No, guys, this episode has nothing to do with you switching professions and becoming an auctioneer. However, you will learn four core principles from the industry that will help you become a better sales professional. My guest, Dia Bondi, leadership communication coach and author of Ask Like an Auctioneer, is going to share how to articulate the offers you bring to your clients in a unique way. Also, don’t forget to download the hidden gems she shares at the bottom of these show notes. Meet Dia Bondi Dia has an exciting background as a leadership communications coach with over 20 years of experience. She has worked on high-profile projects, including helping Rio de Janeiro win the bid to host the 2016 Olympics.  With a unique love and hobby for fundraising auctioneering she became inspired to write the book "Ask Like an Auctioneer," which focuses on making impactful asks.  Paddle Through The No Auctioneers have a tendency to speak fast, or maybe they’re just good at doing a special chant.  The chant they do allows them to keep going until they get a final bid, the highest offer.  If you paid attention, the auctioneers are paddling through each offer until they are able to maximize the initial offer. Importance of Value Another core principle of auctioneers is not defining an offer based on the price. The price is to show the value of the product and how individuals can see that value. You may find it hard to ask for a higher price because you’re unable to get the prospect to see the value of what you’re offering. Get them to see the worth of your offer, and they’ll be ready to spend whatever amount you’re asking for. Connect with Prospects with Storytelling Part of your job as a seller is to understand what they really care about to help solve their problem.  Just like an auctioneer, use storytelling to help you practice empathy and connect with prospects on an emotional level. ZOFO: Zone of Freaking Out You know that heart-wrenching feeling you get when you’re about to go into a meeting and the  fear of rejection starts to creep in. Dia says it's ZOFO, or the Zone of Freaking Out. She shares how to handle this feeling and to keep pushing so you don't mishandle a deal. “Price is not a way for you to define your own worth. Price is a way to see and understand what they value and how they value it. Not a way to define our own worth and worthiness.” - Dia Bondi.  Resources  Sales Evangelist Listeners Hidden Gems Dia Bondi on LinkedIn  Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot. With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales. 2.            This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse. 3.            This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation. Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a handy tool to help you find prospects, but if you’re not using it right, you won’t be able to target the ones who have the say in closing a deal. How can you learn to use it to get in touch with C-suite executives? Find out in this episode with my guests Mike and John Murphy, the father-and-son duo of Text Tonality, and learn their three-step strategy for using LinkedIn. Where Did Their Passion for LinkedIn Come From? After struggling to find new clients, John turned to his son Mike for help. Mike had a unique strategy that helped his father find high-stakes clients in no time. Thanks to Mike’s method, he and his father are now the proud owners of Text Tonality. Understanding What Filters Are When you first use LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you’ll notice the many different filters within the tool. Mike noticed that people usually use the filters incorrectly in two different ways: either using too many or not enough filters. There are a certain number of filters you can use to help you find the right clients. If you DM Mike, he gives you the code to his free training to help you learn this trick. What To Say to C-Suite Executives When You Find Them John shares that to get your message out correctly, you first have to position yourself in front of them. They have to see how you can help them with their problem. If you can’t get them to see this, then they’re not going to spend 30 minutes on the phone with you. Start with the big problem they have to intrigue them with a solution. Sending LinkedIn Messages Without Spamming John and Mike share that it’s best not to send messages within LinkedIn connections. They share how sending Text Tonality messages works better after waiting a day after sending a connection request. Mike also shares how probing can help get prospects to speak to you more after they say no thank you to your first message. If you’re struggling with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, consider working with John and Mike at Text Tonality to learn more of their secrets. “Don't be afraid to follow up. People won’t get mad at you. They don't mind as long as you do it right." - John Murphy.  "You want to think about how there is an element of numbers to this. A key performance indicator that we look for is a 25% acceptance rate, which means I'm targeting the right people and my profile is resonating." - Mike Murphy.  Resources Learn more LinkedIn secrets at Text Tonality  Connect with John and Mike on LinkedIn Don’t forget about the Sales Navigator Secrets Code: wealth24 Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot. With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales. 2.            This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse. 3.            This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation. Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

You're having a wonderful time speaking with a prospect and believe they're going to take the deal. But when you go in to offer it, they quickly shut you down with the most disappointing sales objection: "not interested." Instead of tackling the objection with different common sales methods, try this unique strategy that I share in this episode. What is the Go Around The Block Principle? Inspired by one of my trips, I created this concept to help tackle a sales objection that most reps seem to struggle with the most.  The idea is for you to prepare before the meeting by doing research on the prospect. You can use what you learn about the prospect to help connect with them better before pitching the deal again. Deflect the Sales Objection I share a short story on how I used a prospect's area code to help build a better connection with them before closing a deal.  Of course, you won't always get this lucky, but try going on their LinkedIn profile to see if you can find a specific person, job role, or content they share to bring up during the meeting. Get the prospect to talk about something they're interested in; they will be more likely to hear your offer again. "Your job right now is to have conversations. The more conversations you have, the more opportunity you have to get the person to listen." - Donald Kelly Resources Looking for a new Sales Coaching Software, try out Ambition Do you need help creating a podcast? Visit Bluë Mango Studios  Connect and chat with me on LinkedIn  Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot. With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales. 2.            This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse. 3.            This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation. Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

