The Sales Management. Simplified. Podcast with Mike Weinberg

Special guest, former Major League Baseball first round draft pick, Jacob Turner, and Mike talk about the discipline, determination, and desire required to succeed at the highest in level of sports and sales. Hear Jacob’s journey from high school standout, to “bonus baby” (signing a $5,000,000+ contract at 18 years old) through the ups, downs, and disappointments of his MLB career to his transformation into a successful, confident sales professional and strategic wealth advisor. Enjoy Jacob’s evolution from an admittedly “anti-sales” person to someone who has embraced the role and profession of selling to become a trusted advisor, value-creator and consultant. Speaking directly, Jacob shares how much he initially hated the word sales, how bad he was when he started, and the process he followed to drastically improve (building on the New Sales. Simplified. framework). Hear how Jacob has applied Max Scherzer’s pitching advice that “confidence is a choice” to selling, and how he has experienced first-hand that owning your sales process breeds confidence and drives success!   Links: Jacob Turner on LinkedIn JL Strategic Wealth New Sales. Simplified (book) and (video course)

“Papa Mike” welcomes listeners back from the podcast’s unplanned summer break with big personal news, a brief business update, and tips for tackling one of today’s biggest sales leadership challenges. In Episode 35, Mike continues his review of The Four R’s of Smart Talent Management… 1. Right People in the Right Roles (hunters and zookeepers - Episode 34) 2. Retain and Maximize the Performance of Top-Producers 3. Remediate or Replace Underperformers (coach-up or coach-out) 4. Recruit ...Diving into the second ‘R’ - with practical, powerful, and counterintuitive suggestions for how to not only keep your best people in this tough labor market, but how to help them produce at even higher levels. _____________________________________________   Upcoming Live, One-Day Intensive Sales Leadership Events with Mike: London, September 14: Sales Execution Simplified   Atlanta, October 11 and November 2: Supercharge Your Sales Leadership

In this episode Mike tackles the first of the Four R’s of Smart Sales Talent Management:  Right People in the Right Roles and he introduces the concept of zookeeper-wired sellers. So many sales leaders live in perpetual frustration that their overly relational, account management minded salespeople will not hunt for new business. These “zookeepers” are wonderful people who live to keep the peace, enhance relationships, put out customer service fires, and service existing accounts, but most absolutely hate the conflict, risk, and rejection that accompanies hunting for new business.  Prepare to be challenged as Mike asks if it is possible to coerce, coach, and compensate zookeepers to become successful hunters. He also turns conventional wisdom on its head by making the case that even the most successful “account managers” who consistently penetrate and grow revenue within existing accounts actually behave more like proactive hunters than reactive farmers/zookeepers.  ______________________________________________________________________ Join Mike on either July 19th or 21st for a special session where he will offer 4 Practical Fixes for the Biggest Challenges Facing Sales Leaders Right Now. Sign up at https://mikeweinberg.com/4practicalfixes/

In the episode Mike talks about two recent experiences with great relevance for sales leaders. First, he shares his reaction to what he is calling “business sentiment whiplash.” In just a period of a few weeks it feels like business momentum and sentiment has shifted from boom to bust. Mike expresses his bewilderment that we so quickly pivoted from go, go, go, hire, hire, hire, spend, spend, spend to a posture of pessimism as job offers are being rescinded, conferences being postponed, and companies talking about cutting back. There are enormous sales management implications as we work through this whiplash. The strong reaction to this post prompted Mike to unpack his thoughts further in this episode. Next, Mike reveals a recent painful experience with a large company’s procurement department that would be humorous if it wasn’t true. The reaction to this LinkedIn post inspired him to share more of the story in this episode.  Hear Mike’s reaction to receiving a 36-page guide to help his team navigate this company’s procurement portal. That’s right. A 36-page guide on how to get set up as a “vendor.”  If you’re familiar with Sales Truth, you can imagine that this did not end well. Quoting Chapter 13, he offers a strong reminder on why we need to own our rules of engagement, and that it’s imperative to maintain a full pipeline of opportunities so we can sell from an abundance mentality. “…we decided a few years ago that 100 percent of my effort goes into creating value for clients; I promised myself and my clients that all of our energy will be focused solely on creating and delivering the best speaking/workshop/coaching/consulting engagement possible. Due to that commitment to my clients, I refuse to put even one ounce of energy jumping through procurement hoops…” Books mentioned in Episode 33: Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play by Mahan Khalsa Baseline Selling by Dave Kurlan Finally, Mike wraps the episode with an announcement about a new offering, The Sales Leadership Coaching Cohort. You can hear the “why” and the “what” behind this coaching cohort in this short video.   Upcoming Opportunities for Sales Leaders: September 14th, London, UK  – Mike is co-hosting SALES EXECUTION SIMPLIFIED, a special one-day event for sales execs, leaders and managers. More info here:  https://event.growthmattersintl.com/ses22/   October 11th, Atlanta, GA – Supercharge Your Sales Leadership, one-day intensive at The Porsche Experience Center. Just 6 spots (of 50) are still available. More info here: https://mikeweinberg.com/atlanta2022/

