The Sales Management. Simplified. Podcast with Mike Weinberg

If you or your team are charged with initiating sales conversations, creating new sales opportunities, and bringing in new business, then this cross-continent conversation is for you. This episode is like no other! Mike was actually the guest on the Deal Podcast hosted by Jiri Siklar, a top-producing senior account executive for AWS based in Europe. Mike was so blown away with his Jiri’s sales brilliance and his philosophy on prospecting that he turned the interview around, started asking questions of Jiri, and received his permission to use excerpts of this powerful conversation in this episode.   Enjoy this power-packed dialogue as Jiri and Mike… Discuss the #SalesTruth that everyone is sick of the LinkedIn “connect and pitch” approach and the constant cold outreach and spammy messages Confront the nonsense from the #SocialSelling charlatans that everything in sales has changed, nothing that used to work is still effective, and the lie that the phone is dead or only deployed by dinosaurs  Reveal the reality that the telephone is sexier (and in many cases, more effective) than ever, and offers an amazing opportunity for sales hunters to stand out simply because so few sellers use it Make the case that the most successful  salespeople use ALL effective, ethical, and appropriate methods to prospect for new opportunities, and that newer tools and approaches are wonderful supplements to, not replacements for, traditional methods like the phone Provide practical tips for picking up the phone and using voicemail effectively   More About Mike’s new friend: Jiri Siklar was born in the Czech Republic, and currently lives near Vienna, Austria. He’s made quota 52 consecutive months and was the #1 salesperson is his region of Europe four straight years. His Deal Podcast (most episodes in German) has 10,000 listeners. Jiri will be joining Mike as a guest on The Sales Management. Simplified. Podcast in the near future. Mike referred listeners to Episode 25: A Foolproof Framework to Guarantee Consistent Deal Flow and a Full, Healthy Pipeline Dates and Details are now available for the May and October Supercharge Your Sales Leadership Events! If you’re ready to radically increase sales management effectiveness, these elite experience events are for you.

This podcast discusses the importance of maintaining a healthy pipeline and consistent deal flow. It emphasizes the need to spread effort and focus across prospects and opportunities at all stages of the sales cycle. The speaker shares their experience leading a sales workshop and discusses the challenges of prioritizing prospecting amidst distractions and obstacles. They also highlight the danger of neglecting new business development efforts by focusing solely on service work and hot opportunities.

Mike unequivocally declared that this episode (Part 2 of his interview with Nick Hejna) is The. Single. Best. conversation he’s ever had with a sales leader around sales process. Nick and Mike paint the clearest possible picture of why having, following, and owning a sales process is not only important for the seller, but is actually in THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PROSPECT/CLIENT! You’ll also be challenged to consider that the best sales leaders don’t play “hero” of their teams but focus on making heroes of their people, and that not every top producer fits the bill for a management role.  And Nick concludes this powerful conversation by sharing his love for the sales profession and the opportunity it offers top performers to achieve financial (and life) freedom. If you are enjoying and getting value from Mike’s podcast, please rate the show and leave a brief review on Apple Podcasts.   Books Mentioned in this Episode: Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play by Mahan Khalsa (the 1st Edition from 1999, beige paperback is Mike’s choice) Baseline Selling by Dave Kurlan  The Lost Art of Closing by Anthony Iannarino

In a dynamic conversation, Nick Hejna, the Executive Vice President and National Sales Leader for AssuredPartners, shares insights on sales leadership in the insurance industry. He emphasizes the importance of focus and specialization for new business development, revealing that effective sales specialists outpace generalists. Nick discusses creating accountability for activity and opportunity generation, highlighting that true sales growth requires pushing through challenges. He outlines three non-negotiables for top producers and advocates for smart compensation strategies that motivate proactive sales efforts.

