Millennial Sales

Ashley Zagst is made a pivot from her marketing career into sales last year, joining Chili Piper as an SDR. She shares her story of why she decided to switch to sales and how her marketing background has been helpful in getting her off the ground. She also shares her top 2 tips for other SDRs: An insatiable desire to learn from groups like RevGenius, SDR Nation and the SDR Defenders Gratitude throughout her professional and personal life Make sure to hit Ashley up on LinkedIn after the episode!   If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to grow this show and find the best guests possible for you.   Follow The Podcast: Twitter: TommyTahoe Instagram: TommyTahoe YouTube: TommyTahoe Website: Millennialmomentum.net

2020 was one of the worst sales years in recent memory. There were layoffs, furloughs, missed quotas and low W2’s for many sales reps. We need a big bounce back year in 2021. And there is nobody better to help kick us off the year than Larry Long Jr. Larry is the Director of Collegiate Sales at Teamworks and one of the most passionate and enthusiastic people I know. His energy jumps through the screen and is guaranteed to get you hyped and ready to crush the year. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a 5-star review. It should only take 60 seconds and helps the show to grow and keep getting great guests for you.

When I think of infomercials, I think of cheesy products being peddled by even cheesier people. I think of watching late-night TV and seeing the wonders of the Shamwow, The Magic Bullet or the Snuggie. That is NOT what we're talking about today. In one of the more creative prospecting moves I've seen in a while, Carolyn Dorricott decided to create an infomercial for her prospects. It's absolute gold. Carolyn is a Sr. SDR at Gong and uses creativity to her advantage to hit her prospecting goals. We talk about her Infomercial strategy as well as some other unique tactics like Cameo, TikTok and JibJab to get her prospect's attention. At the end of the day, it's about being human. We're not robots meant to just hit "send" on every sequence we come across. Creativity can help us to up-level the sales profession and Carolyn is a great example of that. If you liked this podcast, please show some love! First, go follow and connect with Carolyn on LinkedIn. Second, show some love for Millennial Sales. Please subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube and leave a comment or review wherever you listen. It helps me to spread my reach and get more great guests on the podcast. I’d love to connect with you on social media on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. All other content is also hosted on MillennialMomentum.net. Let’s get after it this week.

Today's guest has one of the most impressive pedigrees of my 189 podcasts guests to date. At UCSD, James Nielsen was a 4X NCAA All-American Track Athlete, 2X National Champion, 3X Academic All-American, and President of his fraternity. While getting his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Stanford, James made the US Olympic Trials and was a Professional Ironman TriAthlete. His professional journey started at Qualcomm as an Engineer. After a chance encounter with the VP Sales, he was recruited into Sales Engineering. He spent 5 years in that role before several Director and VP Sales roles over the next decade. He was involved in 3 separate acquisitions during that time. In 2015, James founded Vendition, a Sales Development Apprenticeship program that gives individuals the training and experience needed to earn entry-level jobs in tech sales. He also runs Sales Bootcamp, Vendition Sales Society, and is an Advisor for CreativeVentures.vc. In this conversation, James and I discuss: Why James wakes up at 4:30 to run every day How being an Engineer helps him run a more structured sales process The work Vendition is doing for underrepresented groups in sales James' world-record beer mile (!?) SUPPORT: First, follow and connect with James on LinkedIn. Second, show some love for Millennial Sales. Please subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube and leave a comment or review wherever you listen. It helps me to spread my reach and get more great guests on the podcast. I’d love to connect with you on social media on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. All other content is also hosted on MillennialMomentum.net. Let’s get after it this week.

The traditional sales demo model sucks. There, I said it. Here's a normal demo flow I've seen hundreds of times: salesperson kicks off the call with an upfront contract (do we still have 30 minutes?), they proudly display a slide with logos of all of their customers and then take a hard left turn into whatever software they're showcasing. After 16-minutes of feature-dumping, the salesperson lifts his head and asks if the prospect has any questions. After hearing a mutter, the rep continues his pre-planned pitch. He brings enthusiasm and makes sure to use the words "integration", "synergy" or "API" no less than 7 times. As they reach the end of their time together, the prospect says "This was good. I'll run it by my boss and circle back with you." The sales rep then prances around his (home) office, patting himself on the back and calling his boss to let her know that they've "got a live one" and should be committing this deal for the month. Three months later, the sales rep still hasn't heard from the prospect. "Must have been a re-org internally", he thinks as he marks another deal as Closed/Lost in Salesforce. Maybe this scenario sounds familiar. Enter Mike Hook. Mike is the VP Sales at ChildcareCRM, a master of the sales demo, and one of the most likable people I've met. Mike joins the podcast today to teach us how to personalize our demos for our buyers. In this episode, Mike and I discuss: How we both started our career at Cutco Why Mike has always chosen to be the hardest worker in the room How to navigate internal politics to rise through the ranks Finally, I have two quick asks for you folks: First, go follow Mike Hook on LinkedIn. Second, show some love for Millennial Sales. Please subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube and leave a comment or review wherever you listen. It helps me to spread my reach and get more great guests on the podcast. I’d love to connect with you on social media on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. All other content is also hosted on MillennialMomentum.net. Let’s get after it this week.

As crazy of a year as 2020 has been for most of us, I think we all have bright spots. For me, meeting Richard Harris is absolutely one of those bright spots. Richard is not only one of the brightest minds in B2B sales but he's also one of the most authentic people you'll meet. You're going to enjoy this episode. You may like hearing Richard's story of how he got into tech sales. You may relate to Richard's battle with mental health and depression. You may laugh when you hear Richard talk about his first job at the Gap. You will absolutely be educated and entertained by this episode. For those that don't know: Who is Richard? He is one of the biggest names in B2B Sales. After a 20+ year successful sales career, Richard opened up Richard Harris Consulting Group in 2013. He works with and advises some of the fastest-growing companies in the world, such as Zoom, Google, Visa, Intercom, and SalesLoft. Richard is a 5X Top 25 Most Influential Inside Sales Professionals, a 2X Sales Development Thought Leader of the Year. Finally, I have two quick asks for you folks: First, go follow Richard Harris on LinkedIn. He publishes daily content that will educate, entertain, and inspire you to be a better seller. Second, show some love for Millennial Sales. Please subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube and leave a comment or review wherever you listen. It helps me to spread my reach and get more great guests on the podcast. I’d love to connect with you on social media on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. All other content is also hosted on MillennialMomentum.net. Let’s get after it this week.

Do you feel stuck on the "normal sales path"? Do you feel uninspired going from BDR to AE to Sales Manager? If so, this episode is for you. Maria Bross is the perfect messenger for this topic. Put simply: she's a badass. Maria is currently the Sales Enablement Manager at BoomTown, a top 100 LinkedIn Social Sales Star, active in the Revenue Collective community, and is a South Carolina State Powerlifting Record Holder (!). To get to this level, Maria has spent a good decade in sales, honing her craft and leveling up her career. At one point, Maria knew she needed a change. She learned that she didn't want to be the quota-carrying AE anymore. She wanted to help others learn and grow so that they could be successful salespeople. She tells a great story of how she came to that conclusion. In this conversation, we discuss: Starting her career at Nordstrom's Having a growth mindset in sales Why she transitioned from Sales to Enablement Maybe that ambition sounds familiar to you. Maybe it doesn't. If not, there is plenty of room for salespeople to carry on the "traditional path". But if her story speaks to you, I hope it inspires you to carve a new path for yourself. One that speaks to your personal mission. One that drives success and fulfillment. Two asks for you beautiful people. First, go hit Maria up on LinkedIn. Her content is outstanding, her energy is contagious and she's open to connecting with new people. Second, show some love for Millennial Sales. Please subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube and leave a comment or review wherever you listen. It helps me to spread my reach and get more great guests on the podcast. I’d love to connect with you on social media on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. All other content is also hosted on MillennialMomentum.net. Let's get after it this week.

Do you know the cure to all problems in sales? A big fat pipeline. Having a sales pipeline helps you to sell more confidently, negotiate better, stay on track, and hit your goals. Without a steady stream of opportunities, salespeople are exposed and vulnerable to miss quota. That's why I'm excited to have John Barrows on the podcast today. I've labeled John the King of SaaS Sales. He owns his own consulting company and works with some of the biggest names in software to help them sell better: companies like Salesforce, Tableau, Slack, and Box to name a few. John is a master prospector. Not only does he teach his clients how to build their pipeline, but he prospects on a daily basis. In this episode, John walks us through how he does that while balancing being a CEO and running 6-10 training sessions per week for his clients. In this conversation, we discuss: How and when to personalize your emails John's monthly prospecting cadence How to get your team to adopt video in their sales process And why he wears his "Make It Happen" shirt every single day If you enjoyed this conversation, here are three things you can do. First, use the info. Take notes and make the most of the hour that John spends with us. Use it to elevate your game. Second, give John a follow. He provides great daily content on LinkedIn and Twitter, some personal info on Instagram, and an amazing online training portal. Third, show some love for Millennial Sales. Please subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube and leave a comment or review wherever you listen. It helps me to spread my reach and get more great guests on the podcast. I'd love to connect with you on social media on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. All other content is also hosted on MillennialMomentum.net.

Jeff Harris is the Co-Founder of Parchment. Founded in 2003 and venture-backed, Parchment was acquired by Brentwood Associates in February 2020. Jeff was not only the Co-Founder but the main salesperson and evangelist of the company for 17+ years. In this conversation, we discuss: Jeff's first unsuccessful entrepreneurial venture The 17-year path to acquisition Jeff's sales mentality that helped the company grow You can connect with Jeff on LinkedIn. For more content, check me out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. All other content is also hosted on MillennialMomentum.net. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please subscribe, leave a review and tell a friend.

Galem Girmay is an Account Executive at Flywire and Co-founder of RevGenius, a community of revenue generating sales, marketing, and revops professionals. From growing up with two foster families in Sweden, Galem has an interesting background and has built her career and network from the ground up. I got to meet Galem this year while we co-hosted a live webinar series called MillennialX Coffee Talk. In this conversation, we discuss: Galem's first transition from Sweden to the US How Galem's built a massively powerful network step by step What to do if you're not hitting your quota Galem's weekly digital disconnect day You can connect with Galem on LinkedIn and be sure to sign up for RevGenius. For more content, check me out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. All other content is also hosted on MillennialMomentum.net. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please subscribe, leave a review and tell a friend.