After making several calls back-to-back and finally getting an answer from a prospect, you may find yourself shocked that they even decided to pick up the phone. Now lost for words, there's a thick air between the lines that quickly makes them lose interest in whatever you have to say. How can you fix this awkward silence to turn everything around? Tune in and hear the three tips I share to help you out. Back to the Basics Series If you go back and listen to my back-to-basics series, one of the tips I share is how to fill in the first ten seconds during a cold call.  The tips I share in this series are to slow down the call and ask specific questions that will help you stay in control. I also share a story in this episode on how you can stay on your game when a prospect answers the phone. Provide Relevancy The whole point of cold outreach is to provide the prospect with a solution relevant to their problem. If you can't give this to them the moment they answer the phone, then more than likely they're not going to listen to you. "If you don't have true relevancy, then it's tough to make an effective cold call. You gotta make sure you have something that matters to them and a solution that can fix their problem." - Donald Kelly. Resources Looking for a new Sales Coaching Software, try out Ambition Do you need help creating a podcast? Visit Bluë Mango Studios  Connect and chat with me on LinkedIn  Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot. With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation. Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.  

You can always get the best sales secrets from the top companies in the industry. In this episode, I’m chatting with Josh Garrison, the Vice President of Apollo.io, about the top three sales practices you must stop doing in 2025. Even if you don’t use this sales enablement AI platform, these tips will help you boost your performance and close deals faster. Meet Josh Garrison Josh Garrison oversees product growth, content marketing, and customer education at Apollo.io. He has 15 years of experience founding companies, leading teams, and writing the bestselling book Outbound Sales. As a two-time founder, he created the “full-cycle selling” framework to share a proven approach to B2B sales. Only Let AI Do Some of the Work Are you still making the mistake of using AI to do all your work? If you haven’t realized it yet, people want a human touch, and too much AI can damage their trust in a company. Josh shares that it’s better to use AI for specific tasks.  For example, AI tools have gotten better at research and summarization. Use the information from your research to personalize emails and connect with customers. Diversify Your Outreach If you’re still relying solely on email for outreach, Josh suggests adjusting the timing of your emails and not limiting them to one specific part of the day.  Pay attention to your prospect's daily routine. If they’re busy parents, it might not be a good idea to send emails at 8 a.m. Instead, try sending them later in the day when they have downtime. Use Social Media the Right Way Josh advises using social engagement strategically, particularly by commenting on LinkedIn posts. Also, social listening can help you build a presence and establish expertise without overtly selling. "Incorporating AI in a way that makes sense. Having IT do things that are going to level up your outreach, but not necessarily having IT do everything for you." - Josh Garrison.  Resources Josh Garrison on LinkedIn  Email: josh.garrison@apollo.io Apollo.io  Outbound Sales by Josh Garrison  Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot. With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales. 2.            This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse. 3.            This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation. Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

You want to move your deals through the pipeline, but you have no idea how to do it. In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Bob Spina, a successful sales expert known for building and advising high-performing sales teams, on deal acceleration. Join us to hear his strategies on how to slow down and achieve greater success. Meet Bob Spina Bob is well-known for working with Gong and scaled it from under 21 million in revenue to the empire they are today. His focus lies in enhancing revenue processes and strategies, offering his expertise across various companies to drive successful outcomes.  Currently, Bob is dedicated to advising company leaders, sharing his deep knowledge of accelerating deals and navigating multi-stakeholder environments. The Importance of Focusing and Understanding the Industry We discuss the necessity for sales reps to go beyond tool training and understand the industry trends and challenges faced by their target markets.  Having business acumen and understanding what's on the minds of C-level executives gives salespeople a consultative edge, establishing credibility and accelerating deals. The Power of Relevance and Relationship Building Understanding your customer's industry and delivering relevant information can set you apart from competitors who rely on generic, automated messages.  Authenticity and personal experiences, not just AI, should be at the forefront of sales interactions. Multi-Channel Communication Utilizing a multi-channel approach is key to accelerating deals.  Bob shares the importance of connecting with prospects through a combination of LinkedIn, phone calls, emails, and personalized video messages. This approach helps in nurturing leads through the pipeline effectively. Sales Advice From Bob Spina For Leaders: Measure teams on outcomes rather than just activities. Focus on quality connections and work backward to define key activities. For Reps: Be mindful of time and focus on high-impact activities. Do thorough research to ensure every action moves the needle forward. “When you study the industry and you study the people that are in that industry, you want to make sure that you're meeting them where they're going.” - Bob Spina.  Resources Bob Spina on LinkedIn  Email: bspina@gmail.com Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot. With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales. 2.            This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse. 3.            This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation. Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Can you really score multiple appointments on LinkedIn in just one week? Discover how to effectively categorize your connections into potential and past customers. Learn the art of asking for quick meetings and leveraging past coworkers as appointment influencers. Find out how creating LinkedIn polls can spark meaningful conversations with prospects. It’s all about giving to others and building genuine relationships to unlock new opportunities!

