The Sales Evangelist

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Every time the marketing team sends you a new lead, they end up not showing up. Why do they keep sending prospects who won't even come to a meeting? When will they ever do their job right?Maybe we just need to help them out a bit. Join me in this episode with Alisha Conlin-Hurd, marketing and sales expert, where she shows us how to work with the marketing team to get the right leads to book appointments.Meet Alisha Conlin-HurdAlisha Conlin-Hurd is the Founder of Persuasion Experience, a 7-figure marketing agency helping 7- and 8-figure businesses turn paid ads into predictable lead machines.She’s launched over 600+ funnels across 120 niches, generating tens of millions in client revenue. Her proprietary frameworks—DNA Blueprint Method™ and Endless Leads Framework™—have helped countless businesses double their revenue in under 90 days. Alisha now runs her business remotely while traveling the world full-time.Why Do No Shows Happen?I've listed several reasons why prospects often ghost us:Not showing enough valueCreating bad contentForgetting to remind themAnd you know what? Alisha agrees with me. She shares that if prospects don't see the value in showing up, they simply won't. If we show them "what's in it for them" from the beginning, they'll be ready for the call. People show up for what they care about.Prepping The Call Before Prospects ComeTo get prospects excited about the sales call, Alisha says it starts with the marketing department doing these three steps:Building A Strong Landing Page: This is where you get lead magnets, and it must show authority, strong messaging, and uniqueness. She provides an example of how to establish authority through social proof.Touch Points During Becoming A Lead: This is when a lead clicks on the lead magnet to book an appointment. Alisha says there should be a series of questions that qualify and disqualify prospects. If they qualify, that's when they should be able to see the calendar; however, there's a stipulation.Making Sure They Show Up: Following up should happen between one and three days after a prospect books an appointment. Alisha says that marketing and sales should work together to ensure they attend the meeting.“The best time to get somebody to do an action is when they just did one.” - Alisha Conlin-Hurd.ResourcesFollow Alisha on these social media platforms: YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Sponsorship OffersThis 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.CreditsAs 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.

Thank you, Martin, for going back in time with The Sales Evangelist podcast. Thanks to him, we're going back to episode 1177 where I deep-dived into why leads are creating more work for us.In this episode, I share why many small organizations struggle with their inbound sales and how to fix it. The challenge is always deciding who should follow up on them and how to do it effectively.The Sales TeamAssume that a sales team is composed of three people: the marketing person who does almost everything, the junior assistant who helps with content creation, and the outsourced person who does the marketing strategies. Among the three, who should follow-up the lead? Not all leads are created equal. This means that before deciding who will follow up the lead, the lead should be evaluated first.You don’t want your salesperson pitching to a lead that in the end would go to another competitor.Do a Pre-QualificationDo a pre-qualification in your organization to know if the people you are going to have the conversation with are ready to consider the deal. Set a benchmark and rules for what you consider a marketing quantifiable lead. Consider the following questions: What is considered a sales qualified lead?What is the KPI of your organization? How many new inbound leads do you want to get per quarter/per month?How much money do you want to generate from those leads?The answers to those questions will lead you to your ideal customer. It would also help you identify the triggers that qualify them to be a marketing quantifiable lead and a sales qualified lead. The work is far more efficient because when a lead comes in, your salespeople can vet them and follow the pre-qualification factors you’ve set to see if the lead can generate new business for the organization. This is also helpful in maintaining your current customers. Create a SystemCreate a system to efficiently manage the workload. The marketing team can do the pre-qualification to increase the odds of the lead being converted into something real. Whenever a lead comes in, let marketing take a look at it and check the website and the title of the person. Then let the intern or junior marketing rep take over the other tasks like looking into LinkedIn, HubSpot, Marketo, or other platforms you have to find the data that you can transfer into your CRM. Marketing can help fix the problem of having to go back to the beginning of the funnel and pre-qualify the leads again because they’re not yet ready at the moment. Website Leads MatterThe sales team sometimes takes for granted the leads that they didn’t hunt for. A good example is leads coming in from the websites. It is disheartening when a sales rep doesn’t take that into consideration when a lead comes in via the website. Whenever an inbound lead comes in, it is best to use your flow process to follow-up particular prospects. It should be written and put in your company’s playbook so that everyone can read it and use it with every inbound lead that comes in.Follow-up Right Away A stat from insidesales.com said that a lead that’s contacted within five minutes is 100 times more likely to convert than leads that are followed-up 90 minutes later.When a lead comes in, follow up right away. You’re more likely to convert than if you wait. The sales team can take a quick visit to the person’s website, check their LinkedIn profile, and the pages they’ve visited on your site. Focus On The People That MatterInclude in your flow process the phone call and email for the first time then do the same things a day later. Connect with them on LinkedIn and share some of their content for seven full business days. With the right system and by focusing on the people that matter, your work is going to be minimized but the return is going to be much higher. Filter your inbound leads and let the marketing do the review. Recognize the good ones and toss them over to the sales reps to reach out and convert."Evaluate the effectiveness of each lead, because not all leads are created equally." - Donald Kelly. ResourcesConnect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message for more help with cold outreach, or send me an email: donald@thesalesevangelist.comIf you need more help elevating your sales game, join my Sales Mastermind Class.Sponsorship OffersThis 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.CreditsAs 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.

