On today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Austin McCulloh, consultant and founder of Austin McCulloh Advising. Austin shows people how to prospect virtually, whether using LinkedIn, Facebook, or other methods to take advantage of online opportunities. During his professional career, he’s learned that what's between your ears is your biggest obstacle, not who’s in front of you.

Overcome your mental challenges.

None of us are perfect, so stop trying to live up to an impossible standard.
Some salespeople spend an hour researching before a main call only to get a prospect voicemail. How much excitement and energy do you have now to make that next call?
Have a counsel or advisor around you - people you can bounce ideas off. Especially those better than you.
Read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz to understand and overcome your own self-limiting beliefs.

Develop a process.

Some salespeople feel out a sale as it goes because they believe that’s what a successful salesperson can do. In actuality, a developed sales process is what brings confidence and success.
A big pro of virtual prospecting: You can look at and update a google doc while maintaining eye contact with a prospect.

What are some of the things salespeople tell themselves that prevent success?

The belief that age prevents success. Those new to an industry or career often think they can’t work with someone older than themselves.
From Austin’s firsthand experience, people genuinely don’t care about your age. They care about how competent you are and doing what you say you’re going to do.
Read anything by Ed Mylett - Competence comes from doing what you say you're going to do.

Austin tips to keep himself motivated:

He writes down what he needs to do each day and keeps track of it quantitatively, meaning he can clearly measure his completion percentage.
Some days the percentage will be higher than others. But if you consistently control what you can on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, you're going to be a more competent person.

Austin’s advice for the new or incoming salesperson:

If you already have the job, figure out if it’s the job you want to have. If you don't believe what you're selling, it's going to be tough.
People stereotype right off the bat. So whether it's not having the proper clothing or the right look, don't put yourself at a disadvantage right away.
Want to connect with Austin? Find him on LinkedIn and his company website.

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.

This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio.

Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real.

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This episode is brought to you in part by NetHunt CRM.

NetHunt CRM is a sales automation tool that lives inside Gmail. It covers a full set of features to manage leads, nurture customer relations, monitor sales progress, and automate sales and marketing workflows. With native-like Gmail and G Suite integration, you can access your CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences from the comfort of your inbox. NetHunt helps move leads down your sales funnel and never lets a valuable prospect go untouched.

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Mentioned in this episode:

HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS

HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

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