales Tips And Tactics Remain The Same No Matter Your Industry The same sales tactics and tricks that Rafe uses in radio sales apply across industries. No matter your industry, doing real market research and understanding the view of your buyers is the key to proven sales and marketing. Rather than depending on his own myopic view of his industry, Rafe relies on data provided by survey companies like Nielsen and Kantar to dig into the reality of his industry and his buyer. For instance, Rafe mentions that he lives in New York, which means he can’t rely on his personal opinion and experience to make marketing decisions. Why? Because the majority of people living and working in New York do not drive. Instead, they use public transportation and are likely not listening to the radio in their car. But dependence on statistics helps him avoid taking that as the norm — more than 80% of Americans drive to work, alone, in their own cars (very much unlike New York). For the radio industry, that number is huge and has nothing to do with the general view that Rafe has from living in a big city. How To Win Business In A Hyper Competitive Environment Build your brand and your client base through relationships. This is the best sales tip anyone can give to a salesperson looking to increase sales. In a commodity-based business, where consumers have many options, the relationship a sales leader has with the community is the key to increased sales. While automation continues to remove the role of the true salesperson from an administrative perspective, the need for authentic relationship building remains high. Rafe uses the example of wine to illustrate the need for relationship building. He is passionate about wine, the process of creating it and the product. He used his passion for wine to create an annual event where he takes several of his key investors and buyers on a wine tour. He then later used a picture from the event to create custom labels for gifted bottles. It’s little things like this that build relationships and set you apart from the crowd of your industry.  Are You “Managing Your Team Up” For Increased Sales? Recognizing that your salespeople have strengths and weaknesses and helping them play to their strengths leads to outstanding sales. By allowing your sales team to work on the accounts and in the space that they excel in, you further build authority and credibility in your community. Maintain realistic expectations for your team and the work environment will stay positive and sales will increase. I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve had a radio executive on the show considering radio and podcasts are related. Rafe provided fantastic insights into the radio industry and how the tactics he uses are universal and should be applied to sales in general, no matter the niche. Check out this episode to learn some surprising radio statistics and actionable sales tips you can use in your business. Outline of This Episode [1:26] Meet Rafe D’amico, one of Modern Sales Magazine’s Top 100 Sales Leaders. [8:57] Rafe shares the state of the radio industry and what the future holds. [15:14] Will digital disruption be the demise of AM/FM radio?  [22:06] How has the challenge of digital disruption affected radio sales tactics? [31:07] Relationships remain one of the most important aspects of sales. [42:52] Managing your team up to their peak leads to sales success.  Resources Mentioned The Modern Sale Magazine - The Top 100 Global Sales Leaders Rafe on LinkedIn Rafe on Instagram Ozymandias Wines on Instagram Rafe’s all-time favorite movie: The Godfather Rafe’s favorite writer/director: Paul Thomas Anderson Ozymandias Wines Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social   Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts If you’ve listened to my show at all, you’ll know my opinion on cold sales prospecting. You shouldn’t do it. You should always reach out to warm prospects. Occasionally, you have no choice but to email rather than make a phone call. When that happens, there are specific practices you should use to increase the efficacy of your communication. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial is Shawn Finder, a former semi-pro tennis player and the founder and CEO of Autoklose, an email automation tool. We discuss the best tactics for cold sales prospecting through email. You won’t want to miss our conversation about the best practices for sending cold emails and tips and tricks for making your emails convert. Ways To Make Connections Before Cold Sales Prospecting During our conversation, Shawn recommended a few campaign ideas you can try before sending out cold emails. Look up conferences you plan to attend and create Meetups to connect with potential prospects. It’s an effective way to nurture relationships. Research the conference by using trending hashtag lists in order to see who will be attending. That will give you a list of people to reach out to. Once you’ve connected, don’t let the relationship cool down. Use follow up campaigns to keep yourself top of mind with your new prospects. Another great campaign to use when nurturing prospects is the quote campaign, followed by timed cadences. You send an initial quote email and from there use a program like Autoklose to track open rates and activity. Use your knowledge of that activity to move prospects through campaign sequences that lead the prospect to your services. Successful Selling Starts With Knowing Your Customer Before attempting any sales conversation, whether the prospect is warm or cold, it is imperative you know your customer. No matter how you reach out to your prospects, know what you’re selling, who you’re selling to, and why they need your product or service. One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make today is writing up an email and blasting it out to everyone, then praying that a sale comes of it. Dial down to who you are trying to reach and how you can solve their problems and then tell them that. Another huge mistake that salespeople make is talking about themselves instead of relaying the value of their products and services. This is borne out of either not knowing how you solve your prospect’s problems or not taking the time to find out who your prospect is. Rather than spending the entire first paragraph of an email or first two minutes of a sales pitch explaining who you are and what you do, use that valuable time to explain how you serve. Don’t Forget Your Calls To Action The most compelling and insightful email will not make an impact if you don’t tell the reader to take action. You want to craft compelling calls to action keeping you and your company relevant with your reader. First, the action should not be time-consuming. Since your goal is to contact the decision-maker in a company, usually the CEO or president, you want to remember that they have limited time available to hear about your offer. Make it easy for them to set aside time to speak with you by using a scheduling program and giving them a few choices of appointment times. Other great CTAs that work great are links to pertinent blog posts, ebooks, and case studies that speak to the problems the decision-maker is facing that you can solve for them. Another great CTA is to ask an engaging question that highlights the prospect’s pain points. Be sure that whatever the CTA is, it links to a clickable action that you can track to determine what your engagement rates are.  Subject Lines Are Valuable Sales Prospecting Real Estate How do most people check email today? These days, people are more likely to check their emails on their mobile phones than anywhere else. Your subject line should be short, personalized, and compelling. When looking at email on mobile, only five of the words in the subject line show. Be sure those five words speak to your prospect.  Personalizations such as “Hi [First Name],” or [Business Name] + [Business Name], have the highest open rates. Again, this goes back to understanding your customer and what makes them tick. If you only have five words to reach them, what are the best five words? What will catch their eye and make them think twice before trashing your email?  Body Text Personalization Is The Key To Conversions Use your company’s CRM database to keep information about your prospects. This information becomes valuable personalization data for future email campaigns. In our conversation, Shawn shared how using a person’s location and recent sports team wins creates engagement and more conversions. Email automation tools allow you to populate data fields that automatically pull from your CRM into your emails. When you’re cold-emailing, use the data you already have to create a deeper connection from the beginning of the conversation.  Craft a clear and concise email with a compelling subject line and a defined call to action. It’s the recipe for cold sales prospecting success. Make your emails short and include as much personalization as is appropriate for the step in the automation process you’re in. Also, consider the length of your sequence. Listen to learn Shawn’s take on the ideal automation and email length. Outline of This Episode [2:27] Professional tennis player to entrepreneur, Shawn Finder shares his path to sales [4:51] Effective campaigns to run besides cold prospecting [7:12] How to run an effective conference, quote, and webinar follow up campaign.  [12:17] What are the biggest mistakes sales reps make when cold prospecting by email?  [21:49] What types of CTAs can a sales rep drive towards that are effective?  [27:47] Subject line tips and tricks for best open rates. [30:56] What is the ideal cold email and sequence length and why? [36:57] Utilize your CRM to personalize your sales emails for higher conversions. Resources Mentioned Shawn’s Company: Autoklose - where he serves as CEO and founder Follow Shawn on Twitter: @autoklose Follow Shawn on LinkedIn Follow Shawnl on Instagram: @sfinds B2B Sales Handbook 673 Years of Sales Excellence Book Shawn’s all-time favorite movie: The Wolf of Wall Street Modern Marketing Engine Podcast -  Bernie Borges Connect with Mario!    www.vengreso.com    On Facebook    On Twitter    On YouTube    On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social   Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Is your sales process experiencing unneeded hiccups or roadblocks because you’re not taking into consideration the communication styles of your prospects and buyers? If you don’t understand the 4 primary communication styles, it’s very likely. That’s why I asked Paul Watts to be my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Paul is a sales leader who has invested a considerable amount of time in understanding the dynamics behind effective communication. His upcoming book on communication styles will be a great resource for sellers and marketers alike. By listening to this episode you’ll learn all 4 of the dominant communication styles, why it’s important to be aware of them, how to discern the communication style of your prospects from their social profiles, and how to identify communication styles on the fly as you talk with prospects for the first time. This is incredibly valuable information that could dramatically improve the effectiveness and time frames your sales process, so be sure you listen to this episode. The 4 Communication Styles You Need To Be Aware Of - And Why Although no individual perfectly fits into a static category, each of us does have our own bent when it comes to how we prefer to communicate. In this conversation, Paul breaks down the 4 communication styles that are most predominant... Drivers - These individuals tend to prefer logical responses to situations. That means data, facts, and figures will be effective and appreciated. Expressives - These are people who tend to have emotionally based responses to situations and who will hear and receive emotionally laced responses more easily themselves. Analytics - like the Driver, people who are analytic will appreciate and communicate with logical responses more than emotional responses. Amiables - People who are stylistically Amiable will tend toward emotive responses as well. So if you want to communicate with them effectively, use emotionally laden words and phrases. Can you see how understanding these communication styles can help you speak the language of those you are interacting with? Listen to understand these in more detail and to hear examples of how it works in practical situations. You Could Be Derailing Your Sales Process Through Communication Style Bias Communication style bias happens when you filter your prospect or buyer’s responses through your own communication style. For example, if your communication style is that of “Expressive,” you will tend toward hearing what others say through that stylistic filter - even if they are NOT that type of communicator. The result is that you won't be communicating as effectively as you think you are. That’s why it’s important to understand the various styles of communication. The effectiveness of your sales process depends on you becoming skilled at speaking to people in a way they will hear, understand, and accept. Listen as Paul provides examples of how this knowledge can be used in phone calls, email prospecting, sales meetings, and more. How To Discern The Communication Style Of Buyers Every step of the sales process requires that we intelligently approach our prospects or buyers by using a variety of perspectives. Among them are the buyer’s persona, their buying journey, and their communication styles. How can you speak in a way that appeals to a prospect’s communication style if you don’t know them? In this conversation, Paul shares these suggestions: Ask how their weekend was - the response could indicate their communication style. A person who is dominantly a Driver or Analytic will often give a short answer. They are ready to get down to business, not engage in chit-chat. A person who is Expressive or Amiable will engage in a more detailed conversation about their weekend. But there are differences - the Expressive will speak in self-centric terms (MY weekend) while the Amiable will speak in inclusive terms (OUR weekend). Notice the speed at which people talk Drivers and Expressives tend to speak quickly because they are eager to get down to business and make progress. Analytics and Amiables speak more slowly and often take time to consider before responding or making decisions. Notice the types of questions people ask Drivers and Analytics tend to ask more logic based questions that require facts and figures. Expressives and Amiables will ask more emotive questions, wanting to know the human impact of decisions or approaches. Telling VS Asking Drivers and Expressives tend to “tell” about their opinions or experience. Analytics and Amiables will “ask” your opinion or approach instead - “What would YOU do?” Tools To Help You Speak In Your Buyers’ Communication Style If you apply the tips Paul shares in this episode you’ll be well on your way to supercharging your sales process through better communication with prospects and buyers. But if you want to increase your success even more, there are AI-based tools that can help you discern communication styles from social media profiles and emails. CrystalKnows is a Google Chrome plugin the Vengreso team uses and recommends through our Selling With LinkedIn training that is impressive in how accurately it assesses and determines a person’s communication style. Try it out and let us know what you think! Paul’s insight into communication style bias and how it impacts the sales process is invaluable, so be sure you take the time to listen to this episode. Outline of This Episode [2:18] How Paul moved from being an electrical engineer to a sales leader [7:55] What is communication style bias? [9:40] 4 different communication styles you need to be aware of [17:04] Not understanding these issues impacts sales performance dramatically [20:31] Best-practices for discerning the communication styles of others [31:17] How to improve your sales process through appropriate messaging Resources Mentioned FREE RESOURCE: Download Paul's Communication Style Assessment Paul’s Sales Company: Base Over Apex Paul’s Podcast: Sales Reinvented Follow Paul on Twitter: @SalesReinvented Follow Paul on LinkedIn Follow Paul on Facebook The DISC assessment CrystalKnows Chrome Plugin Paul’s all-time favorite movie: Gattaca Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts The best salespeople in the world are selling with stories. Why? Because it’s one of the best and fastest ways to build rapport and trust. Not to mention that it enables you to segue into the business part of a sales conversation as “friends” with your prospect rather than as a seller (who they may be hard-wired to resist). I believe that selling with stories is so powerful, I invited Mike Adams to be my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Mike is the author of “Seven Stories Every Salesperson Must Tell” and in this episode he tells many stories - about how he moved from being an engineer to being a salesperson, why stories are so powerful for sales, 7 story types that can help you at every stage of the sales cycle, and more. Be sure you listen to hear how to improve your sales skills by telling more stories! When Prospecting, Only Tell Half Of The Story We all like a good story. There’s no doubt about it. And there is something about leaving a story ending unresolved that has us chomping at the bit to hear more. As Mike and I began talking about the use of stories in sales, he mentioned that when prospecting, sellers should utilize the “cliffhanger” technique to incentivize the prospect to set a second appointment. He points out that Netflix does this all the time with its episodic shows and that as viewers, we get hooked into binge watching as a result. You can prompt the same kind of "hook" when having your initial conversation with prospects by using cliffhanger stories. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be cheesy and can actually be done in a way that feels very natural to your potential buyer. Listen to Mike’s explanation so you can learn how to do it the right way! 3 Stages Of The Buying Cycle And How Stories Fit Each One In his book, “Seven Stories Every Salesperson Must Tell,” Mike breaks the selling process down into 3 stages… Connect with the buyer ⇒ Change their mind ⇒ Close the deal At each of those stages, your goal as a seller is to move the buyer into the next stage. How do you do it? Through telling stories that enable you to accomplish the objective of the particular stage you are in. As you listen to this episode, pay attention to how Mike maps his 7 story types into each of these stages and notice how each of them helps you accomplish the goals of that stage. You’ll quickly see that selling with stories is one of the most effective ways to answer objections and questions, establish trust, and move your buyer to a purchase decision. Be Scrupulous About Ensuring Your Sales Stories Are True Selling with stories is a powerful skill to develop, almost like acquiring a sales superpower. But you have to be meticulously careful when telling stories to make sure they are 100% true. No embellishment, no shading of the truth, no exaggeration. Why? Because if you are not being entirely accurate with the details of your stories - and your buyer gets a hint of the embellishment (no matter how small) - they will begin to wonder, “What else about the claims she’s making are not true?” Do you see how quickly this one lapse in judgment can jeopardize the entire sales process? You’ve got to be more than careful - you’ve got to be meticulously truthful. Listen to hear Mike explain how to do this without fail, on this episode. Start Selling With Stories By Using These 7 Story Types Mike has developed 7 types of stories that map exactly to the 3 stages of the sales cycle. You can use these stories at their appropriate stage of the buying cycle to help buyers move toward a purchasing decision. Here they are… CONNECT WITH THE BUYER (stage 1) Personal stories Key staff stories Company story CHANGE THEIR MIND (stage 2) Insight story Success story CLOSING THE DEAL (stage 3) Value story Teaching story As you might expect, Mike has excellent stories of his own to illustrate each of these types of stories and shows you how to use them to give your clients the perception that you can be trusted and are a company they want to work with. Listen to hear all the details and to ramp up your ability to sell with stories. Outline of This Episode [1:20] Mike Adams, author of “Seven Stories Every Salesperson Must Tell” [9:35] Why storytelling can help salespeople increase their sales skills [16:18] Create rapport by telling personal stories [21:29] How hard is it to learn selling with stories? [24:05] Why business stories must be scrupulously true [28:37] Walking through the 7 types of sales stories [44:22] The ways stories help you close deals Resources Mentioned Mike’s website: www.TheStoryLeader.com Mike’s book: Seven Stories Every Salesperson Must Tell Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter: @MikeAdamsSales Mike’s all-time favorite movie: Jaws Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts For the first time ever on the #SellingWithSocial podcast, my guest and I address how sales organizations can identify and build relationships with channel sales partners to drive sales. This topic is of increasing relevance in the sales world because over 75% of world trade flows indirectly, through channels other than direct sales. My guest, Jay McBain is one of the thought leaders who is enabling sales organizations to get their channel sales strategy in place and running effectively. Jay leads Forrester's research and advisory for global channels, alliances, and partnerships. He focuses on B2B marketing in a time when the customer is more educated and well-informed than ever before. His expertise in understanding and navigating the complexity of multiple routes to market came to the forefront in this conversation, so be sure you listen to understand how he suggests sales leaders develop an effective channel sales strategy. Channel Sales Partners Are Where 75% Of Your Business Comes From Depending on your industry it may not be entirely true that channel partnerships dominate your revenue streams. But it will be. Worldwide, 75% of sales revenue is coming through these partnerships, and it’s only going to increase as time goes on. If you want to get ahead of the game by developing a powerful channel sales strategy for your organization, you have got to hear what Jay shares on this episode. Jay explains how sales leaders need to create and provide contextual and relevant content to channel partners to accelerate the indirect sales process. He also tells you exactly how to go about identifying the channel partners who will be of the greatest benefit. You'll hear Jay's detailed description of the technology infrastructure required to build and support channel relationships. Be sure to listen! You Have A Better Chance Of Influencing Buyers Indirectly We all know that the internet is becoming a noisier place every day. The chances of reaching buyers through direct outreach are not nearly as promising as doing so through a channel partner. Why? Because in most cases, channel partners already have the attention of your target audience. Their influence on your behalf could make buying decisions much easier and faster. That’s something sales organizations need to take full advantage of. Take the time to listen to this conversation. You’ll hear Jay explain the step by step method he uses to identify top channel partner candidates in an industry, how he reaches out to them, and what the results are of doing so. The education I received in this episode is going to help my team accelerate the creation of our own channel strategy. There Is No Way You Can Get Into All The Sales Conversations Happening Many of the conversations happening around the subjects that your product or service solution provides are happening without you. Buyers are researching solutions for themselves, asking friends for opinions and recommendations, and listening to influencers who address the issues they face. Out of all those contexts, the influencers are the most important for your consideration. They could be the channel partners who help you accelerate your sales cycle and secure conversations with buyers. Your job as a sales leader is to develop a comprehensive strategy that takes full advantage of the individuals and organizations that are already influencing sales conversations. You need to know who they are and how to build relationships with them that lead directly to sales for your organization. Listen to hear how Jay recommends you identify and connect with those potential channel sales partners, on this episode. Want To Build A Channel Strategy? It All Starts With Your Buyer To identify potential channel partners you need to consider a day in the life of your ideal buyer. Jay suggests you narrow your focus to three specific questions... What do they read? Where do they go? Who do they follow? When you are able to answer those questions specifically you’ll be able to start identifying the places and people who influence them the most. Then it’s your job to build genuine, helpful connections with those people or organizations. You’ve got to get into the sphere of influence of those companies and individuals and provide genuine value to them. That’s just the tip of the channel partner strategy iceberg so be sure you listen! Outline of This Episode [1:14] Introduction to Jay and the topic for today: Global channels and channel selling [6:30] What have global channels been such a blind spot for most sales organizations? [8:18] How you can use indirect channels to get your buyer to choose you [12:42] Do channel sales partner relationships change when it comes to tech products? [19:47] The 3rd stage of sales and marketing [25:10] How to put together a channel strategy that works [31:48] What are shadow channels? How can you influence them? [41:48] Why you’ve got to look broader to find the influencers of your customers [43:01] How to break through the competitive attitude between direct and channel sales Resources Mentioned Get to know Jay (his blog on the Forrester website) Jay on LinkedIn On Twitter: @JMcBain Forrester The channel software tech stack Jay mentioned Salesforce Sales Navigator LinkedIn’s Elevate BOOK: The Tipping Point Jay’s favorite movie: The original Superman with Christopher Reeve Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

How do you and your mortgage company go up against the Goliath of the industry, with vast resources of money and people? And how do you do this while staying true to your values, and build a culture that makes you passionate about your work? Dave Gallegos of Zenith Home Loans in Denver gives us lots of great ideas in this episode, including owning your zip code, and doubling down with a local focus.  In the interview, Coach Bill refers to the podcast "Selling With Social" by Mario Martinez. Episode 101.  You can reach Dave at daveg@zenithhl.com, and see how he is getting his rave reviews from clients at www.zenithhl.com   Bill Hart is a coach at Building Champions in Lake Oswego Oregon. He is also the author of the book "White Collar Warrior: Lessons for Sales Professionals from America's Military Elite". Podcast produced by Studio C Creative Sound in San Diego CA