This may be Mike’s all-time favorite sales management conversation as he hosts his favorite international sales management experts, Tony Cross and Alan Versteeg. If you believe in the fundamentals and appreciate the blunt truth about sales, this episode is for you!  Tony and Alan’s specialty is sales management execution, and triggered by Mike’s questions, they hold nothing back and provide more tweetable one-liners than you’ll be able to capture. Buckle up as these three make the strong case that executing the fundamentals well (particularly accountability and coaching) drives exponentially more sales results than anything else, and specifically more than simply “enabling” sellers.  Take a listen as Mike and his guests address… How it feels like the lunatics are running the asylum as sales leaders have been blinded by shiny, new, fancy toys and ignoring the fundamentals  Why sales managers were often more effective decades ago when they were “in-field” and laser-focused on coaching sellers That after all the hype and major investment in enablement, there has not been a proportional increase in sales effectiveness; in fact, the opposite has occurred The problem with “execution” often lies with senior executives who have lost sight of the sales leader’s primary job and highest-value activities Mike and his guests also preview a special one-day event they are co-hosting in London on September 14. Sales leaders in UK, be sure to check out Sales Execution Simplified. All of Mike’s previous trips to Europe have been private events hosted by his clients. This is the first time he is doing a session with public availability for sales leaders! More info here: https://event.growthmattersintl.com/ses22/

For Episode 31 Mike brings back sales superstar Dominic Testo for a command performance. Dominic was featured in the wildly popular Episode 3: How a Top Producer Prospects, Owns Sales Process, Beats Procurement & Drives Profit.  Much has transpired in the past 18 months and Mike wanted sales leaders and salespeople alike to hear how Dominic has not only survived, but thrived through the pandemic, massive supply chain challenges, and passing on what feels like perpetual price increases. Hear how this top-producer took advantage of challenging times to elevate his already strong sales game to become… More patient More strategic More consultative More proactive Even more successful And more valuable to his customers As Dominic told Mike during pre-show prep, “There's a tremendous amount of opportunity in hard times. The best of the best will not let it slip by.”   Two Unique 1-Day Opportunities for Execs, Sales Leaders, and Sales Managers   Just announced:  SALES EXECUTION SIMPLIFIED – London, September 14, 2022. Mike is co-hosting this full-day session in his favorite city with sales management guru friends from South Africa, Tony Cross and Alan Versteeg.  More info here: https://event.growthmattersintl.com/ses22/   SUPERCHARGE YOUR SALES LEADERSHIP – Atlanta, October 11, 2022 at Mike’s happy place - The Porsche Experience Center. Only 13 (of 50) seats remaining. More info here:  mikeweinberg.com/atlanta2022

Discover why sales teams struggle with creating opportunities at the top of the pipeline. Mike Weinberg shares insights from a workshop that unveil the reasons behind this issue, including skills, accountability, compensation, and innate talent. Learn strategies to enhance sales performance by measuring effectiveness, driving performance, and streamlining the sales process.

In this unique episode, leaders are confronted with the weighty reality that they take up way more emotional and mental space in their people’s minds and hearts than they often recognize or appreciate. There is nothing mutually exclusive about maintaining a results-focused, kickass sales culture and simultaneously creating a community that cares for, supports, encourages, and values salespeople. In fact, the very best sales cultures and sales leaders balance accountability and empathy exceedingly well! Buckle up as Mike rails against the devolution of sales management into a desk/CRM jockey job (and the dangers of faux leadership via email) and forcefully reminds leaders that they are managing human beings with emotions, not drones.  Prepare to be challenged about your own self-awareness regarding the head and heart space you occupy in your team members and learn four simple, practical tips to help you become better stewards of this awesome responsibility.

In episode 28 Mike hosts Anthony Iannarino, the man he often refers to as the smartest person in the sales improvement business and Mike’s #1 go-to sales guru. Anthony is on a mission to elevate the sales profession and is laser focused on helping sellers become truly consultative. His brand-new book, Elite Sales Strategies, show salespeople how to put themselves in a “One-Up” position where they approach prospects and clients from a position of authority and strength. In this powerful interview, expect to be challenged about everything from your mindset, to how you’re upgrading your (or your team’s) business acumen, to how you (or your team) prepare for and conduct sales calls. And buckle up because Anthony makes the argument that the traditional method of conducting discovery sales calls actually contributes to salespeople getting commoditized. Within the first few minutes of this conversation, you’ll understand Mike’s affection and respect for Anthony and also be hungry to elevate your sales game and become a “One-Up” Sales Pro! Links: Elite Sales Strategies on Amazon Anthony Iannarino on LinkedIn   Mike’s Episode 18: Ineffective Sales Calls, Premature Presentations/Demos, and Selling Like Everyone Else Gets You Commoditized 

Sales is simple. And so is the process of developing new business. Regardless how complex your business or marketplace, the fundamentals for executing a successful sales attack are not! With golf season around the corner, Mike, in his quest to improve his game, went old school and has been reading the classic book published in 1957, Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf. He was blown away by two realties from this priceless book. First, how absolutely clear, basic, and simple these fundamentals are. And second, the fact that the “modern” lessons from 65 years ago are still very much applicable and true today, despite the “changes” in the golf world and advances in technology! Sound familiar, sales leaders? Studying Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons inspired this episode and prompted Mike to list and briefly unpack his five fundamental focus areas that he helps sales teams master: 1.  A Strategic, Finite, Workable Target List 2. Compelling Messaging (a customer issue and outcome-focused “Sales Story”) 3. Proactive Pursuit and Prospecting (ability to secure a meeting) 4. Effective Consultative/Discovery/Early Stage Sales Calls 5. The Calendar, Personal Productivity, Pipeline Accountability   If you’re looking to up your (or your team’s) new business development sales game, this episode is for you. The five fundamental focus areas are a great checklist and the table stakes for executing a successful sales attack, creating more new opportunities, filling the pipeline, and WINNING MORE NEW SALES.   8 (of the 50) spots are left for the upcoming Supercharge Your Sales Leadership 1-Day Intensive in Atlanta on May 3rd.  Ready to radically increase sales management effectiveness, create a healthy, high-performance sales culture, and tackle today’s biggest sales leadership challenges? Join Mike and 50 hungry, driven sales leaders at The Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta!