The Sales Evangelist

Larry Levine, a sales veteran with over 30 years of experience and author of 'Selling from the Heart,' dives into the essence of authenticity in B2B sales. He argues that genuine relationships with clients are crucial, urging sales professionals to treat prospects with the same care they give to loved ones. Levine also discusses the importance of quality over quantity in prospecting and advises sales teams to embrace a conversational mindset rather than just chasing meetings. With a focus on personal integrity and human connection, he illuminates how sincerity can set sellers apart in competitive markets.

James Donaldson, a cold-calling expert and founder of Stacky.io, shares his strategies for improving outbound sales teams. He discusses why cold calling and LinkedIn are still effective, emphasizing human connection and trust. James reveals a client’s journey from chaotic outreach to a remarkable 800% increase in meetings. He offers advice on follow-up frequency, effective tracking, and structuring cold calls for success. His key tip? Eliminate distractions and focus on meaningful conversations to drive results.

Sales objections? They’re just pauses in your journey to a yes! Stay calm and dig deeper to uncover the true reasons behind objections like 'not interested.' Using permission-based questioning and the 'five whys' technique can reveal surprising factors. Offer innovative solutions like trials to break old vendor ties without causing disruption. Embrace objections by acknowledging them, asking insightful questions, and collaborating on responses to transform challenges into opportunities for success!

Ghosting can be a nightmare for salespeople, and this discussion dives into the top reasons why it happens. Discover how missed details and targeting the wrong people can lead prospects to vanish. Learn the art of asking the right questions to uncover their decision-making power. Are they just shopping around? Find out how to directly address this. Plus, shifting priorities and urgent timelines can play a huge role in ghosting. Equip yourself with practical tactics to remain engaged and secure that next step!

Explore five sales techniques that can turn prospects off. Discover why BANT can feel like an interrogation and how to ask the right questions. Learn how to engage stakeholders without offending and avoid the pitfalls of too-rapid follow-ups. Uncover the risks of false urgency and the importance of eliciting genuine timelines. Also, find out why scripted small talk annoys prospects and how to make cold outreach more relevant with a tailored approach.

show notes

Discover how to transform your LinkedIn profile into a powerful prospecting tool. Learn why a resume-style profile is a miss and how to design a compelling banner that captures attention. Craft a headline that showcases your value and an About section that speaks directly to client pain points. Create targeted micro-lists for better outreach and engage thoughtfully with prospects to build rapport. Plus, actionable homework to enhance your profile and connect with 20 potential leads!

I’m digging into The Sales Evangelist archive to bring you another gem! One of the best parts about this podcast is that so many episodes share timeless sales strategies you can use for years.This rerun features Brynne Tillman, CEO and “LinkedIn Whisperer” at Social Sales Link, and author of The LinkedIn Sales Playbook. If social selling feels like a mystery, you’ll want to hear Brynne break down her 4 LinkedIn Pillars for business development.The Value of a Great LinkedIn Profile·  Your LinkedIn profile isn’t just an online résumé—it’s your first sales tool.·  When prospects visit your page, they’re not looking for your mission statement or how long you’ve been in business. They want to know how *relevant* you are to them.·  Head to getmyssicore.com for a personalized score that rates your social selling skills.·  The higher your score, the more likely buyers are to see your value.·  Write your summary like a mini blog post—something that instantly helps your reader.·  Highlight the challenges your buyers face, and share three to five insights they can use right away.·  When you lead with value, you build credibility faster and move through the sales cycle with less friction.Pillar 1: Establish Your Professional Brand·  Your professional brand is your profile. By positioning your profile to offer insight and value, you build credibility and spark curiosity.·  You’re getting prospects excited to take your call. If they can learn something just by visiting your profile, they’ll imagine a conversation with you will be even more valuable.·  Position yourself as a subject matter expert and thought leader.Pillar 2: Find the Right People·  How are you using LinkedIn to find your buyers and influencers? If it’s true that an average of 6.8 people are involved in every major buying decision, how are you identifying all the right people within an organization?·  Instead of focusing only on the champion, who else should you reach out to or engage?·  Prospecting and relationship-building go hand in hand. It’s about offering real value and leveraging your network to get introductions to your target prospects and buyers.·  Create search strings using your buyers’ titles, tailored to your target location or industry.Pillar 3: Engage With Insights·  How are you sharing, commenting on, and engaging with content? Are you using hashtags to find the right conversations? Are you feeding your network with valuable insights that move them closer to your solution?·  It’s more than just liking or sharing. LinkedIn rewards consistent engagement—sharing, commenting, and contributing to conversations.·  Avoid “random acts of social.” Anything done without intention or purpose rarely leads to success, especially on LinkedIn.Pillar 4: Build Relationships·  “Connecting and forgetting” is like collecting business cards that just sit in a stack on your desk. How valuable is that? That’s not a network.·  There’s more value in genuinely connecting with a few people at a networking event and having meaningful conversations than there is in collecting every business card in the room. Bring that same thoughtfulness online.“There’s no reason to network differently online than you do in person.” - Brynne Tillman.ResourcesYou can also check out episode 1088 to hear the rerun with Brynne Tillman. Connect with her on LinkedIn and grab a copy of her book, The LinkedIn Sales Playbook.Sponsorship Offers1.  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.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.