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts We all want to increase sales, but many are still going about it the wrong way. Are you still trying to “sell to the pain” of your buyers or have you realized that what makes you truly successful is selling value? A true sales influencer comes into situations where the buyer has not made a decision yet and influences their decision toward a purchase by highlighting the value they will receive from the sales solution. That’s what they really want, and even they don’t see all the benefits they might receive from the solutions they are seeking. This episode of #SellingWithSocial features my friend Keenan, a guy who became a sales coach and trainer by accident but realized in doing so that his sales method cuts to the core of true selling. His GAP Selling paradigm will help you get past buyer objections, understand the true need of your buyers, and most importantly, enable them to see the impact your solution has when solving their problem - and that will help you increase sales. Don’t miss this one. Keenan’s insight into how the sales process works at the core is invaluable. Change Is At The Center Of Sales. Sellers Help Buyers Decide To Change Much of the hurdle we face in sales is that buyers are often not motivated enough to make a change. Our job is to help them understand the benefits that can come when they make the decision to step away from their current state of things and into a new and better future. When you can help a buyer decide to change, you’ve done them the greatest service because you are opening the door to that better future and giving them a peek inside. But often, you don’t know how to help a buyer make the decision to change because they are holding the facts of the situation close to the vest. They don’t want to reveal everything about their situation. How do you get past that tactic? Keep reading... Sellers Get Buyers To Let Them Help Them By Demonstrating Credibility It’s not uncommon to run into selling situations where the buyer is not forthcoming about the details of their problem or need. You can tell because they become cagey or unclear in the answers they give to your questions. How can you get a buyer to share more with you, to willingly give them the information you need to be able to truly help them? You do it by demonstrating your credibility, which comes from applying a very specific approach. In this conversation, Keenan outlines his PIC approach to sales: Identify the PROBLEM Identify the IMPACT it will have on the buyer for their problem to be solved Understand the root CAUSE behind the problem This information enables you to devise the kind of questions for buyers that demonstrate your understanding of their problem, that you can genuinely be of help to them. When you do that, buyers begin to view you as an ally instead of just a salesperson. Listen to learn more about the PIC approach. You’ll Only Increase Sales When You Truly Know Your Buyer’s Problem Keenan points out that what we often hear in sales training is not the whole truth. Well-meaning sales trainers tell us we should sell to the problem, but Keenan says that approach is short-sighted. The problem is definitely bad for the buyer, but the impact of solving that problem is the true motivating factor in every sales conversation. So you need to envision that you, the seller, are really selling value, not a solution. Keenan creates a very helpful scenario in this episode involving a headache, a pill that will cure it, and a situation where the headache-sufferer is willing to pay $1,000 for the pills. Can you imagine a situation where that would ever be possible? Once you hear Keenan explain it you will - and you’ll understand why knowing the impact that solving the real problem will have is critical to helping buyers make sales decisions. It’s selling value - the ultimate goal that gets buyers to make the right buying decision. People Buy For Value, Not Necessarily Because They Like You We’ve all heard that buyers make purchases from sellers they know, like, and trust. But Keenan says it’s not always the case. Many people will buy things from a person they don’t like. Why would they do that? Because the value they will get from the purchase is far more important to them than whether or not they like the person who gave them the value. Take the time to listen to this passionate conversation. Keenan and I talk in depth about what it takes to be a sales influencer, how to help buyers get to the right buying decisions, and how to call them out when they are not being entirely honest with you - and increase sales at the same time. It’s a fascinating conversation full of insight. You won’t want to miss it. Outline of This Episode [1:12] Who is Keenan and why is he my guest on this episode? [9:10] What is gap selling and why does it work? [18:35] Why you must say “No” to buyers who won’t divulge details [21:44] Do you need to focus on customer’s liking you? [26:19] How to ask questions in order to get to the problem (PIC) [33:10] The best place for sales leaders to start to get their team into the problem Resources Mentioned Keenan’s book “Gap Selling” Sales Guy Consulting - Keenan’s company Tommy Hilfiger Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Keenan’s favorite movie: Dangerous Liaisons Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Sales engagement is a fairly new term but one that every sales rep needs to understand and a skill they need to master. In short, sals engagement is the interactions that take place between a sales rep and a buyer that focus on how a seller communicates with the prospect and how effective that engagement is in moving the prospect toward a purchase. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, I’m honored to have Mark Kosoglow, co-author of the book, “Sales Engagement” on the podcast. Mark is a seller at heart, beginning his sales career selling shoes at the mall as a teenager. He’s run a small business, resurrected a dead sales territory through a decade of hard work, and has managed a sales team as well. Now he works as Vice President of Sales at Outreach.io - a sales engagement software platform that turns sales teams into revenue driving machines. Join us to learn what sales engagement is, why an Omnichannel approach is vital, why more activity does NOT equal more results, how to personalize your sales conversations the right way, and more! Omnichannel: Working To Find The Ways Prospects WANT To Engage With the advent of digital technology and the use of social media, the noise buyers are exposed to is louder than ever. That means that the days when you could send one or two emails or make a few phone calls and get a buyer’s attention are gone - forever. You’ve got to learn how to engage on multiple fronts. Here at Vengreso, we refer to this as an Omnichannel approach so I was pleasantly surprised to hear Mark and his co-authors refer to it in the same way n their new book. What is Omnichannel? It’s engaging with prospects in a variety of ways to get on their radar and secure a conversation. That could be through email, video, LinkedIn InMessaging, phone calls, and more. Listen to hear why Mark is of the opinion that sales leaders must be continually experimenting to find what works and why even the solutions they discover may not be the right combination for very long. But most of all, learn what to do to avoid making critical mistakes in your Omnichannel approach. Today, More Activity Does Not Bring More Results Before the advent of social media, sales teams had very limited avenues of reaching out to prospects: Email, phone calls, and door knocking. Back then it worked to crank up the number of contact attempts in order to get more sales conversations on the calendar. But it’s no longer the case. Why? Because the sellers have to break through just to get a prospect’s attention has increased dramatically. That’s why sellers have to be smart in the ways they engage with buyers (the particular channels within your Omnichannel approach) and how they do it (with personalization). As a seller, those are the things that enable you to cut through the noise and secure conversations with people you genuinely have the ability to help. Listen to learn how Mark recommends personalizing your touches, why your methods won’t be the same even 6 months from now, and how to make a prospect “hot.” Personalize Around The Pain, The Problem, And The Value There’s a lot of misunderstanding about what it means to personalize a sales message. Take this example: You find an ideal prospect on LinkedIn and send a connection request. You personalize the request and reference the university they attended. That is NOT personalization - at least not the type that will matter to the prospect. Why? Because all you did was regurgitate a fact from their LinkedIn profile. You’ve got to make the personalization relevant to your connection request and to the problems or pains you know your product or service can help the prospect solve. In this conversation, Mark and I brainstorm a handful of ways to make personalization of sales messaging more effective so listeners can understand what TO do and what NOT to do. You won’t want to miss it. Mark has great insights to share! Don’t Wait For Sales Prospects To Become “Hot,” Make Them Hot! As a seller, it’s your responsibility to help prospects see the relevance of the messaging you’re sending their way. They don’t know you or the service/product you sell. They don’t know how you can help them, so you’ve got to show them. But you don’t do it through pushy, insensitive messaging. You do it by serving. In this conversation, Mark explains that truly “hot” prospects are not something that just falls into your lap, they are a condition you create in your buyers by serving them with relevant, personalized content that shows how much you care and that you've taken the time to understand them and the pain and problems they deal with. This is one of the most practical parts of our conversation so make sure you listen to hear Mark’s insights. Outline of This Episode [1:17] Mark Kosoglow: a sales guy helping Outreach build its sales team and systems [5:35] Why Mark was willing to join Outreach.io at 100% commission [9:36] Sales has changed forever due to technology: sales engagement is born [11:50] Illustrating why Omnichannel makes all the difference [20:20] Good sales leaders experiment to understand what works [23:01] The existence of “Blitz days” mean sales professionals are not disciplined [30:35] How to know if a prospect is hot and deserves personalization [32:44] The WRONG ways to personalize with a prospect [37:34] Seller content that’s destined to lose [40:06] Video is not the cure-all. How to know if it will work or not Resources Mentioned Mark on LinkedIn Outreach.io - the company where Mark serves as Vice President of sales BOOK: Sales Engagement Mark’s all-time favorite movie: SpiderMan: Into The Spiderverse Manny Medina Max Altschuler LinkedIn InMail WEBINAR: Entering The Mind Of The Marketing Executive Buyer The Vengreso PVC Method The Vengreso Selling With LinkedIn Course Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Most sales professionals don't realize that selling on LinkedIn is not only possible, it’s powerfully effective. This episode of #SellingWithSocial is a “takeover” featuring Viveka von Rosen as host of the show, interviewing Mario in order to highlight the content of the new Vengreso course, “Selling With LinkedIn.” You’re going to hear… How to use existing LinkedIn connections to get referrals to your prospects How to follow your prospects strategically and get on their radar through engagement The InMail secret weapon The RIGHT way to send a connection request How to convert connections into conversations And more… If you’ve been wondering how to make the most of LinkedIn for selling, wonder no more! This episode gives you the basics of how to use the most prominent business-oriented social media platform to connect with prospects who fit your buyer persona perfectly. Don’t miss it!   There Is Nothing More Powerful Than Starting Connections Through Referrals In a recent webinar, the Vengreso team held (Entering Into The Mind of The Marketing Executive Buyer) every exec who participated in the webinar made one thing very clear: The BEST way to get a connection with them is through a referral from someone they already know. That means referrals are your golden ticket into the executive prospect’s office. But how do you get referrals when you don’t know what connections the two of you have in common? ANSWER: You do it via LinkedIn. In this episode, Mario outlines a two-step process for finding and utilizing referrals to the people who match your buyer persona. Keep reading to see exactly how it works and listen to this episode to hear it fleshed out in detail. The Two-Step LinkedIn Process To Personal Referrals To Your Perfect Prospect It’s true, you can use the tools baked-in to LInkedIn to get personal referrals to the prospects you’d most like to talk to. Here’s how it works: STEP ONE: Look through your prospect’s connections to see who they know that you also know. These are called “mutual"or "shared” connections. Ideally, you’ll see multiple people who are connections with both of you. What do you do then? Send a message to MULTIPLE people who are connected with both of you. There's a reason for that, and on this episode Mario details why and what that request should say. STEP TWO: Send a scripted sample message to be sent to the prospect, to the connection who has agreed to make the referral. You want to make it as easy for them as possible. They should modify it to fit their voice and relationship with the person. This saves them time and enables you to make it quick and easy for them to do this favor for you. Listen to learn more about who are the ideal connections to make referrals for you, how to craft your messaging, and more. Connect With Sales Prospects By Following Them Effectively On LinkedIn When you “follow” someone on LinkedIn, do you know what that allows you to do? Following someone allows you to see the person's posts and articles on your homepage without being connected to them. That’s a HUGE advantage when it comes to building the knowledge base you need in order to effectively connect with prospects through LinkedIn. It also enables you to get on their radar in a pre-connection way so that when you do reach out to them, you won’t be an entire stranger. Here’s how it works: Imagine that you find an ideal buyer for your product or service and you choose to follow them on LinkedIn. They will receive notification that someone followed them (you). In many cases, they will check out your LinkedIn profile. Pay attention to when this happens, it will show you that they are definitely active on LinkedIn. Once you’ve followed them, what then? It’s time to ENGAGE! As you interact with your prospects by commenting or asking questions about the resources and posts they’ve shared, you are building positive sentiment, displaying your expertise in the industry, and making yourself available. You are able to build the KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST factor with every interaction. Listen to learn how to use LinkedIn InMail and connection requests appropriately, how and why to incorporate video, and how to apply the PVC methodology to everything you do in relation to prospects. PERSONALIZED Connection Requests Can Lead to Sales Conversations How many times have you received a connection request via LinkedIn where the person requesting to connect didn’t bother to tell you why they are connecting with you or how they came to know about you? It’s typical, but the added touch of a personalized connection request goes a long way toward building positive sentiment and familiarity. So when you finally make a connection request with a prospect, do what you can do personalize it - and be sure to use the PVC methodology (personalize, add value, include a call to action). When you do, most people receiving the request recognize the additional effort you took and accept the request. Then you’ve got your foot in the door to engage with the prospect on a deeper, more meaningful level - eventually leading to sales conversations. Don’t miss this episode. It’s one of the most practical “how to” conversations you’ll ever hear about selling with LinkedIn. Outline of This Episode [1:46] Viveka von Rosen hosts Mario on his own show [3:10] Converting connections to conversations when selling with LinkedIn (C2C) [14:27] A step by step cadence to create a connection to a potential buyer [25:46] You’ve done everything so far and no connection - what next? [34:22] An example of circling back on the process multiple times Resources Mentioned Viveka von Rosen on LinkedIn Viveka on Twitter: @LinkedInExpert Selling with LinkedIn and Selling With LinkedIn Sales Navigator courses CSO Insights The previous episode that focused on PVC methodology Entering Into The Mind of The Marketing Executive Buyer (webinar) OneMob Feedly LinkedIn Hashtag search AAISP Sales Conference Previous episode with David Elkington Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts If you are looking for a proven way to do social selling on LinkedIn or other social platforms, Bernie Borges facilitates a conversation with Mario Martinez, Jr. about that very thing, on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Get the full explanation of the trademarked PVC selling methodology at the heart of the Vengreso's LinkedIn Social Selling courses. You’ll learn what PVC stands for, how to implement it on social media, and why each of the steps is vital to helping you get your foot in the door with CMOs and other C-suite execs you’re trying to reach. Mario also provides many examples of how the methodology works in real-life sales scenarios. Listen now! What Do CMOs Recommend When It Comes To Getting On Their Radar? The Vengreso team recently held a webinar - Entering Into The Mind Of The Marketing Executive Buyer - and questioned actual CMOs regarding their attitude toward sales professionals getting in touch with them. They shared some valuable advice. Get referred by someone I know. It’s OK to reach out but don’t call me. Use an omni-channel approach (social, email, video, texting) You had better personalize the message and bring value to me Those are EXACTLY the things the Vengreso PVC method is constructed to teach sellers who are trying to reach buyers - anytime they reach out. That means connection requests, cold prospecting, video messages, inMail on LinkedIn - anything. Listen to learn how it works. Interested in LinkedIn Social Selling? Here’s One Methodology To Rule Them All The trademarked PVC method is an acronym and each of the letters represents a key point of this selling and prospecting approach. Here it is: P - Personalize V - Value C - Call to Action This is the standard rule and sales methodology sellers should use to create outreach and engagement opportunities with any particular buyer on any medium - phone, email, social selling on LinkedIn, Twitter, LinkedIn InMail, connection requests, etc. This PVC approach has proven to open more doors, especially when applied to LinkedIn social selling. On this episode, you’ll hear Mario tell a number of stories of how sales professionals have used the PVC method to connect with their target buyers. In many cases, even though the buyer thought they weren't ready to buy yet, the connection opened the door to them making purchases because of its personalized nature. Keep reading and listening to get the details of each of the PVC steps. Sales Personalization Is More Than You Think It Is Personalizing your sales message means a lot more than simply adding a recipient's name to an email or tagging them on social. You’ve got to speak TO the buyer, in their unique situation, in a helpful and valuable way. THAT is personalization. But it’s not just knowing about the person, it’s also about knowing their role and needs as a buyer. That level of knowledge requires research of your prospects, but it’s time well spent. When you are able to engage with that level of personalization via LinkedIn social selling or even via email, you stand out from the rest of the sellers hitting their radar. Sellers: What Does It Actually Mean To Provide Value? When you reach out to prospects you need to be sure you give them a reason to take you seriously. That’s what the value step is about. You want to provide content that addresses specific areas of pain your particular buyer is experiencing - areas that your service or company can solve. Speak the language of the buyer you’re selling to, understand the pain they are dealing with and trying to address, then utilize content to help them solve that problem. The content could take many forms: whitepapers, videos, webinars, blog articles, eBooks, podcast episodes, etc. When you do this, you’re helping the prospective buyer meet their KPIs, which means your content is something they will actually consume. CTAs: Don’t Make This Common Mistake When you hear the words “Call to Action” what immediately comes to mind? For most sales professionals it’s asking their prospect to agree to a meeting or phone call. While that qualifies, when using social media like LinkedIn to sell, your calls to action will not always be that overt. Some examples... Can you ask a question to solicit a response? Can you ask for their opinion? Can you ask for their advice? In this episode, you’ll hear Mario describe how he spoke to one prospect about his team’s LinkedIn profiles and found that by asking questions he was able to reveal things the buyer didn’t know about his sales teams' LinkedIn profiles but needed to address. Mario was able to come alongside as a now-trusted resource to help him implement the changes. Listen to learn more about Vengreso’s PVC methodology for LinkedIn social selling! Outline of This Episode [2:55] The 3,932 hour investment into creating the Vengreso LinkedIn training program resulting in the PVC sales methodology [3:58] Why was the PVC sales methodology important for sellers to apply? [6:37] Personalization is focused on the individual but also on the buyer [12:20] CMOs expect you to do the research required in order to connect with them [14:40] How can sellers add true value using the PVC approach? [21:01] Why it’s important that you leverage a call to action Resources Mentioned Selling with LinkedIn and Selling With LinkedIn Sales Navigator courses Entering Into The Mind of The Marketing Executive Buyer (webinar) Mario’s all-time favorite movie: The Goonies Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts The leaders of every organization want to maximize sales effectiveness and productivity. But the ever-changing digital sales landscape can make it hard to keep up. That’s why I wanted to bring Mat Singer, Senior Director of Sales Effectiveness for CenturyLink on as my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Mat manages a team of 100 people and his focus is on improving the productivity of the global sales organization within the company. Can you think of a better person to speak to this topic? In this conversation, Mat and I dig into the role good fundamental sales skills play in enhancing sales effectiveness, how technology is impacting the way sales training and implementation happen, and why social selling is not going away any time soon - and what sales leaders should be doing about that fact. Join us for this great conversation. Mat knows how to speak on a level that sales managers and sales team members alike can grasp. You won’t regret listening. This episode is brought to you by Zubtitle. Automatically add captions to any video in minutes. Don’t let your videos get passed over on social media. Visit https://zubtitle.com/vengreso to get started. Why True Sales Effectiveness Is Not A Mythical Unicorn As you know from listening to this show and from being out there in the trenches, the impact digital has had on the sales world is nothing short of revolutionary. Existing sales toolsets are changing all the time and new products are introduced almost daily. The tech we have at our disposal is important to sales effectiveness because it solves many problems, but many of the things that keep a sales team from being effective can’t be fixed by new tools. I wasn’t at all surprised to hear Mat say that as important as the tools are, many more sales opportunities come from practicing sales fundamentals well. Prospecting - Qualifying - Developing relationships - How managers coach their teams - Account planning - Call planning - these are the basics that amplify sales effectiveness regardless of the tools you use. When you and your team focus on doing these basics well, THEN and only then you can move on to address the other problems that can be solved by technology and tools. Do You Know How To Integrate Your Sales Technique With Your Sales Technology? Once you have made the effort to ensure your entire sales team is applying the same level of diligence to their fundamental sales skills, you need to integrate those efforts into your tech stack effectively. This used to be a daunting task because of all the “paper artifacts” and data entry required to make it happen. But Mat explains how his team uses Salesforce and another tool - Altify - to makes it super simple for sales data to be gathered and reported. Here’s the beautiful part - It’s integrated into their CRM, so the data is readily available for use as part of their sales fundamentals. It's an example of sales technique working with sales technology to maximize sales effectiveness. An added benefit is that this process creates transparency. That is KEY for enabling sales managers to coach their teams effectively because they are able to know the exact metrics for each sales rep and work on the specific areas that need improvement. In Mat’s case, his teams are dealing with bigger, global customers. The integration we’re describing enables them to collaborate among their worldwide team to support the customer on multiple levels and with multiple team members. That alone increases sales effectiveness tremendously. Sales Productivity Is Magnified When Managers Have The Right Data And Tools It’s not uncommon for sales managers to set appointments with team members to go over their most significant accounts together. But it’s not always been easy to do effectively because of the way the pertinent data was stored and managed. Managers and reps are able to go deeper and be more effective in their reviews when they have the right data and tools. In order to ensure that data is available, Mat says sales managers need to have what he calls a “religious” level of belief when it comes to applying standards to everyone. It’s vital for sales reps to be held accountable to their calling plans and other best practices if they are going to contribute to the entire company’s sales goals. You may also have a tendency to think that your superstar sales leaders can be let off the hook in these areas, but don’t give in to that temptation. Those high volume sellers are often unconsciously competent. That means they are talented enough to quickly integrate best practices into everything they do and your standards will be quickly assimilated if you stick to your guns. Social Media Is Not Going Away. Sales Leaders Must Learn To Use It Well When I asked Mat to describe how he’s training his team to use social for selling he pointed out that his company (CenturyLink) is known by many as a telephone company. But these days they are providing services and products that go way beyond landline telephone service. For that reason, one of their primary objectives on social is to share content that presents the company as the innovative technology company they have become. This is a move to create brand awareness but also to put their alternate services on the radar of existing and new customers alike. Every sales organization can use social to the same end. We also have to admit, social media is a permanent part of the lives of younger generations and they are the people who are the consumers of today and tomorrow. Organizations who learn to utilize social to engage with them are the organizations that will win. Finally, when it comes to the sales effectiveness of social, the data doesn’t lie. There is an unmistakable ROI when social selling tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator are used by sales organizations. It’s so effective because it enables you to monitor prospective buyers all the way down to the individual interactions they have with your team. Once you develop a way to train your sales team how to pick up on the cues you see in the data, they will know better what to do with it to engage clients in their buying journey. If you listen to this conversation you’ll gain tremendous insight into how the world-class team at CenturyLink is building a system of sales effectiveness for the modern age. This episode is brought to you by Zubtitle. Automatically add captions to any video in minutes. Don’t let your videos get passed over on social media. Visit https://zubtitle.com/vengreso to get started. Outline of This Episode [1:51] Mat’s history and experience with sales effectiveness [7:45] The trends in sales enablement and sales productivity [14:33] What Mat is doing for his team to help improve their basics skills [20:53] A.I. can now map customer data to provide account insights and action steps [26:53] Overcoming the challenges from a sales productivity standpoint [35:40] Mat’s philosophy behind social selling for modern sellers Resources Mentioned Mat on LinkedIn Mat’s book: Blend But Don’t Break Mat’s favorite movie: 300 Shari Levitin Salesforce Altify Miller Heiman Group’s Scout Miller Heiman Group LinkedIn Sales Navigator Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Most B2B companies receive both inbound and outbound sales leads. But in most cases, those leads are being handled by the same team. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial insists that assigning your inbound and outbound sales leads to two distinct and specialized teams will produce an amazing increase in qualified leads that translate into closed sales. Aaron Ross is the author of two incredibly helpful books, “Predictable Revenue” and “From Impossible to Inevitable.” He’s been teaching companies how to double or triple new sales for many years and he’s got the track record to prove he knows what he’s talking about. When he worked as part of the Salesforce team, he helped the company grow from $5m to $100m. Join us for this episode where we talk about common mistakes sales leaders and CEOs make when it comes to sales management, the biggest improvements you can make to your sales cadence, and how to separate your inbound and outbound sales teams to create higher closing ratios. Don’t miss it! , This episode is brought to you by Zubtitle. Automatically add captions to any video in minutes. Don’t let your videos get passed over on social media. Visit https://zubtitle.com/vengreso to get started. The Most Common Mistakes Sales Leaders Make Since Aaron has a great deal of experience working with highly successful sales organizations, I knew he’d be able to give us an overview of the mistakes most commonly seen among sales leaders. I asked him to highlight them for us. SALES MISTAKE #1: Salespeople in most companies are required to do their own prospecting, manage their own accounts, follow up on leads, schedule sales conversations, and close the deal. Aaron says that’s too many jobs for one person and what winds up happening is that the salesperson does some of them well and others only marginally. His solution? Create a sales team of specialists by creating specific roles that enable your team members to use their particular skills more effectively. Some examples of what he means... The people who are strong at prospecting should only prospect Those who are proven closers should only close Proven customer relationship managers should only manage accounts Those who are good at follow up should only follow up Do you get the point? Aaron likens this mistake to a soccer coach who says, “Ok, everybody score and everybody defend.” It simply doesn’t work, yet sales leaders do the equivalent with their teams and expect them to win. Apply Aaron's advice to set your team up for success. Why Your Inbound And Outbound Sales Teams Shouldn’t Be Combined As Aaron spoke about the mistakes sales leaders make that prevent their teams from closing more deals, he observed that most B2B sales organizations throw their inbound and outbound leads into the same bucket. This is what he characterizes as SALES MISTAKE #2. When inbound and outbound leads are combined you’re forced into handling them as if they were the same thing, but they aren’t. Aaron explains that the expectations you have of each of those types of leads are vastly different, therefore the prospects and metrics from each need to be separated so you can handle them differently. When you make it a point to organize your team around specialties, service and effectiveness rise throughout the buying cycle. Separating your inbound and outbound sales teams is part of how you do it. How To Create Distinct Inbound And Outbound Teams Aaron says the separation of inbound sales from outbound sales is just about as important as having a good CRM. As he walks through the explanation of what each of these distinct teams should be assigned to accomplish, I can see his point. The inbound team should be designated to handle all the inbound leads that come from website forms, 800 numbers, etc. - and they have a very specific job. They review prospects, make contact with them, and do the important work of qualifying them. Once that’s done, they only pass the legitimate leads to the sales team. This can happen in a relatively short amount of time. The outbound team has a very different job. They are expected to generate new incremental business through prospecting. This could be drumming up entirely new work for the company or discovering new ways to serve existing customers through additional products or services that complement what they are already doing. This team identifies targets, secures appointments, and passes the scheduled sales conversations to the sales team. This cycle takes 2 to 4 weeks to get a good appointment set up. As you can see, inbound and outbound are doing two entirely different things, so they should be broken into two teams that function in unique and independent ways. In Aaron’s words, “The two don’t mix.” Sales-Related Mistakes CEOs Often Make There are a number of phases every company goes through, but in every phase sales is the life-blood of the business. Aaron says that in both start-up and established companies, CEOs bear a great responsibility to ensure that sales are happening. He sees a handful of mistakes that CEOs make when it comes to sales... During the STARTUP PHASE, Aaron often witnesses CEOs who are not hands-on with sales cycles. This causes them to be unclear about what customers want, what they are buying, and how they are buying. When a top leader makes this mistake, it trickles down into the decisions they make about who to hire for sales roles. Closely related to that is that many start-up CEOs hire a senior salesperson too soon. His suggestion is to go slow, hiring a junior person first. Train them, get a few things in your sales cycle working well, then expand from there. Take smaller steps to get the sales team built. For LARGER COMPANIES, Aaron says that executives often fail to stay in touch with the metrics that inform them regarding how the sales process is working. One of the most important areas is that they often are not tracking whether a qualified pipeline is being created. In the end, Aaron admits that the problems change as you grow, but in every stage, you need to ask yourself, “Do you have the right people in the right roles - and are you getting metrics on how things are working?” Join us for this practical conversation. If you apply what Aaron shares you’ll experience positive changes in your sales organization. This episode is brought to you by Zubtitle. Automatically add captions to any video in minutes. Don’t let your videos get passed over on social media. Visit https://zubtitle.com/vengreso to get started. Outline of This Episode [1:53] Aaron Ross, CEO of Predictable Revenue, Inc. [7:20] How Aaron wound up at Salesforce and what he learned working there [10:38] The common mistakes sales leaders make [16:42] Why the customer success manager is becoming more and more important [20:45] The biggest mistakes CEOs make: Startup stage and Established companies [29:12] Why inbound and outbound need to be kept separate [35:02] When should your company create an SDR team? [39:08] Aaron’s homelife: 9 kids and another about to be adopted (and 4 dogs) Resources Mentioned Predictable Revenue, Inc - where Aaron serves as CEO Aaron on LinkedIn BOOK: Predictable Revenue BOOK: From Impossible, to Inevitable Aaron’s all-time favorite movie: Memento Salesforce Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts It’s hard to believe, but many sales professionals never give strategic thought to the implementation of their sales cadence. What is a sales cadence? It’s a strategic sequence of sales activities that increase connections and enable you to better qualify leads. Every sales rep with a list of customers has some kind of sales cadence, whether they know it or not - and most are not implementing it either strategically or effectively. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, I invited my friend, Dave Elkington, CEO and Founder of InsideSales.com to share his data-based expertise on what makes for an effective sales cadence. He highlights many of the mistakes sellers make and explains how to fix them. He also shares a very helpful set of tips for making your prospecting emails more effective, so make sure you take the time to listen. This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. The Biggest Problems With Typical Sales Cadences There are a variety of data points Dave draws from to highlight the best practices of what goes into a winning sales cadence. But before we get to the solutions, let’s look at some of the biggest problems his company’s research has found in modern sales cadences. Most sales professionals believe that reaching out to a prospect 15 times is what research suggests, but Dave points out that it’s a belief supported by old data and myth, not fact. In addition, most sellers are only utilizing 2 channels to connect with prospects - phone an email. But the data shows that’s not enough to move the needle significantly. When it comes to email outreach, sellers are buying the same technologies, so templates and other resources look the same as those of their competition. The problem is that we are stuck using the outreach methods and tools that feel comfortable to us rather than reaching out in a way that is meaningful to the prospect. Listen to this episode to find out how to fix these and other problems in your sales cadence. Minor Changes That Can Improve Your Sales Cadence By 100% Or More Data shows that most sellers are only using 2 methods of communication to reach out to prospects. But if you mix your communication methods, even adding only one additional source, you will get a 400% higher engagement than if you just use two methods of engagement. Here is another small change that will make a big difference. When surveyed, most sales departments believe they are responding to prospect inquiries within 24 hours. The reality is that it’s far longer than that. But the good news is that data shows that if you can figure out how to respond to their inquiry within 5 minutes, you’ll be 100X more likely to get the prospect to engage. Do you see how data-supported practices are incredibly powerful for the modern sales organization when implemented correctly? The Simplest Way To Know If Your Sales Cadence Is Broken Is your sales cadence broken? Are prospects falling through the cracks or not being contacted in a timely manner? You don’t have to dig into your CRM to find out. It’s a lot simpler than that. Dave suggests you use a generic email address - that of your kid or your spouse would do - and fill out your own sales prospecting forms. Then sit back and watch what happens. Does your team respond in a timely manner? Do you get sent to the right person and are the solutions you inquired about provided to you effectively? Are the sales reps reaching out to you via a variety of methods? It’s not rocket science and it doesn’t require a degree in Machine Learning technology to figure out. Take the time to test your own sales cadence. Is it getting the results you expect? What Should You Be Doing To Prospect Effectively Via Email? The typical seller does email prospecting when they feel fresh, early in the day. Data shows that's usually between 8 AM and 11 AM, with follow up being done later in the day. But Dave says that is backward from what the data suggests is most effective. Most execs or decision makers are very busy early in the day. If you’re prospecting during that time your message is likely going to the bottom of the priority list. What does the data show is the best time to do prospecting? Four to Five PM in the prospect’s time zone is the absolute best time to send prospecting emails. It hits their inbox at the time they are most likely to give it attention. Dave says that one change can get you a 21% higher open rate. If you’re sending an email that includes an attachment, you should bump your contact back one hour - between 5 and 6 PM. Dave suggests that this finding can vary between industry and niche, so even though you just learned the general best practices, know your audience and know your market to dial it in for your specific needs. Listen to this episode to hear the latest data-supported best practices regarding email subject lines, email length, and more. It’s all on this episode of Selling With Social. This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. Outline of This Episode [1:54] Dave’s story and the history of how Inside Sales came about [7:16] What is AI and what should sales pros be doing about it? [12:58] Applying AI at work to increase effectiveness [17:40] The typical sales cadence problems and how to fix them [30:35] A LinkedIn outreach campaign that revealed prospecting effectiveness [37:48] Email prospecting tips for better effectiveness Resources Mentioned http://InsideSales.com David on LinkedIn David on Twitter: @DaveElkington The State of Sales Development Report INFOGRAPHIC: The Truth Behind Successful Sales Cadences Dave’s all-time favorite movie: Billy Madison or Nacho Libre Cloudera Hortonworks Hadoop Marketo Salesforce Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts All of us are looking to scale our sales organization - it’s what will enable us to serve more customers and generate more results. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial wanted to enable leaders to scale their businesses by having the ability to focus more on their product or service. That meant one of the most helpful things to take off the plates of those leaders was the recruiting and training of their teams. He envisioned what that would look like to provide that for busy leaders and went about creating it. Amir Reiter has built his company - Cloudtask - for the purpose of providing managed customer service, managed B2B sales, and managed live chat for any organization. I wanted to talk with him about scaling a sales organization because he’s done it like nobody else. Cloudtask has grown its team of sales and customer service reps from 1 to 135 in just over 3 years and is currently bringing on 10 new team members per week. In this conversation we dig into Amir’s thoughts behind scaling an organization, with an eye toward how his lessons-learned apply to sales organizations like you and I want to build. Join me for an incredible conversation. This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. You Need A Process To Scale And Grow Your Sales Organization As Amir and I spoke I wanted to get right into the guts of the conversation so I asked him to outline the top processes that need to be in place in order to scale a sales organization rapidly. But before he would let me go there, he wanted to emphasize something vital: you first need to understand that processes are required. The kind of growth we’re talking about, at the scale we have in view is not possible without systems and processes in place that enable it to happen. The first thing you have to put into place is what Amir calls “a beginning and an end.” By that, he means a clear view of what you’re shooting for in the end - a happy customer you have helped - and a clear idea of your beginning, which takes the form of a clear buyer persona and profile. Once you have those in place, the “middle” of your process can be addressed. I asked what Amir includes in those middle stages of his process, and he was quick to point out that it will be fluid throughout the lifecycle of any organization. But there are some clear issues that need to be addressed, including decisions surrounding whether you’ll first pursue inbound or outbound sales channels, mapping your content and resources to the buyer journey you are targeting, and more. Listen to get all the details. Sifting Through Candidates To Choose The Best Team - #NoResumes As a sales organization grows, team members have to be vetted, selected, and trained. That’s not an easy our brief process no matter how you slice it. And when your organization grows as quickly as Amir’s (remember, he’s adding 10 new team members per week), you have to do it efficiently and well. Amir says the CouldTask team utilizes the following in their selection and onboard process: Personality tools: These are quick ways to get a feel for who candidates are and whether they will fit on the team. Group assessments: Enables them to view people in an interactive environment, see how they respond to others, and understand their approach to situations and challenges. Revealing application steps: Candidates need to complete projects and tasks that show how they approach situations and deal with scenarios. Multi-person assessment: Many different people within the team assess the candidates. This helps avoid blind spots and highlight red flags that may arise. And in case you didn’t notice the hashtag in this header - no resumes are used in their entire process. #NoResumes Tips For Training A New Team For Your Sales Organization As any sales organization builds out its team, effective training is essential. The average time frame for getting a sales rep up to speed is right around 6 to 8 months. But the CloudTask team is able to get team members up and running within 90 days. It’s an incredible accomplishment and I wanted to understand how Amir and his team are pulling it off. Amir says that they work to avoid centering the training around bookwork and exams. They want new team members in hands-on situations right away. For example: They want to see them building connections on LinkedIn, doing research, and actually picking up the phone within days. That doesn’t mean there’s no value in the typical bookwork and testing needed to learn products and services well, it just means it’s integrated into the experience of the training to help team members digest the materials in scenario-based situations, which is far more effective. How To Reduce Churn In Your Sales Team One of my concerns about growing a sales team so quickly is the likelihood of taking on team members who are a bad fit for the company. This could result in high employee churn rates. But Amir’s team has seemed to avoid that, so I wanted to know how. First, he says they focus heavily on communication during the training process. Every sales rep they hire is assigned a customer success manager that they work with. This person gives feedback, guidance, and help as the new employee navigates their new role. They also employ a simple, 4-question Google Forms survey at the end of week 1, the end of week 2, the end of week 3, and then again at the end month 1 and month 2. The responses they receive help them keep the training on target and impactful. What are the magical 4 questions they ask their new trainees so often? How do you feel about the training? How could we improve it? Are you comfortable with the organization you’re working with? Do you feel comfortable telling them that you don’t agree with something or don’t understand? Amir says their goal is to let their team members know that they are in an environment where the leadership wants to make them successful. That means they keep communication open, ask lots of questions, and cultivate a culture of ongoing learning. On this episode you’ll not only hear the story of a rapidly growing company, but you’ll also get some of the details regarding how they pulled it off. I was enriched by this conversation and I know you will be too.. This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. Outline of This Episode [1:48] Who is Amir Reiter and what does CloudTask do for its customers? [9:06] The processes you need to scale and grow any organization [15:52] How do you sift through a ton of employment candidates? [30:01] Tips for training a new sales team [32:11] How to prevent churn of team members and nurture their growth Resources Mentioned Amir Reiter on LinkedIn Amir on Twitter: @AmirReiter Amir on Instagram: @AmirReiter Amir’s favorite movie: Forrest Gump CloudTask - where Amir serves as CEO Hubspot Drift Lucidchart Whatsapp S.M.A.R.T. Goals Humantelligence 16 Personalities BOOK: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Many who have been in the sales industry for years are beginning to experience what Greg Moore calls a "tectonic shift": the future of selling looks very different than the past. That’s because the digital age has enabled buyers to be more in control of the buying process than they’ve ever been. Sellers need to adapt in order to be the best "future sellers” possible. I invited Greg Moore, Growth Executive and Sales Transformation Expert at the Miller Heiman Group to share his expertise on the matter on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Greg has been at Miller Heiman for 24 years, enough time for him to see the sales data that came in before the advent of digital sales technology as well as witness the seismic shift taking place today. In this conversation, we dig into the differences between sellingthe past and selling in the future but more importantly, we highlight what will make sales professionals successful in the future. You don’t want to miss it.   This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. 70% Of The Buying Decision Is Made Before Reaching Out To A Seller In the past, the buying process for most consumers included connection with a sales professional early in the process. There was really no other way for a buyer to get the answers they needed regarding possible solutions to their problems. But digital has changed that forever. Now, the data reveals that 70% of the buying process is completed before a buyer ever reaches out to a seller. Why is that significant? Because it puts buyers in the driver’s seat of the process - which is great if they come to the conversation well informed. But if they come to the sales conversation confident but misinformed, sellers will have a harder time making the sale. In this conversation, Greg explains why sellers need to be skillful at having conversations that tactfully unearth errors in the buyer’s conclusions so they can be led to the solutions they truly need. Sellers Today Must Help Buyers See Problems They Have Not Considered Consider this scenario: A buyer comes to you after doing their own research convinced that they need your product or service, but they intend to apply it to their situation in a way that you know is not going to produce the outcomes they desire. Are you equipped to help them assess their needs from a different perspective and guide them to a better approach? The future of selling will require that you have that skill in abundance. No matter how well informed buyers are - both now and in the future - they don’t know what they don’t know. That’s because they are not immersed in the best and worst practices of their industry day after day like sellers are. Greg says that “future sellers” will be able to guide conversations beyond the initial conclusions buyers have to arrive at the right solutions for their problems. The will be consultative experts who add tremendous value to the buyers they serve. Compare Yourself To This “Future Seller” Character Sketch If the future of sales is going to require a different kind of seller, what will that person look like? Greg says there are four major differences between successful future sellers and successful sellers in the past. Here are the four contrasts he points out… Independent VS Collaborative: In the old way of selling, successful sales professionals were solo performers. In the future, collaboration will be the way to success. Transactional VS Interactive: Rather than focusing on a transaction as in the past, future sellers need to be able to focus on the interaction they are having with prospects/buyers in order to cultivate success in sales. Persuasion VS Co-Creating: There will always be a need for skill in persuading people to see what they have yet to see, but gone are the days when persuading a person to buy is going to bring success. Co-creating solutions with the help and input of the buyer is the route forward. Control VS Transparency: The old school way of selling kept the entire sales process firmly in the hands of the seller, only divulging certain things at certain points in the process. But now that buyers have access to most of the data they need even before speaking with a seller, transparency is in order. What Are The Tools That Will Move Us Into The Future Of Sales? Those who are successful at selling in the future will be the ones who fully embrace sales science and the tools it provides. Greg says the future seller will need… A tool to help with research A tool to help with organization A tool to help discover and understand the trends of the industry A tool to help identify key buying influences A search engine of some type The common denominator of these tools is that they increase productivity and reduce the tedium of the sales job, taking the minutia off the seller’s plate so they can focus on the relationships and interactions that provide true value to buyers. This conversation is a fascinating look into the future of sales and what those of us in the sales profession can do to equip ourselves for future success. Don’t miss it! This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. Outline of This Episode [2:58] Greg Moore of the Miller Heiman Group and his path into sales years ago [10:25] What does the future of selling look like from Greg’s viewpoint? [13:50] What does it mean to sell with value? [19:46] Sellers must know how to sell what works, not what buyers think they need [25:43] Characteristics of those who are most successful in selling for the future [31:56] Do the characteristics of future sellers translate over cultures and industries? [36:42] How the science of selling impacts long-term success in sales [41:56] What tools should be in a sales professional’s toolkit? Resources Mentioned Greg Moore on LinkedIn Greg on Twitter: @GregoryTMoore Miller Heiman Group Greg’s favorite movie of all time: Inception Byron Matthews episode The MHG Conceptual Selling Course Neil Rackham BOOK: Spin Selling Documentary: The Story of Sales Kyle Porter, CEO of Salesloft Salesloft CSO Insights BOOK: Sapiens BOOK: Homodeus BOOK: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century Apple Watch Fitbit Sales Navigator Outreach.io Chorus.ai Gong.ai Seamless.ai Discover.org Scout data tool Crystal Knows Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Personal growth is a cornerstone of good sales leadership. Without leaders who are actively growing themselves, sales teams don’t have a chance of succeeding. I can think of nobody better to speak to the topic of personal growth than Tiffani Bova, my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Tiffani is the growth and innovation evangelist at Salesforce and the author of my new favorite book, “GROWTH IQ: Get Smarter About the Choices that Will Make or Break Your Business”. It’s a phenomenal book that highlights the 10 simple but often misunderstood paths to growth. Tiffani’s experience in customer experience, digital transformation, and sales, combined with her research into the future of work make her an ideal person to teach us how the ongoing growth of the sales leader will exponentially impact the teams they lead. Join us for this conversation. This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. The Most Difficult Aspect Of A Sales Leader’s Job: The Seller’s Dilemma Tiffani has coined the phrase “The Seller’s Dilemma” to point out a delicate balance that all salespeople and sales leaders must strike. Here’s how she describes it... Every sales professional must be growing personally in order to keep up with the changes and needs within their industry. But they also need to be able to consistently close deals. Both require intense focus and significant amounts of time, so the tension between them can be quite a dilemma. Stated as a question: “How do I hit my numbers today, this week, this month, and this quarter, and at the same time invest the time necessary to transform through personal growth?” Tiffani readily admits it’s not an easy problem to solve, but insists it is one that must be solved. For sales leaders, in particular, her belief is that if you can improve the people and process side of the business the entire boat rises. Listen to hear a number of examples of how it can be done, on this episode. Achieving Quota Is Not A Tech Problem, It’s A Sales Leadership Problem As a sales leader, if you are running your forecasting or pipeline review meetings the same way you did 3 to 5 years ago, you’re wasting your time. Technology makes it possible for you to know about the deals your team is working on without having to take up their precious time with a pointless meeting. The reality is that 63% of a modern sales rep’s time is consumed with things that are non-selling related. Your job as a leader is to help your team get past those things - and you do it by spending your time coaching, mentoring, and equipping your team. Tiffani says if you are thinking about getting into sales leadership but are not interested in coaching, development, and the process side of how deals happen, then you should remain in sales and not become a leader. When you become a sales leader, you have to be willing to change your behaviors, grow your leadership skills, and do what it takes to make your team more successful. Struggling To Get Your Sales Team To Use Your Tech Stack? Most salespeople understand the need for keeping accurate records via their CRM. They know that doing so has the potential of helping them close more deals. But they still tend to lag behind in getting their data entered in a timely fashion. Why? Tiffani says it’s because many sales leaders use their CRM to hold their team’s feet to the fire rather than as a tool to make them more successful. She suggests that sales leaders teach their teams how to leverage the technology in a way that they can trust, knowing that their use of it will enable them to become more effective sellers. Listen to hear how Tiffani recommends sales leaders use their CRM to keep themselves informed about the strengths and weaknesses of their team members - and how that information can be used to hone in on areas where training and coaching are needed. Sales Leaders: Knowing Your Sales Team Helps You Help Them If you’re a sales leader who’s committed to the kind of personal growth that will equip your team for greater success, you’re exactly the person Tiffani is speaking to on this episode. Her belief is that the better you get at knowing and supporting your sales team, the better they will become at sales. Take note of the areas where each member of your team excels and get them additional training in those areas to hone their skills and improve their effectiveness. Pay attention to the things they struggle with and come up with ways to support them with resources and education. A good sales leader is focused on the people side of the organization just as much as they are the numbers. As the people on their team grow, sales conversions follow suit. Tiffani’s book is a resource you won’t want to do without if you are responsible for leading a sales team. Her insights are the kind you can understand easily and begin to apply right away. Listen and learn from a master of personal growth and success, Tiffani Bova! This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. Outline of This Episode [1:15] The reasons I’ve invited Tiffani on the show for this episode [8:10] Why Tiffani wrote her book and who it’s targeted to help [12:00] The 10 simple but misunderstood paths to growth [17:10] Why companies are having problems closing sales - it’s not a tech problem [26:07] If you are a top performer, you need to worry about others like you, who use tech well [30:46] How growth in the wrong order can lead to disaster [43:02] Honing your skills means you have to learn to use tool appropriately Resources Mentioned www.TiffaniBova.com Tiffany’s Podcast: What’s Next? Tiffany’s BOOK: Growth IQ The Stevie Awards Gartner Ginni Rometty - CEO of IBM Salesforce www.YourVideoMessage.com Dreamforce BOOK: What Got You Here Will Not Get You There MOVIE: Field of Dreams Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts As a digital sales evangelist, I’m passionate about helping sales professionals see that the B2B buyer journey is one of the most important things for them to understand. That’s because the WAY buyers are buying has changed dramatically with the rise of digital technology. If the sales community doesn’t adapt in a way that enables them to resource their buyer’s journey, they will miss out on the opportunity to engage in sales conversations. As I considered how to address this topic on this episode of #SellingWithSocial, I knew it was time to have Scott Collins on the show to share his expertise. I’ve heard him speak on the topic many times so I knew he could address it in a way that will help you win more deals. Scott is Vice President of Advisory in Gartner’s Sales practice where he works closely with executives around the world helping them to solve their most pressing and critical challenges. Listen to find out how you can build trust with today’s well-informed B2B buyers by becoming the best at resourcing and helping them through their buying journey. This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. 67% Of The B2B Buyer Journey Is NOT Spent With Sales Reps Before the advent of the internet, one of the only ways for B2B buyers to learn about solutions to their needs was to schedule a sales meeting. But those days are gone forever. Scott shares the data Gartner has compiled regarding the modern B2B buyer journey and drives home the reasons it is vital for sales professionals to adapt their approach. The changes we’re talking about are much more than just a fad. For example... Gartner’s research shows that in a self-reported survey, B2B buyers report that they are spending 27% of their time during the purchasing process independently researching solutions to their needs on their own, online. They are researching early and often and doing so right alongside any conversations they might be having with sales reps. 22% of their time is spent driving consensus with bosses or stakeholders within their own organization. 18% of their time is spent doing further research offline. That accouts for 67% of the time spent in a B2B buyer’s journey and they may not have even spoken to a sales rep yet. What does that mean for sales professionals? It means that when those buyers finally initiate a connection they’ll be knowledgeable about what the provider offers, and will come with very specific questions. Here’s the important question you need to answer as a sales rep: “Can you respond to their needs in a way that makes them glad they reached out and that truly helps them make a buying decision?” Scott equips you with the tools you need on this episode. Today, Sales Teams Must Be Transparent Or They Will Be Found Out In a recent purchase decision my team here at Vengreso was engaged in, we did our homework in finding the main providers who could offer a solution for our needs. Part of our process included speaking with people we know who are using the solutions we were considering. In that process, we became aware of a customer service challenge one of the providers was experiencing. But when we asked the sales team about the issues, they assured us all was well. You could say they erred by not being honest. I’d agree with you. But I go farther to say that they didn’t do their homework by taking note of who we are as a company and what other companies we are connected with. I never saw that any of their sales team looked at my LinkedIn profile even once, which would have given them all that information. They would have seen that we are closely connected with one of their clients and could safely assume we might have information that informed our questions. Scott says that example illustrates one of the most important points for sales professionals to get from this conversation: If you have challenges going on in your business, be forthright about them. In the modern world, savvy B2B buyers will find out about those things. You want to hear their concerns so you can address them honestly and be transparent about your progress in addressing them. That’s what builds trust and opens the door to another conversation. Sales Reps Can’t Increase Time With Buyers, So They Must Increase Value In this conversation, Scott reveals that the overall time sales reps are getting with buyers these days only amounts to 17% of the time they invest in their purchase process. For that reason, it’s vital that they make the most of the time they do have. That’s not going to be done through slide decks and rehearsed sales presentations. It will happen by listening, understanding their specific needs and questions, and resourcing them to find the answers that are preventing them back from making a buying decision. Research shows that in many cases, the sales process that is least difficult and cumbersome is the one that winds up winning. Ease of understanding and ease of purchase is the grease that lubricates the wheels of sales conversations. As a sales rep, it’s your job to make sure every conversation you have with buyers turns their journey into a pleasant and helpful engagement. Join me as I speak with Scott about how to effectively resource and enable the B2B buyer journey, on this episode. Are We Enabling Our Teams To Provide The Information B2B Buyers Find Helpful? If you are a sales professional, understand this: You need to become a customizable information machine for your buyers. That’s because every buyer will come to you with their own set of criteria and their own set of very unique circumstances. They are already well down the path toward discovering their own answers without you. They come to you once they need answers to questions they can’t find online or from peers. That’s when it’s YOUR your job to become intimately acquainted with their buying journey so you can provide the exact information needed. In that way, you can help them move forward in their purchase decision. Information is the commodity you need to deal in. Providing it in the ways that are most beneficial to each client is the skill you must develop. Can you be a prescriptive resource - providing information and tools that help buyers discover their needs and understand how your solution will meet them? Can you provide the practical how-tos that will give them the confidence that you are the partner they need? Listen to hear Scott Collins explain why the modern B2B buyer journey requires a different approach. This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. Outline of This Episode [1:56] Scott’s B2B customer journey expertise and personal background [5:58] How can sales organizations not understand the internet’s role of buyer behavior? [9:03] The research that goes into B2B purchases prior to an in person connection with sales is phenomenal [20:43] Why transparency is so important for sales reps today [27:45] There is tons of skepticism about sales professionals on the part of buyers [38:52] Generational differences when it comes to using digital to make buying decisions [42:00] Sales and marketing are experiencing a recalibration in the sales process [47:46] What is buyer enablement and why is it important? [50:51] The final purchase decisions usually come down to very specific information Resources Mentioned Scott on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scottmillercollins/ Gartner’s sales leader resources Hubspot Seamless.ai Sales Navigator Salesloft Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts I recently witnessed the importance of organizational culture when I had the opportunity to spend time alongside my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Justin Hiatt is the Vice President of Digital Sales at Workfront, a company that has an amazing organizational culture. What I witnessed at Workfront is nothing short of amazing. The team there is incredibly loyal and fiercely determined to improve the company’s position in the market. Why is that? Justin believes that the success of his organization flows out of the emphasis the team places on developing an outstanding organizational culture. He is a practitioner, not just a theorist - and he has incredible insights and stories about the impact a strong focus on culture has had. Be sure to listen to what he has to share. This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. Why Leaders Must Understand The Importance Of Organizational Culture If you want to know why organizational culture is so important these days, I can sum it up in one word: Millennials. One thing you can count when it comes to Millennials is that organizational culture matters to them. They want a place to belong, to contribute, and to matter. Leaders who understand that simple fact and focus on creating a dynamic culture will be light years ahead of their competition in employee acquisition, retention, and effectiveness. In Justin’s organization, 95% of his workforce is made up of Millennials. Do you think HE understands the importance of organizational culture? You better believe he does. What he’s done to build a strong culture is ingenious. He’s asked for volunteers from among his team who are willing to serve on focus groups over 5 different areas: Strategy, talent, enablement, culture, and technology. The individuals intimately involved in making the company and the culture what it is. Listen! You’ll hear how Workfront has become an in-demand place to work, how it retains employees long term, and more. How Do You Hire The Right Talent To Fit Your Organizational Culture? The culture of your company begins with the leadership, but it has to be embraced by the people you have on your team. How do you find the right people, the ones who are a good culture fit? Justin says you have to start by building your brand out in the marketplace. Workfront partners with local universities and colleges in ways that go far beyond showing up at career fairs. They also target certain industries where individuals employed there have solid sales experience and a desire to get into the tech field. He says that sort of strategic plan around recruiting enables them to find people with amazing talent and ambition that other companies are overlooking. In this conversation, Justin shares much more about the importance of having an “ideal candidate profile,” a great interview process, and a plan to retain team members for the long term. Listen to hear how he does it. Leaders Need To Understand Where Their Team Members Want To Go When leaders consistently communicate and express loyalty to the members of their teams, amazing things happen. Justin explains that leaders who take the time to know the ambitions and goals of their team members are able to help them advance in the direction they want to go. Many times that means helping them work their way up through the company. Other times, it may mean they decide to take an opportunity at another company. For that reason, it may sound counterintuitive at first, but it’s not. When the people who work for you know that you are for them, they become extremely loyal to you. Even if they do wind up leaving the company, they speak well of their experience with you, send other highly qualified recruits to see you, and more. Listen to Justin’s stories of how it works, and you'll get a first-hand look into the importance of organizational culture, on this episode. Employee Retention Problems? It’s Probably An Organizational Culture Problem One of the biggest areas where Justin has seen the power of culture come to fruition is in employee retention. His team is pulling off an amazing 95% retention rate. How does he do it? He’s quick to say it is the culture that makes it happen. At Workfront, culture is not a buzzword. As Justin says, “It is what you are. It is your brand. It’s a living, breathing thing. In order to have a strong, positive culture, it has to be your top priority.” And he says all of that comes from his culture focus group. They want to have a culture that is high-performing, where people are happy, where they are able to make friends, have fun, and can advance their career. Listen to hear about the real results a deliberate focus on culture has had on the Workfront team. This podcast is brought to you by the Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit. Receive a 30% discount on your registration. Join us this April 3rd – 5th in Chicago, IL - Visit http://bit.ly/AAISPVengreso and use the code Vengreso30%. Outline of This Episode [2:56] Justin’s story - from Oracle to Hubspot to Workfront [8:24] The amazing sales culture at Workfront [13:10] What makes a team work hard to make their leader happy? [17:45] A focus group that zeros in on company culture [28:45] The strategic plan behind hiring the best people and hanging onto them [37:49] If you want loyal employees you have to be loyal to them Resources Mentioned Justin Hiatt on LinkedIn Justin’s all-time favorite movie: Good Will Hunting Workfront Oracle Hubspot Salesforce Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Dan Waldschmidt is an expert when it comes to driving sales growth both on an individual level and across an entire sales team. Dan is the man to teach us what it takes because he’s done it. His startups have returned billions in profits to investors through implementing the principles he unpacks on this episode. Get ready to receive a strong but much needed challenge from a top performer who wants to help you operate at your very best. Join us for this episode of #SellingWithSocial. The High Growth Formula: Mindset, Methods, And Magic Dan Waldschmidt is an outstanding leader and a high performer. Outside the sales world he’s an endurance athlete - only the 10th person to complete the Run Everest Challenge. He has spent his life attempting (and often achieving) the outrageous. He refuses to accept business as usual – making him an unconventional, yet highly effective consultant to some of the world’s largest companies. That’s because he knows what it takes to fine tune the things that produce high achievement. Dan isn’t satisfied with good enough. He’s not satisfied with being a high achiever. He wants to be in the elite category - and he wants your sales performance to be there too. He says the thing that makes the difference between high performers and ultra high performers is this: Mindset, Methods, and Magic. During this conversation, Dan explains why mindset is always the place to begin and how it informs the methods and empowers the magic behind every high performing salesperson. You don’t want to miss Dan’s energy and practical insight, so be sure you listen. This episode is brought to you by Zubtitle. Automatically add captions to any video in minutes. Don’t let your videos get passed over on social media. Visit https://zubtitle.com/vengreso to get started. As A Salesperson You Are A Sales Athlete. Train To Win Dan has a way of using stories and examples we are all familiar with to illustrate the principles he teaches. In this episode, he refers to elite athletes again and again as examples of what it takes to be the very best. Why is he so fond of using athletes as examples? Because they know what it takes to win at high levels - and he is convinced that salespeople need to have the same attitude. Very few salespeople are shooting for the top, training themselves in every area of life (body, mindset, knowledge) to be the very best at what they do. Speaking about the typical sales professional, Dan says, “If you just thought of yourself as an elite athlete… it changes your whole mindset… you could have doubled or tripled or quadrupled your income if you would have thought a little bit different - thought like an athlete.” Listen. You’ll get the hard hitting truth from a guy who has proved it can be done. Do You Know The Only Measuring Stick That Matters? It’s Not Quota What I consider to be a modern pandemic in the sales world is the fact only 60% of salespeople are actually meeting their quotas. Dan says he’s surprised it’s that high. There are myriad reasons why the stat is so low, but part of the problem is that quotas are not the right measuring stick. Nobody is motivated by a number. Motivation comes from something more, something that matters. Dan says the only measuring stick that matters is asking this simple question: “Is it awesome?” What could happen if that’s the only question we asked about the things we do each day? Sales calls: Are they awesome? Social selling activities: Are they awesome? Prospecting: Is it awesome? We all know when the activities we’re doing are NOT awesome and we know equally as well that there are little things that can start the ball rolling toward changing that fact. We just don’t do it. Dan isn’t going to let you get away with excuses on this episode, so listen if you dare. What Do Sales Athletes Do When They Get Knocked Down? I’ve had my share of failures in my sales career. 15 of my 18 years selling in corporate I made the “top sales” ranks within my company. But there were a few years in there - as you can see from those numbers - that I didn’t reach the top performance levels I desired. I know exactly why in every case. I asked Dan to explain what elite performers do when the bottom drops out in their life or career. His answer was simple… Get up. He’s not trying to be simplistic, he’s being realistic. Life is determined by the choices we make and getting up as soon as possible is the first step to making the choices that can change things. You don’t need to take the perfect action - you just need to take an action in the direction you want to go. Being unstoppable is a choice. It’s a choice you get to make. But you can’t get there if you won’t get back up when you’re knocked down. This episode is brought to you by Zubtitle. Automatically add captions to any video in minutes. Don’t let your videos get passed over on social media. Visit https://zubtitle.com/vengreso to get started. Outline of This Episode [3:00] Dan’s background and current endeavors [7:06] How Dan has returned over a billion dollars to investors through his companies [11:32] What do leaders get wrong that slows down growth? [21:08] How should you think when you hear “It’s good enough”? [28:03] Inspiring Millennials to deliver outrageous results [39:40] What do you do when the bottom drops out on you? Resources Mentioned Dan’s website: http://DanWaldschmidt.com Dan on LinkedIn Dan’s LinkedIn company page Dan on Twitter: @DanWaldo Dan’s company on Twitter: @GetEdgy Get Dan’s free book - http://freeedgybook.com Dan’s favorite movie: Remember The Titans The Run Everest Challenge www.Zubtitle.com/Vengreso - Sponsor of this episode Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts There is now no doubt, NO DOUBT that the company I am honored to lead as CEO is the world’s largest digital sales training company. Vengreso is almost two years old and the journey thus far has been incredible. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, I invited my three co-founders to join me to help me tell the Vengreso story. You’ll hear from Kurt Shaver - our Chief Sales Officer, Viveka von Rosen - our Chief Visibility Officer, and Bernie Borges - our Chief Marketing Officer about their experiences in this wild journey. We'll also give you a powerful summary of what it takes to start your own digital sales process. Brand Drives Demand: Demonstrating How To Saturate Your Industry One of my favorite sayings that keeps our team on target is this: Brand drives demand. The meaning behind the phrase is that the more effective you are at consistently communicating your brand story and value, the more people and organizations will want to work with you. I say it all the time to our team because I know we can't just preach it, we have to do it. By creating loads of content, working together as a team to distribute and share it, and leveraging well-designed systems and processes we’ve gotten our content in front of 98 million people via social media. To help you understand exactly how staggering that number is, our nearest competition (a huge brand) has only reached 4 million people through social. Why did we focus on flooding the digital sales training space like this? Because we had to demonstrate what we teach: Brand drives demand. Companies That Adopt Social Selling Get 50% Higher Win Rates If it’s not obvious to you already, you need to know that sales methodology has changed forever. The prevalence of information available today makes it possible for buyers to actually get ahead of sales professionals in the buying cycle, discovering everything they want to know about a product or service through personal research, online reviews, YouTube unboxing videos, and more. So you tell me, why would you want a digital selling program? So that you can adapt your sales approach to the way buyers are buying. But here’s the biggest reason: The stats are in - companies that adopt social selling programs have 50% higher win rates than those that don’t. If you want to stay ahead of your competition, you’ve GOT to be selling socially. If you want to dominate your industry, digital sales is the only way to do it. What Kind Of Fishing Pole Are Your Sales Reps Using? At Vengreso we’ve enjoyed coming up with powerful imagery that helps us communicate the steps necessary to become effective at digital selling. Here's my favorite example: The first thing you need if you’re going to catch fish, is the right kind of pole. You can’t use a deep sea pole if you’re going trout fishing. Likewise, you can’t use a fly rod if you’re trying to catch Blue Marlin. What does the fishing pole represent? Believe it or not, it’s the LinkedIn profiles of your sales team. Why are LI profiles so important? It’s because of what the stats show us - 62% of decision-makers look at a sales rep’s LinkedIn profile before they decide whether to respond to their phone call, email, or other outreach. 62 percent! That’s huge - and it’s why a LinkedIn profile that is nothing more than a resume is not going to be beneficial to your sales strategy. You need to know how to make your sales team’s profiles powerful resources buyers can reference to see how you can bring value to the table for them. Listen to this episode to hear how the Vengreso team has made LinkedIn a major part of our digital sales training. You Can’t Launch A Digital Sales Program Without Giving Sellers The Right Bait When you fish, you can’t catch fish if you use the wrong bait. In digital sales, the bait is the content your sales team needs to move buyers to the point of making a decision. Your organization has to create that content and make it available to your team in an organized fashion. Our digital sales training includes showing sales organizations how to create a vault of content for the sales team that enables them to sell more effectively. We teach our clients how to organize their content around the buyer’s journey, particular industries, special needs, etc. The point is not the organizational system you use, but that you organize it in a way that YOUR sales team can easily access and use with buyers. Listen to learn more about how Vengreso is leading the way among digital sales training companies. Outline of This Episode [1:15] The co-founders of Vengreso and the largest digital sales training company in the world [5:55] Recent Data: 62% of decision makers look at a sales rep’s LinkedIn Profile before reaching out [8:20] Companies that adopt social selling get 50% higher win rates [11:48] What makes companies successful? Alignment between sales and marketing AND resourcing your sales team with great content [17:42] What you need in order to capture the attention of the “fish” you’re trying to catch [22:37] 5 products coming from Vengreso in the next few months [28:24] The 10 step methodology that is poised to win awards [34:55] 98 million people reached through social this year: how we did it [37:25] What life has been like as part of the Vengreso team [44:39] Embrace the change and roll with it Resources Mentioned Viveka von Rosen on Twitter Viveka on LinkedIn Bernie Borges on Twitter Bernie on LinkedIn Kurt Shaver on Twitter Kurt on LinkedIn Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges LinkedIn State of Sales Report CSO Insights Report About Social Selling Tamara Schenk MOVIE: Kung Fu Panda 3 Miller Heiman Group Sales Navigator The Stevie Awards Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Digital selling is here to stay. Have you admitted that to yourself yet? Sales organizations around the globe need to jump on the digital bandwagon. If you don’t, your company is on its way down. But don't let that deter you. If you don’t have a digital selling program implemented within your sales organization, your excuses are over. This episode of #SellingWithSocial explains exactly how you can do it, incrementally, step by step. It’s a presentation I was honored to deliver at Dreamforce 2018 - “10 Steps To Launch A Digital Selling Program.” I've outlined it clearly and have provided many examples, so don’t put it off any longer. Don’t keep wishing for the good old days when technology and social media were not required to engage with buyers and close deals. Those days are gone - forever. Listen to learn how to become effective at digital sales. The Buyer Has Changed The Game On The Sales Process Sales professionals used to be the keepers of the sacred information. If buyers wanted to know about features or applications of a particular product, they had to engage with a salesperson to get it. Then came the internet. Followed by the smartphone - and the sales game changed forever. Buyers typically research 60% to 70% of their questions and concerns about a product or service before engaging with someone on the sales team. In short: buyers have gotten faster at buying than sellers are at selling. So salespeople need to be out there, in the places buyers are researching their services in order to be relevant to the conversation at all. It’s that reality that sets the stage for this presentation. Sales organizations have to catch up with buyers. The sales process has to take digital engagement and opportunities seriously so that salespeople can be involved in the conversations buyers are initiating and engaging in. This episode will enable you to hit the ground running. A Digital Selling Program Is Your Strategy To Reach The Other 90% Did you know that only 10% of the calls or emails your sales reps are sending out actually earn a response? That means 90% of your company’s potential buyers are never being reached by traditional sales methods. What will you do to address that issue? A digital selling program is the answer. You start your program by defining your desired outcomes, then you identify your ideal buyers and map out the typical buyer’s journey. After that, you have to make sure you have the right bait (content) to attract them. Those are just the first 3 steps of developing a digital selling strategy. Listen to this episode to hear me explain all 10. Do You Have The Right Kind Of Bait For Your Buyer Types? There isn’t space in a show notes page like this to thoroughly outline all of the steps involved in creating a digital selling program. So let me focus in on one of the most important - the bait. Just like fishing, you’ve got to have the right bait to catch the attention of the exact buyers you have in mind. The content you create and share on social media and during the sales conversation is that bait. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all proposition. You need the right kind of messaging to fit each of your different buyer types. That way your sales team can customize their approach, provide exactly what individual buyers need, and engage in sales conversations in relevant ways that lead prospects through their unique buyer’s journey. Listen to learn why the bait has to be more than just infographics and white papers the marketing team creates, how your sales enablement team should get in on the fun, and why you need to have “vaulted” content that's reserved for your sales team. Does Your Sales Team Know What To Say In Every Situation? I was a feet-on-the-ground sales rep for many years. I know what it’s like to hustle and work for the sale. But I also know this: whenever we get the opportunity, those of us in sales will hit the “easy” button. Sales leaders can’t let that tendency stop their teams from succeeding. That’s why I advocate creating scripts for every scenario. Provide them so that your sales team can easily customize and use them to address buyer questions, speak to particular use cases, and move the conversation forward in ways that make your brand and products look good. Listen to this episode to learn all 10 steps of creating a digital selling program for your organization. Outline of This Episode [1:22] Mario’s topic: 10 steps to launching a digital selling program [3:17] Buyers have gotten faster at buying than sellers are at selling [7:12] What are you doing about the other 90% of people you aren’t speaking with? [8:03] STEP ONE: Define the desired outcome [15:01] STEP TWO: Buyer identification and mapping [16:46] STEP THREE: Creating the bait to attract prospects [19:08] STEP FOUR: Get the right tools in place [22:12] STEP FIVE: Provide scripts and resources to your team for every buyer type [24:10] STEP SIX: Create buyer-centric social programs for your entire team [28:40] STEP SEVEN: A 3 phase customized training program [31:04] STEP EIGHT: Use gamification and recognition to drive the behaviors you want [21:11] STEP NINE: Measure and adapt for improvement [33:36] STEP TEN: Make sure you are coaching for continuous improvement [34:20] Ensure you have executive sales leader and front-line buy-in [36:38] How to start your program small and how to go all-in [40:21] A LinkedIn trick: Never send a non-personalized LinkedIn connection request Resources Mentioned www.DigitalSellingBenchmarkReport.com Dreamforce Event “Dad, You Said LinkedIn Would Help You Make Money” LinkedIn Article LinkedIn Sales Navigator OneMob Salesforce ZoomInfo Chatter Slack Highspot,Everyone Social, Gaggle Ap Text Expander Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Sales leadership is a key piece of organizational success - it can determine the outcomes of a sales team more powerfully than anything else. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial knows that as well as anyone. Kyle Porter is the co-founder and CEO of Salesloft - a global business that serves the sales industry with amazing personalization and email delivery systems and assessment. This conversation centers around Kyle’s sales leadership journey - his mistakes, lessons learned, and the attitudes toward growth that have made him the incredible sales leader he is today. You’ll hear the slips and fumbles he made in the early days, the role mentors have played in his life, the skills and habits he’s developed to grow his leadership - and more. It doesn't matter what role you find yourself in - an aspiring or established sales leader - Kyle has many hard-learned and valuable insights to share, so be sure you listen to this episode. This podcast is brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, the solution that enables your sales team to be more efficient, effective, and intelligent. With modern CRM, sales as you know it is about to change. Sell more with SAP Sales Cloud by visiting visit www.calliduscloud.com/vengreso. Capitalize On 53% Of Customer Loyalty Being Derived In The Sales Experience A recent study reveals this fact: 53% of customer loyalty - something we all want - is derived in the sales experience. Stop and think about that. The WAY the person is sold to has the greatest influence on their decision to be faithful to your company or not. That fact is something sales leaders should pay close attention to because it means that your sales team’s approach and methods are of vital importance over the long haul. Kyle shares how he’s seen this reality play out, both in the way Salesloft has grown over the years and in the many experiences his team has as they work with customers on their email sales campaigns. He also shares practical training approaches sales leaders can take to model and implement the right sales approach. His advice leads to long-term success, not short-term wins that spoil future opportunities. Listen to learn how! Secrets to Sales Leadership That Wins Many of the things you hear referred to as “secrets” are not secrets at all - they are simply the result of time and experience, hard-learned lessons most people don’t want to work long enough to experience. But for those willing to endure, keep trying, and learn from it, those so-called secrets come to light. Kyle Porter is a leader who relentlessly pursues growth, no matter the cost. When sharing his advice for sales leaders in this episode, Kyle highlights these important points about those who are successful in sales leadership… Leaders fail. They recognize it, admit it, and then share with the people around them so the entire team can learn and grow. After a failure, great leaders develop a course of action to improve, measure changes, and make adjustments. Successful leaders surround themselves with people who can help them improve - coaches, other leaders on the team, supportive spouses, and mentors. Growing leaders cultivate a culture that enables the team to call them out when needed... and they accept and grow from the interaction. These are just some of the things Kyle shares. You can hear him explain them and illustrate how great leaders apply these lessons, on this episode. To Be A Great Leader You Must Be Both Symphony And Metallica The kind of sales leadership that leads teams to long-lasting results is not easy to implement. Kyle says that leaders have to find a harmonious balance between many seemingly opposing approaches throughout the course of their leadership tenure. Some examples: The leader must be nurturing but challenging. They must be loving and yet willing to reprimand when appropriate. They learn to praise while coaching team members up to a higher level. These roles - and many more - have to be implemented appropriately and with a continual eye toward balance. These same traits can also be applied to the sales process itself - there must be a harmonious balance of the human, empathetic, curious side and the scientific, repeatable, process-oriented side. As Kyle puts it, a great leader must be both symphony and Metallica. How Sales Leaders Build Great Teams During one section of our conversation, Kyle and I dove into a discussion of the difficult process of establishing the right team. I drew from my experience in building Vengreso from the ground up, while Kyle tapped into the lessons he learned building Salesloft. We came up with a number of common questions sales leaders need to ask themselves… Who do you have on the team? Are they the right people to get you where you need to go? Are they coachable to allow you to take them where they need to be? Are they interested in and aware of their own areas of needed growth? Seriously considering these questions and their answers will help you assess potential and existing team members to determine if they are the right people in the right roles who will get your sales organization where it’s going. Don’t miss this conversation. The leadership lessons and insights Kyle shares are invaluable. This podcast is brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, the solution that enables your sales team to be more efficient, effective, and intelligent. With modern CRM, sales as you know it is about to change. Sell more with SAP Sales Cloud by visiting visit www.calliduscloud.com/vengreso. Outline of This Episode [1:41] Kyle Porter - CEO of Salesloft [7:58] The beginning days of Salesloft - the vision and how it became a reality [13:10] Why the buyer’s journey must guide the sales process [18:10] Challenges experienced in growing Salesloft: leadership and focus on culture [24:57] The things Kyle is doing to develop himself into a better leader everyday [34:27] How to build the right team, with the right people, in the right seats [40:21] A healthy culture includes calling out the leader when needed [41:30] Sales Leaders must start measuring long-view oriented results Resources Mentioned Salesloft - https://salesloft.com/ Kyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kyleporter Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleporter/ Kyle’s all-time favorite movie: Gladiator - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172495/ Netflix Documentary on Quincy Jones - https://www.netflix.com/title/80102952 The Flip My Funnel Event - https://flipmyfunnel.com/ Insight Venture Partners - https://www.insightpartners.com/ LinkedIn “State of Sales 2019” Report - https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/b2b-sales-strategy-guides/the-state-of-sales-2018 BOOK: How To Win Friends And Influence People - http://a.co/d/a8gj0nn BOOK: The Advantage - http://a.co/d/ckQlINp Bernie Borges, co-founder of Vengreso - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernieborges 360 Review - https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-a-360-review-1917541 BOOK: The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team - http://a.co/d/geImkC2 Kyle’s LinkedIn Article: “As CEO, I don’t want anyone sending an email blindly on my behalf: But I DO want them doing this.” - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ceo-i-dont-want-anyone-sending-email-blindly-my-behalf-kyle-porter/ Social Business Engine Podcast - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/social-business-engine-enterprise-podcast-on-social/id700914859?mt=2 Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts If you heard the first part of this conversation with Rod Hairston, you know that he’s one of the best people to teach how to have greater persuasion in sales. The 8 steps we covered in that initial episode of #SellingWithSocial can only be topped by tacking on the last 4 steps, which the two of us do in this episode. Rod is a sales trainer and consultant with a diverse and impressive background. His communication expertise was learned and honed working with elite combat units in the United States military and further expanded through his work as one of the first members of the Tony Robbins organization’s sales department. Rod’s a guy you want to learn from, no question - and he’s very generous in what he shares. I know you’re going to benefit greatly if you stick around to listen to this episode. This podcast is brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, the solution that enables your sales team to be more efficient, effective, and intelligent. With modern CRM, sales as you know it is about to change. Sell more with SAP Sales Cloud by visiting visit www.calliduscloud.com/vengreso Persuasion In Sales Depends On Framing The Conversation When it comes to how you approach sales conversations and what you do in response to your buyers during the interaction, Rod has some great advice. During this episode, Ron shares 3 concepts that make a lot of sense and build your level of persuaion as a sales professional: preframing, reframing, and deframing. Preframing happens before the sales conversation. It’s the task of coming up with every objection you might encounter before you even start the conversation, and devising answers and solutions to those objections. Reframing has to do with your response to things that come up during the conversation, and deframing is a way to reorient a buyer’s perspective if they are putting up walls or showing that they are the type of client you may not want to work with. Rod does an excellent job of explaining the three and provides many scenarios where you would use each, so don’t miss this valuable training from a sales training pro. Great Sales Professionals Utilize Situations (And Social) To Build Rapport The 10th step Rod shares for having greater persuasion in sales is what he calls “utilization.” He’s referring to the skill of noticing the things about a prospect that you can use to build rapport and set the tone for a great sales conversation. If you’re meeting in their office, look around you. There are many things you can use to connect with the client. If you’re meeting digitally, make use of their social profiles prior to the meeting to learn ways you can build rapport during the call. These are skills that come naturally for a guy like Rod only because he’s devoted the time required to develop them. You can do the same thing if you’re willing to learn from Rod’s experience and advice and apply it diligently to your context. A Pattern Interrupt Can Give you Greater Persuasion In Sales How many times have you gone into a retail store in the mall and had the salesperson ask you the same question every other salesperson asks? “May I help you?” Most of us respond in a similarly typical way, “No, I’m just looking.” The salesperson did NOTHING to lead you away from your typical response that is designed to keep him/her at a distance. In fact, they fed your resistance rather than overcoming it. Rod explains that the things we say as we begin a potential sales interaction need to intentionally interrupt the pattern prospects have in place already. It engages them in the process instead of allowing them to stay outside the conversation. Questions are the best pattern interrupt, but there are many others. Rod explains in depth on this episode. You Don’t Want Any Big “Buts” In Your Sales Conversations As you engage in sales conversations you are not going to have much persuasion if you don’t stay aligned with the buyer. You want to be speaking the same language and be heading toward the same objective - the one THEY care about. Rod points out that the word “but” is one of the worst things you can say when it comes to maintaining alignment. Why is that? Because “but” is a word that positions your next statement in a place that is contrary to what was just said. It’s creating opposition, not alignment. Rod suggests a better alternative and explains how you can use it to increase alignment and move your sales conversations toward successful conclusions. Please, don’t miss what Rod has to share. It could change the trajectory of your sales career and give you a greater degree of persuasion than you’ve had before. This podcast is brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, the solution that enables your sales team to be more efficient, effective, and intelligent. With modern CRM, sales as you know it is about to change. Sell more with SAP Sales Cloud by visiting visit www.calliduscloud.com/vengreso Outline of This Episode [1:54] Rod Hairston’s experience in communication and sales [7:01] Persuasion Step #9: Preframe, Reframe, or Deframe the sales conversation [27:08] Step #10: Utilization: The best sales professionals think this way [35:38] Step #11: Pattern Interrupt: Learn to break the typical pattern [41:20] Step #12: Alignment: Learning to use “and” not “but” Resources Mentioned Part 1 of this subject: : https://vengreso.com/blog/12-steps-to-powerful-persuasion-in-sales-part-1-with-rod-hairston-episode-92 BOOK: Influence - https://www.amazon.com/dp/006124189X Join Rod’s organization - the NASP: https://nasp.com/join Connect with Rod on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodehairston/ Follow Rod on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nasppro Rod’s book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2AB1PNf LinkedIn’s “State of Sales 2018” report : https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/b2b-sales-strategy-guides/the-state-of-sales-2018 Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts We’ve all heard how critical it is for sales organizations to work on marketing/sales alignment, but my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial goes a step further to make the two a powerful combination that closes more deals. Justin Shriber is Vice President of Marketing for LinkedIn Sales and Marketing solutions, where he helps buyers, sellers, and marketers connect via the world’s largest professional network. For the past two decades, Justin has focused on helping companies accelerate growth and profitability by delivering solutions that align marketing, sales, and service with the needs of the customer. Prior to joining LinkedIn, Justin led Product, Sales and Marketing organizations at both startups and large companies such as Siebel and Oracle. Join us for this conversation where we go in-depth about Justin’s latest brainchild - Marketing Sales Orchestration. You’ll learn how it is different from marketing/sales alignment and account based selling, why it’s important for both sales organizations and buyers, and how it can literally shorten the sales cycles and close more deals. Be sure you listen!   This podcast is being brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, formerly CallidusCloud. With SAP Sales Cloud's modern CRM, you can focus on coaching and developing sales reps, instead of forecasting. Learn more by visiting: www.calliduscloud.com/Vengreso Marketing Sales Alignment Is Only A Beginning. We Need More Nobody is against marketing/sales alignment. We know we need to be working together toward the common goal of closing more sales. But though we share information and work together on resources, we don’t truly coordinate a campaign or promotion using all the available resources of both departments. That’s where Justin’s idea of Marketing Sales Orchestration comes in. Think of an orchestra - all the varied instruments playing together. You hear melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and more - and it all combines to make a beautiful whole. That’s how we want our marketing and sales departments to function… together, in harmony, with a powerful impact only possible because of the orchestration of both. On this episode, Justin and I unpack what this kind of orchestration looks like, right down to the tools available to make it happen. You won’t want to miss this. The things Justin shares could enable you to engage with customers more powerfully on social, make your emails more effective, and close deals FASTER than ever before. Marketing Sales Orchestration Creates Powerful Customer Experiences You know the difference between customer satisfaction and customer experience, don’t you? Satisfaction is how they feel when nothing is wrong with the service they received. But the customer’s experience has to do with the entire process of getting to what they receive from your team - which impacts client retention and happiness over the long haul more than mere satisfaction. The way Justin says it, "Happy customers are more likely to be with you over the long term." Marketing Sales Orchestration is squarely aimed at providing an amazing experience for customers. It does that by pooling the resources of both the marketing and sales departments, orchestrating them into a powerful customer engagement machine, and moving prospects into the sales cycle seamlessly. Here are the basics. The Powerful Synergy Of Marketing And Sales Orchestration The MSO approach is powerful because, in a typical scenario, marketing and sales have different datasets from which to draw. Marketing can tell the types of audiences available - which gives an indicator of the general universe of people involved. The sales data allows the sales team to know which accounts have been closed previously and who was involved in the process. Using that combined data, you can determine what accounts to focus on and the personas to target. That's when you can go to work and watch amazing things happen. As the deal is being negotiated, content shared via social can have a greater impact and sales cycle times reduce. All of that brings about an increase in conversions over time. MSO Creates Social Content That Engages With Real Buyers Walk through a scenario with me: You’ve just had a successful first sales call. Everything went well. How and where do you continue to engage with that customer to progress the relationship? The orchestration of marketing and sales that Justin describes on this episode answers that question for you. The marketing department can help by providing content that is ideal for the customer persona you’ve identified. Using LinkedIn PointDrive, you can create content containers the sales team can use to post value-add content that customer will see on social. This gives the salesperson a tremendous advantage. But take it beyond that one customer. Marketers can do profile matching (finding prospects with similar profiles to that customer) to know what like customers are engaging with and what they are interested in. This enables the sales team to share targeted, relevant content that proves your organization’s ability and willingness to be of service - to prospects likely to need what you have to offer. But when you take this approach, make sure your social profiles are up to date. They've got to be more than an online resume. That’s because sales relationships start before the first email goes out. 64% of buyers look at a sales reps profile to decide if they will engage. They are looking to see if the salesperson has demonstrated expertise and relevance - if they are willing and able to provide services and resources to their customers? “Yes” answers to these questions give prospects the confidence and trust need to believe your organization might be able to help with their needs. How To Get Started With Marketing Sales Orchestration Get alignment between sales and marketing to make this kind of orchestration a priority. Put senior people on it and your teams will follow Focus on the data: It’s often the huge barrier that keeps well-intentioned teams separated. Find ways to bring all the datasets together Determine a process: Get your sales and marketing leaders in the room together for every step. Make sure everyone contributes and makes the plan a success. This podcast is being brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, formerly CallidusCloud. With SAP Sales Cloud's modern CRM, you can focus on coaching and developing sales reps, instead of forecasting. Learn more by visiting: www.calliduscloud.com/Vengreso Outline of This Episode [6:30] MSO: Marketing Sales Orchestration - the logical extension of ABM [7:40] The two halves of MSO - planning & execution [15:40] The underused social resource: The Company Page [21:34] Start building sales relationships before you say “Hello” [27:47] The data is a difficulty: Sales and marketing typically use differing systems [33:35] Using social media content searches to find prospects and engage with buyers [36:47] The power of LinkedIn video for marketing and sales [45:00] How to get started with MSO Resources Mentioned Connect with Justin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinshriber Follow Justin on Twitter: :https://twitter.com/linkedinselling Justin’s all-time favorite movie: Cool Hand Luke - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061512/ Justin’s previous episode on SWS: https://vengreso.com/blog/become-social-leader-company-justin-shriber-episode-13 LinkedIn InMail: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/1584/inmail-overview?lang=en LinkedIn Point Drive: https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/blog/linkedin-sales-navigator/2017/04/introducing-pointdrive Sales Navigator: https://www.linkedin.com/sales/inbox The State of Sales Report for 2018: https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/blog/sales-reps/2018/10/announcing-linkedin-s-3rd-annual-state-of-sales-report-2018 LinkedIn Elevate: https://www.linkedin.com/elevate LinkedIn Video: https://blog.linkedin.com/2017/august/22/Introducing-LinkedIn-Video-Show-Your-Experience-and-Perspective ZubTitle: https://zubtitle.com/ Seamless.ai : http://www.seamless.ai/ Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts The sales culture within your organization is one of the most vital but overlooked aspects of your company’s success or failure. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial shares the stats to prove it. After a 12-year leadership journey in the sports business industry, Paul Epstein joined the Barry-Wehmiller Leadership Institute because he was inspired by the partnership that BWLI and the San Francisco 49ers shared during his time as an executive leader with the NFL franchise. In his new role with BWLI, Paul is charged with forming new partnerships worldwide with a mission to transform the cultural landscape of business. See what I mean? Developing a winning culture in organizations is one of Paul’s main areas of expertise. In this conversation, Paul shares many of his insights about what it takes to build a sales culture that starts with a clear purpose, leads to an environment of accountability and trust, and results in a resilient and powerful team of professionals who are able to close sales and further the goals of their company and their clients. As Paul shares his simple steps to developing a sales culture that wins, don’t make the mistake of thinking that simple means quick and easy. It will take diligent effort to apply what he shares on this episode, but the results will be phenomenal for those who do the work. Don’t miss our conversation. This podcast is being brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, formerly CallidusCloud. With SAP Sales Cloud's modern CRM, you can focus on coaching and developing sales reps, instead of forecasting. Learn more by visiting: www.calliduscloud.com/Vengreso Intentional Business Outcomes Can’t Be Achieved Apart From Culture For many executives, “culture” seems too intangible to address. They simply want to produce business outcomes that impact the bottom line. But Paul says that if they want their sales culture to produce intentional business outcomes, they can’t allow their discomfort with softs skills having to with culture to dissuade them from addressing the issue, because success rises and falls on it. Trust is the first step. The team must trust their leaders - to move the team forward competently but also to care for them and their professional development as team members. That kind of trust is built in a variety of ways, such as including the team in strategy and planning, soliciting feedback from the team and making incremental changes based on it. Paul speaks to these topics in-depth during our conversation and highlights many other components of building trust that lead to the intentional business outcomes leaders are looking for. Don’t miss it! Bad Culture + Bad Leadership = Bad Performance If you are confused about the idea of culture, let Paul simplify it for you: Culture is the sum total of all the behaviors within your organization. Out of that culture, your company strategy immerges. Therefore, it is a vitally important foundation that you can’t ignore or leave to chance. What is the number one driver of culture? Leaders. But here’s the problem: 58% of leaders have never had any kind of formal leadership training. That means many companies have people in positions of leadership who are figuring it out as they go - and often, culture is the casualty of their on-the-job training. If you see that this culture problem exists in your sales organization and want to address it effectively, Paul is the guy to listen to. His experience as an executive leader as well as his role as a values-driven-culture-builder with BWLI have taught him what goes into making leadership serve culture, with the goal of improving company-wide performance. Don't miss his insights. Simple Steps To Creating A Winning Sales Culture During our conversation, Paul shared a number of things leaders can do to develop a healthy culture company-wide and among their sales team. Here are some of the highlights... #1 - The goal and the purpose of your organization have to be clearly defined. If you’re trying to win the sales game, you need everyone on the team to understand and get behind the purpose of the company. But the harsh reality is that only 38% of employees report that they are aligned with their company’s purpose. Worse yet, 50% of them can’t even state what their company’s purpose is. A winning sales culture begins with clarity around why you are doing what you are doing as a team. #2 - Engage your team in creating your strategy. The people in the trenches - your sales and marketing teams - are the one who know what is working and what isn’t. They have an incredible amount of insight into what the company could improve, what it should stop doing, and how to better reach and serve customers. Who better to include in the development of your sales playbook? But how do you do it? #3 - Create a system of open feedback. Great leaders solicit honest feedback for the sake of improvement, without negative repercussions for doing so. It utilizes the gifts, talents, and insights of team members to a higher degree and as small changes are made as a result. What do you think that does for overall company and sales culture? When you start with purpose, build a culture of cooperation and accountability, and iterate based on the feedback you receive, you build a culture of high trust - a culture of resiliency that retains team members and grows in its ability to impact the outcomes you deliver to customers. That’s when you have the potential to go through transformational culture change. Listen to learn directly from Paul as he shares his hard-learned advice about building a company and sales culture that produces the business outcomes every leader wants. This podcast is being brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, formerly CallidusCloud. With SAP Sales Cloud's modern CRM, you can focus on coaching and developing sales reps, instead of forecasting. Learn more by visiting: www.calliduscloud.com/Vengreso Outline of This Episode [1:56] The reason Paul is on Selling With Social - it’s an amazing story! [5:51] What does it mean to shoot for “Intentional Business Outcomes?” [9:48] There is a direct correlation between culture and performance [14:29] How Paul was inspired to become a leadership and culture training coach [18:12] Simple steps to creating a winning culture [28:43] Personal engagement in creating the playbook is vital [33:07] If you truly want feedback, be sure you can accept it and make changes [39:55] What are we doing to develop talent while they are in our companies? [42:25] The #2 reason people leave organizations: lack of professional development [47:12] A summary of addressing culture in positive ways Resources Mentioned Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-epstein-6a42738/ http://bwli.com Paul’s email: Paul.Epstein (at) BWLI.com BWLI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bwleadinstitute BOOK: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There - http://a.co/d/2T0fyrO Ernst and Young Whitepaper: Business Case For Purpose : https://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/ey-the-business-case-for-purpose/$FILE/ey-the-business-case-for-purpose.pdf Paul’s all-time favorite movie: The Hangover - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119646/ Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Every sales professional wants to be closing sales on a higher level. But what most of us don’t realize is that we don’t achieve that through learning better sales techniques. We do it by opening up more relationships in an authentic, heartfelt way. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial is Adam Markel. Adam is a world-renowned resilience and change management expert, transformational speaker, and business mentor. After building a multi-million dollar law firm, Adam became CEO of one of the largest business and personal development training companies in the world, overseeing more than $100 million in sales. His unique expertise is in combining practical business tactics with accelerated learning strategies to guide people and organizations to embrace change, encourage innovation, and increase sales. On this episode, Adam shares extensively about the art of “enrolling” conversations, relational concern, and heart-based communication. It is his belief and experience that these things will amplify our position as sales leaders and enable us to close sales as a result. Don’t miss what Adam shares on this episode. This podcast is being brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, formerly CallidusCloud. With SAP Sales Cloud's modern CRM, you can focus on coaching and developing sales reps, instead of forecasting. Learn more by visiting: www.calliduscloud.com/Vengreso Are You Closing Sales Or Opening Relationships? From a business, career, and income standpoint, closing sales may seem to be the bottom line issue we should care about. But contrary to what we’ve been taught, focusing on the close is not the way to go about increasing the number of closed deals. Adam explains that if you focus on opening the door to more and better relationships, the momentum you gain from that relational win will carry you into more natural and less defensive sales conversations in the future. Adam has a wealth of experience when it comes to this approach and he shares it freely on this episode. In fact, he recently wrote a multi-part post on LinkedIn on the subject. Be sure you listen and check out his articles. You’ll find like I have, that Adam walks the talk when it comes to building business success and closed deals on the foundation of amazing relationships. It’s a winning formula - and in this episode, you get to learn from the master. Top-Level Sales Leaders Enroll 100% Of The People 100% Of The Time You are not going to close every deal. You know that. But in order to be a top-level seller you want to become a pro at what Adam calls “enrolling” every person you speak with. We attempt to enroll people into our way of thinking all the time - in personal and professional life. During sales conversations, we do so by speaking to buyers in ways that demonstrate our genuine concern and care for them and their needs. The end result is that whether they wind up buying from us or not during that conversation, they are convinced of our care for them personally and will feel good about the relationship moving forward. When you learn how to do this in every conversation, it’s not only a relational win, it’s a sales win that yields a harvest in the future. That’s why Adam says it’s your job as a sales professional to let your prospects and customers know that you are MOST interested in the relationship you have with them. Listen to hear Adam explain how to do it. A 3-Step Formula To Provide Feedback In A Way That Preserves Relationships We all have to speak into difficult situations at times. It could be a confrontation, a response to a sales objection, or an accountability issue with a team member. Adam suggests that the way you approach those conversations should be guided by the value you place on the relationship. He begins by telling the person what about the situation “worked for him.” It’s an expression of genuine appreciation for the contributions and value the person has added to the situation. He follows that up by sharing “what didn’t work” for him. This is where he’s able to express his concern or bring up the issue. The conversation is wrapped up with him asking “what could be done differently” next time. Adam’s approach expresses the value he places on the relationship and care and concern for the people involved. Listen to learn how you can use this 3-step process in your personal and business life. You Can Speak From Expertise, But You Should Be Speaking From Your Heart Most sales leaders can easily speak to others from a place of experience and expertise. There’s a valuable need for salespeople to serve as consultants to their prospects and customers. But Adam says that speaking from expertise alone does little to further the relationship with the person you’re speaking with. You want to speak from the heart instead of expertise. The difference is found in your intention for the conversation. If you intend to connect, to open a relationship or another person’s heart, or to be vulnerable so that the connection can be more real - that is speaking from the heart. You don’t abandon reason or what experience has taught you, you simply stay focused on WHY you are speaking to the person in the first place - because you care for them. This podcast is being brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, formerly CallidusCloud. With SAP Sales Cloud's modern CRM, you can focus on coaching and developing sales reps, instead of forecasting. Learn more by visiting: www.calliduscloud.com/Vengreso Outline of This Episode [2:13] The background that brought Adam Markel to be on the show for this episode [9:16] Adam’s book “Pivot” - what inspired it and set the stage for its creation [15:24] Embodying your calling and vision and enrolling others into it [21:33] How can leaders be effective at inspiring, guiding, and growing their teams? [27:22] A shocking cold-call Mario experienced because of how cold it is [37:22] Why feedback is like oxygen and how it empowers great leadership [42:41] Learning to enable others to feel you as a leader and communicator [44:25] Context determines how to use feedback to have a heartfelt conversation [50:17] The difference between speaking from expertise and speaking from the heart Resources Mentioned http://AdamMarkel.com Adam on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/AdamMarkel Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-markel-89a3b05/ Adam’s Book - “Pivot” - https://www.amazon.com/Pivot-Science-Reinventing-Your-Career/dp/1476779473?keywords=pivot+adam+markel&qid=1540310009&sr=8-1-fkmrnull&ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1 The first installment of Adam’s LinkedIn article - “Are You Closing Sales Or Opening Relationships?” - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stop-closing-sales-start-opening-relationships-adam-markel-markel/ CEO Space - https://ceospaceinternational.com/ BOOK: Built To Sell - http://a.co/d/frN5sgH Adam’s all-time favorite movie: Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Every sales professional is on the hunt for sales tactics that close deals, but most don’t even have transparency on their short list. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial is an award-winning sales leader. Todd Caponi's passion is for all things sales methodology, learning theory, and decision science - and you can how true that is in his brand new book “The Transparency Sale.” Todd’s expertise is in building the revenue capacity for technology companies, having served in senior leadership roles, helping one organization to a successful IPO followed by an exit valued at almost $3B. His experience speaks for itself: He won the American Business "Stevie" Award for VP of WW Sales of the Year, and is also a former owner/operator of a sales training and consulting company Listen in to our conversation as we discuss the power of transparency for deepening customer relationships and closing more deals. This podcast is being brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, formerly CallidusCloud. With SAP Sales Cloud's modern CRM, you can focus on coaching and developing sales reps, instead of forecasting. Learn more by visiting: www.calliduscloud.com/Vengreso Vulnerability Breaks Down Barriers So You Can Have Honest Sales Conversations It’s human nature to hold back the deeper parts of ourselves, especially the areas where we feel we are weak. We have to build trust with a person before we are willing to share on that level. In sales, we are able to use that tendency to our advantage by "going first" in new customer relationships. Todd encourages sales professionals to take the lead in being vulnerable - about themselves and about their product or service. In this conversation, you’ll hear Todd explain how vulnerability has an effect like nothing else - to break down barriers and open the door to honest sales conversations that actually go somewhere. His savvy application of transparency to his own sales approach is what has made him the sales leader he is. Listen to learn from a master! It’s Easy For Buyers To Know Why You Suck. Own It From The Beginning In case you haven’t noticed, the digital selling landscape has changed. You are no longer the expert that prospects come to in order to learn about your product or services. In fact, because of public review systems, your prospects may have more information about how your product or services impact the lives of real customers than you do. That’s why you have to stop pretending. Stop pretending that your product is flawless. Stop pretending that your services are delivered without a hitch. Learn how to be transparent about the issues you face and clear about how you address them. In fact, you should bring up those things before your prospect does in every sales conversation you have. As we spoke during this recording, Todd explained how disarming that kind of transparency can be and how it is a powerful way to build trust quickly. In Sales, Logic Polarizes But Emotion Binds Us Together Here are a couple of great questions that can help you learn one of the most powerful sales tactics. #1 - How much of your sales pitch is about the stats, the facts, or the logistics and processes of what you do for customers? #2 - After you answer that question, ask yourself how much of your sales conversations focus on the emotional side of what your product provides for real-life customers. Todd points out that a direct correlation exists between the amount of emotion involved in a conversation through the wise use of stories, case studies, etc. and increased sales closing rates. The way he says it is very helpful: Logic polarizes but emotion binds us together. Listen to learn how you can tap into the emotional motivations of your customers by listening to what Todd has to share on this episode. An Incredible Sales Tactic: Play Your Cards Face Up To Get Bigger Deals One of the most powerful things I learned from Todd as we spoke was his approach to addressing areas where a customer’s desired outcomes seem to conflict with his company’s limitations. He describes one situation where he BEGAN a sales conversation by using a whiteboard to list his companies limitations in four areas: volume, when the customer pays, length of commitment, and timing of the deal. Then he began to explore what the customer wanted in each of those areas so they come to a middle ground. It’s an ingenious way of getting all the cards out on the table instead of trying to hide potential roadblocks to a deal. Not only it this more effective in getting past those roadblocks it’s also a powerful way of building trust in a brand new customer relationship. I hope you see that transparency is more than a sales tactic. It’s a wise way of relating to people overall, which is one of the greatest sales skills that exist. Listen to learn more from my guest, Todd Caponi. This podcast is being brought to you by SAP Sales Cloud, formerly CallidusCloud. With SAP Sales Cloud's modern CRM, you can focus on coaching and developing sales reps, instead of forecasting. Learn more by visiting: www.calliduscloud.com/Vengreso Outline of This Episode [1:47] Congrats to Todd regarding the launch of the new book [7:42] The history behind writing “The Transparency Sale” [11:05] Why salespeople should embrace their vulnerabilities and flaws [13:30] Flaws in the way we teach sales professionals to sell these days [18:55] An example of being honest about flaws in your product or process [29:40] 3 things salespeople need to stop doing [34:38] Get used to playing your cards face up to get bigger deals Resources Mentioned Todd’s company website: http://TransparencySale.com Connect with Todd on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcaponi/ Follow Todd on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/TCaponi Follow Todd’s company on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/TransprncySale Get Todd’s book: https://amzn.to/2BxenrF Todd’s all-time favorite movie: The Blues Brothers: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080455/ Smokey and the Bandit : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076729/ Chicago’s Power Reviews: https://www.powerreviews.com/ Calendly: https://calendly.com/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080455/ Time Trade: https://www.timetrade.com/ Hubspot: https://www.hubspot.com/ Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts An increased level of persuasion in sales conversations is something every sales professional could use. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial says the only way you can effectively be more persuasive is by having the RIGHT kind of influence with buyers. Who IS my guest? After a military career working with Special Forces teams, where he developed some amazing leadership skills, Rod Hairston spent several years as a salesperson for Tony Robbins. He was part of the team that was selling Tony’s early events to organizations and communities before Tony even had a reputation at all. He went on to become a Tony Robbins Master Trainer. Today, Rod is doing some amazing training with sales, leadership, and organizational development professionals. The conversation you’ll hear on this episode is the first half of the topic, “12 Steps To Persuasion.” Watch for the next installment in weeks to come. For now, you can listen to this episode and learn how you can build your ability to provide incredible value, generate influence, ask the right kind of questions, and develop skills of persuasion that get more sales. Join Vengreso at STAR, February 11-13, 2019 to mix and mingle with forward thinking sales executives and thought leaders. We're extending a $250 savings to all Vengreso subscribers. For full details visit: frost.com/vengreso and use discount code MARIO at registration. You Must Possess A Powerful Belief Before You Will Have Persuasion In Sales How many times have you endured a sales presentation where the salesperson seemed nervous, uncertain, and was not at all persuasive? If you’re like me, that's probably happened more times than you can count. What’s wrong in those situations is that the salesperson is missing a vital mental skill that every successful salesperson must have: Belief. In our conversation, first thing Rod pointed out about having influence in a sales conversations is that without a powerful sense of belief in yourself and your product or service, you won’t get anywhere. Amazingly, it’s a lesson he learned years ago from his 7-year-old son. Rod shares the story in this episode - and trust me - you won’t want to miss it. The mindset and approach to success Rod’s son had at that early age is astounding… and it illustrates perfectly why belief is so powerful and important when it comes to accomplishing anything in sales. Building Rapport Is About Liking, Trusting, And Respecting: Give It To Get It Sales coaches and trainers often talk about the necessity of building rapport, and for good reason. It’s a vital part of what it takes to gain influence with buyers and get the sale. But Rod breaks the concept down into some basic components so we can understand what it means to build rapport in the “boots on the ground” scenarios we all encounter in sales. Here’s how he puts it... Rapport consists of three things: liking, trusting, and respecting. Naturally, we all want our buyers to feel those things toward us - it’s what enables them to feel comfortable enough to buy from us. But Rod points out that rapport is an area where you have to give in order to get. Listen to hear him describe how you can enter every sales conversation genuinely liking your buyers, how you can communicate that you trust them, and how to treat them with the respect that in turn, gets them to feel the same way about you. Don’t miss it. Persuasion In Sales Comes By Letting Questions Lead The Way As sales professionals, we know that we must provide value to our buyers. It’s a powerful way to demonstrate expertise, ability, and care. But we won’t be able to provide value that matters to particular buyers if we don’t know what is valuable to them, in their situation. How can you know what they value? Rod says you have to let questions lead the way. As we spoke, Rod explained how certain types of questions open the door to deeper responses than others, and how you can use questions to guide a conversation and keep it focused. He also points out that using the right questions in the right way enables you to have a greater degree of persuasion than you would by “telling” buyers what they need. Rod has a keen insight into the nuances of persuading buyers through asking the right questions, so make sure you listen. If You Want To Keep Your Buyer Engaged, Engage Your Buyer’s Imagination When you are communicating with people, their mind is in one of three areas: memory, imagination, or present focus. Rod says that if you want buyers to be focused on what you are saying, you MUST engage their imagination. The best way to do that is through the wise use of stories. When you use stories well, your buyer becomes focused on picking out the point you're illustrating with your story, which is far more effective than bluntly telling them the point yourself. Engaging their imagination gets them involved in discovering how the solutions you're presenting fit their situation, which makes persuasion in sales a much easier thing for you to accomplish. Do you see how stories, examples, and illustrations matter? You should always have two or three stories available that are specifically relevant to each prospect. You want to be able to pull them out at any time you see you are losing focus and energy in a sales conversation. Listen to learn how to use customer success stories, case studies, and more to have a hopper full of stories you can use in to add a more powerful bit of persuasion to your sales presentations. Don’t miss Rod’s incredible insights on this episode. Join Vengreso at STAR, February 11-13, 2019 to mix and mingle with forward thinking sales executives and thought leaders. We're extending a $250 savings to all Vengreso subscribers. For full details visit: frost.com/vengreso and use discount code MARIO at registration. Outline of This Episode [2:01] Rod’s journey from the military to sales for Tony Robbins team, to sales training [7:15] Rod’s 12 steps of persuasion begin with interpersonal communication [13:24] To convey belief to others, your body must express your belief [17:16] Get an external focus: it’s not about you [21:40] OPA: Outcome, Purpose, Action - this solidifies your belief in an outcome [23:55] Influence begins with rapport: like, trust, respect - give it to get it [31:50] Control focus through asking amazing, relevant questions [36:23] Have the courage to challenge people to grow [40:30] Sales professionals must learn to engage the imagination of their prospects Resources Mentioned Follow Rod on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rodhairston Check out Rod on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodehairston/ The National Association of Sales Professionals: https://nasp.com/join NASP on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nasppro Rod’s All-time favorite movie: The Matrix: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/ Grab Rod’s new book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2AB1PNf Tony Robbins: https://www.tonyrobbins.com/ Bruno Mars’s song, “Uptown Funk”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uptown_Funk Rod’s power song: “This Is How We Do It”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_How_We_Do_It McKesson Corporation: https://www.mckesson.com/ Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts We all want more sales wins, and my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial is going to break down a simple framework that will help us get them. Doug Vigliotti is a writer, speaker, podcast host, and consultant. He's the bestselling author of “The Salesperson Paradox,” host of “It's Not What It Seems,” a podcast to inspire open-mindedness, and Managing Member of groundupSALES, a strategic selling partner for small business owners. With over twelve years of customer-facing experience across three different industries and two Fortune 500 companies, he's a well-documented top performer. Join me as Doug and I discuss his book, “The Salesperson Paradox” and how his C.R.I.N.G.E. framework enables sales professionals to simplify their sales approach to attain more sales wins. Join Vengreso at STAR, February 11-13, 2019 to mix and mingle with forward thinking sales executives and thought leaders. We're extending a $250 savings to all Vengreso subscribers. For full details visit: frost.com/vengreso and use discount code MARIO at registration.   Why Did YOU Start Selling? It Was Probably Because Of The Money The vast majority of sales professionals polled would say that they got into sales because of the great opportunity to make money. It’s natural, and there’s nothing wrong with it at all. But Doug points out that our innate “me first” approach has to be abandoned if we want more sales wins. Why is that? Because sales is the art of helping - and you can’t help customers if you’re not thinking of their needs, wants, and problems first. The beautiful thing is that once you get your thinking turned around to a "customer first" perspective to discover and solve their problems, you begin to experience the increase in sales that produces the cash you were hoping for in the first place. Doug shares a number of helpful illustrations and concepts about how it works on this episode, so be sure you listen! Learn To Make Your Buyers C.R.I.N.G.E. For More Sales Wins Doug points out an interesting phenomenon that happens whenever a person says “No” to something they really want. They cringe as they say it, because they want it so bad. He says sellers need to do such a good job presenting their solutions that buyers have to cringe if they are going to say “No” to the offer. He uses the acronym, C.R.I.N.G.E. to help us remember the basic elements that create this kind of cringe-worthy offer. C - Move away from a “me first” mindset and toward a customer first mindset R - Make sure you’re addressing the real problem the buyer has I - Provide immense value through your solution - in time, ease, status, or money terms N - Be convinced that your solution is non-negotiable, something the buyer can’t live without G - Make your offer with good timing by knowing your customer and your competition E - Make it easy for your buyer to say, “Yes” through providing a low barrier of entry Doug goes into detail on each of these, including foundational questions you can ask at each stage to truly discover if your offer is going to make your buyer cringe, so don’t miss it! Personalizing Sales Emails Creates The Opportunity For More Sales Wins If you are still sending out template emails, STOP IT. You’re alienating yourself and your company from the very people you'd like to consider your solutions. You’ve got to take the time required to become familiar with your buyers. You need to know exactly what to say to each of them individually. Here's how you can do that... Doug suggests that you run your email through a quick “litmus test” before you hit “send.” Ask yourself, “Would I say this to the person receiving it if I were to meet them face to face?” If you wouldn’t, you shouldn’t be sending the email. Why, because it's not personalized enough. Personalization is what gets you past the natural skepticism your prospects already have to sales messages. It shows them that you have taken the time to understand them and their problems - that you CARE about who they are and what they need. That’s how you open the door to start a conversation that could lead to a sales win. Simplicity: The Sales Secret Most Of Us Avoid One aspect of Doug’s advice that is so refreshing is that the things he suggests are simple - in fact, his entire C.R.I.N.G.E framework is based on simplicity. Look at any highly successful business - Facebook, Apple, Uber - they have all accomplished virtually the same thing: a simple, reproducible process for selling and delivering their product or service that makes it easy for consumers to buy over and over. The main component of that formula is SIMPLICITY. It’s what makes the product easy to use and understand. It’s what makes the buying process easy. In Doug’s model, the acronym helps us simply keep track of how we are formulating and presenting our sales messaging. Continue listening to hear Doug's list of reasons we DON'T simplify our sales processes, and learn his solutions. Join Vengreso at STAR, February 11-13, 2019 to mix and mingle with forward thinking sales executives and thought leaders. We're extending a $250 savings to all Vengreso subscribers. For full details visit: frost.com/vengreso and use discount code MARIO at registration. Outline of This Episode [2:22] The relevance and impact of Doug’s experience to this topic [6:11] What is the salesperson paradox? [13:05] How the quantity over quality mindset has ruined content and sales overall [15:46] Is simplicity important to the sales process these days? [18:18] Why differentiation is vital to your sales messaging [23:39] How can you create wonderful cringe moments for your clients? Resources Mentioned Visit Doug online at http://DouglasVigliotti.com and http://DVReadingList.com Find Doug on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-vigliotti-4a286450 Doug on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DVWriterSpeaker/ Doug on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/douglasvigliotti Doug’s book: The Salesperson Paradox: http://a.co/d/8G0YhOH Doug’s all-time favorite movie: Goodfellas: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099685/ Outreach: https://www.outreach.io/ SalesLoft: https://salesloft.com/ Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts   The modern sales environment is changing constantly. If you’re going to be successful in it, you’ve got to be growing and adapting so you can navigate the changes successfully. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial is Amy Franko. As a sales leader, Amy built a successful and lucrative B2B sales career with global tech giants IBM and Lenovo. She then pivoted 180° into entrepreneurship, launching a training firm - Impact Instruction Group. She has successfully built and scaled a book of business that includes some of the world’s most recognizable brands. Her book, The Modern Seller, has just launched - so in this conversation we take our cues from its pages to discuss how modern sales success requires that sales professionals learn what it means to become a modern seller. Join Vengreso at STAR, February 11-13, 2019 to mix and mingle with forward thinking sales executives and thought leaders. We're extending a $250 savings to all Vengreso subscribers. For full details visit: frost.com/vengreso and use discount code MARIO at registration.   Self-Assessment. Are You Aligned With Amy’s 5 Dimensions Of A Modern Seller? Amy’s new book - The Modern Seller - highlights the practical characteristics sales professionals in the modern sales environment must develop in order to succeed. In our conversation she highlights each of them in turn: Be Agile Be Entrepreneurial Be Holistic Be Social Become An Ambassador I was particularly intrigued by a couple of these - holistic and ambassador - and we took the time to dig a little deeper into each of them during our conversation. Amy's insights confirmed what I’ve been learning from my own experience: The way buyers are making decisions these days requires a more integrated overall approach to prospecting, lead nurture, sales, and ongoing relationship development than ever before. The modern seller is highly developed as an individual and employs a diverse skill set. Listen to learn more about Amy’s 5 dimensions of a modern seller and to assess whether you measure up. The Modern Sales Environment Is One Of Sameness - So Differentiate Since Amy works with sales organizations in a variety of contexts I was curious to hear her observations about trends sellers are encountering these days. She pointed out that one of the most common mistakes being made by sales professionals and organizations alike is that their messaging doesn’t contain anything noticeably different than their competitors. She calls it a “world of sameness.” She recounted her own experience when looking to purchase a new piece of software for her own tech stack. Every one of the services she considered could do what she needed it to do, and their overall messaging was the same. What did she do? She chose NOT to make a decision and waited. That is NOT what sales professionals want to happen, so find out how Amy suggests you can avoid becoming part of the world of sameness by differentiating your services and approach, on this episode.   Learn to Leverage 90 Day ROI To Get The Attention Of Buyers Here's a very practical modern sales tip for you that is a nuance of a tried and true sales principle. To succeed, you’ve got to learn how to address what your prospects are truly concerned about - and the timing related to that concern. For example, every buyer you speak with will be concerned about return on investment relating to the purchase of your product or service. That’s nothing new. But what has changed in regard to ROI is the timeframes involved. Amy told me a story of how a recent sales conversation she was engaged in taught her this lesson. After many conversations, she and the buyer had moved well down the path toward the sale. Amy expected the next meeting would be to work out the details so they could move forward and close the deal. What she discovered was something she didn’t expect. The buyer wanted to have a 90-day ROI projection to present to her manager. 90 days. One quarter. That’s a common time frame companies are working within these days. As modern sellers, we need to be ready for it. Amy shares what she learned and how to apply it to your sales conversations, on this episode.   To Experience Modern Sales Success You Must Become An Ambassador Buyers in today’s world are better informed and more prepared for sales conversations than ever before. That means the sales role has changed and Amy says the modern seller needs to take on the role of an ambassador as a result. It allows us to stand out in the “world of sameness” buyers are experiencing. She says in order to serve your organization and your customers as an ambassador you need to do 3 things. Embody the values of your organization. This can be difficult if you don’t resonate with the organization’s values to begin with. Offer unique thought leadership. YOU have to stand apart as someone knowledgeable n trustworthy in your industry. Champion client wins. When your solutions work for a client, make the most of it. You can add value to them in a variety of ways that can result in lifetime loyalty. Amy explains these in more detail in our conversation, don’t miss it! Join Vengreso at STAR, February 11-13, 2019 to mix and mingle with forward thinking sales executives and thought leaders. We're extending a $250 savings to all Vengreso subscribers. For full details visit: frost.com/vengreso and use discount code MARIO at registration. Outline of This Episode [2:04] The history behind the launch of Amy’s new book - The Modern Seller [6:00] Why Amy wrote her book and who it’s for [9:20] How to define the modern seller [17:50] What has changed for sellers in recent times? [20:33] Clients are more sophisticated and need better ROI numbers quarterly [23:57] 5 dimensions modern sellers need to integrate into their sales skills [26:49] Why a modern seller or sales leader must be an ambassador [33:44] Learn to add a culture-building strategy into your sales leadership [37:30] A few strategies for sales enablement professionals Resources Mentioned Amy’s website: https://amyfranko.com/ Amy’s book, “The Modern Seller” : https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Seller-Increase-Impact-Economy-ebook/dp/B07JNH293P/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1540903314&sr=8-1 Amy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyfranko/ Amy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyfranko Dreamforce 2018: https://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/ Jitterbit: https://www.jitterbit.com/ Amy’s all-time favorite movie: Back To The Future: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088763/ Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts   Predictive Intelligence is changing the way marketing and sales professionals get results. In short - it allows us to give individual prospects or customers experiences that are unique to them and fit where they are in the sales process. It does so by utilizing data from all web-based channels: email, mobile, social, and even a call center. Best of all, predictive intelligence is proven to drive key business results. To speak with me about this issue I invited my friend Christine Zmuda to be my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Christine is Senior Director for Emerging Solutions at Microsoft - and in particular, she’s overseeing the Microsoft / LinkedIn relationship now that Microsoft has purchased the platform. That’s one of the first key areas Microsoft is putting predictive intelligence to work, and you’ll hear about it on this episode. Christine has held several leadership and individual contributor positions at Microsoft, Yammer, and Mobil Oil. As a senior member of the Emerging Solutions team, Christine is responsible for landing Microsoft Relationship Sales worldwide. She is a graduate of Michigan State University (B.A. degree) and American University (M.B.A.) and is a member of Women in Technology. She also serves on the board of the Ted Rullo Foundation, a not for profit designed to further education opportunities for student athletes.   Join Vengreso at STAR, February 11-13, 2019 to mix and mingle with forward thinking sales executives and thought leaders. We're extending a $250 savings to all Vengreso subscribers. For full details visit: http://frost.com/vengreso and use discount code MARIO at registration Digital Selling Is About More Than Social Media   We use a host of synonyms to describe the ways we approach marketing and sales these days - direct response, digital marketing, social selling, email marketing, inbound, outbound, etc. - but the day has come when marketing and sales success must figure out how to integrate of all of them. We need to think in a broader sense than just social media engagement with prospects. In this conversation, Christine and I discuss why sales teams need to shift their perspective beyond social media interactions and even beyond initial conversations. There is more that can be done, in exponentially more effective ways using the entire digital spectrum of tools. The predictive intelligence Christine’s team is using to create powerful LinkedIn/CRM integrations is one example of how it’s happening. Be sure to listen so you stay on top of the trends and learn how to use these technological advances to build a better sales machine.   Predictive Intelligence Helps Sales Pros And Organizations Connect With Buyers   Messages that resonate with where we are in life are the ones we notice and take action on - because they mean something to us on a personal level. As marketing and sales professionals we need to think of our buyers in that way - they are unique human beings with unique personal and professional challenges. What can we do to speak to them where they are and in light of their particular challenges? The better we can answer that question, the more effective we’ll be at initiating engagements that lead to sales. Predictive intelligence takes the guesswork out of the equation. It enables us to pull together the actions taken by our ideal buyers, analyze those actions as data points rather than subjective hunches, and predict the most effective ways to engage with them. Surveys of companies using the technology show an impact across the board: Website revenue increases of 10% Email click-through improvements of 35% Email conversion rates increased by 25% Learn about the power of predictive intelligence and how it can help you reach your sales targets, on this episode of Selling With Social.     Sales Leaders Can Now Understand HOW The Customer Journey Is Happening   The reason predictive intelligence is having such an impact on sales is simple: Until now, sales cycle evaluation had to be done subjectively. It looked something like this - Sales leaders would pull together their teams and ask how various deals in the pipeline were going. The responses they received were based on the salesperson’s impressions about the deal. It was the best approach we had. But no more. Now we can rely on real data instead of sales team opinions and inferences, and the difference it makes is staggering. Listen to this episode to learn how this new technology is making relationship building easier, the customer journey of individual buyers more transparent, and the sales process more intentional and effective. New Technologies Turn Relationships Into Revenue   The responsibility for driving leads into the sales funnel is no longer the job of marketing - it’s the job of everyone in the company. With the widespread use of social and other digital tools, everyone from the CEO to the custodians have the ability to project a positive and appealing brand image to those they connect with digitally. Those connections can matter for the bottom line success of the company. What would happen if companies set quotas for every team member - no matter their role in the company - to generate at least one sales lead per calendar year? Listen to this episode to hear how new technologies like predictive analytics are turning relationships into revenue, helping government leaders and influencers make a larger contribution, and enabling hiring teams locate, court, and hire the best candidates for their teams.   Join Vengreso at STAR, February 11-13, 2019 to mix and mingle with forward thinking sales executives and thought leaders. We're extending a $250 savings to all Vengreso subscribers. For full details visit: http://frost.com/vengreso and use discount code MARIO at registration IMAGE WITH LINK - https://www.starmindxchange.com/?utm_source=vengreso&utm_medium=podcast   Outline of This Episode   [1:40] Christine’s role with Microsoft and what she’ll be bringing to this conversation [6:01] What is predictive intelligence and why does it matter for sales? [13:08] How a CRM is able to become a “can’t do without” tool [17:08] LInkedIn has traditionally been a closed platform. Can that change? [19:40] Sales leaders can now understand how the sales process is happening [24:33] Trends in predictive intelligence: client engagement [29:12] Turn relationships into revenue [32:21] Advice for those who are trying to figure out digital sales effectiveness [37:22] Digital prospecting is not just for salespeople [42:10] Company-wide executives can put their relationships to work for the business Resources Mentioned   Christine on LInkedIn:https://LinkedIn/in/Zmuda Christine on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/CZmuda Christine’s team on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MSFTDynamics365 Christine’s team website: https://dynamics.microsoft.com/en-us/sales/relationship-sales/ http://ArtGalleryByZ.com - Christine’s art website Christine’s all-time favorite movie: Rudy: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108002/ The Vengreso Digital Sales Benchmark AssessmentL https://vengreso.com/resources/digital-selling-benchmark-report LinkedIn Sales Navigator Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges   Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn   Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts IMAGE WITH LINK - https://www.starmindxchange.com/?utm_source=vengreso&utm_medium=podcast    