Turning phone calls into appointments can be challenging, but the right offer is key. Craft your pitch with clarity to engage prospects better. Communication should be calm, allowing potential clients to grasp your offer’s value. Persistence matters—balance assertiveness with respect. Use tools like LinkedIn for research and approach conversations with permission-based questions. Lastly, articulate your value proposition swiftly to captivate your audience. These strategies can transform connections into fruitful meetings!

I’m being like Edgar Allan Poe in this episode and providing you guys with my top five sales predictions for 2025. Will there be an increased use of AI tools in the sales industry? Are consumers wanting more human connection? Tune in to find out! Sales Prediction 1: Increased AI Technology Use  Yes, it’s true. AI tools are not going anywhere, and more than likely, you’re going to use them more and more this year. You’ll probably even find yourself not even realizing that you’re using them.   The downside is that 55% of consumers don’t like for companies to rely so heavily on AI technology. They believe it lacks authenticity and transparency. So, keep this in mind when you’re sending your automated cold emails to prospective customers.   Sales Prediction 3: Old-School Networking Is Winning  I also share another statistic on how AI-generated content provides a negative brand image. What’s the point of using it if your audience is going to see it as a bad thing? This is when old-school sales methods come into play: networking.   Get your face out there and attend networking events. Those within the Boomers, Millennials, and Gen X can spot AI content from a mile away.   Humans want connection, and if you’re not providing that in some way, then you’re going to lose business.   What are my sales predictions 2, 4, and 5? I gave you a teaser of some of my predictions in these show notes. To learn the rest, you’re going to have to click the play button to find out.   “82% of attendees express a preference for attending an in-person event, underscoring the value of face-to-face interaction. That piece is showing us that AI will cause us to miss big opportunities.” - Donald Kelly.   Resources The Sales Evangelist Sales Planner Cold Call Openers The Sales Evangelizers Facebook Group Sales Mastermind Group Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot. With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales. 2.            This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse. 3.            This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation. Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

How can you optimize your pipeline to ensure accurate forecasting and set your team up for success? Join me and my guest, Walter Crosby, as we explore how transforming ineffective habits can lead to better outcomes in your sales process. By the end of this episode, you’ll gain clarity on your pipeline and learn to identify which prospects are most likely to deliver the results you need. Meet Walter Crosby Walter Crosby is a seasoned sales expert and business consultant with decades of experience in helping organizations refine their sales processes and drive sustainable growth.  He specializes in developing tailored strategies that align sales pipelines with business goals.  His expertise lies in sales leadership, process optimization, and revenue forecasting. Accuracy in Sales Forecasting  Walter shares actionable tips for creating accurate sales forecasts.  The key takeaway? Quality over quantity.  Learn how to identify realistic opportunities and focus on meaningful data, ensuring your forecasts are reliable and actionable. Gatekeeping: Building the Right Pipeline  Your pipeline is only as good as what you let in.  Walter introduces the concept of a "gate" for qualifying potential leads before they enter your sales process. This ensures you’re targeting the right prospects, saving time, and increasing conversion rates. Planning for Contingencies  Unexpected challenges are inevitable, but how prepared are you?  Walter discusses how to incorporate contingency planning into your pipeline strategy to mitigate risks and keep deals moving forward. Mindfulness for Precise Sales Forecasting  Precision requires discipline. Walter explains how adopting a mindful approach to pipeline management and forecasting can lead to higher win rates and better decision-making at every stage of the sales process. "The pipeline is wrong because we’re not qualifying these people in advance. We are putting in too much junk. We don’t have, you know, St. Peter at the gate, right? Or a Doberman, something. We’re letting any and everybody come through." - Walter Crosby.  Resources Walter Crosby on LinkedIn  Scale Your Sales by Walter Crosby Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot. With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales. 2.            This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse. 3.            This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation. Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.