In this Year-End/New Year’s episode Mike… …reflects back on his highlights and challenges of 2021,  …reveals the “deflating” effect that Covid and current events have had on him personally, …shares what he’s working on and his own commitment to become more productive, and …challenges sales leaders with several questions to help get their minds and hearts in the right place heading into 2022. How will you take back control of your calendar, maximize time spent on the precious few high-payoff sales leadership activities, and accomplish more sales management and drive more results in less time? In spite of whatever circumstances you find yourself in, what must you do to protect your mindset and motivation to remain positive and proactive as you lead your team? How effectively is your sales team executing on the big fundamentals? Have you gotten caught up in trendy sales fads, or does your FOMO have you searching for new tools, toys and quick fixes instead of focusing your people on the basics that always drive results… Strategic Target Lists (of growable existing customers and ideal profile prospects) A Sharp Sales Story (that leads with the issues your solution addresses and the outcomes you create for customers) Proactive Pursuit and Prospecting (to CREATE new opportunities at the top of the funnel) Effective Consultative Discovery Sales Calls Calendar and Pipeline Management and Accountability  Thank you for listening and the incredible reaction to this podcast in 2021! If you are receiving value, sign up here to receive email notification of new episodes or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. And please take a minute to post a review for this show on Apple Podcasts. Resources mentioned in this episode: Michael Hyatt books and courses referenced by Mike:  Free to Focus book, online course, Win at Work & Succeed at Life book Mike’s Your Sales Story online course Fly. The. Airplane. article 

If we are being honest, most of us like it when things are easy…when the wind is at our back, when we’re on a hot streak, and being carried along by momentum. But unfortunately, that’s not reality – at least for the long-term. We all hit rough patches and end up having to sell or lead a team through tough times. Occasionally, these hard times are predictable, and we can see them coming over the horizon. And at other times, we are totally blindsided by a competitor, a disruptive change in the marketplace, a personal or family hardship, or even a pandemic. Whatever the cause and whatever the case, the harsh reality is, as this episode’s special guest reminds us, tough times are inevitable. The more important questions are: How do you prepare for tough times? How will you respond when they arrive? How will maximize your success in spite of them? Paul Reilly, like Mike, is a sales pro through and through. He’s also speaker, sales trainer, and author who literally wrote the book on “Selling Through Tough Times.”  In this powerful episode Paul and Mike discuss… Why tough times are good and often catalyze necessary, positive change The importance of our immediate, initial response to adversity and how resilience drives success Why tough times (counterintuitively) are often the opportune time to prospect for new business The powerful effect a manager’s expectations have on the team’s performance – particularly during hard times Links: 30-Day #ToughTimer Challenge:  https://www.toughtimer.com/tough-timer-challenge/ Selling Through Time Times: Buy on Amazon  More on the book and free chapters to download: https://www.toughtimer.com/book/

Mike pulls no punches wrapping up this mini-series covering the Ugly 8 Common Reasons Sellers Get Relegated to Vendor Status and Commoditized. Buckle up as Mike takes on salespeople who are either insecure about price or too quick to make it about price (Reason #7).  The blunt #SalesTruth is that THE JOB of a professional salesperson is to justify the difference between our premium pricing and the lower price of a competitor. That. Is. Our. Job.  Mike confronts sellers who whine that if their price was lower they would sell more with the reality that if they had the best price then we probably wouldn’t need them! Companies who are the low-price leader don’t deploy highly compensated salespeople, do they? Mike also reminds sellers that the SALES STORY is your most critical weapon and when your story (messaging) is boring, confusing, or self/company/product-focused (Reason #8) and doesn’t articulate the issues you/your solution address and the outcomes you achieve for customers, it is almost impossible to be perceived as a value-creator, advisor, or consultant. But when your sales story is great, everything changes and everything about sales becomes easier.  Due to the overwhelming response to this series, Mike is hosting a free Q&A session to take your toughest questions around these common Ugly 8 Reasons sellers get downgraded in the customer’s eyes and treated like just a vendor or commodity seller. Register for that Q&A session at mikeweinberg.com/QandA This episode was brought to you by the New Sales. Simplified. Video Coaching Series. If you’re looking to achieve breakout success in 2022 and create more opportunities and close more sales than ever before, check out the year-end special on Mike’s best work to help salespeople Win More New Sales.