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts We’ve all heard that there are advantages to selling to the C Suite, but do you know what they are and how to make the most of them? My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial is one of the foremost authorities on selling at C Level, Steve Hall. Steve believes and teaches that If you sell high value B2B products or services, it’s better to sell as high up the chain as you can. In this conversation we talk about why you want to get to the C Suite as soon as possible, what you should do if the C Level executives are not the ones making buying decisions, how to avoid managers making sales presentations on your behalf, what to do if you get blocked at a lower level, and so much more. Steve’s got the experience and the insight to help you sell better to the C Suite, so don’t miss this episode.   Why You Don’t Want A Middle Manager Selling On Your Behalf   Most organizations are organized in a way that sales calls are kept away from those in executive level positions. As a result, most sales presentations are made to someone in a middle management position who doesn’t have the authority to make a buying decision. As a result, they have to take your carefully crafted sales message up the chain for you. You don’t want that - and here’s why. Nobody within the company, no matter how convinced they are about your solution, is going to have the passion and expertise needed to truly sell their superiors on it. You’ve got to find a way to do that yourself. That means getting your foot in the door of those “higher” positions that do make the decisions. This episode of Selling With Social will help you know how to do that as my friend, Steve shares his tips for selling at C level.   Should You Try To Sell To The C Suite When Decisions Are Made By Others?   Many global organizations are led by executives who empower those at the Director level to make buying decisions. In that case, the Director level may BE the place you want to have your most important conversations. But Steve says that doesn’t mean you avoid trying to connect with the C level executives. To drive his point home, Steve asks some simple questions: Who else is going to have the influence within the company that the C Suite executives do? What benefits will you receive from C level individuals recommending you to those down the line from them who DO make the decisions? Are you starting to get the point? Listen to our conversation to hear how Steve recommends approaching those at the executive level. His approach includes knowing what senior executives really care about and what you can help them with, having a compelling message to get you a meeting, a plan to make sure that your first executive meeting is a success, and more. Don’t miss it!   If You Get Blocked At A Lower Level, A Team Approach Can Open The Door   When you get to a place in your attempts to reach the C Suite that you’re blocked at a lower level, what can you do? Steve recommends you take a team approach at that point, turning the conversation in a different direction by saying something like this… “My CEO would like to chat with your CEO. Can you tell me how to connect them?” This puts the conversation on a whole new level and opens the door to more possibilities. Learn more sales tips like this from the master of C Suite selling, Steve Hall.   What’s The Best Way To Prepare For A C Level Sales Meeting?   It can be nerve-wracking to walk into a C Level executive meeting. But it doesn’t have to be if you know how to prepare. Steve says you have to be clear on some very important things… What is your objective? Why are you having the meeting? What are you trying to achieve? If the meeting went perfectly, how would it go? But you also need to consider… What’s the C Suite Executives objective? How can you make sure they get it? What would constitute a good meeting from their perspective? By asking these questions you’re determining what insights you can provide them (value) that will make them feel that the time they set aside for your meeting was worthwhile. Be specific in determining the value you’re going to provide, based on research you’ve done about them and their needs. But don’t stop there. Think about what they are likely to ask you - and be prepared to respond. Finally, know what your next step is and how you can create a path back to the executive should he/she send you elsewhere. Listen to hear Steve explain all of these items in more detail.   Outline of This Episode   [4:17] Why selling to the C Suite is a vital skill set to learn [7:42] Do you want to get to the C Suite when the Director level positions make the decisions? [9:17] Getting to the C Suite depends on your message, your channel, and your approach [12:17] How do you find the EXACT message that will cut through to the C Suite? [17:48] If you get blocked at a lower level, move to a team approach to reach higher [23:53] How do sales reps prepare for a C level meeting?   Resources Mentioned   Connect with Steve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevehallsydney Steve on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevehallsydney Steve’s all-time favorite movie: Chariots of Fire: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082158/ Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges   Connect with Mario!   www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Digital engagement is one of those things we all know we need to be doing, but that we don’t always dedicate time to. But if we can get over the hump and do it consistently, the benefits can be amazing. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Mario asked his friend and partner, Kurt Shaver to guest-host and to speak with one of his friends, Jenn Walsh about how to use LinkedIn and other platforms for better digital engagement. Jenn is a seasoned sales professional in the insurance industry and has recently started her new consulting company, Genuine Shift. In this conversation, Kurt and Jenn discuss how sales teams can approach “team selling” using social networks like LinkedIn, why digital relationships matter, how LinkedIn can be used proactively to bring in new talent, and wrap up with some easy wins on LinkedIn that can ensure you’re ready to engage digitally. Don’t miss this great conversation. Digital Engagement Isn’t Only A Solo Approach Much of the way sales is done using social media has to do with sharing content that builds your reputation as an authority in your industry. A big part of that is utilizing the social media resources your company provides. But there’s more that can be done within sales teams - not only to leverage company resources but to tag-team digital engagement with prospects. Jenn refers to it as "team selling." In this episode, she explains what “team selling” can look like on LinkedIn and how it can change the way you think about digital engagement, on this episode. Old-Style, Long-Lasting Relationships Matter - But Digital Relationships Can Be A Shortcut The 20th-century approach to sales was based on the belief that long-standing relationships are the only way that trust is built. In that model, there is no substitute for time. I’m definitely not going to say that long-standing relationships are irrelevant in the digital age, but I will agree with Jenn’s premise that digital engagement makes the possibility of a shorter timeline for building trust a reality. In this episode Jenn describes how you can leverage your digital assets - from your LinkedIn profile to your company’s resources - to make it possible for modern buyers to check you out, come to trust you, and feel comfortable buying from you in a fraction of the time it takes to build one of those long-standing relationships that were so important in the past. You won’t want to miss her advice. How To Use LinkedIn To Be More Proactive Finding Talent LinkedIn is a powerful channel sales organizations can use to find and court new talent for their organization. But many companies are not taking full advantage of the opportunity. Jenn says you need to realize that the young, fresh, hungry candidates for your sales positions are digitally savvy. Among other things, that means what they see online has a tremendous influence on them. That’s why your social media profiles need to be modern, current, and aligned with the freshest approaches in your industry. In this way, you’ll demonstrate that you (and your company) are forward-thinking and can be assured that the younger candidates you’re engaging with will feel supported and empowered working with you. Print Out Your LinkedIn Profile To Discover the Glaring Things That Need Updating A few times in this conversation, Jenn mentions the importance of updating your LinkedIn profile. But what exactly does that mean? Jenn highlights a number of things you can do to update your information and position yourself in a more impacting way. But one of the most practical and helpful things she mentions is the power of printing out a hard copy of your LinkedIn profile. There’s something about seeing it in black and white that enables you to notice things you overlook on the screen. You can even hand the print-out to a colleague or friend and ask them to look it over and make suggestions. Jenn shares many practical tips just like this during this conversation, highlighting how you can leverage your digital engagement for more sales, so don’t miss it. Outline of This Episode [1:22] Who is Jen Walsh - she helps high-level experts get unstuck [6:27] More and more sales are happening through team selling [11:47] Why relationships matter and how LinkedIn can accelerate trust [16:33] Getting into the flow of sharing content and engaging in dialog on social [24:38] How companies can use LinkedIn to bring in new talent [27:25] Making the time to engage digitally on LinkedIn [32:50] The 3 stages of content sharing on LinkedIn Resources Mentioned Jenn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walshjenn/ Jenn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@benefitslady Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert: http://dilbert.com/about/ Jenn’s favorite movie of all time - The Blind Side: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/ Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Click to Tweets: nefitsLady) and @KurtShaver on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Listen now! #sales @M_3Jr #DigitalSales #Digital engagements that lead to #sales aren’t something you have to do alone. Learn about team #selling from Jenn Walsh (@BenefitsLady) and @KurtShaver on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Listen now! @M_3Jr #DigitalSales Learn how #digital relationships can be a shortcut to new long-standing business connections. Join Jenn Walsh (@BenefitsLady) and @KurtShaver to learn how on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Listen now! @M_3Jr #DigitalSales You can use #LinkedIn to be more proactive finding and hiring new #talent for your #sales team. Join Jenn Walsh (@BenefitsLady) and @KurtShaver on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Listen now! @M_3Jr #DigitalSales Print out your #LinkedIn profile to discover glaring things that need updating. Hear more great #SalesTips like this from Jenn Walsh (@BenefitsLady) and @KurtShaver on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Listen now! #sales @M_3Jr  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts We could all use a fresh set of eyes now and then, someone who can share fresh sales training tips to help us drive more sales. I am so excited to dive into the details of effectively enabling your company’s salespeople to actually sell, on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. My guest is Juliana Stancampiano – the CEO of Oxygen, a company that specializes in helping other businesses perform at maximum capacity. We’ve all been at a point in our company when we realize that operations aren’t running full speed – there are too many tools, too many systems, poor sales rep retention, and not enough revenue to back the ever-changing matrix of effective sales. Juliana gives us practical and insightful sales training tips to help us tame the tech stack monster and pay more attention to enabling the people who drive the revenue, our salespeople. Be sure you listen!   The Content We Use For Sales Training Is Important. But Only If It Is Specific Why are we making our salespeople work harder than they need to? Onboarding is the period where we immerse our salespeople in the things they need to know in order to accomplish their jobs and become an integral part of driving sales. We often think we need to cram all of the information about every scenario, systems, and tool into our sales training. In reality, as Juliana points out, “Too much information makes for less time in the field.” This means that the more concise and clear we can make our onboarding processes, the better. To start, define onboarding for your company. What do your people need to know to complete their job? What is vital for them to digest and learn? Overloading them with information that they may not know how to sort or prioritize only adds to the chaos. With nine months as the average ramp-up time for a new sales team member, it is important to give them only the most necessary tools to enable them to effectively sell – and meet your sales quotas. Hundreds of Tools = Thousands of Dollars: Here’s How To Choose Wisely How many sales tools does your company use? For my small company we use seven tools just for sales, you can actually see Vengreso solutions partners on our website! The problem with having hundreds of tools in our tech stacks is that each of those tools costs thousands of dollars per sales rep, per year. But are actually helpful? “Simple is better,” Juliana says. While redundancy is bound to happen, it’s important to understand exactly what your salespeople must do in order to accommodate customers and drive revenue. Ask yourself these questions... Do your tools work well together? Can they operate and function underneath one centralized system? Can they integrate into your CRM? Juliana gives the run-down on the many ways you can tell if the tools in your tech stack need to be chucked out or put to greater use - so be sure to listen to the full episode!   How To Use Your Sales Team To Improve Your Tech Stack Giving your salespeople a voice is vitally important to helping you decide how to make cutbacks to your tech stack. Juliana gives some amazing sales training tips in this episode on how to easily and quickly obtain feedback from your salespeople without making them feel frustrated and patronized. Juliana shares some incredibly eye-opening points on discovering the best methods for measuring your company’s success through sales rep feedback and tech stack/revenue comparisons. In her upcoming book, “Radical Outcomes,” Juliana says she will be discussing – in-depth – all of the things we’ve discussed in this podcast episode, and more. It will be the perfect read for anyone leading or managing a group of people. Listen to this episode to learn how you can save your company thousands, train your sales reps effectively, and drive revenue.   Outline of This Episode [1:55] CEO of Oxygen, Juliana Stancampiano, helps sales leaders drive revenue [6:30] Why do we make it so hard for salespeople to be successful? [7:37] Consolidating our tools for optimum success and efficiency [8:51] Questions to ask that lead to improvement in sales leader function [11:24] What is the goal of onboarding? [17:27] Closing the sales quota and onboarding gap [19:45] Helping enable the seller: how to choose which tools to use [28:48] Integrating tools for maximum efficiency and success [33:06] Creating the sales enablement measuring stick Resources Mentioned Juliana’s book: "Radical Outcomes" : https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119524253  Follow Juliana on Twitter : https://twitter.com/jstancampiano Follow Juliana on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstancampiano/ Oxygen Community : https://community.oxygenexp.com/ Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts All of us love to experience sales wins - not so much the losses. But both have important things to teach that will improve our sales approach and process if we let them. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial is Cian Mcloughlin. Cian’s a long-time friend who leads the outstanding team at Trinity Perspectives. They specialize in helping B2B companies evaluate their sales wins and losses in order to learn the lessons that inevitably point them toward greater success. In this conversation we dig into the reasons buyers actually buy, why product and price are not the primary factors in buying decisions, why it’s a mistake in the modern selling environment to throw out customer names (or post them on your website), and how you can take the first steps to analyze your sales success and failure toward greater wins in the future. Don’t miss the important episode. Why Your Product and Price Only Get You To The Starting Line Having a stand-out product or service is vitally important. Nailing the right price point is as well. But neither of those will win or lose a deal in most cases. Cian says what sets your company apart from others in the mind of the buyer (which is what really matters) is your organization’s people and purpose. Cian has done loads of research over the past 7 years to help B2B companies understand why they win and why they lose when it comes to sales. He conducts in-depth conversations with his client's customers to find out why they bought and why they didn’t. Then he uses those insights to help his clients improve their skill set and create better value for their customers. Listen to hear how Cian's team guides these conversations with buyers in a way that reveals everything they need to know to increase their customer's sales wins. Reasons To Be Careful About Highlighting An Existing Customer Relationship It’s common practice for B2B companies to highlight the names or logos of their big-name customers. We all understand why: Social proof is a powerful thing to potential buyers. But Cian says that the modern selling environment makes that practice problematic at best. Here’s why… Imagine a buyer notices that one of your customers is a company they do business with. In fact, they have a friend in that company - so they reach out to their friend privately to ask about their experience with your company. What happens in your potential buyer’s mind when their friend says she doesn’t know anything about your services? Even worse, what happens if she expresses frustrations with your service that she’s not even shared with you? Cian explains how to avoid this problem and how to leverage customer relationships the right way - through referrals - on this episode. There’s Great Power In Analyzing Your Sales Wins and Losses Did you know that less than 10% of sales organizations take an in-depth look at why they win deals and why they lose them? Cian says part of the reason is that it can be a tough blow to the ego to hear the truth behind sales performance (or lack of it). But companies that are willing to take an eyes-wide-open look at the good, bad, and ugly of their sales performance will find a clear story about what failed, what didn’t, and how to improve both. Cian says that you have to do this kind of analysis in a way that… Makes your customer feel comfortable with the process -since you’ll be asking them direct questions about their experience with your sales team Is simple and repeatable - so you can gain a database of results, not just from one buyer Is performed by someone who is a step or two removed from the process - so they can be objective and not be perceived as biased Listen to hear how the Trinity Perspectives team conducts in-depth buyer surveys and to learn the initial steps you can take to create a sales evaluation process of your own. A Customer Is Only A Customer If They Buy From You A Second Time Nothing happens until a sale is made, but don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to squeeze every dollar out of your first interaction with a customer. In Cian’s words, “A customer is only a customer if they buy from you a second time.” When a customer buys from you initially, they are dipping their toe into the water to see what working with you is like. Depending on how you perform in that first engagement, that buyer may or may not give you another opportunity. Cian suggests you not try to squeeze every dollar out of your initial interaction. Take the smaller order and do a bang-up job with it. When you do, you have earned the right to larger deals because you've established trust. Again, in Cian's words, “Once you’re inside the tent, all sorts of amazing things can happen.” So do your best on that first engagement to make the buyer comfortable with inviting you into their circle of partners. Outline of This Episode [1:30] Cian’s work with Trinity: Helping B2B organizations know why they win and lose [4:00] The things that influence a buyer’s buying decision [11:39] Why you need to tailor your presentations to your buyers [16:45] Why don’t more B2B companies analyze wins and losses? [21:40] What does it take to analyze sales wins and losses? [32:04] Alleviate stress for the sales team: analyze your wins and losses [39:35] It’s important to focus on the “professional” in the term “sales professional” Resources Mentioned Cian’s company: Trinity Perspectives: https://www.trinityperspectives.com.au/ Cian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cianmcloughlin/ Cian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrinityPerspect BOOK: Rebirth of a Salesman: http://a.co/d/ckPZwcL Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts For the first time EVER on #SellingWithSocial, I have two guests on the same episode, both co-founders of Vendor Neutral and experts in sales tech stack tools. Dan Cilley and Nancy Nardin know how difficult the sales environment can be, especially when searching for the right sales tools and technology for your company. On this episode they explain why financial investment is required in order to build the right kind of sales tech stack and how you can build yours on only 4 pillars. They also walk you through the process of identifying which tools you should invest in and how to get measurable ROIs on the technology your salespeople are already using. It’s an episode you can’t afford to miss, so be sure to listen. Why There Is No Such Thing As A Budget-Conscious Tech Stack In the modern selling environment digital tools are essential for business growth and workplace efficiency… and they don’t come at a low cost. Dan and Nancy’s team recently conducted a survey n the sales environment because they wanted to know how much an average salesperson’s tools costs per month. They found that the average amount spent on sales tech per user is $129 per month. To get the results needed, Nancy encourages sales leaders to plan on budgeting EVEN MORE money per user, especially in larger companies. Why? Because at the end of the day, sales tech is all about helping a salesperson understand their buyers better, which translates into more sales. That means that though their understanding comes at a price, the investment will pay off. An Effective And Utilized Sales Tech Stack is Built on These 4 Pillars Once you consider how much money you can budget for technology, you’ve got to take the next step: determine which tools need to be part of your sales tech stack. In making that decision , it’s easy for sales leaders to get distracted by the “next best thing.” You need to avoid that by sticking with the basics first by establishing your sales tech stack along 4 basic areas of need - and when you do, your ability to track, manage, and generate leads will grow exponentially. Here are the 4 pillars of a good sales stack: CRM Online meetings E-signatures Lead database How Should Sales Leaders Decide on Which Sales Tech Stack Tools to Use? There are currently 500 to 700 sales tools that fall into these 4 pillars of technology plus dozens of other subcategories. How do you know which ones to use? It should not be a process where you make assumptions about what your priorities should be - it should be more of a strategic process. You’ve got to focus on your “capability gaps,” then prioritize those gaps in order of importance. Then you can match those determinations to the different technology types available. To help you make the right decisions along those lines, Nancy’s team at Smart Selling Tools developed an infographic that categorizes each type of tool. Check out their list and evaluate them in light of your prioritization. You want to find tools that directly and simply address those issues so that you’re not wasting money on bells and whistles that you won’t use or won’t move you forward. In other words, you want to determine which vendors map their capabilities to your capability gaps, specifically. Does YOUR Sales Tech Stack Provide Measurable ROIs? Here’s How To Know Purchasing new tools and training your salespeople is only worthwhile if you are able to measure the ROI on the investment. Dan explains that if you work to align company sales goals with employee behavior, letting team members know what your goals are and why they exist, they will better understand why they need the particular tools you’ve selected for your sales tech stack. Here’s a simple but powerful tip that has worked for me when determining the ROI on any tech tool. It’s based on the need to track what tools in the stack are actually being used - which tools the sales reps believe are of value. The way we did that was to include required fields in our tracking software that required sales reps to disclose which tools they used to open the opportunity and which tools they used to close deals. Simultaneously, we informed the sales team why we were requiring the field - showing them that once we are able to assess the effectiveness and value of each of the tools, we’ll remove the ones they don’t use or need and invest more in the ones they do use. Within six months we discovered that a tool that cost over 6 figures annually was only bringing in $1100 into the pipeline! And we didn’t get even one complaint about the removal of that tool from our sales tech stack. For more actionable advice on sales tech stack tools, be sure to give this podcast episode your full attention. Outline of This Episode [1:04] Why Dan and Nancy are on the show - together! [4:05] The new A.I. Bot Vengreso has created [10:37] The 4 pillars of a great sales stack [15:50] Interesting data about how sales reps feel about their tech stack [21:17] What is the process to properly evaluate a sales tech stack buying decision? [24:02] Suggestions on determining ROI for sales tech [34:06] How do you get groups to align over goals and tools? [38:00] What tools should individual sales reps consider getting on their own? Resources Mentioned Connect with Nancy on LinkedIn Connect with Dan on LinkedIn Follow Vendor Neutral on LinkedIn Follow Nancy & Smart Selling Tools on Twitter: @sellingtools Follow Vendor Neutral on Twitter: @Vendor_Neutral Vendor Neutral website Smart Selling Tools website 2018 SalesTech Landscape infographic TOOL: Conversica TOOL: SmartCloud Connect TOOL: Cirrus Insight TOOL: Seamless.ai TOOL: DiscoverOrg TOOL: OneMob TOOL: LinkedIn Sales Navigator TOOL: Narrow TOOL: Grammarly TOOL: Smart Cloud Connect TOOL: eSignatures Dan’s all-time favorite movie, Schindler’s List Nancy’s all-time favorite movie, Broadcast News Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Being the host of a podcast named #SellingWithSocial, you would not be surprised know that social selling trends are a top of radar issue for me. I try to keep myself informed about the social media changes that are happening so I can equip my clients and podcast listeners to get more from their social selling efforts. That’s one of the main reasons I asked Rand Fishkin to be my guest on this episode. Rand is an expert at SEO and social media can speak directly to the things happening on the major social platforms that impact sales best-practices. On this episode, Rand explains some of the changes that have happened - and he does so in ways you won’t hear anywhere else. Take notes! He provides very practical tips for making the most of the social sales trends that are happening right now. Salespeople Are CEOs of Their Own Territory and Accounts One of the things I love about Rand’s story is that he’s open about the victories AND the mistakes he’s made along the way. His role as co-founder of MOZ and his present role as founder of SparkToro provide him with many leadership experiences that can be of help to those in sales. In my mind, his journey is similar to that of an ambitious and successful salesperson. Here's what I mean: Just like Rand had to take charge of the growth and direction of his company, sales professionals have to do the exact same thing in relation to their sales territory and accounts. I asked Rand about the similarities he sees between his approach as CEO and the approach sales reps should have to their territories and accounts and he did NOT disappoint. You’ll want to hear what he has to say. Your Success in Sales Just Might Come From Doing Less, Better Rand’s new book, “Lost and Founder” definitely lives up to its subtitle, “A Painfully Honest Field Guide To The Startup World.” Rand shares authentically about what it’s like to be a startup founder, including how issues like depression, exhaustion, and fatigue are very real things most leaders of fast-growing companies face. When I asked Rand about the things he's learned from his own battles with those things he said that sometimes - in order to be successful - we have to learn to do less, better. In this conversation, he explains what he means by that and what sleep, focus, and specialization have to do with it. If you find yourself burning the candle at both ends, you need to hear his advice. Current Social Sales Trends Demand a Different Approach One of the biggest hot-button issues in the social media world lately is the changes Facebook has made to its algorithm - and the reasons behind it. Facebook's desire to encourage more personal engagement has automatically made it harder for sales-oriented materials and off-platform links to be prominent. During our conversation, Rand pointed out that LinkedIn made adjustments along this line as well, elevating things like native video and longer-form text posts rather than links to external sites. That means our old practices of pointing people to resources on our website aren’t getting eyes on them like they used to - so we need to learn a new approach. One of the most valuable pieces of advice Rand gives for salespeople on this episode centers around this topic. If you apply his advice well it can elevate your social selling performance dramatically. Don’t miss it. Are There Alternative Communities in Your Industry You Need To Explore? It IS important to stay on top of the social sales trends that are shaping the way we are able to effectively interact with customers via social media. But Rand points out that a narrow focus ONLY on the primary social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, etc.) will keep you from engaging with prospects in the places where the REAL conversations are going on. He mentions industry websites, forums, and comment sections on blog posts where conversation around industry-specific topics are happening as places YOU could make connections, offer insights, and become a trusted resource to those who are asking the questions you can solve. Listen to discover new ways to engage with buyers in these kinds of undiscovered places online. Outline of This Episode [1:00] Rand Fishkin’s claim to fame and why he’s on this episode of the show [7:00] “A Painfully Honest Field Guide To The Startup World” [11:20] Differences between the MOZ journey and what Rand is doing with SparkToro [15:52] Rand’s secret to scaling for success: focus [19:21] Ups and downs of leadership and the personal disciplines that create more ups [25:10] Why you need to learn to do less, better [33:25] The new trends Rand sees taking place that impact sales organizations [36:05] EXAMPLE: LinkedIn requires a new level of sales engagement savvy [43:20] Your website is still most important: but you have to get beyond the common social networks Resources Mentioned Follow Rand on Twitter Connect with Rand on LinkedIn SparkToro (Rand’s new business) The Open Source documents of how SparkToro funded MOZ Email Rand David Meerman Scott BOOK: “Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World” Rand’s all-time favorite movie, “Ratatouille” Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts  

