Sales Game Changers | Tips from Successful Sales Leaders

Steve Cooper and Jamie Holcombe, both federal CIOs, share essential insights for sales professionals on engaging with top tech executives. They emphasize the importance of building trust and understanding procurement processes for successful sales. Cooper suggests leveraging relationships with executive assistants, who can become valuable allies in navigating access to CIOs. Holcombe stresses the need for sales to ensure that their offerings enhance CIO security, creating a compelling case for collaboration. Their advice sheds light on improving sales strategies in the evolving tech landscape.

This is episode 333. Find the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. TINA'S TIP FOR EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "I was asking, "How do I become the best leader I can be?" And as the pandemic was growing, I certainly couldn't be the best leader I could be as I was limping along emotionally and physically. This pandemic gave me an opportunity to work on those things. We have to take the veil off of mental health, it's time. Treatment for mental health should be just as acceptable as treatment for a physical thing. My journey into darkness and out did not affect at all my work product. Trust me on this, if you need to take a month or two to focus on your health whether it be physical or mental, you won't even have a blip in your work."

This is episode 332. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. CARYN'S TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "The Kopp-Gap Method of Sales Messaging which, when it's done properly, can render your competition irrelevant. It's three sentences in a framework and when you're able to articulate your gap messaging, you are able to get in doors that your competition cannot get in. You're able to win business that your competition can't win because you're saying something that's valuable to the prospect. It's fill in the blank. "Anyone can," and you fill in the blank, "But not everyone can," and you fill in the blank. "For example," fill in the blank." Start with that and see how it does for you. If it's done properly, it will render your competition irrelevant."

This is episode 331. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. TRISTEN'S TIP ABOUT WHY TO CHOOSE SALES INTO THE PUBLIC SECTOR MARKETS: "There are two reasons why I enjoy selling into the Public Sector market. The mission is attractive to me and I find it favorable, whether you're selling into federal civilian where their outreach is the citizenry or the Defense Department where it's protecting the homeland. Second, it's the people. The great thing about federal employees is they are in the federal marketplace for a long tenure and you can establish those relationships over time, and they actually do become friends and not just prospects or customers."

This is episode 330. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. NANCY'S TIP FOR EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "For me, leadership is taking the time to purposefully build a diverse team. Internalize that you're going to get better by being around people who are different than you. Making that extra effort makes a team that much stronger, and I wish I did see more of that across the IT industry. If everybody could have that attitude, the differences are going to make me better and make us better as a team. I think about it from a perspective of how we're going to get better, how we're going to bring in different ideas and make us all grow. Diversity is growing from people who are very different than I am." This is a replay of the WOMEN IN SALES Webinar sponsored by the Institute for Excellence in Sales and hosted by Gina Stracuzzi on February 8, 2021. It featured Nancy Bohannan, Red Hat State & Local and Education (SLED) VP of Sales.]

This is episode 329. Read the complete transcript on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. CRAIG'S TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "To get unstuck, first clearly define the destination. I like a roadmap because again, I think we get stuck along the road and that's why you see these curves so we've got to define the destination. These curves actually are wisdom gaps so along the way. So to be best-in-class in strategic selling, the wisdom buckets are things like, "Do I really have a defined process and metrics?," "Do I really have a culture of accountability around these topics in terms of incentives and goal setting?," "Do I really communicate a unique selling proposition in an effective way?"

This is episode 328. Read the complete transcript on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. LISA'S TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "It's really important that each sales person differentiate themselves. Think about what your brand is and focus on that. If you're early in your career you develop it, if you're later in your career it might have evolved but knowing what you stand for, what makes you different in a sale cycle, not just your product and your company but what you can deliver - it might be incredible customer service, it might be incredible industry capability, whatever that is - work on it. Focus on it and be able to articulate it. Ultimately, regardless of whether you're working out of your home or you're in your office, that's what's going to come through and you will achieve your results."

This is episode 327. Read the complete transcript on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. MICHELLE'S TIP FOR EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "There are so few women that are on boards today, be it non-profit or for-profit company boards so there are great opportunities for women in sales to make a difference right now. Cloud Girls certainly has been an amazing endeavor for me. Since it's a nonprofit, we're able to give back by impacting the next generation of women in technology. We mentor those young gals with not only education but also scholarships and things of that nature. It's important right now to get involved in something that resonates on your heart, makes you feel good and also is great resume builder."

This is episode 326. Read the complete transcript on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. MICHELLE'S TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "There are 5 factors that consistently drive the biggest changes in selling behavior and become most important in helping sellers determine the right sales approach. If you look at these 5 factors, there are different elements within these factors: (1) the customer's awareness of the problem, (2) the competitive landscape, (3) the specific dynamics of the customer buying team, (4) the buying process itself and (5) solution definition. These were the 5 factors that over time have become the most important in determining buying situations. There are also four patterns of selling behavior: (1) consultative, (2) disruptive, (3) competitive, (4) financial. These four patterns are alive and well and consistently exhibited by high performers. The key is to marry the buying situation factors with these different selling patterns."

This is episode 325. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. Join the Institute for Excellence in Sales. Go here for more information. MATT'S TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "Look in the mirror and tell yourself, "I'm worthy, I can do this, I'm absolutely capable of creating value for others and being different. I'm worthy." JASON'S TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: Control the controllable. Understand what is in your control and what isn't and focus on that and your mindset. It'll absolutely have a profound effect on your life."