Are you relying on crystal balls, bones and feathers, and teabags to know whether you will hit this month’s goals or not?Well, been there and done that and I’m telling you, “voodoo selling” just doesn’t work because you can’t quantify it.In today’s episode, I am talking with Robert Harper and together we will shed light on the repercussions of voodoo selling and what you can do to ultimately be HIGHLY effective in sales. I have talked about this over and over, and again, PROCESS is key. Rather, GREAT PROCESS is key.More About My Special GuestRobert is a serial entrepreneur who currently owns five companies, four of them are in the midwest that do B2B integration, like access controls and CCTV, making buildings safe and comfortable. His other business endeavor is a virtual company that provides virtual solutions to business owners.What Is “Voodoo Selling?”Voodoo selling is based on guessing and hope rather than on planning, implementing strategies, or using metrics.Salespeople forget that they’re creative thinkers which makes it harder to do proper planning when prospecting. It makes us less interested in the process of selling and thinking of sales as a science since we tend to think of it as more of an art.Robert shares how voodoo selling is a waste of time because you’re trying to sell to people who CAN’T say no to you.How to Better Gain Scientific Concepts in Your Sales PresentationsSell to somebody who can say no. If they say no, do it as quickly as possible so you stop wasting time. Break the theory and move on to the next.Determine your budget on how much you’re going to sell. Instead of targeting “X” amount of dollars a quarter, target how many phone calls or meetings it would take you to make that dollar amount.Start today. Start keeping track honestly of:How many phone calls you make?How many of those phone calls will get you a meeting?How many of those meetings will get you a proposal?How many of those proposals will get you a sale?Tracking your information allows you to introduce a change into your process and see how it affects those numbers.Have the process for the actual sale itself.Analytics and a great process are keys.Know your customer’s pain pointsBring out the numbers and give precise informationLook at the metricsProvide real data to the customerA Special Tips for Sales ManagersDon’t talk about the numbers. Don’t judge people based on how many phone calls they’re making. Otherwise, your people will lie on those forms. The numbers are for them and not for you to judge them.Don’t ever be afraid to ask every prospect if they have the ability and if they are willing to say no if this isn’t a good fit for their company. But, if it is a good fit, are they able to say yes?For every sales meeting, have an agenda and send it to your prospect at least 24 hours before the meeting. In the agenda, go over what you want to cover and leave room for them to edit it for what they want to cover. During the meeting, follow the agenda. Ex: budget, decision process, the decision maker.“There’s no way to improve if you’re using your crystal ball.” – Robert Harper. ResourcesConnect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message for more help with cold outreach, or send me an email: donald@thesalesevangelist.comIf you need more help elevating your sales game, join my Sales Mastermind Class.Sponsorship OffersThis 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.CreditsAs 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.

Discover nine essential sales lessons gathered from nearly 2,000 conversations. Learn that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to selling and the importance of testing various methods. The podcast emphasizes the necessity of continuous prospecting and accountability in driving sales performance. It shares insights into leveraging LinkedIn as a powerful tool for closing deals. Additionally, find out how personalization can simplify the buying process and strengthen client relationships. These takeaways could transform your sales approach!

Someone recently asked me, “How can I send an email that prospects actually like and reply to?” I’m going to answer this question and share three types of emails that land appointments for sellers. Check it out and be sure to connect with me on LinkedIn.Level 1: Probing EmailsThis email shares that you’re unsure if the prospect is the exact fit for your company or if they even have a problem. You just know that they match your ICP, and asking them questions will let you know if they need your services or not.Despite what you think, there are benefits to sending probing emails. This is how you get an idea of what a company needs help with, at least from the ones who respond. Even though it’s the weakest cold outreach level, it’s still beneficial.Level 2: Relevant EmailsWhen probing emails become less effective, it’s time to switch to sending a relevant email. This is where you look for specific triggers that are causing a prospect to have issues.For example, maybe you start reaching out to people who have HubSpot and you know people who use this tool may have issues with customer service portals. You can reach out to prospects who use HubSpot and let them know that you have a solution that can help them out.Level 3: ReferralThere are two sides of referral emails: internal and external sources. An internal email may come from the person you spoke to from the relevant email, and you can let the next person know that you spoke with them and they told you to reach out to the next person.Try following these three levels of emails to get your next appointment.“Prospects get an average of 100 to 200 emails per day. There are three buckets of emails you need to send to get responses from these prospects.” - Donald Kelly.ResourcesConnect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message for more help with cold outreach, or send me an email: donald@thesalesevangelist.comIf you need more help elevating your sales game, join my Sales Mastermind Class.Sponsorship OffersThis 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.CreditsAs 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.

For this episode, we’re going back to episode 1431, featuring my chat with Ollie Whitfield. He shares how you can use LinkedIn features to your advantage. Listen to learn how to use LinkedIn voice messages and videos to schedule more appointments.Using LinkedIn Voice Messages for Effective AppointmentsThe LinkedIn voice message is something new and not many people have seen it before. That’s why many are prompted to open it and listen to it.LinkedIn voice messages show that you’re giving effort; it’s a slightly elevated way of showing your desire to build a connection with others.Showing your face or letting other people hear your voice improves your outreach. A mere text cannot convey your body language or your tone.A video message allows the prospects to see your mannerisms and that helps in building trust between people and implores them to do business with you.Improving Your Video Messages or Voice Messages on LinkedInThink of it as a very targeted approach. You can’t send video messages or voice messages to everyone. Pick the right people to send the messages to.Instead of going through all the other channels, take it directly to the decision-makers and have a great chat with them.Make it a seamless conversation. Make sure not to send a voice message right off the bat. Set the expectation first. You can send a written message first, a heads up that you’re sending a voice note on a certain subject.Lay the foundation first before sending the voice or video message so that they know what’s coming their way.Ollie also curates content and posts it on LinkedIn. He takes note of the people who engage with his posts, lists the names of the people who engaged and fall under his ideal client profile, and then connects with them. Following up with these people with a video makes the outreach personalizedResearch the people you’re going to send videos to. Don’t jump into doing videos right away. Do your research and think of what you’re going to say before you make the video.“LinkedIn voice messages show more effort and wanting to make a human-to-human connection instead of just sending a regular message.” - Ollie Whitfield.ResourcesFollow Ollie Whitfield on LinkedIn. Sponsorship OffersThis 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.CreditsAs 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.

Cold emails might be convenient, but nothing beats the power of a phone call in sales! With a shift post-pandemic, people long for genuine human interaction, making phone communication more effective than automated messages. Building trust and rapport is easier when you converse directly with prospects. The speaker shares compelling anecdotes and emphasizes setting daily call targets for success. Don't just settle for digital fatigue—revitalize your sales approach with strategic phone conversations!

I’m a strong believer that you should sell to B2B buyers the same way you sell to B2C prospects. If you don’t believe this, you should listen to this conversation with B2C expert, Josh Koplin. He’s here to share why B2B prospects want the same experience as B2C customers and how you can give it to them.Meet Josh KoplinAs Co-founder and CRO of EDEN, a home services SaaS startup, Joshua Koplin spearheads the company's mission to equip contractors with innovative technology, fostering business growth and exceptional customer experiences. His extensive experience in finance, innovation, and business development includes leading the IPO for Japan’s largest renewable energy developer, RENOVA Inc., and previous roles in investment banking and M&A at J.P. Morgan.Adopting a B2C Experience into the B2B WorldThe B2B prospects in the fancy offices are also the same ones doing B2C buying. They see what it takes to make someone buy, and they want that same experience when a B2B seller is offering them a service or product.Josh shares how his company is modernizing the sales process to provide instant gratification. He studies what consumers want and applies that knowledge to the HVAC and home services space.Overcoming Pricing ChallengesIn the B2C world, the price of a product or service is right there in your face. However, it’s often hidden in the B2B world. Josh shares that online pricing is often the first thing on a buyer’s priority list, and they will have this in mind when searching for a product. Adopting upfront pricing allows a B2B consumer to feel more comfortable about their buying decision.He also explains why it’s still essential for sellers to include the benefits of a product along with the pricing to provide a better experience for those in the B2B world.AI Search Changing Both WorldsIn the B2C and B2B worlds, AI has completely changed the way we look for information on Google. Before you can even scroll down, you see AI gathering the data you need.It makes old-school SEO methods obsolete, so how can you ensure your business still reaches the ranks?Josh shares that the best thing for B2B sellers to do is to put their "kitchen table conversations" online. This is where you act as the consultant and listen to your customers' pain points, needs, and wants. You provide everything they need to know to help them make informed decisions.Josh also goes into what zero-click searches are and how they are affecting the B2B world.“AI search and consumers are turning more towards the kitchen table conversations online. The more helpful you are, the greater the chance of conversation from consumers.” - Josh Koplin. ResourcesIf you want to connect with Josh, you can reach him by email at josh.koplin@e-denhomes.comYou can also connect with him on LinkedInSponsorship OffersThis 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.CreditsAs 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.

It’s a gut-wrenching pain to work so hard to win a prospect over only for them to tell you no. If this often happens to you, you may be doing something that strikes a deep no in your prospects.To help you figure out what you’re doing wrong and influence prospect behaviors more positively, listen to this conversation with my guest, Jake Stahl. He's here to help you rewire how you lead and sell to achieve greater success.Meet Jake StahlJake Stahl is the creator of Neurostrategy, the CEO of Orchestraight, and a globally sought-after behavioral trainer. He has trained leaders in 47 states and six countries, focusing on replacing outdated tactics with high-conversion conversations grounded in psychology and performance.Often called "the man who can create the perfect conversation," Jake is renowned for his ability to decode resistance in real time and fundamentally change how individuals lead, sell, and achieve success.Why Prospects Aren’t BuyingYou may think prospects aren’t buying just because of how bad the economy is, but your unconscious actions may also be the reason.Jake shares how most sellers tend to make excuses, but the reality is that everyone buys based on perception and emotion. Sellers often use the wrong verbiage with prospects, failing to effectively convey that the product they offer is worth the money.He also details linguistic programming and future pacing, explaining how sellers can use these techniques to help prospects justify spending money on the offered product or service. Jake shares how it’s more than just telling customers about the features and benefits; it’s about painting a picture so the client can see how their life will be better with the product.Sales Leaders Helping Reps Paint PicturesIf you pay attention to the ads for cruise ships, you'll notice that they’re not selling the features of the boat. They’re selling the experience—laughter in the sun and fun in the water. Switching from selling features and benefits to selling an experience like this can be hard for some reps, so how can leaders help?Jake says it starts with how you present yourself to the prospect. Listen to how a sentence sounds when you’re using verb versus noun verbiage. For example, “I love dogs,” versus “I’m a dog lover.” He goes into detail on how the difference in verbiage can help sellers change the way they sell products to prospective buyers.Also, Jake shares an interesting study on the power of using the word “because.” It holds more weight in pushing a deal forward than you might think.How to Break ConditionsPeople are conditioned to respond in certain ways, and starting a conversation off with something like, "Hi, how are you doing?" may be triggering prospects to avoid talking to you.Jake says this kind of introduction preconditions prospects to see you as a sales rep, and mentally, other factors start to take place without you knowing it. To get a genuine conversation, you need a genuine opener. Coming up with different openers will break these conditions and help prospective buyers engage with you when you call them.“The reality is that if customers don’t see how those features and benefits will make their lives better, it’s not just going to work for them.” - Jake Stahl. ResourcesConnect with Jake on LinkedIn You can also reach out to him at jakestahl@orchestraight.com Sponsorship OffersThis 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.CreditsAs 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.