 As the Head of Global Sales Enablement at Vonage, Paul Butterfield is an expert on sales enablement strategy tips and tricks. He’s my guest for this episode of #SellingWithSocial and he explains how you can use 3 main pillars within sales enablement to increase performance and land more deals with your target clients. We also discuss why departmental alignment should be one of the ultimate goals for your sales enablement team, how you can differentiate your strategy from your competition, and how to capture, track, and sell influential success stories. If you’re a sales enablement leader then you can’t afford to miss Paul’s insights - listen now! A Great Sales Enablement Strategy Starts With These 3 Pillars Paul explains that the goal of a sales enablement strategy is to help salespeople reach more modern buyers and close more sales. His personal enablement philosophy rests on 3 main pillars and that by providing these 3 main components to your team, they will be better prepared for selling success. The first pillar is tools. Without effective tools, sales people aren’t able to work efficiently. The second pillar rests on a standardized methodology/process for sales. Having a distinct process for handling executive-level sales conversations allows your sales team to have a secure foundation of talking points to stand on. Finally, selling skills make up the third pillar of a great sales enablement strategy. As an enablement leader, you must take on the responsibility of training and educating members of your sales team at every step of their selling career. Paul explains these 3 pillars in greater depth on this episode, so be sure to listen. Departmental Alignment is the Ultimate Goal and Function of Sales Enablement The vast majority of companies are still experiencing a disconnect between various departments. To combat this disconnect and improve productivity, Paul encourages company leadership to make departmental alignment one of the core goals for their sales enablement strategy. If your company’s product development, marketing, operations, and sales teams are not working towards common goals, you’ll never reach your full potential. The alignment process starts with YOU, the leader developing the overall sales enablement strategy. Paul explains that it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming process - it can start with a simple one-on-one conversation with each department’s leader. Begin the conversation by explaining your current sales enablement process, and outline how each department can take steps towards eliminating points of confusion within the process. To hear more on this essential tip, give this episode your full attention. Your Enablement Strategy Should Differentiate YOUR Company From the Competition Pillar #3 of a great sales enablement strategy, the skills your salespeople have, is only successful if it’s based on differentiation. You must ask yourself, “How do our sales conversations convince clients that we are the best solution to their problem?” Paul has designed a program that’s built solely on differentiation tactics. The #1 reason why sales contracts aren’t finalized isn’t because of a competitor, it’s because the buyer simply never made a decision! To perfect your differentiation strategy and convince a buyer you’re the best solution, Paul encourages enablement leaders to include the following points in any executive-level conversation playbook: Talk to the client about the problem their company is experiencing Discuss your product/service as a verb, not a noun Uncover measurable business goals for the company Help the client create a vision of a better future (that your product/service would help them to achieve) Build a common ground by sharing industry expertise and insights Capturing, Tracking, and Selling Success Stories is Extremely Effective - Here’s Why Capturing, tracking, and highlighting your company’s success stories is an effective way to drive better sales results. Your salespeople need to understand what problems the company has solved for previous customers and exactly WHY they chose to purchase a solution from your company. It’s been shown that people (buyers included) are automatically more intrigued by a story than basic facts and figures. If your sales enablement team can share success stories in a relatable way, it’s yet another tool to add to the playbook when speaking with buyer executives. For even more great insights, be sure to listen to Paul’s interview. Outline of This Episode [1:07] Get to know Paul Butterfield and how he got started in sales enablement [7:48] Paul explains his personal sales enablement philosophy and what sales leaders need to provide to their team [14:10] How can you align all of the departments within your company? [18:32] Paul’s expert framework for creating alignment for sales departments and reps [24:47] Great sales is all about differentiating YOUR sales company from the competition [30:15] Paul’s differentiation process as viewed through the Vengreso lens [35:03] Industry knowledge is essential for effective sales representatives [39:37] Sales enablement leaders need to capture, track, and sell success stories Resources Mentioned Connect with Paul on LinkedIn Follow Paul on Twitter About Vonage Paul’s all-time favorite movie, “Braveheart” Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

