The Sales Management. Simplified. Podcast with Mike Weinberg

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.

Salespeople often struggle to be seen as trusted advisors rather than just vendors. The discussion highlights eight common pitfalls, such as arriving late to opportunities and leading with product features. Missteps like sounding generic and not owning the sales process contribute to this commoditization. The importance of storytelling and aiming higher in client organizations is emphasized. Personal balance in sales roles is also touched upon, setting the stage for effective strategies in future discussions.

Mike has tremendous admiration and respect for this episode's guest and is convinced that Kurt Cushing loves his job more than any other big company sales leader he knows! Enjoy this energizing conversation and Mike's excitement hosting this sales director extraordinaire as they tackle a range of sales leadership topics including: How creating and maintaining a healthy sales culture starts with recruiting and selection Why we should never settle when hiring for a sales role The massive pivot from being selfish as an individual sales contributor to becoming selfless as the sales team leader How ego can be our enemy as managers The value and impact of skip-level conversations and field work, and the importance of the sales leaders getting direct exposure to sellers on the front lines Why it is imperative that sales management "point" the team and speak into target account selection How to stay fresh and enhance your quality of life by turning off email after business hours At the conclusion of interview, Mike offers listeners his takeaways and asks leaders to reflect on these challenge questions: How proactively are you recruiting and how effectively are you interviewing/screening candidates? What are you proactively doing to prioritize fieldwork and planning your calendar to work with your people? How involved are you with helping your team target growable accounts or ideal profile prospects? What are you doing to keep yourself in balance and emotionally healthy? More on Mike's guest: Kurt Cushing is a transformational leader who prides himself as a "people first" coach. He has a proven track record of driving results while demonstrating the ability to recruit, train, and develop top sales reps, and managers. Learn more about Kurt on LinkedIn here: Please leave a rating or review for the Sales Management. Simplified. Podcast. and if you'd like to be notified via email when new episodes are released, sign up at mikeweinberg.com/podcast. And be sure to grab Mike's powerful new free resource: "The Fastest Way to Increase Accountability, Reduce Complacency, and Create a High-Performance Sales Culture" right from his new homepage at mikeweinberg.com

"Sales Enablement" has become one of most popular (overused and misunderstood) terms in the sales world today. Mike jokes in Chapter 2 of Sales Truth that as trendy as it is to wax eloquently about enabling sales teams, it is hard to find three people who can agree exactly what that even means. In this revealing episode Mike hosts Mike Kunkle, a respected sales transformation architect and an internationally-recognized expert on sales training, sales effectiveness, and sales enablement, and author of the helpful new book, The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement. Mike and Mike tackle topics ranging from the sales leader's critical responsibilities of "pointing" and "arming" the team to the reality that all sales training and development efforts fall flat when frontline sales managers are not an integral part of the process. Take a listen and be encouraged that despite all the noise and nonsense you read online about sales tools, tech stacks, and toys, the most effective sales effectiveness initiatives are built on the solid foundation of "old school" timeless principles. Links Mike Kunkle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikekunkle Mike Kunkle's new book, The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement: https://amzn.to/3kKUX74 ATD Sell Conference: https://sell.td.org/ Your Sales Story Online Course: https://mikeweinberg.com/your-sales-story/ Sales Management Simplified: https://mikeweinberg.com/sales-management-simplified-book/

This episode unpacks four very specific, intentional things Mike's world-class golf coach did WITH him (and for him) that anyone in a leadership role, particularly in sales management, should be doing with their people: Prepare Model Coach Debrief and Envision The on-course session/lesson and powerful post-round debrief and dinner conversation radically increased Mike's confidence, approach, and ability to execute. The initial blog post and email where Mike shared this experience generated so many requests for more details that he was inspired to share the full story in this episode. This coaching experience transformed Mike's golf game. Sales leaders, the example set by Mike's coach translates perfectly to sales and sales management. Imagine the increase in sales effectiveness (and results) if sales managers would do for their salespeople what Mike's coach did for him. Never underestimate the impact of working WITH your people! _________________________________________________________ Upcoming free online group teaching and Q&A sessions for sales leaders who subscribe for email notifications of new episodes. The first session, only for Sales Management. Simplified. Podcast email subscribers, is August 13th at 1:00pm Eastern, Noon Central US Time. Sign up here: mikeweinberg.com/podcast-signup

This episode will help sales leaders radically increase effectiveness when interviewing potential sales hires and offers powerful perspective to help candidates prepare for a proper interview. Mike was inspired to tackle this topic because in several recent Sales Management. Simplified. workshops sales leaders expressed frustration about ineffective interviews and being duped by candidates who interviewed well but did not deliver once hired. Hear about... Common interview mistakes many sales managers make The importance of viewing the interview like an actual sales call Examples of recent awesome and awful interviews How to get past surface answers and window-dressing to expose the true experience and skills of the candidate Mike's current seven favorite interview questions How to observe the candidate's real-life sales ability as the interview nears conclusion Whether you're the interviewer or interviewee, take a listen to take your interviewing game to an entirely new level! * Managers and sales execs: come spend a full-day with Mike to Supercharge Your Sales Leadership and maximize results for the second-half of 2021! Three options. Major cities. Premium venues. Packed agenda. Powerful interaction. Proven content. Group packages available. mikeweinberg.com/events