In Episode 19, we move into the second half of this mini-series tackling the very common (and ugly) reasons that salespeople and sales teams are not as effective as they could be – and, specifically, why they are not viewed like the pros, advisors, experts, consultants, and value-creators they so badly want to be. Buckle up for straight talk and blunt truth as Mike unpacks reasons 5 and 6 of the Ugly 8 reasons… WHY SELLERS GET VIEWED AS AMATEURS, RELEGATED TO VENDOR STATUS & COMMODITIZED: Reason #5 is as counterintuitive as it gets. We don’t own our sales process and end up getting viewed as nothing more than order-takers and yes-men/women because we want to be liked. We want to be seen as responsive and easy to work with. We want to demonstrate that we listen well, can follow direction, and that we respect the customer.  That is all wonderful except for one big problem: in many cases defaulting to the customer’s requested (or dictated) process does not turn out so well for us…doesn’t increase our win-rates, doesn’t help set us apart from competition, and honestly, doesn’t even ensure we will get the customer what they really need. Sales Friends, if you’ve come to realize that scoring “obedience” points is not helping you win deals and bring in new business, this episode is for you. Listen as Mike shares his two driving missions as a professional salesperson and encourages you to adopt them as your own. Learn how to own your process and push back when the prospect or their procurement people suggest/dictate a process that neither allows you to bring them the best solution (most value) nor gives you the best chance of winning their business. Reason #6 we get viewed as vendors and commoditized is because we aim too low in the customer organization. As crazy as it sounds, we end up getting commoditized because we sellers become comfortable dealing with lower-level people who treat us as nothing more than a vendor/supplier. Mike shares the dirty little secret of sellers who regularly call on senior management: You know what/who you normally find in the executive suite? Nicer people. Smarter people. People who are looking for value and help solving big business issues! It’s often the complete opposite of dealing with lower-level folks who are more concerned with politics, protecting their jobs and existing supplier relationships, negotiating to save a nickel, or trying to avoid more work being put on their desk. You can download the PDF guide that accompanies this series at https://mikeweinberg.com/ugly8 If you are getting value from these episodes, please leave a rating and review. Mike mentioned a special on the New Sales. Simplified. Video Coaching Series to help you have breakthrough success in 2022. Check it out here: https://mikeweinberg.com/morenewsales/

In this installment of the Ugly 8 Reasons WHY SELLERS GET RELEGATED TO “VENDOR” STATUS & COMMODITIZED series, Mike challenges you to… Take a hard look at how you are executing what might be the most critical aspect of selling – The Sales Call and whether you are Presenting or Demo-ing PREMATURELY Evaluate the potential damage caused by conducting ineffective sales calls and committing sales malpractice by presenting before doing proper discovery work Consider that maybe the reason you don’t stand out from your competition and get lumped in with everyone else and commoditized is because you look, dress, sound, and act like every other salesperson  We in sales often confuse presenting with selling. “Presenting” is not a synonym for selling. Most of us typically present too much and too soon – often way too soon. Just because a prospect asks us for a demo or to come in and present a capabilities overview, that doesn’t mean it's the right time to do it or even the right thing to do.  “Spray and pray” is not an effective sales methodology and when we present or demo prematurely, it’s almost impossible to be seen as a trusted advisor or respected consultant. After breaking down the common causes of ineffective sales calls, Mike offers his favorite, simple, powerful way to verbally set up the meeting, share your agenda, get the customer’s input and buy-in that not only puts you firmly in control but also removes the awkward adversarial dynamic where it feels like we are pitching and the prospect is resisting. The episode concludes with an entertaining and memorable sales lesson from Jerry, the kooky kitchen remodel contractor who won Mike’s business by standing out from the competition. Instead of playing with graph paper and thumbing through cabinet brochures, listen to how Jerry differentiated his approach and deployed excellent discovery work (including cutting a hole in the drywall without permission) to win over Mike and his wife. Sales Friends, the bottom line on Episode 18 is this: LAME + SAME = VENDOR/COMMODITY SELLER Take a listen for practical tips on how to be bold, break the mold, and come across like professional problem-solvers, consultants and value-creators! Be sure to download the free guide that accompanies  this series from mikeweinberg.com/ugly8 Mike mentioned a special on the New Sales. Simplified. Video Coaching Series.  to help you have breakthrough success in 2022.  Check it out here:  https://mikeweinberg.com/morenewsales/

Tardiness in sales can doom sellers to a vendor status, making it hard to stand out. This discussion highlights the pitfalls of being reactive rather than proactive when engaging with prospects. It also dives into the dangers of leading with products instead of focusing on customer needs. By addressing these common sales sins, listeners can learn how to enhance their performance and build stronger relationships with clients.