  On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Connor Dube and I explain the critical importance of leveraging effective sales content. Connor is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Active Blogs, and he’s been involved in sales and marketing from a very young age. His insights reach far beyond his millennial years, and you don’t want to miss hearing his stories. He understands the relationship needed between marketing and sales departments like few others do, and he shares the top 3 pillars your content marketing needs to be built on in order for it to be successful. Be sure to give this episode your full attention! Leveraging Sales Content is Essential, No Matter Your Company Size Leveraging sales content is one of the best strategies any company or salesperson can leverage to drive engagement. Content should play a massive role in the life of a modern salesperson because it’s a key feature that fuels sales conversations. Buying processes are getting longer and companies employ multiple decision makers that are more informed than ever before. Providing content to prospects allows them to build a trusting relationship with your company, even before they speak to a sales rep. Connor explains that marketing and sales departments must work together to create sales content that sends the right message at the right time. He says, “They have to be married together because the salespeople are going to win by being able to provide the right types of insights to marketing, and marketing being able to regurgitate that into usable content.” Follow this 80/20 Rule for the 3 Pillars of Sales Content From his time managing and training sales teams, Connor has identified 3 main pillars that sales content falls into. Here they are. Educational content Entertaining content Actionable content Content marketers and salespeople run into trouble when they start devoting 80% of their content to the actionable pillar. Instead, Connor recommends that only 20% of your content is actionable while 80% is split between the first two pillars. Sales is relational, and educational/entertaining content builds a relationship with a prospect. For the full story behind these 3 pillars and how they can help you improve your sales content game, give this episode your full attention. Be Persistent! Developing a Following for Your Content Takes Time, but There is a Trick We have never lived in a better world for using content marketing for sales. But in order to capture the attention of an audience that’s constantly bombarded by noise, you have to approach content marketing in the right way. Have you considered using LinkedIn native video? It’s one of the best ways to reach new audiences on the platform, and there are a few simple tricks you can follow to make your posts reach even further. When creating a video, make sure you do the following: Leverage your existing written content into a video message Keep the video under 60 seconds Share your brand and personality And most importantly, don’t get discouraged if your posts aren’t receiving the amount of engagement you’d like. Connor is adamant about the belief that “consistency is key.” Creating a great cache of online content takes time, but it’s 100% worth the investment. What if Your Company Doesn’t Produce Content? Use These Strategies Connor and I both understand and believe in the power of using content marketing for sales. But what is a salesperson supposed to do if their company doesn’t produce content? Connor explains that there are a few different areas to look at when searching for content. Consider recent industry research, market trends, etc. If you start by reverse engineering what types of content will provide the most value for your prospects, you’ll discover finding and developing sales content is much easier than you think. For the full story behind why content marketing can change the way you approach sales, don’t miss this episode. Outline of This Episode [1:04] Connor understands marketing and sales like few other millennials do [11:30] Leveraging sales content is essential, no matter the size of your company [18:58] Your content marketing should fall into one of these 3 pillars [20:45] This video marketing strategy will improve your visibility on LinkedIn [27:39] We’ve never lived in a better time for content marketing [30:55] A personalized prospecting script will help you secure better connections [33:40] What if your company isn’t involved in developing content for marketing? Resources Mentioned Connect with Connor on LinkedIn Follow Connor on Instagram: @Connor_Dube Podcast: Mile High Mentors #VengresoVids on LinkedIn Renewal by Andersen windows Connor’s all-time favorite movie, “Avengers: Infinity War” Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts My guest for this episode of #SellingWithSocial is our very own modern sales expert, Kurt Shaver. Kurt is a co-founder and Chief Sales Officer of Vengreso. Throughout this podcast, he shares 3 main techniques that every sales leader needs to stay on top of in order to bring in more qualified leads and achieve better success in the B2B environment. His insights may change the way you view modern selling forever - be sure to listen. What Does it Mean to be a Modern Sales Leader? The key idea for modern sales leaders to understand is that they have to be adaptable. The modern selling environment is constantly shifting, and leaders must be able to help their teams meet their customers where they’re at. As a leader, you must also be skilled at helping your team engage clients with the content your company creates. For the full discussion on what it takes to be a modern leader, don’t miss this episode. #1 - Stories Still Sell, You Simply Have to Share Them in New Ways One of the best ways modern sales professionals can add value to a buyer’s purchase journey is through sharing impactful content. Content that educates, inspires, and encourages people to action is still one of the greatest tools you have at your disposal. The internet has simply changed the way buyers find, learn and engage with content. It has shifted the power of accessing information about pricing, methodology, products and services into the hands of the buyer. The modern sales leader must understand that buyers are accessing this information on their own, most often before talking to a salesperson. The leader then must determine how they can enable their teams to reach these customers earlier on in their decision-making process. By working closely with their teams, a leader can greatly impact the way customers receive information about a company. #2 - The Modern Sales Leader Needs to Sell in Order to Teach and Train The entire selling department within your company must be a modern selling environment because simply having a modern leader is not enough. A leader needs to have a great team underneath them in order to be most effective. In order to teach and train a team to be modern professionals, the sales leader himself must stay abreast of B2B selling trends, tools, and best practices. If your title has the word “sales” in it at all, then you MUST be bringing in at least one qualified lead into your pipeline per month. Without the regular practice of actually selling to modern buyers, you’ll lose the ability to connect with your team and help them achieve greater success. Leaders also need to be open to change and be passionately curious about new ways of selling. Becoming familiar with the tools your company uses, studying tech trends, and brushing up on your coaching skills are all essential techniques. #3 - Updating Your Social Platforms is Essential to Hiring Top Talent When looking for new top talent, modern sales leaders need to understand that just as YOU are examining a prospective employee’s resume and LinkedIn profile, THEY are also looking right back at you. A prospective hire can control who they work for and which company they work for when searching for a new job, and they are looking to your online profiles to answer these 3 questions. Can you (the leader) help me get where I want to go? Will I fit in with the company culture? Are my superiors’ leadership styles and personalities going to fit with my own? Kurt explains hiring in this way, “If you’re a company looking for talent, you’re in a selling role!” Not only do your company’s profiles need to be optimized to attract top talent, your individual profiles need to address the answers to these 3 questions. If they look at your profile and can understand who you are, what you do, and how you can help them, they will be even more likely to accept a position with your company vs your competition. Kurt explains in great detail how leaders can refine their hiring process on this episode, and you don’t want to miss it. Outline of This Episode [1:03] Kurt explains his career in sales and how he got involved in Vengreso [5:27] What is a modern sales leader? [8:50] Sharing impactful content is still critical to selling success - only the delivery method has shifted [17:45] The modern seller also requires a modern manager and leader [23:40] The candidate is in control when searching for a sales job [29:22] How can a leader improve their status on LinkedIn? Resources Mentioned Kurt’s profile on the Vengreso website Follow Kurt on Twitter: @KurtShaver HubSpot sales blog TOOL: OneMob video TOOL: Seamless.ai TOOL: Conversica Kurt’s all-time favorite movie, “The Wizard of Oz” Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Modern sales leaders make or break the success of a business. That’s why on this episode of #SellingWithSocial I interview Carson Heady, author of “Birth of a Salesman” and a Corporate Territory Manager for Microsoft. He understands the challenges a modern sales leader faces, and on this episode, he shares 4 main guidelines every sales leader should follow for ultimate selling success. We discuss everything from making CRM data work for YOU to setting personal selling goals to stay on top of the evolving world of selling. This episode will give you actionable items to follow if you want to understand modern sales in new ways, and it should not be missed. Listen now! Turn Your CRM Data Into Leverageable Insights The best modern sales leaders understand that a CRM is useless for selling professionals unless it provides real insights and reports. When used correctly, a CRM can provide invaluable data on your company's targets, workforce, and pipelines. It can allow you to identify which metrics are slipping and create action plans to solve the issues before they balloon into massive selling problems. Carson explains that the number 1 metric all modern sales leaders need to understand is the conversion rates, or batting averages, for each one of their sales reps. This number tells you how successful a rep is in making the final sale, and having this dashboard set up in your CRM system will allow you to help your team become better at selling. Without leverageable insights into these rates, you’re letting valuable opportunities pass by. Connect to Prospects Through Personalized Social Media Interactions Sales interactions goes beyond simply sharing posts on social networks. In fact, Kurt Shaver our CSO discusses this on a recent podcast on successful modern seller skills which are required for today’s modern sales rep. Sales leaders today need to be leveraging social media platforms to make authentic, real connections with prospects. The opportunities to build a great brand reputation, find prospects, and connect with other sales professionals are limitless. One of the best strategies that Carson shares is sending personalized content to connections within your network, with a personalized message. Combining relevant resources with a personal touch allows you to rise above your competition and transform into the modern sales leader that the modern buyer requires. Set Personal Selling Goals to Bring Deals to the Table Even sales leaders need to continually bring deals to the table in order to stay connected with the modern selling environment. The best way to understand current techniques, tools and approaches that actually work is to go out and make cold calls, engage on social, send a video message or send a cold prospect an email. Modern sales leaders should set a goal for themselves every month and every quarter to bring in one new lead per month. Doing so will keep your skills sharp as to what is working and what is not. Carson explains that modern sales leadership is all about connecting with prospects. For more insights on how to keep selling to stay sharp, don’t miss this episode. Modern Sales Leaders Evolve With the Way Modern Prospects are Buying The most versatile way to stay on top of their sales game is to always be adapting. To understand the shifting audience, modern sales leaders need to be listening to the industry trends and speaking with other professionals. Being agile, flexible, intuitive, and unique are all keys to selling successfully. Carson also encourages all sales leaders to not only be great at selling on their own but also be able to teach and train their sales team in effective ways. You can’t afford to miss these insights and even more guidelines, all on this episode. Check it out! Outline of This Episode [1:02] Carson Heady introduces himself on this episode of Selling With Social [5:06] Carson explains the keys to being a great modern sales leader [9:20] Modern sales leaders need to bring deals to the table [14:53] Learning to leverage social media in modern selling environments [20:38] Perfecting the work/life balance as a sales leader [22:55] The top 3 tools every modern sales leader needs to be using [24:45] You need to know THIS piece of data in your CRM [32:40] Modern sellers evolve with the way modern prospects are buying Resources Mentioned Follow Carson on LinkedIn Follow Carson on Twitter: @CVHeady007 BOOK: “Birth of a Salesman (The Salesman Against the World)” Carson’s all-time favorite movie, “Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade” TOOL: Grammarly TOOL: Crystal Knows TOOL: Seamless.ai Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts For the first time ever on #SellingWithSocial, we have our guest Byron Matthews back for a second conversation, where he explains the top 4 sales enablement strategies sellers need to use to be successful in the future. Byron serves as the CEO for the Miller Heiman Group, an industry leader for providing business performance solutions, and his insights should not be missed. On episode 72, Byron shared his strategies for empowering a world-class sales force with the right sales enablement framework. On this episode, we discuss a new piece of comprehensive sales enablement technology that seeks to eliminate gaps in data and CRM systems. He encourages all sales professionals to discover why the seller profile of the future is shifting, as well as why using a talent acquisition strategy will bring top talent to your sales team. The idea of connecting with prospects through sharing inspirational content is also discussed. For all the details, don’t miss this episode. Strategy #1 - Inspire Prospects Through Sharing Content Sales pitches can no longer be solely informational, they have to become an inspirational tool that will help convince an already interested and knowledgeable prospect. Byron is adamant that solution selling isn’t dead, it’s just evolving. Simply identifying a prospect’s needs won’t close the deal anymore. You have to challenge them in their thinking! You have to educate them and make them think about solutions in new ways. Bringing a new perspective to the table through inspirational content is one way to connect on a deeper level with your prospect. To hear Byron’s full explanation behind why sellers need to be inspirational, don’t miss this episode. Strategy #2 - Sales Enablement Strategies Start with Acquiring Top Talent Without the best talent on your team, you’ll never be able to implement great sales enablement strategies. That’s why creating a talent acquisition strategy should be a top priority for sales leaders. Byron explains that to give your business the best chance for success in hiring top talent, follow these 3 guidelines. Understand what qualities you’re looking for in an applicant Build an assessment tool that evaluates and measures those qualities Analyze every person who walks through the door against that tool You can teach new hires skills. But you cannot change the raw qualities and talent they bring to the table. This method of finding talent is a sales enablement strategy that weeds out those who will not fit into the position and shines a light on the people who could change your business forever. Strategy #3 - Understand the Importance of Both Emotional and Cognitive Intelligence Perhaps one of the best sales enablement strategies is having a highly qualified, passionate sales representative. The best sellers have to balance cognitive thinking with people skills. Sales reps can no longer just rely on their ability to tell a good story and connect with a prospect. Sophisticated sales enablement technology is becoming indispensable in the selling industry, and sellers must be able to handle complex levels of workflow. Understanding data, inspiring prospects, and connecting multiple layers of a sales pitch are all in a day’s work for future sellers. Strategy #4 - Comprehensive Tech Stack Tools = Better Connections with Prospects The average sales company today has 4 sales enablement tools in their tech stack. But the wave of the selling future depends on single tools that combine multiple functions into one easy-to-use platform. These comprehensive tools need to be able to aggregate research, videos, and articles then pair it with CRM data to give sellers the right information at the right time, that they can share with prospects. That’s what the new Scout tool from Miller Heiman Group is seeking to do. By being able to provide prospects with information that eases their mind during the purchase journey, a sales company can build even stronger bonds and increase their chances of winning a deal. All these insights and more are on this podcast episode, so be sure to give it your full attention. Outline of This Episode [1:05] Byron Matthews is back for a second conversation, and explains why he lives and breathes for sales [6:02] What does the seller of the future look like? [13:40] How can you use a talent acquisition strategy to profile a seller of the future? [21:46] The role tech plays in sales enablement Resources Mentioned Connect with Byron on LinkedIn Follow Miller Heiman Group on Twitter: @MillerHeiman Follow Miller Heiman Group on Facebook Miller Heiman Group website Ep 72, “Empower a World-Class Sales Force With the Right Sales Enablement Framework, with Byron Matthews” TOOL: Conversica TOOL: Scout Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Few professionals are as knowledgeable in sales leadership as Rana Salman, Principal of Salman Consulting LLC. She’s my guest for this episode of #SellingWithSocial, and she shares the 4 best tips for sales leadership. We discuss why having exceptional customer service skills, passion, and self-awareness are critical components in the social selling business. She also encourages sales leaders to frame their sales calls in a logical way and diversify their teams. If you want to up your sales leadership game and discover entirely new levels of selling success, don’t miss this episode. Listen now! Tip #1 - Have the BEST Customer Service Skills Rana explains that “You don’t need to have the best technology. You DO need to have the best customer experience.” Understanding prospects as human beings and having authentic, 2-way sales conversations are fundamental steps in landing contracts. If you sell to people, not accounts, you’ll grow your sales leadership skills exponentially. Rana also encourages marketers and salespeople alike to be engaged with a prospect through every step of the process, even after it passes through your designated area. Sending thoughtful follow-up notes, checking in during important milestones, and asking questions will keep your relationships with your customers strong. Tip #2 - Use This Structure for Framing Your Sales Call Questions If you have a title involving “sales,” you need to be actively selling and bringing in a lead every single month. Simple crossing the threshold into sales leadership positions doesn’t mean you can forget how to actually sell and represent your brand. Rana and I share 6 main steps to follow when proposing questions in a sales call. Here they are. Understand the company Understand the team Understand how they sell today (and what are the results) What are the competitive differentiators? What’s their philosophy on sales training? What’s their budget? Questions posed in this manner will build trust and relatability with your prospect. It’ll help the conversation flow naturally and you’ll be more prepared to actively listen to their responses. For more Tip #3 - Diversify Your Sales Team and Value Your People Great sales leaders hire with diversity in mind. I’ve talked about this on past shows how sales leaders need to be focused on diversity. However, diversity goes beyond basic demographics. Serving within a sales leadership role is improved when you have a team of people who challenge you and ask the tough questions. That’s when true innovation and stellar performance flourish. Rana also encourages listeners to hire for talent, not necessarily for industry experience. If you find a potential employee with passion and the ability to connect with people, they will take your company far. Tip #4 - Don’t Neglect Self-Awareness - it’s Critical for Successful Sales Leadership One of the most neglected areas of sales leadership development is self-awareness. Understanding yourself, your emotions, and your personality characteristics are tied to career success and financial stability. It’s also a needed component in emotional intelligence. Optimizing your strengths, reflecting and observing, being mindful, and refining your active-listening skills are all ways to improve your level of self-awareness. Being aware of and working through your weaknesses is also needed in sales leadership positions. You can listen to my growth story on the road to becoming an effective team sales leader. For the full story behind these 4 tips, and many more, don’t miss this podcast episode. Outline of This Episode [1:02] Rana is an expert in sales leadership, and she’s my guest for this episode [4:35] Refine your customer service skills by using these techniques [9:12] The importance of staying involved during the account handoff stage [15:40] Here’s how to structure your sales questions for ultimate success [19:17] Diversify your sales team and care about your people [25:54] Why self-awareness is so critical for sales leaders Resources Mentioned Connect with Rana on LinkedIn Follow Rana and Salman Consulting on Twitter: @SalmanConsult Salman Consulting website Email Rana RESEARCH: Gong.io study, “Does it Make Sense to Say ‘Does That Make Sense?’ On a Sales Call” BLOG: “Top Tips from a Sales Leader! Getting REAL!” Rana’s favorite movie: UP Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Viveka von Rosen, Vengreso’s co-founder and Chief Visibility Officer, is back for an insightful second conversation about selling with video and the importance of using LinkedIn native video. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Viveka shares her greatest tips on creating, posting, and sharing video content with buyers and on LinkedIn that will solicit a response from your prospect and help your brand gain traction on social media. We explain the idea behind thinking like a marketer but acting like a salesperson, as well as how to use hashtag’s on social media when selling with video. To hear the first part of this conversation, be sure to listen to episode 75. This interview is filled with educational insights that you can’t afford to miss - listen now! Selling with Video is Massively Popular & Effective - Why? Incorporating video into your sales strategies allows you to build a high level of trust and authenticity with your audience. However, selling with video MUST go beyond simple product demos. Truly great video content outlines the problem a prospect faces and demonstrates, in an engaging way, why YOUR company can offer the best solution. Using LinkedIn as a platform for your sales videos makes sense because its algorithms favor native video content (videos that are uploaded directly to the site, NOT video links that are shared from YouTube or other social media platforms.) LinkedIn is also the only social media platform that accepts 4k video and larger file sizes. To hear all about why selling with video on LinkedIn is changing the way salespeople are creating more conversations with their buyers, don’t miss this episode. The BEST Content Ideas for Selling with Video How can you develop great content ideas for your sales videos? Start with looking at what’s already working well for your company. Customer testimonials, product how-tos, expert Q & As, etc., are all great ideas for sales videos that can expose your network of buyers to the heart of how you can help them solve their business problem(s). Videos between 90 seconds and 3 minutes are ideal with the sweet spot being 60 seconds. Here are some ideas on how you can Vlog Like a Boss. Planning ahead is also one of the most effective ways to start selling with video. Rather than rushing through video production at the last minute and posting haphazardly, plan out your what you want to say in bit size messages and then create the schedule. You can create tailored videos around important company events, product launches, weekly or monthly newsletters, or just play off some of your organizations existing blog articles. etc. You’ll be amazed at how creative your sales videos can become with prior planning. Use These Strategies for Successful Engagement on LinkedIn To drive engagement you may want to create a social amplification LinkedIn “pods” by having a group of individuals start out your post with a like, comment, share, and view. It’s easy to start one, just bring a group of similar folks together within your company or those outside your organization. The first hour after posting is critical for your LinkedIn video to gain the right type of viral traction. You should also study which hashtags your community is already using and use those to tag your videos appropriately. Just make sure you balance your hashtag count with your overall character count - you don’t want your tags to overpower the entire post. You can even share a LinkedIn sales video through email, in Facebook groups, and on Twitter. Don’t be afraid to branch out and share it on other platforms, as long as users are directed back to the original video. Viveka also encourages you to bookmark your LinkedIn video link in your browser or in a common online space so that they can be easily shared and engaged with in the future. Additionally, add a custom Hashtag to keep track of your content. Check out #VengresoVids to get some ideas of how you can track your video content. These tips and more are all on this podcast episode, be sure to give it your full attention! Why You Should Think Like a Marketer, but Act Like a Salesperson As a sales professional, YOU are on the front lines of your company. Not the marketing department. But bridging the gap between the two departments is critical to selling success. The modern buyer doesn’t want to be “sold to” but they do want to be educated. They also want to form relationships with people who can secure the best solutions to their problems. The modern salesperson who thinks like a marketer needs to focus on these areas to be successful: Hone in on your EXACT prospect Turn each engagement into a conversation Educate the potential buyer Position yourself as a trusted advisor Always drive your buyer to a call to action These techniques can be condensed into a series of sales video posts that encourage your buyers to engage with you as a result of your videos. If you connect with prospects in a memorable way, they’re more likely to continue to connect with your brand online. This episode is full of insights on selling with video that you can’t afford to miss. Listen now! Outline of This Episode [1:01] Part 2 of my conversation with Viveka von Rosen revolves around LinkedIn video [6:42] Why you should think like a marketer, but act like a salesperson [22:30] Why is video, and LinkedIn video, so effective? [29:00] Best strategies for posting native video to LinkedIn [33:45] Where should you share native LinkedIn video? [39:19] Viveka walks you through the sharing process for LinkedIn videos [42:53] The pros and cons of the LinkedIn hashtag community strategy Resources Mentioned Viveka’s Vengreso webpage Connect with Viveka on LinkedIn Follow Viveka on Twitter: @LinkedInExpert Follow Viveka on Facebook #VengresoVids on LinkedIn Episode 75, “How To Leverage Video For Sales, Authority, And Trust, With Viveka Von Rosen” VIDEO: “The 15 Minute Meeting Request Rule” PODCAST: “Unlocking The Nuance To LinkedIn With Mario Martinez Jr” ARTICLE: “How to Write Powerful Cold Emails That Actually Get Replies” ARTICLE: “Ride the Hashtag. Don’t Create It.” OneMob tool Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts Viveka von Rosen is Vengreso’s co-founder, Chief Visibility Officer, and THE expert on using video for sales. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial she explains why using video for sales will launch you past your competition and how you can build brand trust through videos. We also offer practical tips that will help you craft better video marketing tools for your business. It’s an episode filled with insights that you can’t afford to miss, so be sure to listen! Using Video for Sales is Critical for Ultimate Selling Success - Here’s Why 75% of executives watch business-related online videos every week - and they share it with countless colleagues. Using video for sales works because it communicates the authenticity of your brand. Video builds credibility, and videos shared on LinkedIn receive 10x more exposure and shares than any other type of post. If you’re not using video for sales, you’re falling behind your competition. For more insights on why using video for sales is the best marketing strategy available, be sure to listen to this episode. A Great Sales Video Should Include These 4 Components A great video for sales isn’t just a scripted advertisement. It’s a carefully crafted marketing tool that will lead to more brand exposure and a greater sense of trust with your market. I share 4 main components every video for sales should include on this episode. Here they are. Warm, personal greeting (and closing) Identification of the problem your customer faces Explanation of additional resources available to them to solve the problem A call to action that pairs a solution with your company and theirs You NEED to Combine Landing Pages with Video Marketing Tools After you decide to use video for sales, the next step is to start pairing landing pages with your videos. These landing pages become resources that executives will share with their colleagues, and you can watch your views and click rates skyrocket. A great video landing page includes additional resources that pair with the video, clickable call to actions, your contact information and your company’s social media platforms. Solutions like OneMob exist to help you build these pages, so there’s no reason not to be using video in sales. To hear the full story behind landing pages and how they can drive the success of your sales videos, be sure to listen. These Top 5 Tips Will Result in Better Sales Videos Viveka wants every salesperson to know that you should never let fear keep you from closing the biggest deals of your life. You should never be afraid of being on camera because all your customers want is YOU being authentic and relatable. She shares 5 practical tips you can follow to record better sales videos: Look straight at the camera lens Use the correct camera angle Masterfully use gestures (if you feel like you’re over-gesturing, you’re using the right amount) Sit with correct posture and use your entire face for emotions Know your audience and dress accordingly Keep your videos short, keep them honest, and you’ll succeed in using video for sales. For even more great insights, be sure to listen to this episode. Outline of This Episode [1:05] My guest for this episode of Selling With Social is Viveka Von Rosen [8:18] Why is video becoming so popular? [13:45] Don’t be nervous about using video, use these tools! [16:00] What is video marketing for marketing, compared to video marketing for sales? [19:50] Why you should combine landing pages with your video marketing tools [26:57] The best tips for recording marketing video content [36:53] Don’t opt out of using video for sales because of fear [40:15] Viveka on LinkedIn video, and her next conversation with Mario on Selling With Social Resources Mentioned Viveka’s Vengreso webpage Connect with Viveka on LinkedIn Follow Viveka on Twitter: @LinkedInExpert Follow Viveka on Facebook #VengresoVids on LinkedIn OneMob tool Zoom tool Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Google Podcasts

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Sales AI is changing the way entrepreneurs and salespeople do business in the 21st-century. Brandon Bornancin, founder and CEO of Seamless.ai has created a powerful tool for business people that allows them to connect more efficiently with prospective customers. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, we discuss how he went from employee to entrepreneur and why he had to become his own investor. Brandon also shares top-level insights into how to succeed in business and sales - you can’t afford to miss this conversation. THIS is Why a Purpose-Driven Mindset and Sales AI Change the Way You Do Business Brandon believes every entrepreneur and salesperson needs to adopt a “Me, Inc.” mindset. Closing deals becomes even sweeter when you view every contract through a mindset of personal benefit. Consider the question, “How will the work I'm doing right now impact my development as a professional and leader?” You can take this mindset even further by understanding how every sale improves the lives of your coworkers and the entire company. If you utilize cutting-edge sales AI technology, you can streamline the process of finding the optimal clients to pursue. Combining a purpose-driven mindset with sales AI creates an unbeatable method for sales success. You NEED to hear these details. Don’t miss the full story on this episode. Success as an Entrepreneur Doesn’t Happen When You’re in it For the Money True entrepreneurs don’t start out building their own company for the money. They do it for the lifestyle freedom that comes with being your own boss. If you break out of the employee mold solely for the money, Brandon believes that you'll never be in the top 1% of entrepreneurs because the 99% don't push through the hard work just to see the monetary rewards… it’s about lifestyle. To break through the money-making mindset, be sure to listen to this episode. Building Your Business Takes 10x More Money, Time, & Resources Than You Think When you begin building your own business, consider how much money, time, capital, and effort it will take to get your idea off the ground. Now multiply those figures by 10. That’s what Brandon recommends for all aspiring entrepreneurs. It will always take more of an investment than originally planned. That's when sales AI can prove beneficial. If you utilize tools to streamline your digital workflow, you'll be able to focus on building other areas of your business. And if you obsess over continually improving, you’ll find success as an entrepreneur. Learn How to Overcome Failure Every Day and Develop an Optimization Mindset Entrepreneurs must have thick skin. You’ll hear “no” from your customers, investors, friends, and family. The key is to overcome that hurt, grow as an entrepreneur, and prove them all wrong. Brandon has adopted an “ABO” mindset - always be optimizing! If you view every challenge as an opportunity to improve your business and develop better skills, you’ll find success. For more insights on how to overcome failure and develop an optimization mindset, be sure to listen to this episode. Outline of This Episode [1:07] Brandon Bornancin [4:16] What does Seamless.ai do? [8:14] THIS is the way salespeople need to view every single sale [12:55] Top secrets of how to succeed in entrepreneurship [21:04] Brandon shares insights on his new upcoming book Resources Mentioned Connect with Brandon on LinkedIn Follow Brandon on Twitter: @BBornancin Follow Seamless.ai on Facebook Seamless.ai website - use code MARIO for $1000 worth of products Brandon’s new book: “Sales Secrets From the Top 1%” - pre-order now for a 50% discount The Story of Sales by Salesforce Brandon’s favorite movie, “The Wolf of Wallstreet” Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Only 12% of professionals in sales leadership are women. That number is even lower for minorities and female minorities. Christine Pavalon, VP of Sales at Avtex, is challenging office culture norms and breaking through barriers in the sales industry. She’s my guest for this episode of #SellingWithSocial and her insights into career growth and leadership should not be missed. Be sure to listen! The Top 5 Strategies to Succeed in Sales Leadership Owning where you’re at in life is one of Christine’s biggest suggestions for people in sales leadership. She urges sales professionals not to feel guilty for the positions they’re in, no matter if they’re a man or a woman. She also explains the 5 best strategies for success in sales leadership: Always take steps towards growth Challenge the box that you’ve been placed in Speak up! But do so respectfully and kindly - never apologetically Don’t be afraid to fail Seek out mentorship and volunteer positions Essentially, you have to push the envelope but be authentic while doing so. To hear the full story behind Christine’s success strategies don’t miss this episode. Why Challenging the Norm is Essential For Personal and Professional Growth Kindness and quietness should never be confused. Christine explains that when she’s the only woman in a room full of sales leadership executives, it can be intimidating and easy to stay silent out of fear. To combat that fear she’s learned to understand the audience she’s in front of and use that understanding to her advantage. Christine also explains that “When an organization fosters an environment of collaboration and honest communication, every single person will benefit.” In order to create such an environment, sales leaders need to break out of the mold and create a new company culture. To understand Christine’s story and how she’s been doing just that, be sure to listen to this episode. The Art of Trying New Ideas in Sales Leadership Throughout her career as a sales leader, Christine has learned how to inject new ideas into a company while also not being afraid to fail. She talks about the 3 main steps to implementing a new idea in sales team environments: Know when to pivot Know when to cut it off Know how to adapt and change the idea Being creative in sales is not a “copy-paste” process! You must know the strengths and weaknesses of your team before you can begin to tackle new ideas. Not every strategy will work for every company, and that’s okay! For the full explanation behind these 3 stages be sure to give this episode your full attention. Every Sales Leader Needs to Possess These Characteristics The best professionals in sales leadership possess the following characteristics: empathy, compassion, passion, accountability, and an ability to communicate clearly. Christine is adamant that sales leaders understand that relationships are at the foundation of every successful sales business. Without quality, respectful relationships between sales leaders, teams, and customers an organization will crumble. Elevate your sales game and check out the rest of Christine’s insights by listening to this episode. Outline of This Episode [1:09] Christine Pavalon is my guest for this episode of Selling With Social [6:22] Christine shares her biggest challenges as a woman in top-level sales [13:03] The importance of challenging the system and speaking up [18:56] How Christine balances her career with motherhood, and the feedback she receives as a working mother [22:23] The best lessons for professionals in sales leadership [26:24] The art of trying new ideas in sales leadership [34:50] The top characteristics every leader needs to possess [39:30] When you’re looking to drive change in your business, you have to know your current pace Resources Mentioned Connect with Christine on LinkedIn Follow Christine on Twitter: @ChristinPavalon Follow Avtex on Twitter: @Avtex Avtex company website Ep. 66 “How To Build A Winning Sales Career And Become A Respected Sales Leader, with Kim Green-Kerr” Ep. 69 “4 Ways to Improve Your Sales Leadership and Encourage Better Hiring, with Steve Benson” Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play The customer buying cycle is an idea that’s being revamped by Mike Bosworth, an industry leader in social selling. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Mike and I discuss 8 major steps to energize your customer buying cycle and increase sales performance. Mike shares his expert insights into why selling has to go beyond sharing product demonstration pitches. He also explains why agreements between CMOs and CSOs are critical for ultimate selling success. Finally, the dreaded “seller’s slump” is addressed and we explain why this slump is predictable and preventable. This episode is full of insights that will change the way you think about sales. Be sure to give it your full attention! A Salesperson Needs to Understand Their Customer Before Launching the Sales Pitch Old-school selling used to be about focusing on the product demo - what it can do and how it works. Today, salespeople need to focus on the end result for the customer - specifically how the product will help them achieve broader company goals and give them the emotional response they’re looking for. When Mike started at Xerox in 1975 he didn’t have any sales experience. But, because of his prior experience at the Xerox help desk, he did understand the customer’s innate needs. He intuitively knew that when talking with prospects as part of the sales team he needed to focus on more than just the product specs. As a result, he focused his sales pitches on: The commonalities between the prospect and successful peers that were existing Xerox customers How the product could solve the prospect’s problems The ultimate vision the Xerox product could provide. He understood that the first step to any customer buying cycle is curiosity. If you tap into that curiosity and add a skilled salesperson into the equation, you’ll see your close rates skyrocket. Mike explains these key areas and more on this episode, and it’s information no salesperson should miss. Revolutionize Your Customer Buying Cycle by Following These 8 Steps The modern-day customer buying cycle should be focused around “Public Displays of Trust,” or PDTs. These PDTs are displayed by the prospect and allow the salesperson into the world of the company. Mike outlines these 8 major steps to a successful buying cycle: The prospect isn’t immediately looking for a solution. Peer curiosity is advantageous - share stories of other industry professionals that are using your product successfully. The prospect feels, “This seller gets me!” The prospect is hopeful the seller has a solution to their problem The prospect sees their peers utilizing a solution that your company provides - there’s strength in peer envy The prospect is willing to answer discovery and vision questions The seller outlines a buyer vision, mapping out what they’ll be able to do differently if they purchase the product The seller demonstrates proof of the buyer vision - this is where the product demo comes in! If you follow these 8 steps and understand that you should NEVER lead a sales pitch with a product demo, you’ll see your sales success rates increase dramatically. Mike explains these 8 steps in full detail on this episode, so be sure to listen. Why Agreements Between Sales and Marketing Departments are Critical In addition to a stellar sales pitch, a company’s CMO and CSO need to agree on a number of different ideas in order for the two departments to be fully aligned. They should agree on the following: who the targeted personas are, the importance of customer usage marketing, the stages of the buying cycle (NOT just the selling cycle), how technology will be used to supplement skilled salespeople, and the definition of a qualified lead. If your company does not have this agreement platform to stand on, sales success rates will crumble. Learn from Mike and his decades of successful sales experience - listen to this episode! How to Combat the “Seller’s Slump” and Boost Sales Performance Mike has seen the following pattern display itself again and again throughout his career. Entry-level salespersons take 6 weeks to learn the company and the products. They’re then launched into 18 months of successful selling. On day 1 of month 19, they hit a “seller’s slump” and their closure rates begin to fall. Why do so many salespersons descend into this spiral? Mike explains that it’s because of “premature elaboration,” or the “premature demonstration syndrome.” The seller has become so skilled in the product offerings and coming up with solutions that they begin to tell the prospect what they need before they authentically connect with the prospect. Most professionals don’t like being told what they need at the beginning of a conversation. That’s when the first 5 steps of the buying cycle become critical. You have to build up a rapport with the prospect and earn their trust before trying to sell them something. If CSOs train their salespersons to follow the modern buying cycle, they can avoid the 18-month slump period. All of these insights and more are packed into this episode. It’s one you don’t want to miss! Outline of This Episode [1:05] The story of how Mike and I met through the Story of Sales film [5:30] Mike shares his background with Xerox and how it taught him essential sales knowledge [21:16] What should sales & marketing professionals focus on to maximize alignment? [30:10] 8 stages of the modern buying cycle and Public Displays of Trust [33:06] How to combat the seller’s slump and boost sales performance [45:15] Summary of my conversation with Mike Resources Mentioned Connect with Mike on LinkedIn Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeBLeadership Follow Mike on Facebook Mike’s leadership website Mike’s favorite movie: “Summer of ‘42” BOOK: “SPIN Selling: Situation Problem Implication Need-Payoff” The Story of Sales film Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play I love stories about sales professionals stretching their sales leadership legs by leaving the corporate world and carving out their own path. That’s why this interview with Steve Benson, founder and CEO of Badger Maps, is so great. Steve had years of experience in sales that allowed him to create an app that saves field salespeople time, energy, and resources. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, he shares ways to improve your skills as a sales leader and craft a better hiring process. Get to know Steve and the secrets behind Badger Maps’ success on this insightful and entertaining podcast. #1: Outline Your Sales Leadership Best Practices in a Playbook Steve knew he needed a way to increase his sales team’s performance and efficiency. Each one of his employees had stellar talent, but there were gaps in communication between team members. That’s when he came up with the idea to create a sales leadership best practices playbook. At weekly meetings Steve had a team member share their best skill, talent, or method of doing great work. These skills were documented in a physical playbook that assisted Steve in training new members by being able to map training a skill to a resource. He explained it best by saying, “Everyone can be better at their specialty within field sales. Leaders should be a coach and help their team accomplish greater success within their areas of expertise”. Make sure you listen to this conversation, your team will thank you. #2: Dig Into Metrics to Identify Holes in Your Sales Funnel Metrics analysis at Badger Maps goes beyond weekly cadence discussions. Steve uses metrics to pinpoint exactly where team members are struggling within their sales funnel. His goal from a sales leadership position is this: encourage success by identifying weaknesses and assisting team members in strengthening those areas. However, Steve warns sales leaders to not pick apart metrics too often, because they are not the only way to measure success. This method of improving your sales leadership skills is best understood by hearing this episode, so don’t miss it. #3: Look For These Characteristics When Searching for New Top Talent There are 4 main characteristics to consider when hiring for new team members: stellar communication, likable personalities, strong wills, and an eye for detail. After measuring these characteristics, Steve suggests that sales leaders ask themselves, “Would I buy from this person?” The answer to that question will give you the answer as to whether or not you should hire the applicant. Steve and I also discuss why having a strong social media presence (both for individual employees and companies) is so critical. Just as interviewers examine an applicant’s online profiles, an applicant does the same for the company. They’re looking to see if the culture will be a good fit, what type of leaders exist within the company, etc. For all the best tips on hiring be sure to give this episode your full attention. #4: Don’t Fall Into the Trap of Hiring Biases The sales industry is unfortunately known for (falsely) believing that an applicant’s educational background, prior sales knowledge, and previous industry experience are factors that indicate future success. Steve and I don’t subscribe to that mindset. Some of the best talent each of us have hired have come from outside the industry entirely. Not only do these biases squash employee diversity, they also prevent you from even considering people who may be great salespeople if given the chance. Avoid educational, experience and industry biases in order to expand your hiring horizons and recruit the very best talent for your company. All of this and more is explained in full detail on this episode - don’t miss it. Outline of This Episode [1:14] Steve Bense, CEO of Badger Maps, is my guest for this episode of Selling With Social [6:05] Why Steve created a sales leadership best practices playbook [15:40] Key metrics used at Badger Maps to identify sales funnel gaps [21:52] Look for these characteristics when searching for new top talent [33:00] Don’t fall into the trap of hiring biases Resources Mentioned Steve on Twitter: @SteveBenson BadgerMaps on Twitter: @BadgerMaps Like BadgerMaps on Facebook: @BadgerMaps Connect with Steve on LinkedIn Badger Maps on YouTube Badger Maps website Close.io tool Glassdoor job search tool Ep. 68 “10 Steps to Launching a Digital Selling Program, with Brynne Tillman” Ep. 188 of Social Business Engine, “How Conversational AI Provides Marketing and Sales a Competitive Edge” Mention this podcast episode to receive 2 months free of the Badger Maps program! Steve’s all-time favorite movie, “Dances With Wolves” Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Digital selling is more than just a trending phrase - it’s the key to success in today’s 21st century B2B sales environment. Brynne Tillman, Chief Learning Officer at Vengreso, is my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial. She is one of the most respected industry leaders when it comes to digital selling. Her high level of passion and dedication on the Vengreso team is inspiring. In this conversation she shares 10 steps for success to digital selling and it’s a conversation you don’t want to miss. If you are a sales leader, be sure to give this episode your full attention. What’s the Difference Between Digital and Social Selling? Digital selling has graduated from the days of Linkedin-only training sessions (aka social selling). While social selling utilizes various social platforms to engage customers, digital selling involves engagement across any digital channel like video, text, social, to name a few. Brynne explains that social selling is actually a sub-component of digital selling. Essentially, uniting both traditional and digital selling components will help move the buyer through the purchasing journey. The ultimate goal for both in leveraging digital selling is to start more conversations with more qualified buyers while keeping 3 main ideas in mind: attract, teach, and engage. Digital Selling Starts With This Critical First Step Step 1 of 10 in Brynne’s refined digital selling process is to establish key performance indicators (KPIs). She defined KPIs as quantifiable measures your company can use to determine how well sales goals are met. It’s impossible to build a solid plan of action without identifying these measures. Without KPIs, your company’s digital selling process is often reduced to random acts of social that don’t offer substantial ROIs. To get the full details of why KPIs are so critical, and to understand how you can implement changes that increase your digital selling effectiveness, listen to this episode. Creating the Right Content is Key to Any Digital Selling Program Very little success in digital selling is achieved without the right kind of content. It’s essentially the bait that sales reps will bait their hook. No content, no bait, it means you won’t catch any fish. Content for Sales must go beyond the product-based content that seeks to answer the question, “Why our company?” Brynne is adamant about content creation teams delving into the educational, inspirational, and enlightening ideas behind the work a company does. Create the content, distribute it on the right platforms, and then catch your fish. Developing a Sales Playbook Unites the Entire Process A sales playbook guides your sales representatives in the way they communicate with potential buyers. A standardized framework that still allows for creativity will give your reps a platform from which to flourish. Topics such as which messages are to be sent out and when, the daily cadence, and specific notes on different types of buyers should all be included. Brynne also explained a tagging system that she encourages reps to use that assist in moving buyers through the sales pipeline. She expertly explains this step, as well as the rest of 10 steps for digital selling success, on this episode. Listen now! Outline of This Episode [1:11] Brynne Tillman, the Chief Learning Officer of Vengreso, is my guest for this episode of Selling With Social [5:51] Brynne’s definition of digital selling vs social selling [12:17] My own personal experience with how digital selling nurtures relationships [13:53] 10 tips for ultimate digital selling success [15:07] STEP 1: Establishing KPIs and defining desired outcomes [17:42] STEP 2: Buyer mapping and identification [20:26] STEP 3: Building content for the sales process [22:40] STEP 4: Choosing digital distribution tools [25:40] STEP 5: Developing a sales playbook [29:58] STEP 6: Creating a buyer-central profile for team members [34:13] STEP 7: Digital sales training [35:54] STEP 8: Driving adoption of training techniques [36:32] STEP 9: Measuring and adapting for improvement [37:15] STEP 10: Coaching for rep behavior change Resources Mentioned Brynne’s webpage on the Vengresso site Brynne on Linkedin Brynne on Twitter: @BrynneTillman ARTICLE: “Memoir of Brynne Tillman ▷ Six Months to Live” Brynne’s all-time favorite movie: “Blood Brother” Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Few professionals in the sales industry are as influential as Jeffrey Gitomer, famously known as the King of Sales. Jeffrey is a world-renowned business coach, professional speaker, and the author of 13 books found on bestseller lists across the globe. He is a living example of how determination and desire can turn pipe dreams into reality. Jeffrey has developed a warrior attitude that can be connected to his own success and on this episode he shares his amazing mindset with you. I asked him to be my guest for this episode of #SellingWithSocial because I wanted to discover his sales best practices. Not only did he share his greatest insights, he did so with a level of ingenuity, honesty, and relatability that is not often seen. It’s a conversation that you don’t want to miss. Having the Right Attitude Means Always Responding With a Resounding “Yes!” Jeffrey and I start off our conversation by lamenting the fact that so many people go through life with a defensive or negative attitude. Too often people default to telling us what they CAN’T do rather than what they CAN do, especially when it comes to sales. Some of the best sales influencers Jeffrey knows always ask their customers, “Why don’t we try this instead?” rather than simply “No.” You’ll find that having a strong “Yes!’ attitude will greatly benefit both your professional career and interpersonal relationships. What Should Be the Ultimate Goal For a Salesperson? Gone are the days where the sales profession was only ever about making a sale with no regard to the impact it would have on the customer. This old guard way of thinking is often described as the “find the pain” sales tactic. It’s an antiquated practice and a disgrace to the sales profession. Unfortunately, that’s what many people still think of when they think of sales. Jeffrey is adamant about combating this mentality, which is why he tells people to consider finding the pleasure instead. The ultimate end goal for a salesperson is to identify with each prospect, become authentically relatable to them, and then use those connections to their advantage. It is only after that kind of connection has been made that a salesperson can convey and transfer the value message of a product or service to a customer. Salespeople Should Do 3 Things - Attract, Engage & Connect In the old days, when meeting with prospects you’d enter their office and look for something in common like “finding the big fish on the wall.” In other words, it was about finding commonalities between yourself and your prospect in order to build a sense of trust and connection. I asked Jeffrey, “How is a modern salesperson supposed to find the big fish when only 20-30% of meetings are face-to-face?” He responded by urging every modern salesperson to know the following about the other person prior to a sales call: their name, company, Linkedin profile, website, and basic Google search discoveries. If you’re not doing these 5 things you’re not setting yourself up for success. Another pro sales tip from the King of Sales... Use the company’s own language and content to get the attention of your prospect. Sometimes the big fish on the wall is something they’ve already produced and are proud of. These steps can be boiled down to 3 keywords: attract, engage, and connect. If you attract a sales prospect, engage with them on a personal level, and connect to things they perceive as valuable, your success rate will skyrocket. Take Some Sales Best Practices From A 10-Year-Old Kid What could 10-year-old kids and sales possibly have in common? Jeffrey explains to me that it’s the simple idea of a timeout. No longer relegated to elementary school classrooms, the psychological idea of a timeout can drastically improve your “Yes!” outlook on life and sales. It allows you to restart your thought process, break down what went wrong, and identify key changes to make during the next call or pitch. He also adds that injecting more fun and happiness into your sales routine will create an environment where sales best practices are easier to implement. Throughout his career, Jeffrey believes that people always want to interact with happy people. And if you’re asking yourself, “How can I balance professionalism and fun?” Jeffrey says you should always err on the side of being fun. Fun = relatable = more successful sales interactions. Outline of This Episode [1:03] Jeffrey Gitomer, the King of Sales, is my guest for this episode of Selling With Social [4:15] Jeffrey shares his background and how he became the King of Sales [10:36] Having the right attitude means replying with a resounding “yes!” [14:18] Protection with harmony vs. protection of territory internally within a company [15:42] The perceived value of a customer & the ultimate goal of a salesperson [20:30] Everyone has a story. Find the heartfelt connections within those stories. [27:39] Turning childhood lessons into sales best practices [34:51] Review of the main best practices covered in this episode [37:02] Should sales influencers be writing content? Resources Mentioned Jeffrey’s website Jeffrey on YouTube Jeffrey on Twitter: @Gitomer Jeffrey on Facebook: @JeffreyGitomer Jeffrey on Linkedin Gitomer Learning Academy BOOK: Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness BOOK: The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, Revised Edition BOOK: Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude Jeffrey’s favorite book: Atlas Shrugged Another of Jeffrey’s favorite movies: A Thousand Clowns Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play These days, nobody starts their sales career with the intention of staying with one company for over 20 years, but Kim Green-Kerr has done exactly that. She is Senior Vice-President at Sprint Business Solutions, a post she’s attained by climbing her way up the Sprint corporate ladder. I asked her to be my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial because I knew she’d have great insight into how to build a successful sales career through hard work, relationship building, and dedication. But I also believed she’d be able to give advice about how to progress into the executive level of any company. She didn’t disappoint. Kim shares varied insights from her experience - from advice specifically for women and minorities in the modern sales force, to how to manage and lead the growing number of millennial sales professionals on the scene today. Don’t miss this great conversation. The Basis of a Successful Sales Career: Prove You Can Get The Job Done When I asked Kim what she recommends to women in the sales industry who are looking to advance to in their companies, she gave great advice - but it doesn't only apply to women. She said that sales success beyond closing deals depends on a few elementary things. Prove you can get the job done Be visible through your availability to take on projects outside of what's normal Find a sponsor, someone who advocates on your behalf when you are not there Obviously, a list like that doesn’t provide nearly enough insight into what she shared. I suggest you take the time to listen to this episode and find out how you can put her strategies to work in order to advance your own sales career. If You Want to Climb Into The Ranks of Sales Leadership, Be Visible A point Kim shared concerning the climb to sales leadership is one that is at the top of my list as well. Establish relationships with people higher up in the organization who can serve as your sponsor. It sounds official, but it’s not official at all. It’s a relationship that builds over time as you prove yourself to those who are in leadership positions within the organization. As they become confident about your character and skills, they may begin to advocate for you even when you're not around. THAT is a sponsor. What are ways you can establish those kinds of relationships? On this episode, Kim shares great advice about developing sponsor relationships, including the need to impress leaders with what you produce in your current responsibilities, why it's advantageous to become a subject-matter expert in areas where the company has need, and the significance of volunteering to explore and solve obvious problems within the organization. Kim’s insights will provide you new vision for the trajectory of your sales career. Don’t Wait! Begin The Journey to Become a Trusted Advisor to Customers Whether you’re hoping to climb the leadership ladder or you are eager to become the top salesperson in your company, you need to master this piece of advice: Become a trusted advisor to prospects and customers. A consultative approach, where you serve clients much like a physician would his/her patients establishes you in a position of credibility and authority that customers naturally look to in order to get their questions answered and problems solved. But how do you establish that kind of authority? On this episode, Kim explains how it happens and provides advice about how get moving in that direction. The Sales Approach That Gave Sprint Its First Profitable Quarter in 3 Years In August of 2017, Sprint surprised stockholders with very welcome news - its first profitable quarter in three years. It was the culmination of a great deal of hard work and was the company’s best financial performance in more than a decade. There were many things that contributed to this outcome - cost-cutting and improvements to its network were certainly part of the formula - but it also happened because of a renewed focus on its small, medium and enterprise business sectors. That’s the area of Sprint’s business that Kim is directly responsible for and that she has cultivated within the company for a very long time. She says their trajectory includes the development of a selling methodology, investments in their people through training and tools, and a new focus on social selling to help influence buyers along their buyer's journey. Kim goes into more details about the Sprint sales approach and makes recommendations based on her experience, on this episode. How Sales Leaders Can Best Utilize The Growing Millennial Sales Force It’s estimated that by 2020, Millennials will make up 46% of the workforce, and many of those will naturally become involved in sales. And though there has been a lot of complaining and negative characterizations made about this amazing group of people, they are the shape of things to come, so I think we’d better make the most of it. I asked Kim what she has experienced in working with Millennials and how she recommends sales leaders manage these energetic young people who are seeking to build successful sales careers. She said we first need to understand the experience of Millennials - they grew up with technology so they want to be able to do their job with the right technological tools in hand. She also pointed out that because they are so adept at social media, they are often taking initiative in their job search to check out potential employers, managers, or supervisors. That means the social profiles of sales leaders need to demonstrate that they understand the impact and power of social. It’s insights like these that prove why Kim has become the sales leader she is. Listen to this episode to hear how she applies these thoughts practically. Outline of This Episode [1:20] How Kim wound up in the 2018 Top Global Sales Leaders and what she does for Sprint/Nextel [7:06] How minorities can make their way to the top in sales [13:34] The difficult but vital task of finding a sponsor in business [19:14] Kim’s view of how the world of buying and selling has changed [25:16] Advice to sales leaders in view of the changes that are happening [31:06] Ideas for managing the growing Millennial salesforce Resources Mentioned Kim on Twitter: @KimGreenKerr Kim on LinkedIn Sprint Kim’s all time favorite movie: Gone With The Wind Dreamforce CEB - A Gartner Company Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Digital lead nurturing is a hot topic because it’s where old-school prospecting methods are applied through technology-driven approaches. Anytime the old meets the new, feathers get ruffled. Charlene Li is an amazing, self-proclaimed "analyst who loves sales and marketing," and she’s uniquely positioned to see how a digital approach to prospecting and sales is already making a tremendous difference for many companies. Join us as we discuss why companies like Kodak and Blockbuster failed to make the essential pivots needed to thrive, what you can do to prevent the same happening to your company, and most importantly, how your sales team can apply 4 digital lead nurturing steps that work sales magic. Don’t miss this episode of #SellingWithSocial. Step 1: Make Sure You Have The Right Mindset About Digital Lead Nurturing Digital lead nurturing is focused on the very same thing old-school calling and door-knocking is focused on: building authentic, deep relationships with prospects and customers. If you get that mindset right, then digital becomes a tool rather than a threat. In this conversation, Charlene points out how everyone from 75-year-old CEOs to 24-year-old Millennials have to approach the digital world with a mindset to genuinely help people through nurturing great relationships. When that approach is the basis for digital interaction, value can be delivered in ways that establish trust, move the sales cycle forward, and create long-term, profitable client relationships. Be sure to listen to get all of Charlene’s tips on how to engage in lead nurturing via Social the right way, on this episode. Step 2: Become Obsessed With Your Customers And Their Needs A powerful point made by Charlene during our conversation is that the companies that keep their customer’s needs front and center are willing to adopt any approach necessary to discover and meet those needs. That includes phone calls, email, and social media interactions. Nurturing leads is not a matter of method, it’s a matter of motive: Do you really care about your customers - enough to connect with them via their preferred methods of interaction - even if that's on digital channels rather than traditional channels? Charlene says it really is that simple. If you’re obsessed with your customers and their needs, digital lead nurturing will be as natural as breathing. Find out how Charlene suggests you go about creating that kind of customer obsession, on this episode. Step 3: Apply Lead Nurturing Magic: Be Famous For Something There’s a lot of talk lately about companies needing to be clear about their USP (unique selling proposition) - and for good reason. If you aren’t clear on the value you provide to your customers you can be sure they won’t be either. Charlene says that the third thing you need to do in order to nurture leads effectively is to know what you are really, really good at. Ask yourself: What is our company famous for? Or what do we WANT to be famous for? When you know the answer to those questions, you’ll know the solutions you’re able to provide that nobody else is. You’ll also know the exact customer needs and frustrations to listen for on Social so that you can engage in dialogue aimed at meeting those needs or resolving those frustrations. On this episode, you'll learn how being famous for something can cause your customers to seek you out when they encounter obstacles related to your expertise. Step 4: Help Marketing Help You - But Don’t Rely On Them To Do It Both Charlene and I understand the frustration sales teams can have when it comes to getting the right resources from marketing. But Charlene says that sales has a distinct advantage over marketing that can help the marketing team do its job even better: daily contact with customers. Compile a list of the most frequently asked questions your customers ask, or the most common issues your customers are facing - and give it to your marketing department. But Charlene also has a caution about that approach: Don’t depend on marketing alone to create valuable resources for your customers. You have the ability and even the responsibility to create content of your own to answer customer questions - and you can do it easily, powerfully, and in less than 5 minutes. Learn how Charlene easily applies this 4th step of digital lead nurturing magic, on this episode. Outline of This Episode [1:06] Charlene Li: Thought Leader, Leadership Expert, Success Strategist [4:51] Seismic changes in the world and how companies can stay relevant [7:52] What causes organizations to crumble under the relentless drumbeat of change? [12:31] #1 Make sure you have the right mindset to fuel digital lead nurturing [16:15] #2 Get obsessed with your customers and their needs [19:48] #3 The magic key to customer attraction: Find out what you’re famous for [29:24] #4 Help marketing help you, but don’t wait for marketing to do it all [38:01] Why leadership is all about credibility and creating a movement [44:28] Charlene’s upcoming book: The Disruptor’s Agenda Resources Mentioned Charlene Li Charlene’s author page on Amazon Charlene’s all-time favorite movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark Altimeter One Mob Bill Marriott Sr. Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Click To Tweets: The 4 digital #lead nurturing steps that work #sales magic, with @CharleneLi. Listen now to this episode of #SellingWithSocial with @M_3Jr, #CEO of Vengreso! #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #SocialSales Step 1 of magical #lead nurturing & #sales #prospecting: Make sure you have the right #mindset about #SocialSales. Hear all 4 steps from @CharleneLi. It’s on this episode of #SellingWithSocial with @M_3Jr, #CEO of Vengreso Step 2 of magical #lead nurturing & #sales #prospecting: Become obsessed with #customers. Listen now to hear why @CharleneLi says it’s powerful, on this episode of #SellingWithSocial with @M_3Jr, #CEO of Vengreso #SocialSelling Step 3 of magical #lead nurturing and #sales #prospecting: Be famous for something and customers will come to you! Learn all 4 steps now from @CharleneLi on this episode of #SellingWithSocial with @M_3Jr, #CEO of Vengreso Step 4 of magical #lead nurturing & #sales #prospecting: Help #marketing help you, but don’t rely only on them. @CharleneLi shares #SocialSelling tips on this episode of #SellingWithSocial w @M_3Jr, #CEO of Vengreso. Listen now!

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Deb Calvert is the co-author of the brand new book, “Stop Selling and Start Leading” - a seminal work that outlines the actual responses of thousands of buyers to discover what they really want and need form the sellers they work alongside. This episode features a handful of the insights Deb and her co-authors gleaned in their research and is a great taste of how her book will help you make more sales through leading instead of selling. Deb is the president of People First Productivity Solutions, author of one of HubSpot’s “Top 20 Most Highly-Rated Sales Books of All Time”, and a certified sales and executive coach. Join me on this episode of #SellingWithSocial as Deb reveals the powerful truth of how you can actually increase sales when you stop selling and start leading. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. USE THE BANNER IMAGE These Sales Tips Come From Asking Buyers What They Need From Sellers One of the most relevant parts of Deb Calvert’s new book, “Stop Selling and Start Leading” is that the insight it contains comes directly from responses buyers gave to this question, “What do you really need from the sellers you work with?” From those responses, 20 leadership behaviors were discovered that buyers want to experience more consistently from sellers. The good news is that each of them is easy to understand and simple to apply. The better we know our buyers’ needs, the better we’ll be able to serve them and provide the right solutions - and the research explained in Deb's new book makes the learning curve short and sweet. In this conversation, Deb and I talk about three of those 20 leadership behaviors, outline what they mean, and flesh them out with real-life examples. Don’t miss it! Stop Selling By Creating A Real Two-Way Dialogue With Buyers Most sales professionals believe they engage their buyers in dialogue to discover needs and offer appropriate solutions. Yet, the buyers who responded to Deb’s survey questions stressed that a two-way dialogue is something they want to experience more with buyers. That means we’re not being as effective as we think. Deb says dialogue is more than questions and answers. It’s more than asking qualifying questions (which is really nothing more than diagnostic analysis). Two-way dialogue requires that we pay close attention to what our buyers are saying and that we are present in every moment of the conversation rather than thinking of our next question or next step in the sales cycle. That kind of presence dignifies the buyer and enables us to understand why the solution the buyer needs matters to them and how it’s going to fit with everything else they are doing. That kind of understanding is what builds trust and long-term relationships. Learn the difference between asking questions and leading your buyers into a two-way dialogue, on this episode. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. How You Can Encourage Your Sellers In Ways That Translate To More Sales Deb says that one of the leadership behaviors buyers want to see more from sellers is encouragement. When Deb speaks of encouraging buyers, she means a lot more than asking for the sale or prompting them to make a decision. She means sellers need to celebrate the shared values and shared victories they experience with the buyer as well as every struggle in the sales process. Think it through: we are asking buyers to champion our solution to the rest of their team. That’s often a very difficult step for them which may mean saying “no” to other things, fighting internally for budget resources, or working to change existing structures to accommodate our solution. They need encouragement to keep going, to stay engaged, and to keep believing in the results our solutions will provide for their team. Find out how you can better encourage your buyers and get more sales as a result, on this episode of Selling With Social. It’s Easy To Stop Selling And Start Leading. Find Out How When Deb Calvert initially said that her research discovered 20 leadership behaviors that buyers want sellers to demonstrate on a consistent basis, I have to admit it was a bit intimidating. So I asked her how easy it is to learn these behaviors and add them to my sales approach. She said it’s very easy and that the first thing we need to do is to think less of ourselves as a salesperson and more as a leader. Deb pointed out that every one of us already has others looking to us for guidance - and being a leader in sales is all about guidance. Buyers are looking for someone to guide them to understand the solutions available to them and the benefits they will provide. As a sales leader, you’re perfectly positioned to become that guide. Learn how to stop selling and start leading from Deb Calvert, on this episode - and find out how you can get a free download of the first chapter of her new book. Outline of This Episode [1:43] The launch of Deb’s new book: Stop Selling and Start Leading [6:18] Why Deb’s book is so unique and how the book came about [9:07] The top 5 leadership practices needed consistently in sales [17:15] Buyers want sellers to encourage their heart [21:56] An extraordinary story of selling through leading [30:25] How easy is it to implement these leadership behaviors? [33:14] How you can get Deb’s sneak peak of the book [34:01] A surprise Deb discovered: ALL buyers want these qualities in sellers Resources Mentioned www.StopSellingStartLeading.com - Deb’s website BOOK: Stop Selling, Start Leading on Amazon Deb on LinkedIn Deb on Twitter: @PeopleFirstPS BOOK: Discover Questions Get You Coinnected Deb’s all-time favorite movie: Up Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner (Deb’s co-authors) The Leadership Challenge Kyle Hullmann of All Search Professional Staffing Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - use the code “Leadership 1095” Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Join Mario at The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - and use the code “Leadership 1095” to get a Vengreso-only discount  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Why is customer success so important for sales organizations? It’s because 50% of the company's job is getting a new customer, the other 50% is keeping that customer - and keeping them happy. That customer happiness is what enables them to become a customer who keeps on giving via renewals, upsells, and referrals. Said that way, it's easy to see how customer success is a critical part of every company's growth engine. Allison Pickens, CCO at Gainsight is a pro at making customer success a high priority throughout entire organizations. Listen to this episode of #SellingWithSocial to learn how the Gainsight team fuels customer success in their own organization and for many of their clients. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. Customer Advocacy And Customer Success Begins During The Pre-sale Process People often refer to the customer success team a “post-sale” team. But really, the CS team needs to be involved in presales, especially in enterprise deals. That involvement might mean quantifying the ROI the customer is expecting to achieve from using the product or service, or it could be clearly describing what the customer can expect to experience once they are actually using the product. The CS team can speak about the onboarding process in the same way the sales team might talk about a roadmap for a product. It’s part of what convinces a prospect that now is the right time to buy. Insights like these are exactly why I invited Allison to be on Selling With Social, so don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to improve your customer success numbers. Listen now. Customer Advocacy Is The Natural Outgrowth of Customer Success Allison Pickens says that if customers are not transformed into advocates for your company, you will have a pipeline problem. That’s because an effective pipeline must include an intentional focus on growth via customer success. In this episode, Allison describes how to leverage customer success efforts and turn them into natural customer advocacy opportunities. Her advice includes best-practices, the use of systems to keep your finger on the pulse of existing customer health, and an explanation of how customer advocacy actually begins in the pre-sales process. You won’t want to miss this one! This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. What Is The Right Structure To Maximize Customer Success And Advocacy? Once an organization is dedicated to making their customers as successful as possible, a system has to be put in place to ensure it actually happens. When I asked Allison about the right structure to use she shared very practical advice. First, she says you need to make sure that a senior executive is in charge of leading the customer success department so there can be a voice at the table to keep customer success front and center. Next, you need to identify and establish a variety of specialized functions unique to your organization that work in concert to help customers be successful with your products and services. Finally, be very clear about who owns renewals and who owns expansion. There is not a definite “right and wrong” on that last one, but it's certain that without clarity about it, you will have major problems. Allison shares a ton of great information on this episode, so make sure you budget some time to listen and learn. How Can Customer Success Organizations Prove Their Value? Customer Success Teams want to be able to prove their impact on growth retention and net retention, but what’s the best way to do it? In this conversation, Allison suggests that CS teams prove their impact by putting their reputation and efforts on the line in a financially tangible way. Here's how... when it comes to budgeting time, commit to a higher growth retention target in order to get a larger budget. Then, use that budget to hire the A-players who can make good on your commitment. Imagine the reaction of the board and management when you make that kind of commitment. You’re talking their language - higher profitability and increased bottom line. Then imagine the confidence they will have in your customer success team when you deliver on that commitment. Do you see how you can powerfully prove your impact on the success of the organization? Outline of This Episode [1:49] What you need to know about Allison Pickens, guest on this episode [5:43] What is “customer led selling?” [8:50] How this approach can be implemented broad-scale [11:26] Should companies bake in customer referrals as part of the contract? [13:29] What’s the best way to create a customer advocacy program? [17:43] Who within the organization should handle customer advocacy? [21:01] The benefits of having an idea of the health of your customers [23:20] How are CSM and Sales Managers supposed to work together? [27:31] The growth of customer success directly relates to renewals and growth [30:41] What is the right organizational structure to maximize customer advocacy [34:09] Customer success teams need the recognition they deserve Resources Mentioned Gainsight The Customer Success Podcast NameDrop SalesForce Sangram Vajre CMO of Terminus Allison’s all-time favorite movie: The Matrix Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - use the code “Leadership 1095” Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Join Mario at The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - and use the code “Leadership 1095” to get a Vengreso-only discount.

Dan is back in the studio with a Rant and some timely tips for Sales Execs looking to generate more demand and to more effectively prospect. Social selling is undeniably the most effective way to increase demand and bolster your Pipeline: 76% of Buyers are open to engaging with providers on social channels; 62% of Buyers actually want to connect with sales execs on social; and a whopping 92% of buyers want to connect with thought leaders on social!! So how do we take advantage of this? How do we do it the correct way? Dan outlines the 6 key steps for social selling success. Listen UP

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play We’ve all seen graphic representations of the sales funnel, which is one of the reasons most people clearly understand the concept. But understanding the concept is not the same thing as doing a thorough sales funnel analysis. My guest on this episode, Matt Ostanik and I agree, sales funnel management and analysis is one of the most neglected aspects of the sales cycle - and it’s causing money to be left on the table. In this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Matt shares his sales funnel expertise with us by explaining 3 specific steps every seller or company can take to increase awareness of what’s going on in their funnel which will lead to more closed deals. This is great information you won’t want to miss. Step One: Make Sure Your Sales Funnel Is Clearly Defined And Communicated One of the most important things you need to do in order to best analyze your sales funnel is to, first of all, ensure that you have a clear sales funnel blueprint. That means you need to know the stages, steps, or milestones that you take a prospect through on the path to them becoming a happy customer. Map it out clearly and make sure that map is clearly communicated to everyone on the team. If you don’t have a sales funnel blueprint written down, you likely don’t have it defined as clearly as you think you do. But it's a bigger problem than just being unclear. If you can’t write it down you won't be able to communicate it effectively to the people responsible for seeing it implemented - your marketing and sales teams. Matt has great tips to share about sales funnel analysis that will help you improve your sales conversions, so listen carefully and take it seriously. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. USE THE BANNER IMAGE Step Two: Do Sales Funnel Analysis To Know What’s Moving Through Your Funnel Every salesperson or company can use their CRM to get a deeper understanding of the core metrics about their sales funnels. What are the things to look at? You need to understand movement - what’s moving and changing within your funnel? You should know your conversion rates - not only sales conversions but conversions from one step of the funnel to the next. You have to understand velocity - how much time is it taking for prospects to move through the funnel and eventually to a deal? Once you have these foundational pieces in view you can stitch them together to create a forecast of where your sales process is taking you. That’s how you know the condition of your sales pipeline and figure out where improvements can be made. It’s unusual to find a guy like Matt who is both sales oriented and technically knowledgeable. It’s for that reason his insights are especially valuable. Don’t miss what he’s got to share. Step Three: Identify Funnel Areas That Need Improvement And Get To Work After completing a thorough sales funnel analysis you are ready to dig into what the numbers mean. By putting together the different pieces of data you've discovered you will find areas that are performing exceptionally well and others that are not. It's this data that enables you to create a roadmap for improvement, which leads to increased sales conversions. In this episode, Matt explains how this approach enables sales teams to deal with the reality of what is happening in their sales funnel rather than making attempts to change things they don't understand. You'll learn how to use individual stats, sales funnel behaviors, and more to improve your buyer's journey. If you want to improve your sales funnel, the kind of sales funnel analysis Matt is prescribing in this episode is exactly what you need to apply. How Individual Sales Professionals Can Utilize Sales Funnel Analysis An individual salesperson makes use of the sales funnel analysis principles Matt shares in this episode, in much the same way a company would. But a primary difference on an individual level has to do with motivation. When an individual seller understands his own sales funnel data and how it compares to the other producers in the company or within the industry, that person is able to discover the small changes that make their work more efficient and enable them to personally close more deals. It’s action based on data, not feelings or intuition, and it’s motivating when you know exactly what you can do to increase your sales effectiveness. Don't miss this important episode. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. Outline of This Episode [1:37] Matt Ostanik: Sales Pipeline and Funnel expert [5:57] Funnel management: one of the worst managed areas of sales [9:40] How a focus on the salesperson’s role in the funnel could improve everything [12:52] How can sellers stop leaving money on the table by utilizing sales funnel data? [17:31] 3 things sellers need in order to drive better funnel management [21:03] The amazing things that happen when you know your sales funnel data [27:10] Why is it important to understand the marketing impact on sales? [33:49] How sales professionals can utilize their sales data more? Resources Mentioned FunnelWise BOOK: Revenue Funnel Science - get Matt’s 200 page book for free Download Matt’s Sales Funnel Calculator Oracle SalesForce Matt’s all-time favorite place to travel to: France Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges MATT’S GRAPHIC GOES HERE The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - use the code “Leadership 1095” Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Join Mario at The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - and use the code “Leadership 1095” to get a Vengreso-only discount  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play In order to develop a social selling training program for your company, you’re either going to have to create it from scratch or learn from someone who’s already done it. That second choice sounds like a far better use of time, don’t you think? My guest on this episode is Linda DiBias, Manager of Content and Social Selling for Verizon Enterprise Solutions. I connected with Linda because I knew her team had recently established a social selling training program to help their sales teams find prospects and build trusted relationships. In this conversation, we talk about how they’ve trained their team to generate leads through social media, why it’s vital to do, how they hold their team accountable for it, and the ways they are tracking the ROI of the program. It’s a valuable conversation, so be sure to listen to this episode of #SellingWithSocial. And if you’re looking for a great, customized social selling training program to equip your team for outstanding social sales results, remember Vengreso offers exactly that.   This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. USE THE BANNER IMAGE Social Selling Training Begins With A Relational Approach To Social Networks Any successful social selling training program needs to emphasize the right way to think about social media networks. When it comes to effectively using social for sales lead generation, it’s not done by repeatedly posting what you do or the packages your company offers - it’s done through establishing new relationships. Sales teams have got to learn how to use social to research their existing networks for the purpose of finding new connections who need the solutions they offer. In this episode, Linda describes how the Verizon Enterprise Solutions sales teams use their social media platform of choice to do that kind of research as well as explaining what Verizon does as a company to make their efforts more effective. You won’t want to miss these practical points she shares. Sharing Relevant Content Is Vital For Nurturing Potential Sales Relationships The leadership at Verizon Enterprise Solutions recognizes that their sales teams need to be able to curate relevant content for their social networks. Why? Because when a salesperson shares a resource that is beneficial to one of their connections, they become a trusted resource to that person. The hope is that those relationships become leads which eventually become sales appointments. In our conversation, Linda explained the role Verizon plays in supplying relevant content to its sales teams, why that content is broader than only the solutions Verizon offers, and the impact it has in making their sales team a resource to their networks. This isn’t a theoretical approach, Linda and the Verizon team are seeing it work in real business scenarios, so don’t miss what she shares about the way they’ve structured their social selling training program.   This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. Successful Social Sellers Consistently Use Their Sales Tools After researching their options, the Verizon team decided to center its social selling program training around the use of LinkedIn Sales Navigator. They adopted the in-depth training that LinkedIn offers but also supplemented it with their own training to help their sales teams apply the principles in their own daily scenarios. Linda points out that by carefully tracking their team’s use of these sales tools, it’s clear that salespeople who consistently use the tools as they’ve been taught are much more successful at social selling. She says the main component of that success is consistency. As we spoke, Linda explained how she tracks her team’s use of the tools, the minimum daily use requirements for their salespeople, and how they’ve learned to track their stats - from the first contact with a prospect via social, to sales conversations. Social Media Lead Generation Efforts Won’t Matter If You Don’t Track Them One of the reasons proper training for social selling is essential is because salespeople must know how to record their social activity so it can be tracked. It’s vital to know whether the conversations your team is having via social actually provide a return on investment or not. The Verizon Enterprise Solutions team trained its sales teams to document new connections for that very purpose. Through it, they’ve been able to see that their social selling pilot program has been a huge success. If you’re part of a team that needs to implement social selling, you should hear the best-practices Linda and her team have developed in their social selling training program. It’s all on this episode of Selling With Social.   Outline of This Episode [1:38] Who is Linda DiBias, Manager of Content and Social Selling for Verizon Enterprise [5:26] The social selling programs within Verizon and why they were started [7:49] The reality of social engagement’s role in expanding relationships [9:32] The Verizon strategy for launching social selling within the company [11:55] How LinkedIn’s training has been integrated into Verizon’s approach [14:59] How Verizon has tracked its ROI from its social selling pilot program [18:35] Verizon’s activity requirements for providing Sales Navigator to their sales team [23:08] The vital nature of feeding your network with valuable content [29:20] What role does marketing play in helping sales connect with prospects? Resources Mentioned Linda on Twitter: @LDiBias Linda DiBias on LinkedIn Linda.DiBias at VerizonWireless.com Verizon Enterprise Solutions Linda’s Etsy Shop where she provides custom jewelry LinkedIn Sales Navigator TeamLink Vengreso’s customized social selling training for your company Vengreso’s series on SAPs social selling practices Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Linda’s all-time favorite movie: Titanic The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - use the code “Leadership 1095” Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Join Mario at The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - and use the code “Leadership 1095” to get a Vengreso-only discount Click to Tweets: 4 Steps to Scale a #SocialSelling Training Program for Success, w @LDibias. Learn from the @VZEnterprise experience on this episode of #SellingWithSocial w @M_3Jr Listen now! #Sales #LS2018 #DigitalSelling Effectively using #Social 4 #sales #LeadGeneration isn’t done by posting your offerings but by establishing new relationships. @LDibias tells how @VZEnterprise built its #SocialSelling training. Listen Now! @M_3Jr Listen now! #LS2018 When a #salesperson shares a beneficial resource they become a trusted colleague. Learn how @VZEnterprise & @LDibias equip their #sales team for #SocialSelling on this episode of #SellingWithSocial w @M_3Jr #LS2018 #Salespeople who consistently use #sales tools are much more successful at #SocialSelling. @LDibias of @VZEnterprise says the main component of that #SalesSuccess is consistency. Listen now to #SellingWithSocial w @M_3Jr #LS2018 Are the conversations your #sales team is having via #social actually providing ROI? @LDibias of @VZEnterprise tells how to track your #SocialSelling efforts on this episode of #SellingWithSocial w @M_3Jr #LS2018  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play There is absolutely no doubt that video is here to stay, and the growth of a winning company culture and sales culture can be dramatically accelerated when leaders learn how to effectively train their teams to use video. My guest on this episode is Greg Holmes, Head of Sales for Zoom.us. Naturally, the Zoom team knows a thing or two about how to use video effectively, and their best practices are something all of us could learn from. In this conversation, Greg shares how Zoom has integrated the use of video into the way connections are made between employees and management and to fuel an outstanding sales culture. If you want to learn how to use video effectively for sales or team building, Greg explains how the Zoom team does it, so listen to this episode of #SellingWithSocial. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. #1: Building a Winning Company and Sales Culture Begins With Mindset Zoom's purpose is communicated through their slogan, "Delivering Happiness.” It's much more than just a catchphrase for the Zoom team, it communicates the mindset behind every interaction they have. Greg says that every employee of the company is indoctrinated - in a good way - into that mindset because it is what fuels everything they do. They are confident that they can deliver on that promise because they are first focused on delivering happiness internally, within their own team. Greg shares a number of strategies the Zoom leadership team uses to connect employees with each other and with leadership in order to nurture that powerful mindset long-term, on this episode. #2: If You’re Not Using Video to Communicate, You’re Not Building Trust We all know that people need to feel that they know us, like us, and trust us in order to comfortably move ahead in a relationship. Sales professionals especially have learned how important this is when establishing a relationship with a buyer. But it’s a principle that applies just as much to company culture. Team members who know each other are able to more easily trust each other, which fuels collaboration, synergy, and creativity that otherwise wouldn’t exist. And it takes on an even more powerful role as the leaders of the organization practice what they preach. At Zoom, any employee of the company is able to set an appointment with anyone else in the company. That includes the top leaders. Greg shares why Zoom's leadership is committed to that kind of openness and the amazing results of it, on this episode. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. #3: Sales Skills Improvement On Steroids: Mandatory Peer to Peer Meetups One of the most intriguing and obviously powerful ways that Zoom's sales leaders use video to empower their sales culture is through mandatory peer-to-peer meetings. These meetings are comprised of one person who has been on the sales team less than six months, another person who has been on the team more than six months, a veteran sales leader, and at least one company leader. The aim of these meetups is to share experiences, sales approaches, and best practices for sales success, including in-person and video meetings with buyers and customers. Greg says that everyone is able to learn from anyone and their peer-to-peer meetups are a great example of how Zoom enables that kind of learning to take place within their sales team. Is there a way you can use this example to foster a sales culture that grows in its effectiveness by learning from each other? Don't miss Greg's insights into this powerful team-building sales improvement approach. #4: Sales Success Accelerates By Using Live Video: Don’t Miss Opportunities Early in the conversation, Greg highlighted the importance of video for building trust within the company. As Head of Sales, he applies the same approach to sales training so that his team knows how to effectively use live video for sales meetings and customer intake. He's found that being able to put faces to names, see body language and expression, and interact in a more personal manner increases the level of trust between sales reps and buyers almost immediately. If you are not using video to enhance your sales process you are likely missing opportunities. Greg shares the wealth of knowledge and best practices the Zoom team has learned to use video effectively as an integral part of their sales culture, so be sure you take the time to listen to this episode of Selling With Social. Outline of This Episode [1:06] Greg’s background: from school teacher to Head of Sales at Zoom.us [8:30] Zoom’s incredible journey to becoming a collaboration leader [10:20] Why “Delivering Happiness” is what fuels Zoom’s sales approach [14:55] How Zoom roulette builds community and connection among the team [22:04] The Zoom methodology for onboarding sales team members: Sales Boot Camp [28:16] An open environment that fosters accessibility and accountability [32:36] Why video is an important and powerful team building and sales tool Resources Mentioned Greg Holmes on LinkedIn Greg.Holmes(at)Zoom.us Greg Holmes on Twitter: @GregHolmes4 www.Zoom.us Eric S. Yuan - CEO of Zoom Greg’s all time favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - use the code “Leadership 1095” USE THE BANNER IMAGE Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Join Mario at The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - and use the code “Leadership 1095” to get a Vengreso-only discount

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play One of the fastest ways to increase sales revenue is to increase average deal size. The problem is, it's not such an easy thing to do. But it's exactly what the team at Cloudflare did. They increased their average deal size by 40% year-over-year which was a major contributor to their 80% year-over-year growth as a company. On this episode, I'm speaking with Chris Merritt, Chief Revenue Officer of Cloudflare and one of the Top 100 Global Sales Leaders announced by Modern Sale Magazine. I had to know the details of how Cloudflare has grown so rapidly and Chris openly shared them with me. Listen to this episode of #SellingWithSocial now! This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. 3 Keys to 80% Growth: A Strong Product, The Right Timing, and A Great Team When I asked Chris the secret to how he led the Cloudflare team to achieve 80% year-over-year growth he attributed their success to 3 primary things. Number one: A strong product. As a customer of Cloudflare, I can attest that the services they provide to Vengreso are top-notch. Number two: The right timing. While there is no way to manufacture the right timing, sales and product teams can keep a close eye on markets trends and make adjustments that meet the emerging needs they see. Number 3: A great team. Chris says the team atmosphere and culture of success at Cloudflare enabled them to work together in uncommonly efficient and productive ways that fueled the kind of growth the company has experienced. Chris doesn't hold back in sharing the details in each of these areas, so make sure you take the time to listen. Find the Use Cases Your Customer Is Trying To Solve and Go After Them Once a company gets its product or service dialed-in and customers are enjoying their experience it's very common for that company to start to coast. But Chris shares how the team at Cloudflare did exactly the opposite. They began asking even more questions of their existing customers to discover more use cases for their software. He calls it "expanding their product footprint" and it is one of the things that enabled them to grow rapidly and increase their deal size over time. Chris talks extensively in this conversation about use cases as sales tools and how to leverage them to the greatest benefit. If you are sales professional or in product development, don't miss this one. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. Deal Size: How Sales Professionals Can Have The Confidence To Ask For More As Chris and I spoke about the steps the company had to go through to increase their average deal size, he told a story most sales professionals or founders can relate to. He said that when a company initially launches their product, the sales team is hesitant to ask for larger orders simply because the product hasn't been proven yet. Will people like it? Is it really going to do what customers need it to do? But once the product is established and customers are finding that it does solve their problems, confidence grows and the sales team begins riding the wave of success. That not only breeds the confidence needed to ask for more in sales conversations, it also enables sales professionals to have confidence in new iterations of the product or verticals that come out later on. Chris has so much insight into the dynamics of rapid growth, and shares them openly on this episode. Leveraging Customers To Speak On Your Behalf As Advocates Most sales organizations do a poor job of securing customer testimonials. Chris says that everyone in the company needs to strive to make their customers highly successful with their product or service. It's the more-than-satisfied customer experience that creates customer advocates. Customers will endorse what they believe in, so it is the job of everyone in the company to make them believe in their product or service. You can't argue with success, and Chris has led his team to an amazing amount of it. He knows what he's talking about, so discover how to turn your customers into advocates, on this episode of Selling With Social. Outline of This Episode [1:30] Introducing Chris Merritt - Chief Revenue Officer of Cloudflare [4:53] 80% year over year growth. How did that happen? [6:54] Advice for those with vision but selling as an underdog [11:59] The power of bringing customers into the product improvement process [15:41] The secrets to scaling a great team and creating a culture of success [21:05] Growing deal size 40% through more use cases and expanding product footprint [25:29] The confidence to ask for more: overcoming the mental blocks [27:14] Making the customer highly successful yields customer references and referrals Resources Mentioned Connect with Chris on LinkedIn Chris(at)Cloudflare.com Cloudflare See Chris featured in the Top 100 Sales Leaders at Modern Sales Magazine Christian Chabot, Chairman and Co-Founder of Tableau Open View Chris’ favorite movie: The Endless Summer Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - use the code “Leadership 1095” Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Join Mario at The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - and use the code “Leadership 1095” to get a Vengreso-only discount  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Do you need more B2B leads? Then you'll have to understand something: Lead generation is NOT just the job of the marketing department, it’s ours too. Every sales professional must be responsible to create and maintain their own pipeline full of prospects. In the words of my guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Tony Hughes, your sales leads are your responsibility. Join us for this conversation about creating your own B2B leads through what Tony calls "Combo Prospecting." He's just released a new book by that name and shares a ton of great insights about how multiple approaches to prospects can warm them up, open the door to sales conversations, and lead to closed sales and long-term customer relationships. Don't miss it! This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. Has B2B Selling Gotten Easier or Harder? When I asked Tony if B2B selling is harder or easier these days, he gave an awesome answer: It’s both. Selling is easier because it has never been easier to gain access to the information that allows salespeople to speak directly to a prospect's needs. In addition, it’s never been easier to find and get through to the people they need to speak to about those needs. But at the same time, it's obvious from statistics that sales is harder than ever. Failure rates are growing, salespeople are too passive, and many have lost the ability to make sales conversations about the buyer, not themselves. Tony's insights about what it takes to succeed in sales are pure gold. You will grow as a sales professional from applying what he has to share. Generating Your Own B2B Leads Depends on Two Things OK, so Tony says that every salesperson needs to be creating their own leads rather than depending on the marketing department to do it. But the question we all have is, "How do you do it?" Tony says that lead generation depends on two vitally important things. First, you need to have the right narrative, one that speaks directly to your prospect's needs in language they are able to hear. Secondly, you have to take a omni-channel approach, making use of social, phone calls, texts, and more. On this episode, Tony explains how to discover the narrative that will speak to your buyer’s needs and how to use omni--channel prospecting that creates the one-two punch that leads to success. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. Why Getting Beat Up Now and Then Is Good For The Salesperson’s Soul A successful sales career requires experiencing rejection, which is one of the reasons many people wash out of the profession. But the rewards that come from becoming a skilled sales professional are enormous. Tony says those who will become successful have to think about the rejections differently - we must come to believe that the rejections are actually good for our souls. It's the difficult situations that make us face the battles going on inside - the hang-ups that hold us back. Facing them enables us to become free from the negative responses of others, which in turn frees us to help people through sales. As you can see, Tony not only teaches sales skills, he also clarifies the mindsets behind success. Listening to this episode and applying what Tony shares will help you develop as a sales professional. I'm confident of that. What Does It Take to Succeed In Today’s B2B Sales Environment? One of the last things I wanted to hear from Tony before we ended our conversation was his opinion about what it takes to succeed in today's sales environment. Tony didn't skip a beat, saying that the very first thing a salesperson needs to have clear in their own mind, is the difference that they are making for their customers. You have to clearly know that what you do matters. But that confidence has to be combined with massive levels of action, far beyond what others are doing. You've got to work overtime across multiple channels to connect with prospects, generate qualified leads, and engage in meaningful conversations that lead to sales. Tony is a wealth of insight about sales success, don't miss this fabulous episode! Outline of This Episode [1:58] Tony Hughes: Social Selling icon and author of a new book: Combo Prospecting [4:20] Why 50% of the salesperson’s job is to create their own sales pipeline [8:43] Is selling easier or harder in our day? [12:35] How Tony came to write his book, “Combo Prospecting” [14:22] Generating your own B2B leads depends on the right narrative and the right multi-channel approach [20:22] Is social selling all that it’s cracked up to be? [23:02] How does a combination of approaches create B2B leads? [27:59] Why being beat up is good for the soul [35:15] What does it take to be successful in today’s sales environment? Resources Mentioned Tony Hughes’s Website www.RSVPSelling.com Tony’s LinkedIn Profile Tony on Twitter: @TonyHughesAU Tony’s new book: Combo Prospecting Episode 54 of Selling With Social with Sangram Vajre Selling With Social Episode 55 with Paul Teshima Open View Tony’s All-Time Favorite Movies: Shawshank Redemption and Jerry Maguire Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges   The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - use the code “Leadership 1095” USE THE BANNER IMAGE Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Join Mario at The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - and use the code “Leadership 1095” to get a Vengreso-only discount

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Every growing company reaches the point where a powerful and integrated sales stack is needed to manage the sales cycle. It's a necessity because there are many places within the sales process that a prospect or customer can fall through the cracks. Every time it happens, an opportunity is lost. But putting together an effective and efficient sales stack can be very difficult. For this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Erroin Martin of Conversica shares about the various elements of a sales stack that enable timely engagement, coaching, forecasting, and more. We talked about the role AI plays in the stack, how a great sales stack can drive out inefficiencies in the sales cycle, and why people will always be involved in the process in spite of the power of AI. This episode is worth much more than the time you’ll invest in it, so be sure you listen. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. What If It Was Possible to Only Engage With Buyers When They Are Ready? One of the most intriguing things happening when it comes to sales software is the integration of AI. Software already exists that takes a good deal of the follow-up engagement off of the salesperson's plate until the timing is right for an actual sales conversation. These intelligent programs are able to take cues from social media, email and text interactions, and other data points to stay engaged with the prospect in meaningful ways until they are ready to respond. Erroin explains how it works and why this kind of engagement software is a vital consideration as you develop your own sales stack, so don't miss this episode. A Great Sales Stack Enables You to Know Your Buyer Before You Talk With Them As sales professionals, we know how important it is that our buyers feel that we understand the problems they are facing. It's that understanding that enables them to trust our expertise and feel comfortable with our solutions to their problems. That means we need to know our buyers as well as possible before we pick up the phone for a sales conversation. In this episode, Erroin and I chat about the different pieces of software available that enable us to do exactly that. It's one aspect of an effective sales stack that is becoming more and more powerful over time due to the integration AI. But it's not technology for technology's sake. It's for the purpose of an enabling us to build real relationships with our buyers that foster the kind of trust needed to establish a long-term relationship. If you're curious about the possibilities available today when it comes to sales software, you have got to hear this episode of Selling With Social. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. Your Sales Stack Should Drive Out Inefficiencies in Your Sales Process Every sales professional knows the frustration of not being able to engage with buyers effectively. There are so many pieces in motion during the sales cycle it's inevitable that something will fall through the cracks if the problem isn't addressed. That is where an effective sales stack comes into the picture. The software your sales organization uses should drive out the inefficiencies in your sales process to enable the sales team to not only stay on top of engagement but increase sales as a result. If that is not happening in your sales organization, you've got to hear what my guest shares on this episode. AI Won't Replace Salespeople: Emotional Connections With Buyers Still Matter Every now and then an article is published that tries to forecast whether salespeople will ever be replaced by AI. Neither myself nor my guest on this episode believe that day will ever come. Why? Because there will always be a need for emotional connections with buyers. A piece of software simply can't do that, no matter how smart it is. Salespeople are the human element of the sales cycle, which is perhaps the most vital because it is what assures a buyer that they are more than a number and they are dealing with real people who are reliable and trustworthy. That's why Erroin, the Vice President of Sales for Conversica still trains his sales team in emotional intelligence skills even though their company produces AI-based software for sales that actually talks to customers. That makes his perspective not only unique, but incredibly valuable. I encourage you to take the time to listen to what he has to share on this episode. Outline of This Episode [2:10] Erroin’s history in sales and software tech [4:47] How AI can be used to make engagement and follow up happen [11:58] What is AI and why is it helpful for sales follow up? [14:16] Tech tools are needed to weed out inefficiencies in the sales cycle [22:55] Automating and predicting are two powerful functions of a good sales stack [24:10] Knowing your buyer before you even meet them using sales tech [32:19] How Erroin is building emotional intelligence into his sales team Resources Mentioned Erroin on Twitter: @Erroin Erroin on LinkedIn ErroinM(at)Conversica.com Conversica Hubspot Salesforce BOOK: Predictable Revenue SalesLoft Salesforce Inbox Chorus - Live Real-Time Transcripts Salesforce Einstein TopBox Data Hug InsightSquared CrystalKnows DISC Profile Sales Navigator by LinkedIn Erroin’s all-time favorite movie: Big Trouble In Little China Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - use the code “Leadership1095” USE THE BANNER IMAGE Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Join Mario at The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - and use the code “Leadership 1095” to get a Vengreso-only discount  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play No matter the amount of experience you have as a sales professional you can always benefit from improving your selling skills. My guest on this episode of #SellingWithSocial is Jennifer Darling. She has been in sales and sales management her entire professional career. Her proven track record of increasing sales, profits, and productivity at media affiliates for FOX, NBC, CBS, and Comcast make her an ideal person to provide help in this area. In this conversation we talk about dealing with fear effectively, mental and physical preparation for sales calls, overcoming objections, stabilizing the sales cycle, and more. You don’t want to miss her simple but effective tips, so be sure to listen now. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. Do Common Fears Hold You Back From Connecting With Prospects? When it comes to becoming successful in sales there's nothing new. The same obstacles we faced in sales during our early years in the profession - fear, objections, and the difficulty of making sales contacts in the first place - continue to be a challenge throughout our careers. In this conversation, Jennifer talks about the need to deal with our fears effectively and provides a number of actionable tips you can apply right now to overcome it. She highlights strategies for overcoming the fear of rejection, beating the fear of interrupting people, and destroying the fear of being sleazy or salesy. If you apply what she shares on this episode you'll soon get past those fears and increase your sales skills exponentially. Be sure you listen. Avoid the Typical Fluctuating Sales Cycle Jennifer says, it only takes one year of experience as a salesperson to recognize that the sales cycle ebbs and flows based on what's happening during the year. She believes sales numbers and contacts with prospects typically wane during November and December due to the holidays, followed by a continued lull in January when planning and strategy are at the top of everyone's priority list. Then panic mode hits in February and calls are made at a furious pace, only to be followed by less calls being made due to the increased number of customers that came from February’s flurry of calls. This all-too-common cycle does NOT have to be true for you. In our conversation on this episode, Jennifer shares a very practical, common sense approach that will enable you to avoid those fluctuations and the decrease in income that comes from it. This podcast is being brought to you by The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summittaking place this April 3rd - 5th, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Register Now by using the Vengreso only discount code "Leadership1095" for your deeply discounted rate. Athletes Warm Up For the Game. Why Don’t Salespeople? When you first pick up the phone to reach out to a prospect lots of things are happening to you both psychologically and physically. Your palms may sweat, your breathing may be irregular - it's the natural nervous reaction all of us have when something important is on the line. Something Jennifer shares in this conversation is this: As important as sales calls are, we don't typically prepare for them with equal seriousness. And she doesn’t only mean mentally, she also means physically. On this episode, Jennifer shares ideas for both kinds of preparation that you can apply to your sales call routine and benefit from immediately. Don't miss it. Be Proactive About Objections - Bring Them Up Before The Prospect Does Every sales training program out there includes training about how to handle objections. Jennifer says the most effective way she has found is to be proactive about them. In most cases, you know exactly what your buyer's objections will be focused around - time, money, or doubt. It's your job to know how to respond to those areas of concern in ways that put the buyer’s mind at ease. But even more importantly, Jennifer says you shouldn't wait for the buyer to raise the objections, you should bring them up yourself. When you acknowledge their concerns before they do it shows them that you understand their situation. Listen, learn, and apply and see if you can apply any of her suggestions.. Outline of This Episode [2:47] Jennifer Darling’s journey from media sales and marketing to running her own consultancy [6:06] Common fears that hold salespeople back from having conversations [12:58] The unhealthy sales cycle and the power of consistent activity [17:26] Jennifer’s best tips about how to get ready to make sales calls [24:08] Creating a wants VS needs list during your sales calls [29:23] How objections can be dealt with effectively [34:45] The pitfall of pausing too long when you receive an objection Resources Mentioned Jennifer’s website: www.DarlingCoaching.com Jennifer on LinkedIn Jennifer on Twitter @therealjdarling Jeffrey Gitomer Certified Advisors Mario’s video: The Rule of 10 Jennifer’s all time favorite movie: Christmas Vacation Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - use the code “Leadership 1095” Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play Join Mario at The 10th Annual AA-ISP Leadership Summit - April 3-5, 2018 - and use the code “Leadership 1095” to get a Vengreso-only discount  

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play There’s an old saying, “Your network is your net worth” and though many may feel it’s a tired old phrase, it 100% true. Both performance and science have proven the best salespeople build incredible relationships with their customers. However, today’s selling model has made it more complex to know where and when we should engage with a current or future client. That is why I asked Paul Teshima, co-founder of Nudge.ai to join me on #SellingWithSocial so we could talk about how to help sales professionals genuinely enhance those kinds of relationships. Nudge.ai gathers the insights you need to write engaging emails by providing you with the latest personal mentions, company news, social activity and relationship insights on your buyers as you write emails. As you can see, Paul knows the topic I wanted to discuss, so you don’t want to miss this conversation. His insights about the nuances and practical steps of relationship selling are priceless. 84% of All B2B Deals Start from the Referral Process “Today the hardest part of closing any deal is actually finding it,” Lars Nielsen. For that reason, referrals have become all the more important. Studies show that 84% of all B2B deals started with the referral process. If that is true, that means finding, then creating and nurturing those relationships must be done more effectively, in ways that bring about those referrals that lead to closed deals. In this conversation, Paul explains why relationship intelligence can empower us to build those kinds of relationships and shows how AI makes it possible. This is a powerful step forward for the sales industry and the salespeople who make the best use of it will be the ones to dominate their industry. Relationship Intelligence: The Future of Sales If you’re not familiar with the term “relationship intelligence,” it’s important that you get it because it’s the future of relationship selling and referrals. With tens of thousands or more of contacts in your CRM, there’s no way you’re going to be able to build authentic relationships with all of them, much less do so in a strategic, intelligent way. Enter relationship intelligence technology - leveraging AI to provide data points and insights into who your prospects are, which ones are most beneficial to pursue, when is the right time to “nudge” them, and serving you up information as to what topics or resources may be of interest to your prospects right now. Sound helpful? It's more than helpful, it's revolutionary to the sales process. Find out more from my guest on this episode of Selling With Social. A Nudge a Day: It’s the Key to Building Relationships What if you had a platform that collected data and insights on your sales prospects and connections, pulled them together in an intelligent way, reminded you each day that your relationship has gone dark or is “cooling off”, then “nudged” you to engage with your buyers based upon one of those trigger events? Additionally, what if you could determine who is the “best” person in your network who could make a referral to your prospective buyer? That’s called relationship intelligence at scale. Make sure you take the time to listen to this part of the conversation. Focus on Shared Interests to Build Relationships It's always helpful to think of things in the context of a real-life scenario, so let me give you one that shows the power of relationship intelligence software. Imagine that you and one of your prospects share a love for mountain climbing. That prospect regularly shares photos on social media posts about their mountain climbing adventures. Relationship intelligence software finds all of the common interest(s), collates the things the prospects shares on social, and brings it to your attention. Then the software nudges you to reach out to that prospect based on the frequency of your previous contact with them. You are now equipped to build your relationship with them in a very natural and authentic way. Nothing is forced, nothing feels out of place. Do you see the power in that? In this conversation with Paul, co-founder of Nudge.ai you will hear even more examples of how this kind of approach can gain you the reputation as a connector that earns referrals. Outline of This Episode [1:06] Paul’s history as an engineer in the sales and marketing industry [2:48] How the best relationships results in the best deals - and why Nudge was created [4:14] The biggest differences between the business environment when Paul started his previous companies and what it’s like today [6:01] The data points that exist today to help sellers engage with buyers better [7:39] How AI handles the grunt work of relationship research to empower salespeople [13:01] One nudge a day: Add value in small increments over time to move toward deals [16:54] How do we build and manage our personal networks and sales relationships? [18:12] Making the most of the Strength of Weak Ties theory: practical suggestions [22:31] Why social selling isn’t just about selling [24:26] Changes in the sales process over the years and how it’s working today [28:45] No longer is the CEO the one who makes the decisions: Sell to the manager [31:02] The AI solution Nudge brings to sales professionals Resources Mentioned www.Nudge.ai - Paul’s company Connect with Paul Teshima On LinkedIn - Paul Teshima On Twitter - @PaulTeshima Open View The Strength of Weak Ties theory Entering Into the Mind of the I.T. Buyer seminar Paul’s favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption Social Business Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play

  What would it mean for your organization to embrace and adopt an account based marketing approach? How would it impact the relationship between your sales and marketing teams? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from account based marketing expert, Sangram Vajre. Sangram is the Co-Founder & CMO of Terminus. He has quickly built a reputation as one of the leading minds in B2B marketing. Before co-founding Terminus, a SaaS platform for account-based marketing, Sangram led the marketing team at Pardot through its acquisition by ExactTarget and then Salesforce. In 2018, Sangram was named one of the top B2B influencers to watch by B2B News Network. Sangram is the author of "Account-Based Marketing For Dummies" and is the mastermind behind #FlipMyFunnel. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to learn the ins and outs of account based marketing from Sangram on this episode! Why account based marketing is good for sales. How can an account based marketing strategy lead to more sales? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Sangram talks about that moment when he realized what the shift to account based marketing would mean for both sales and marketing teams. Sangram stresses the benefit of this approach in the fact that marketers are finally speaking the same language as salespeople which is account based. With both teams on the same page, image how much increased productivity and potential that means for your workforce. Make sure to listen to this episode as Sangram elaborates further on account based marketing and how leaders like you can get the most out of this innovative strategy! Should marketing be held to the same standards as the sales team? Is it fair to have one segment of your organization held accountable when numbers and quotas aren’t met? What would it look like for the rest of your business, including marketing to be held to the same standards that your sales team is held to? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Sangram and I discuss what this shift in organizational culture would look like and why we think it would lead to increased success. If all members of the company are held to the same standards, then everyone wins as a team and fails as a team. Wouldn’t you love to see your sales and marketing teams meeting together and working in unison? Wouldn’t it be great to see finger pointing and blaming cease? That’s the result of embracing and adopting an account based marketing strategy. Don’t miss additional insights and lessons from Sangram's unique perspective on this episode! Are leads still needed with the account based marketing approach? Can you imagine a world where leads are no longer needed? That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? When it comes to account based marketing, the volume of and focus on traditional lead generation shifts. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Sangram explains why a heavy focus on traditional lead generation is no longer needed with account based marketing. Did you know that a 2015 study conducted by Forrester found the traditional lead generation and engagement approach yields less than 1% success rate? It’s time we embraced a methodology that doesn’t waste 99% of our time, money, energy and resources on things that don’t drive revenue! According to Sangram, it you begin to adopt account based marketing, you can then tier your your non ABM accounts and allocate time and resources according to their level of value to your organization. Learn more about ABM and it’s many benefits on this episode! Account based marketing tactics that will put your business ahead. What account based marketing tactics can help your organization not only stay competitive but push forward to the next level of growth? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Sangram shares several tactics that leaders like you can leverage as you embrace account based marketing. One of the major advantages to account based marketing is the ability to narrow your focus and deliver quality over quantity. Instead of spending your resources on thousands of leads, you can craft and customize your messaging and advertising in a personalized way that will connect with your customers and prospects. Discover additional tactics and insights that account based marketing provides on this episode featuring Sangram! Outline of This Episode [1:00] I introduce my guest, Sangram Vajre. [3:00] Sangram shares the backstory of Flip My Funnel. [5:00] Why is Account Based Marketing (ABM) good for sales? [8:00] Addressing the disconnect between sales and marketing. [10:30] Should marketing be held as accountable as sales for missed quotas? [13:30] What does it take to target the right customers? [17:00] Tactics of Account Based Marketing. [23:00] How to leverage Account Based Marketing tactics. [25:00] Measurements of success and what to expect. [31:00] How do the responsibilities of the executive team factor into the ABM system? [34:00] Leads are no longer needed in the ABS system. [37:00] What does the “Hallelujah” look like ten years from now for sales and marketing? Resources Mentioned www.terminus.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangramvajre/ https://twitter.com/sangramvajre Episode #24 featuring Trish Bertuzzi Account Based Marketing for Dummies Flip My Funnel Rocky Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play

In order to achieve growth and success, leaders need to adopt innovative business ideas that will enable them to take their organizations to the next level. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear a conversation I had as a guest on the Proposify Biz Chat podcast with Kyle Racki. In our discussion, I present several innovative business ideas that I’ve used to build my company, Vengreso from the ground up. You don’t want to miss this episode as I draw on my experience as the CEO and Founder of Vengreso, my background having spent 82 consecutive quarters in B2B sales, and leadership roles growing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue annually. Make sure to catch this informative episode!   Stay ahead of the competition with innovative business ideas. As a leader, you are always on the lookout for ways to stay ahead of the competition. One of the best ways to achieve this objective is by embracing innovative business ideas from all corners of the marketplace. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, I provide several concepts that will help leaders like you stand out and stay ahead of your competition. One of the topics I touch on is paying attention to the needs of your clients. Too often organizations assume that they have exactly what their clients need without doing the hard work of really studying what problems their clients face. While it doesn’t sound flashy and profound, when well executed, solving the problems your clients are desperate to address can set you apart from the competition. Hear more about solving your client’s needs and other innovative business ideas that will help you scale and grow your business on this episode! If you want to succeed, you need a direction! The primary reason why many business professionals never advance in their career or take their team to the next level is due to a lack of direction. Do you have a clear and focused direction that you and your team want to work toward? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, I explain how I have led my team to embrace a new mindset that keeps us focused and striving toward a clear goal, what I’ve dubbed the “Road to 30 million.” By focusing on this goal, my team and I can stay on the same page and work to achieve this mission together. I firmly believe that every person, leader, and organization needs their own “Road to 30 Million” if they ever hope to make progress. Discover more helpful insights and innovative business ideas like this one on this episode! You need to fight distractions and stick to a plan. The biggest enemy of success and focus are distractions. While you might put all of your efforts into staying on task and accomplishing your goals, some form of distraction won’t be too far behind. What can leaders like you do to banish distractions and focus on innovative business ideas that will help your organization flourish? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, I dive into this topic with Kyle Racki. My basic message is to hone in on your main objective and tune out anything that tries to get in the way. It isn’t always easy, I can attest to that, but if you can create a compelling objective, those distractions become less enticing! Discover more tips and insights that can help your business thrive on this episode! Learning to count the cost and making the tough decisions. Did you know that one of the most important and innovative business ideas is learning when to say “No?” As a leader, you’ve got to learn when it's the right time to go “All in” and when to let an opportunity pass by. This isn’t an easy skill to learn, it takes time, failure, and moments of success to learn. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear as I discuss with Kyle about how we’ve refined our approach at Vengreso to stay in our area of expertise and fight the impulse to chase opportunities that seem too good to pass up. What lessons and insights can you come away with from our conversation? Find out on this compelling episode! Outline of This Episode [1:00] I introduce this special episode. [4:00] I tell the story of putting together the Vengreso team. [9:00] Bringing sales and marketing together. [14:00] The difficulty and success of bringing the Vengreso team together. [21:00] Where did the “Road to 30 Million” come from? [23:00] Creating a duplicatable, replicable, and scalable organization. [25:00] How does the Vengreso brand work? What is in the works? [28:00] Fighting distractions and sticking to a plan. [31:00] Counting the cost and making the tough decisions. Resources Mentioned https://www.proposify.com/podcast https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/smmworld/ https://www.inbound.com/ Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play

  Did you know that a recent study has revealed that if 75% of your organization adopts social selling techniques to engage with buyers, you are likely to see a 61% quota attainment result? How is that possible? What steps can your organization take to see those kind of results? You’ll find out on this episode of #SellingWithSocial with guest expert Tamara Schenk. Tamara is a research director at CSO Insights, the research division of Miller Heiman Group, focused on all things sales force enablement, frontline sales managers, social selling, and collaboration. She enjoyed more than twenty years of experience in sales, business development, and consulting in different industries on an international level. Before becoming an analyst in a research director role in January 2014, she had the pleasure to develop sales enablement from an idea to a program and a strategic function at T-Systems, a Deutsche Telekom company where she led the global sales force enablement and transformation team. Don’t miss a minute of this compelling episode featuring Tamara! Embracing a Sales Enablement Strategy If you were to evaluate your organization right now, what score would you give it when it comes to sales enablement? Do you have a well thought out strategy? Are you in the process of growing and developing it? Or is it more of an afterthought and lumped in with sales operations? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Tamara explains why it's so important for businesses to have separate sales enablement and sales operations teams that work closely together. Too often these two teams get lumped into one, learn from Tamara’s perspective and the research she’s done that points to the benefit of having these teams work independently but part of a cohesive strategy. Make sure to listen to this episode! How can Sales Enablement drive Social Selling? Is your sales enablement team driving social selling? Do you, as a leader see the need to expand and develop your approach in the social selling arena? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Tamara goes over her observations of how social selling fits into a broader approach to the sales environment. Tamara says that social selling is not just another piece of technology, it’s not just another tool, it comes down to embracing a total mindset shift on how to engage in a different way. Find out what lessons you can learn from Tamara’s perspective on this powerful episode! How you can create alignment between sales and marketing. Is there alignment between sales and marketing in your organization? Would the personnel on those teams agree with your assessment? What does it take to have a cohesive and focused strategy that brings your sales and marketing teams into alignment? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Tamara shares how leaders like you can work toward healthy alignment between your sales and marketing teams. Tamara says that it’s important to start with a change in perspective, the pushback between sales and marketing needs to come to an end if there is any hope for lasting alignment. She goes on to explain how this push for alignment between sales and marketing can impact the overall sales enablement strategy. Make sure to listen to this episode as Tamara expands on this topic and much more! Social Selling is not just using social networks! Have you ever had someone contact you to do business and then proceed to completely and utterly fail at their sales pitch? What are so many salespeople getting wrong in their digital approach and sales pitches? On this episode of #SelingWithSocial, Tamara and I go over an email I recently received that serves as a prime example of what happens when organizations fail to understand that social selling is not just using social networks. Make sure to listen to this episode as we unpack this salesperson’s approach and key lessons you can learn to avoid their same mistakes. Outline of This Episode [1:00] I introduce my guest, Tamara Schenk. [4:30] Why was there a need for sales enablement optimization study? [7:30] Is social selling an important area for organizations to focus on? [13:30] Takeaways from the sales enablement optimization study. [18:00] Why sales coaching is so important. [20:00] How do you create alignment between sales and marketing? [23:30] Tamara and I go over an email I recently received. [33:00] Tamara goes over why intentions are so important. [36:30] Navigating the complexity of connecting with buyers. Resources Mentioned 2017 CSO Insights Sales Enablement Optimization Study Twitter: @tamaraschenk LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/tamaraschenk https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/effective-social-selling-part-2-adoption-rates-impact-quota-attainment/ https://www.csoinsights.com/blog/ The Intouchables Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn

As technology continues to make massive leaps and bounds, have you considered the future of your inside sales strategy? How can your sales team stay on the cutting edge by embracing technology like video and AI? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from sales and software expert Lori Harmon. Lori is a high-tech sales executive, author of the book “42 Rules for Building a High Velocity Inside Sales Team,” and a sales acceleration expert. Currently, Lori is the Vice President of Global Inside Sales for BlackBerry’s mobile security software division. Prior to Blackberry, Lori was Vice President of Sales at Contrast Security. Prior to Contrast, Lori held a number of executive sales leadership positions at high tech companies such as VeriSign, Melbourne IT, Interwoven, Brio Software, and Network General. Make sure you listen to this episode as Lori shares her wealth of wisdom and experience to help leaders like you remain competitive in the marketplace! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. AI and adapting to new technology. What steps are you taking right now to ensure that your company stays competitive in a rapidly changing marketplace? Have you considered adopting new technology to keep your inside sales team on at the top of their game? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Lori and I discuss the use of video in sales, why inside sales teams should be embracing new technology, and what the future may hold with AI and other innovations. Did you know that Harvard Business Review conducted a study that found that companies that use AI have experienced a 50% increase in sales leads? Does that sound like something your sales team would like to get in on? Make sure to listen to this episode to hear more great insights and lessons from Lori! Why you should leverage the use of video every chance you get. How has your sales team embraced digital outreach? What steps are you taking to lead the way and utilize video every chance you get? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Lori and I talk about how we see video swiftly becoming a key tool for sales teams. Whether it's through personalized video messages you send to clients, or through the use of video conversations to help your clients connect a face to the person they are doing business with, the use of video is becoming a vital component. So what are you waiting for? Find out how the use of video can put your team ahead of the competition. Learn more by listening to this episode featuring Lori! How AI can impact the buyer side of the sales equation. With the rise of new and exciting technology like AI, many wonder if salespeople will soon be replaced with bots. Is that something you are worried about? Will automation and artificial intelligence really eliminate the need of buying from an actual person? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Lori describes why she see new technologies as amazing tools that will help inside sales teams do their jobs better but won’t replace them all together. Let’s face it, automation is here and there is not putting the genie back in its bottle. Salespeople don’t need to be afraid of technologies if they learn how to leverage the skillsets that AI and other techs can’t replicate. Lori encourages sales leaders to focus on their abilities like building relationships, adapting to new trends and information, and using their creativity and problem solving to help clients with their unique needs. What else can you learn from Lori’s unique perspective? Find out on this episode! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. What inside sales teams should stop doing if they want to succeed. As a sales leader, you want your sales teams to do everything they can to get an advantage over the competition. If you want your team to stand out, you’ve got to be brave enough to reject the unproductive industry trends that everyone is adopting. One example of these unproductive trends is the practice of sending impersonal emails, voicemails, and other communications. This goes against the “conventional wisdom” in the sales community but if you and your team take the time to make sure that the messages you send to lead and clients are personal and well researched, that will make you stand out from your competitors. Don’t miss this episode of #SellingWithSocial as Lori shares more helpful lessons from her years of experience! Outline of This Episode [1:10] I introduce my guest, Lori Harmon. [2:15] Lori give a snapshot of her background. [7:30] Lori shares three of her rules for building a high velocity inside sales team. [9:00] How do you determine if an inside sales model is the right fit for your business? [12:30] What is the role of technology and specifically, video in inside sales? [17:00] Lori talks about AI and its use in inside sales. [25:30] How can using AI help with coaching and sales leadership? [31:00] How will AI impact the buyer side of the equation? [35:00] Can AI help create a personalized experience for sales leaders? [37:30] What do inside sales teams need to stop doing in order to succeed? Resources Mentioned Lori’s book, 42 Rules for Building a High-Velocity Inside Sales Team www.twitter.com/loriharmon https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorilharmon/ OneMob SalesForce Neil Rackham Gone with the Wind Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play How can sales leaders focus on building customer relationships in today’s digital environment? Is it even possible? Is it worth the effort? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from business leader and guest expert, Ed Wallace. Ed is President and Chief Relationship Officer of The Relational Capital Group. He consults with and speaks for corporations and associations across the globe with a client list that is a Who’s Who of Fortune 500 companies. He is the author of “ ”, “Creating Relational Capital”, “Business Relationships That Last”, and his most recent #1 Bestseller “The Relationship Engine.” In addition, Ed is currently on the Executive Education faculty of Drexel’s LeBow College of Business and Villanova University’s Human Resources Master’s program. You don’t want to miss a minute of this exciting episode featuring Ed’s years of relationship building expertise! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Is time building customer relationships worth it? To succeed as a sales leader, do you really need to take the time building customer relationships? Does the relational effort payoff in the end? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Ed describes the importance of building a deeper relationship with specific customers rather than relying a broad and generic relationship. Ed doesn’t rail against digital connections, he encourages sales leaders like you to leverage digital resources to make those connections as personal as possible. Our tendency is to think of our contacts just as representatives of an account, division, or company. Ed wants us to go deeper and connect with our contacts on a relational level. Listen to this episode as Ed expands on this process and more, don’t miss it! What is the principle of worthy intent? What is the deciding factor that causes a customer relationship to deepen loyalty and trust while other business relationships seem to plateau? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Ed shares the principle of worthy intent and how it can make all the difference in building customer relationships. The principle of worthy intent is not just about having good intentions, it's about the behaviors you see from your customers as they respond to the way you treat them. In our conversation, Ed shares a story of how a children's hospital earned his family’s loyalty not based on their good intentions alone but on how they communicated those intentions and made them present in the lives of those they aimed to serve. To hear the whole story from Ed and to find out how you can deepen your business relationships, make sure to listen to this episode! Discover why integrity is one of the most important values. Did you know that a study that found that there are no “Trust neutral interactions?” Researchers discovered that every time you interact and communicate with someone, they will either trust you more or they will trust you less. I don’t know about you but that really makes me pause and consider how I interact with the closest people in my life and my customers! On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Ed uses the lesson found in this study to drive home the importance of operating with integrity. You won’t become an expert at building customer relationships if you don’t deal with integrity. Ed encourages leaders like you to do a self-evaluation and consider how your interactions with customers could be perceived, are you giving people an opportunity to trust you more or less? Learn more helpful insights from Ed on this episode! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. What is relational GPS and how can it help you deepen customer relationships? If you want to take your efforts at building customer relationships to the next level and truly connect with your clients, you’ve got to utilize relational GPS. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear all about relational GPS and how you can use it strengthen your relationships with customers and stay competitive. Ed says that relational GPS is knowing the following about your customer; Goals Passions Struggles Do you know the goals, passions, and struggles that are important to your customer? If the answer is no, then you’ve got work to do! Take the time to get to know your customer, identify these areas in their life and show that you care about them as an individual. Make sure to listen to this episode as Ed expands on this concept and shares additional insights! Outline of This Episode [1:20] I introduce my guest, Ed Wallace. [2:30] Ed shares his story, the cliff notes version. [7:30] How relevant is relationship building in the digital age? [12:00] What led Ed on his journey of writing books? [16:00] What is the principle of worthy intent? [19:00] Why integrity is an important value. [21:00] A story about why you need to make every interaction matter. [26:00] What is relational GPS? [31:00] Ed tells his story about building a relationship with a taxi cab driver. [43:00] The little things that turn fares into friends. Resources Mentioned www.relationalcapitalgroup.com Ed’s book, “The Relationship Engine” Edwallace[at]relationalcapitalgroup.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/relcapgroup/ https://twitter.com/relcapgroup Tommy Boy Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play

  What does it take to become an effective sales team leader? How can you get the most out of your team to build a culture of accountability, transparency, and excellence? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from sales expert Lynne Pincek. Lynne is the Vice President of Business and Public Sector Sales and she has resided in Florida since 2012. She previously served in multiple leadership roles in Silicon Valley with Sprint’s global, strategic accounts division developing and implementing complex solutions for fortune 100 companies. Lynne received her bachelor’s degree in Arts and Science from the University of Missouri, Columbia. She is an avid runner and volunteer in her community. Learn from Lynne’s years of experience and success in the sales industry, don’t miss this episode! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Selling internally and externally Looking back on my time as a salesperson, I remember the struggle and the drive it took to close deals and succeed in my efforts to establish and build relationships with clients. What I failed to learn in those early years but finally came to understand (with help from Lynne when she promised she would FIRE me) is, you have to sell as much internally as you do externally. This means going the extra mile and tapping into the patience and understanding that is required when you work with members of your organization that don't seem to be as “driven” for the success of the sale as you are. Lynne played a pivotal role in my development as a sales team leader and I know that leaders like you will get a lot of value from her perspective. Learn more from Lynne’s insights on this episode of #SellingWithSocial! Building trust with your sales team Any good sales team leader knows that if team members can’t trust one another, dysfunction and chaos will plague the team. How does a leader build and cultivate trust with the team? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from Lynne as she explains how she has succeeded in fostering trust and a collaborative environment in the sales teams that she has led over the years. Working toward open communication, accountability, and trust isn’t easy but the payoff of a healthy and vibrant team environment is worth the struggle and effort to get there. Find out what you can learn from Lynne’s story on this informative episode! Tips to be an effective sales team leader If you’ve been in the sales for any length of time, chances are you’ve worked with great and encouraging and terrible and ineffective team leaders. What are the qualities and values that make an effective sales team leader? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Lynne opens up and shares key insights and tips for current and aspiring sales team leaders. The heart of what Lynne has to share revolves around two values, transparency, and accountability. She believes that when a sales team leader gets these values right and leads by example, it will begin to infiltrate the whole team and create a culture of success. Discover more insights and lessons from Lynne on this episode! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Managing Expectations Did you know that unmet expectations are one of the leading causes of dysfunction in a team environment? How can you and your team ensure that your expectations are in alignment so there is no confusion? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Lynne and I talk about an exercise that she has her sales team go through that helps to identify and address the misalignment of expectations. Lynne, had her direct reports answer the question “What are my expectations of you?” From this exercise, she was able to understand which of messages and values she was communicating landed and which ones weren’t getting through to her team. What can you learn from practicing this exercise with your team? Hear more helpful tips and insights from Lynne on this episode! Outline of This Episode [1:15] I introduce my guest, Lynne Pincek. [2:30] Lynne shares her story, the cliff notes version. [6:00] Lynne and I talk about a confrontation we had years ago. [10:30] Selling externally and internally. [13:00] Building trust with your team members. [18:00] Working with a bull in a china shop. [20:30] Fostering solid relationships between sales reps and managers. [24:30] Managing the right expectations. [30:00] Keeping an ongoing strategic plan. [33:00] How to stay on top of your game and keep your team competitive. [38:30] Staying transparent through change and highlighting accountability. [42:00] What makes mentors and coaches so effective? Resources Mentioned Lynne Pincek | Professional Profile - LinkedIn Lynne Pincek (@LynnePincek) | Twitter Harvard Business Review DISC Miracle on Ice Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play

 What would it mean for your organization to have a streamlined sales operations strategy that puts your sales team in the best position for success? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from sales operations expert Bill Sexton. Bill is a sales operations leader with 18+ years of finance and sales and operations planning experience specializing in sales incentive planning, forecasting, and sales strategy. He is currently working for Samsung Electronics America building a dynamic sales operations team to support 300+ B2B sales professionals responsible for over $6.0B in revenue. Prior to joining Samsung Bill ran Zebra Technologies' North America Sales Operations team after Zebra acquired Motorola Solutions' Enterprise Mobility Division, designing the sales strategy and structure for the newly combined sales force. Don’t miss this episode as Bill provides valuable insight from his years of experience and expertise in sales! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. How data can help your sales operations strategy In what ways can salespeople on the ground utilize data to sell effectively and provide more value to their clients? How does data factor into your sales operations strategy? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial Bill opens up about data and how it can specifically help salespeople in the field. In our conversation, Bill talks about predictive analytics which is the “Who, what, when, where, and why” aspect of sales data. This process starts to put a decision and effect on the application of sales data. Bill says that this usage of the data is important from a salesperson’s perspective as it has the potential to equip them to help their clients make the best-informed decisions. Listen to this episode as Bill shares more about how sales enablement can help your team understand the buyer journey! Make sure your Sales and Marketing Teams are on the same page! Did you know that today’s modern buyer is more educated and equipped with more resources than ever before? How has your organization adapted to this new reality? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Bill and I discuss the necessity of getting your sales and marketing teams on the same page. The last thing you’d want a prospective buyer to do is to take the information your salesperson gave them and find conflicting information on your website. Bill says that it is vital that the story your salespeople are selling is tied to your company’s website and other branding touchpoints. Don’t neglect this important aspect of content marketing and how it plays in your greater sales operations strategy! Make sure to listen to this episode as Bill reveals additional insights that will help you maintain a competitive edge. How Salespeople can use their CRM reports to provide better data. It’s not a secret that one of the most laborious tasks for the salesperson is filling out their CRM reports. Imagine what it would mean for your sales team if they understood the benefit that their reports can have on providing them with more accurate information to use with their clients. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Bill and I discuss the role CRM reports play in the sales enablement process. Bill also touches on win reports and how the data salespeople provide in these reports will eventually be used by artificial intelligence to give a better picture and profile of how salespeople can succeed. You don’t want to miss the fascinating insights that Bill has to share on this episode! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Don’t let automation give you a bad reputation! Many organizations are embracing automation as a way to streamline their processes and improve efficiency. But what if your use of automation gets in the way of serving your clients and even ends up giving you a bad reputation? As smart as these tools and systems are, it's always wise to double check and make sure the communications that go out to your clients and potential clients are relevant and accurate. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Bill and I go over the use of automation, it benefits, and some of its drawbacks so sellers like you don’t ruin your reputation! Make sure to listen to this episode to hear great insights from Bill and his take on sales operations strategy and much more! Outline of This Episode [1:15] I introduce my guest, Bill Sexton. [2:20] Bill shares his story, the cliff notes version. [8:20] Is there a division between sales and sales operations? Why? [10:30] How data and analytics can help salespeople make more sales. [16:00] Why Marketing and Sales need to work together. [20:00] What does the sales data say about changes for the modern buyer? [23:30] Where does the data come from? [26:30] Sales teams can work smarter with the right information. [31:30] Why detailed win reports can help your sales team succeed. [36:00] Bill talks about the difficulty of quota setting and using the right metrics. Resources Mentioned https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-sexton-b3564219/ Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back www.Data.com Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn

  One way to succeed as a leader is to know about and watch out for the business blunders others have made. What steps are you taking to avoid common business blunders? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from guest expert Shawn McBride as he reveals lessons he’s learned from business blunders and how to avoid them. Shawn works with businesses to find hidden risks and untapped opportunities all in support of the mission to maximize wealth for the owners and their loved ones. You'll frequently see Shawn speaking on stage (at locations like TEDx, corporate events or association conferences), traveling to work on strategy with clients or in the media. While everything he does is about business planning he makes sure to tailor the programs to his audiences and their specific needs for content and format. His books show his passions. "Business Blunders" profiles mistakes many clients made before coming to his office. "It's About Time" is a radical departure from other time management books and starts to reveal how Shawn and his teams do so much in so little time. Make sure you have pen and paper ready for this informative episode with Shawn! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Learning from Business Blunders You’ve heard that often repeated definition of insanity right? Insanity is “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Could you be falling into that same trap in your business? Don’t get lulled into complacency! If you want to succeed as a leader, you’ve got to be constantly learning and evaluating your process and approach. One of the best ways to learn is to study not only the successful leaders but also the ones who failed to change and adapt, in order to learn from their mistakes. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Shawn and I discuss several key lessons from his book, “Business Blunders” so leaders like you can walk away with tangible steps you can take to learn from the mistakes of others. Don’t miss out on the valuable insights that Shawn has to share on this episode! Planning for Change in Your Business What is your attitude toward change? Do you love it and embrace it or do you run for the hills? As a business leader, you have to be willing to confront the subject of change if you want to see your team succeed! A huge reason why many business blunders occur can be traced back to a poor plan for change. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Shawn explains how leaders like you can put plans in place for the inevitable changes that your organization will need to face. Shawn focus in on why leaders need to take the time to think and plan ahead regarding the direction of their company. He speaks from his experience as a lawyer where he’s seen many businesses face unnecessary hardship when key leaders or owners step away from the business with no plan in place for succession or filling those vacancies. Don’t miss this episode as Shawn expands on this topic and much more! Don’t Put all of Your Eggs in One Basket! Do you know where the majority of your income comes from? Is your organization reliant on the business of one client or a small subset of clients? What about talent? Is everyone performing at the same level or do you only have one or two high performers who keep the rest of the team afloat? On this episode of #SellingWithSoical, you’ll hear from Shawn as he walks through the necessity of diversification to avoid the business blunder of putting all of your eggs in one basket. Shawn emphasizes why leaders like you need to do a thorough evaluation of your business to identify areas susceptible to sudden shifts in the marketplace or personnel changes. Take this opportunity to learn from the business blunders of others who have gone before! Don’t miss this pivotal episode! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Is it really necessary to have outside advisors? How much do you value an outside perspective on your business? Do you take the prospect of utilizing advisors and mentors seriously or have you found little use for them? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Shawn and I discuss the important role advisors and mentors can play in your growth as a leader. I speak from first-hand experience here and I can tell you, mentors and advisors have played a critical role in my development as a business leader. I hope leaders like you will take the time to consider connecting with a trusted outside voice who can help you notice and even correct potential blind spots in your business. Learn more about the role of advisors and how they can help you avoid business blunders and additional insights from Shawn on this episode! Outline of This Episode [1:10] I introduce my guest, Shawn McBride. [3:00] Shawn talks about his background. [9:00] Making a plan for business changes down the road. [18:00] Creating a safety net. [23:00] Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket! [25:00] Breaking down the numbers, make sure you have a diversified revenue stream. [32:30] What does getting advisers have to do with business success? [37:30] Should sales and marketers have advisors within the company? [39:30] Why leaders need to take on a mentoring role. Resources Mentioned https://www.linkedin.com/in/rshawnmcbride/ https://twitter.com/mcbrideforbus www.amazon.com/Business-Blunders-Dangerous-Mistakes-Protect/dp/0692733078 www.yourbusinessspeaker.com www.yourbusinessspeaker.com/tedxwomen www.mcbrideforbusiness.com (FREE Valuation Checklist) www.mcbrideattorneys.com/blog https://www.amazon.com/Its-About-Time-More-Matters/dp/1945605014 https://itsabouttime.lpages.co/it-s-about-time-phase-2/ www.mariomartinezjr.com Mark Zuckerberg https://www.geteverwise.com/ www.vengreso.com/blog/effective-time-management-lessons-shannon-gregg-episode-40 Top Gun Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play

Can you imagine the impact you could have if you were able to improve your sales prospecting? When was the last time you evaluated your approach? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from sales expert Bob Wonderlin. Bob has almost 30 years of experience in the communication industry. He has held roles including direct sales and sales leadership, currently, Bob is a national sales trainer for the fortune 500 company, Windstream. He recently spoke at the AA-ISP conference in Boston to help inside sales professionals learn how to set more appointments and gain more sales opportunities from those appointments. Bob is a certified trainer of the Peak Performance Mindset program. In the Peak Performance Mindset Workshop, sales professionals discover how to get the edge by learning the best tools from neuroscience and cognitive psychology to grow sales and lead a happy life. Don’t miss this empowering episode as Bob shares from his wealth of knowledge and experience so sales leaders like you can go out and reach your goals! The Role of Research in the Sales Prospecting Do you utilize research habits in your sales prospecting? Do you take time well before you connect with a prospect to dig into their company and their personal background? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Bob and I discuss the role of research as an important step that could make all the difference for sales leaders like you. Bob’s rule of thumb when it comes to researching your sales prospects is to know their business like you were going to buy it. Don’t get caught off guard, take the time to do an appropriate amount of research so you can set yourself up for success. Make sure to listen to this episode as Bob expands on this topic and more! Getting into a Peak Performance Mindset One way to ensure that your sales prospecting stays sharp is to make sure you and your team maintain a peak performance mindset. What considerations have you given to addressing the topic of mindset among your sales team? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Bob opens up about what it takes to hone a peak performance mindset. Bob shares that the heart of a peak performance mindset is about getting in touch with your goals and dreams, it also has to do with utilizing healthy self-talk. All of this is combined with a holistic approach that also includes identifying leaders who inspire you, steps toward self-actualization, and rejecting patterns of a negative mindset. Listen to this episode as Bob shares more insights about cultivating a peak performance mindset! What is Your Sales Prospecting Plan? Do you have a sales prospecting plan in place or do you just play it by ear? What are the components of a winning sales prospecting plan? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from Bob as he describes the benefit of having a sales prospecting plan in place. One of the best things you can do to ensure you have a great sales prospecting plan is to manage your time effectively. Sales leaders need to become experts at time management and self-discipline. Don’t let your smartphone or even negative news about clients infiltrate your dedicated time to your sales prospecting efforts! Don’t miss this episode as Bob and I go even further with this topic of developing a sales prospecting plan and more! How to Maximize Sales Opportunities Wouldn’t it be great if you have some helpful tips you could implement today that would allow you to maximize your sales opportunities? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Bob and I discuss some helpful concepts that leaders like you can use to get an edge over the competition. To really set yourself up for success, you’ve got to cut out the close-ended questions and embrace a more inquisitive and open-ended questioning approach. This simple shift communicates to your prospect that you are genuinely interested in their business and how you can provide them with a valuable solution. Bob share additional insights and tips on how to maximize sales opportunities on this episode, you don’t want to miss it! Outline of This Episode [1:05] I introduce my guest, Bob Wonderlin. [1:50] Bob talks about his background. [6:30] Research is vital in prospecting methodology. [9:00] What happens behind the scenes matters! [12:30] Managing your calendar and making it work for you. [17:00] Why you need a prospecting plan. [23:00] Getting into a peak performance mindset. [34:00] How to maximize sales opportunities. Resources Mentioned https://twitter.com/Bobbywonderlin www.windstream.com http://www.sellingpower.com/speaker/ National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Shawshank Redemption Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn

Wouldn’t it be great to have inside information on how to make more sales using conferences and other networking events? Imagine what it could mean for your business if you were able to leave these events with more appointments and stronger connections. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from guest expert Gary Robbins. Gary has over twenty years of Consultative Sales, Marketing and Project Management expertise, which include design and development of over 250 events and 100+ customized integrated marketing campaigns. He works for Frost & Sullivan's Global Brand and Demand Solutions Practice (& Events Business) where he is dedicated to bringing buyers and sellers together by leveraging over two dozen unique Integrated Marketing Solutions (combination of inbound and outbound marketing services). You don’t want to miss Gary’s insider perspective as he shares key lessons that can help leaders like you get an edge over the competition, make sure to listen to this episode! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Are Conferences and Networking Events Dead? As more and more connections are being made digitally, many in the sales community seem to be asking, “Are conferences and networking events dead?” Is attending these sort of events really the best way to make more sales? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Gary opens up and shares why he still believes that there is a significant advantage to connecting with prospects and influencers in a face to face setting. He remains convinced that anytime sales leaders can get one on one with a customer that is going to be the greatest opportunity to really make an impact and build a connection. According to Gary, another great benefit of these types of conferences and events is the ability to connect not with just one potential client but with upwards of ten in one foul swoop. Make sure to listen to this episode as Gary expands on the role of conferences and much more! How to Make More Sales What is the best approach to make more sales from your efforts at conferences and events? Gary says that key ingredient to have a successful event experience starts with how you prepare for the event. Like a test or an exam, if you don’t prepare adequately, your end result will suffer. Gary and his team coach salespeople to prepare 60 to 90 days before the event takes place. They encourage leaders to start reaching out to presenters and vendors in the time leading up to the event. Additional approaches that Gary touches on is the use of conference apps, connecting with attendees that expressed interest via LinkedIn, and looking into the event’s promoted hashtag. You don’t want to miss my full conversation with Gary on this episode of #SellingWithSocial! What’s Your Elevator Pitch? Do you have a solid elevator pitch? Many sales leaders might dismiss this tactic as dated or not worth the effort but it has continued to stick around for a good reason, it can work! On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Gary explains why he still encourages salespeople to utilize the elevator pitch. At the end of the day, if you have a short window of time with a prospect, whether that’s at sales conferences or if you happen to run into them in a random location, you need to have “Go to” pitch that you can rely on. Gary is so convinced that this tool will help you make more sales, he and his team have prepared a workshop that specifically focuses on how to leverage the elevator pitch as effectively as possible. Make sure to listen to this episode with Gary as he dives deeper into this topic and much more! Join Vengreso and other top sales and marketing leaders at the STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. 5 Ways to Stand Out with Post-Conference Follow Ups Did you know that the follow up is as important as the prep work done before attending sales conferences and events? What is your post-conference follow up strategy? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Gary reveals five ways for sales leaders like you to stand out with your post-conference follow up and make more sales as a result. Enter the contact into your database. Call the contact or leave them a voicemail. Email the contact and reference the call or voicemail. Create a calendar invite to the meeting that you scheduled with them at the event. Connect with the contact via LinkedIn so they know what you look like. Are you currently using any of these steps? Which ones do you need to implement in your post-conference follow up strategy? Get more helpful insights like these from Gary on this episode! Outline of This Episode [1:05] I introduce my guest, Gary Robbins. [2:00] Gary shares his story, the cliff notes version. [5:30] Are sales conferences dead? [8:00] Best practices for attending events. [11:30] Utilize conference hashtags to prepare for an event. [15:00] Do your research and outreach before the event. [21:30] Is there a specific methodology to working an event? [27:30] Weeding in and weeding out connections at events. [29:30] Gracefully ending an unfruitful conversation. [35:30] Do you have an elevator pitch? [37:00] 5 ways to stand out in post-event follow up. Resources Mentioned https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-robbins-04a8a6/ Grobbins[at]frost.com www.frost.com Caddyshack Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn

Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play How can your team take full advantage of the recent emphasis on customer obsession? Is your approach poised to address the current trends and changes brought about by the digital revolution? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from guest expert Toby Carrington. Toby has been with the Siemens group of companies for 16 years working in senior roles in sales operations, finance and business administration. Toby is currently based in New York where he is responsible for a large global team handling Siemens Healthineers worldwide sales operations functions including business partner management, CRM tools & processes, key account management, sales enablement, go to market strategy development and sales education. Make sure to listen to this episode as Toby brings his years of expertise to help sales leaders like you get an edge over the competition! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Leveraging Customer Obsession What is your company’s approach to customer obsession? Do you have a customer-centric approach or is your emphasis more on ensuring that employees are fully engaged and satisfied with their role in the organization which will, in turn, lead to excellent customer service? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Toby and I discuss this topic of customer obsession and how leaders like you can evaluate your approach. While Toby agrees that an organization needs to be focused on serving its customers effectively, he brings up the helpful point that a company can’t be so obsessed with a customer-centric approach that it leads to the detriment of everything else. Make sure to listen to this episode as Toby and I expand on this topic and much more! The Value of Boots On The Ground How can the support staff of your organization best serve and complement salespeople in the field? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Toby opens up and shares an approach that he’s used in the past and continues to champion. If we want to emphasize an approach that focuses on customer obsession, a good way to do that is to expose as many of our team members to interactions with clients and the perspective of salespeople. This boots on the ground approach can reap huge rewards in helping support staff get an idea of what the client's needs are while also helping them glimpse the perspective of a salesperson in the field. How can your organization learn from Toby’s lessons and insights? Find out on this episode! Adapting to the Digital Revolution What steps is your organization taking to stay relevant during the digital revolution? It’s not too late! Your company doesn’t have to go the way of Blockbuster, Blackberry, and others who missed the writing on the wall. Are you willing to do what’s necessary to stay relevant? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Toby and I talk about what leaders can do to make sure they remain on the cutting edge as the market continues to evolve around them. Toby says that companies need to have a clear picture of where they are going while still remaining responsive and adaptive as the market shifts. How will your company adapt? Do you have a plan in place to evaluate and audit your approach along the way? Don’t miss this episode as Toby and I go deeper with this topic and other lessons you need to stay competitive! This podcast is being brought to you by STAR - The Sales Team Alpine Retreat: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange taking place this February 7-9, 2018 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Serving the Customer as a Consultant Did you know that today’s buyer is on the lookout for thought leaders and sellers who are willing to do the legwork and help educate them in the buying process? Will you pivot and adjust your approach to meet the customer where they are? If you are unwilling to make the shift and welcome this component of customer obsession, your organization will get left behind. On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Toby explains why leaders need to modernize their approach and how they can begin this process. It’s like I’ve said for some time now, the modern buyer requires a modern seller! Will your company step up to the plate? Get the tools and insights you need to succeed by listening to this episode! Outline of This Episode [1:15] I introduce my guest, Toby Carrington. [2:00] Toby shares his background. [7:30] What does it mean to become “Customer Obsessed?” [10:30] Getting the perspective of a salesperson. [19:00] How to stay on top of trends and the digital revolution. [27:30] Leveraging data to serve customers more effectively. [31:00] Should sales operations and sales enablement integrate or stay separate? [34:00] The salesperson as a consultant. Resources Mentioned https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobycarrington/ https://www.healthcare.siemens.com/ Richard Branson Jeff Bezos Stranger Things Braveheart Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Selling With Social Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play

As a salesperson, how do you navigate your time for sales? Is this an area that you struggle with? What are some best practices that could help leaders like you utilize your time more efficiently? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll hear from sales expert Alison Edgar. Alison Edgar is the MD of Sales Coaching Solutions and The Entrepreneur’s Godmother. Voted one of the UK’s Top 10 Business Advisers, Alison works with SME’s, start-ups, micros and entrepreneurs to help them grow their business through effective sales. As a sales coach, Alison works with businesses around her Four Key Pillars of Sales methodology, to help business owners and sales teams gain essential sales skills and knowledge and implement strategies and processes enabling them to sell more of their fantastic products and services. Through training, coaching, workshops and online courses, Alison has worked with hundreds of businesses. Make sure to listen to this episode to get Alison’s valuable perspective on how to make time for sales and much more! Be Bold, Champion Change! If you want to succeed in life, you have come to terms with your feelings toward risk. Some people love to push the envelope and find little difficulty in facing risks. Then there are others who are clinically risk averse, they hate risk and avoid it at all costs. Where do you land? Are you firmly in one camp or the other? Maybe you find yourself somewhere in the middle. If you want to stand out as a leader in sales, you have to be willing to regularly take risks. If you want to make time for sales, you have to be bold and take charge of your life and your schedule. Ultimately, your life is an accumulation of how you spend your days. What will you decide? Listen to this episode of #SellingWithSocial as Alison and I discuss the benefits and opportunities created by taking risks. Don’t miss it! Creating Time for Sales One of the biggest struggles as a salesperson is addressing the issue that over half of our time is spent on administrative related work. What is the solution? Should marketing ease up and give salespeople a break? Should salespeople suck it up and deal with it? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Alison explains how she would approach and handle this tension. Alison says that challenging the marketing team and the structures that create the volume of non-productivity based activities can be accomplished in a constructive way. She also pushes back and explains why salespeople need to see their obligations as a larger way of life that can’t always fit into a nice and neat 9 to 5 structure. Don’t miss this episode as Alison goes even further with these concepts so leaders like you can create more time for sales! How to be a “Star” in Sales If you’ve been in sales for very long, you know that there are different “types” of people in the industry. What type of salesperson are you? How would others describe you and your approach to sales? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, Alison gives a rundown of several different types of salespeople and goes on to encourage leaders like you to aim for being known as a “Star.” What is a “Star” according to Alison? A star is someone who always stays positive, no matter the circumstances, they choose to focus on the positive. Stars are also resilient and laser-focused, they stay on top of relevant information and they know when and where that information is best utilized. Discover additional insights and lessons like this one from Alison’s perspective on this episode! The Four Pillars of Sales What are the essential and foundational concepts of sales in your opinion? If you were limited to just four, what would you include? Is it easy to narrow it down to four concepts? On this episode of #SellingWithSocial, you’ll learn from Alison as she reveals her “Four Pillars of Sales.” Understanding Behaviors Sales Process Sales Strategy Confidence Are you a master of one pillar? All four? What will it take for you to improve so you can create more time for sales and perform at the top of your game? Find out as Alison expands on these concepts and more on this episode! Outline of This Episode [1:05] I introduce my guest, Alison Edgar. [2:45] Alison’s background & how she got the name, “The Entrepreneur's Godmother” [6:30] What inspired Alison to write her book? [12:00] Alison shares her struggles with Dyslexia. [17:00] 3 takeaways for the sales and marketing community from Alison’s content. [19:00] Wrestling with time management. [24:00] Be bold and champion change! [28:00] What it takes to be a “Star” in sales. [31:00] Alison’s advice for salespeople. Resources Mentioned www.alisonedgar.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-edgar/ https://www.facebook.com/theentrepreneursgodmother/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/entrepreneurscanclan/ https://twitter.com/aliedgar13 https://www.pinterest.co.uk/theentrepreneursgodmother/ 7 Habits of Highly Effective People   Enterprise Nation Coyote Ugly Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn

Episode 173 is a special episode. I joined up with two of my co-founders at Vengreso on a recorded Zoom video call to discuss podcasting. When you listen to the podcast above or watch the video below you'll meet Phil Gerbyshak, Chief Digital Officer at Vengreso, and Mario Martinez, Jr., CEO at Vengreso. Phil and Mario both host their own podcast. Essentially, the Vengreso team has three podcasts. On this episode, we explain what they are, how each is unique, and frankly why we think you might care. You'll also hear why we podcast and how having one helps to build your credibility and influence. View the show notes page: http://www.socialbusinessengine.com/podcasts/podcasting-trifecta-sales-leadership-sales-professionals-marketing-practitioners

Do you use social media to grow your business? Are you wondering how social media can help you sell more products and services? In this episode, I interview Tom Martin, author of The Invisible Sale: How to Build a Digitally Powered Marketing and Sales System to Better Prospect, Qualify and Close Leads.  Show Notes: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/58

Rory Vaden is a Self-Discipline Strategist who relates profound truths coupled with humorous anecdotes empowering professionals to conquer their fears and take immediate action in their businesses and their lives. Consulting with organizations, companies and individuals on leveraging self-discipline to create extraordinary performance, he has shared the stage with John Maxwell and conducted special programs for both Dave Ramsey and Zig Ziglar’s companies. His insights on overcoming procrastination, creative avoidance and personal setbacks have been shared on shows such as Oprah radio with Dr. Oz and featured in print media such as SUCCESS™ Magazine. As the Co-Founder of the multi-million dollar public training company, Southwestern Consulting®, his pragmatic advice has been field tested by thousands of professionals from all different industries and he has personally coached clients such as Chad Goldwasser, the former #1 Keller Williams Real Estate Agent Worldwide. In 2007, Rory became the World Champion of Public Speaking first runner-up for Toastmasters International out of 25,000 entries worldwide. He is the author of the book No Laughs Know Laughs How to Be Funny to Make More Money, and the audio series entitled, "The Audience is NOT in their Underwear: How to Craft Truly Compelling Presentations and Deliver them Like a Champ". His groundbreaking book "Take The Stairs – Success Means Doing Things You Don’t Want to Do" is set for tentative release in within a year. Today in addition to being an author, speaker, and entrepreneur, Rory is leading a rapidly growing international social movement called the Take The Stairs World Tour in which he is raising money for charity by climbing the 10 tallest buildings in the world. Combining a hilarious and compelling delivery with unprecedented expertise, Rory energizes audiences into action with his signature program: Take the Stairs – Success Means Doing Things You Don’t Want To Do. Selling with Social Media Rory's presentation at the 2010 NSA Convention was titled Selling with Social Media – Nine Techniques for Using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to Get Coaching Clients, Book Deals and Keynotes. Now that the social media craze and rush to popularity is here, the question remains, how do you actually make any cash from all this hoopla? Rory shares practical advice, pragmatic techniques and straightforward methods for maximizing your time online. He shows clients how to get referral business on LinkedIn and how to use Facebook to turn fans into coaching clients. In this podcast interview I asked Rory where he sees social media going over the next year or two, what it means to generation X/Y and, finally, why anyone in their right mind would want to climb the 10 tallest buildings in the world. To find out why, click on the podcast icon below.