In this engaging discussion, Matthew Pollard, a renowned storytelling and sales expert known as the Rapid Growth guy, reveals how to overcome fourth-quarter objections with impactful narratives. He emphasizes the pitfalls of overwhelming buyers with jargon and how to pivot towards personal storytelling to build trust. Matthew shares a concise framework for crafting persuasive 45-second stories, delving into the costs of decisions that affect buyers. He also highlights the importance of making buyers champions for your solution, ensuring they rally for your proposal.

Most sellers tend to get caught up in the technical side—asking the “right” questions, handling objections, and checking all the boxes. But in the process, we often overlook something just as important: the emotional side of selling. That’s why I invited Alex Kremer, founder of Alluviance, to join me. He breaks down how the right mindset can help you close more deals and build lasting relationships.Meet Alex Kremer·  Alex Kremer is the Founder of Alluviance, a community and organization dedicated to transforming sales and leadership through authenticity, purpose, and performance. ·  With over 15 years of experience, he has worked with top companies like Salesforce, AWS, and Gong, and played a key role in scaling Outreach from $25M to $250M. ·  He’s hired, trained, and led over 100 Account Executives and Sales Managers, earning President’s Club honors 7 years in a row.·  Alex is known for helping leaders build high-performing teams and purpose-driven cultures that achieve lasting results.Beyond the Tactics: The Role of Mindset in Sales Success·  Alex pulls back the curtain on his journey, opening up about the hidden struggles he faced even when he seemed most successful. ·  Despite hitting top quotas and leading major accounts at Microsoft, he battled depression, highlighting a key truth: salespeople can meet every external standard and still feel empty inside. ·  Alex explains how mental, emotional, and even spiritual health are often overlooked but absolutely crucial to sustainable, fulfilling sales success.Practical Strategies: Filling the Void and Mastering the Inner Game·  Alex introduces the concept of “parts work,” a therapeutic approach to identifying and relating to various emotions without self-judgment. ·  He stresses the importance of self-awareness, inviting reps to treat their emotional states with the same curiosity as they would a sales prospect in discovery. ·  Simple practices like mindful breathing, walks without phones, and reflective journaling can create the internal space needed for clarity.Leadership in Action: Bringing Mindfulness Into Sales Teams·  For sales leaders, Alex suggests starting meetings with grounding exercises such as box breathing or gratitude practices. ·  Investing a few minutes in presence and connection sets a more productive tone than jumping straight to numbers.“When you connect more deeply with yourself, it allows you to connect more deeply with other people, which is very interwoven with sales.” - Alex Kremer.ResourcesAlex’s company, Alluviance, hosts regular retreats blending sales tactics with inner game work. Reach out to Alex on LinkedIn or the Alluviance website for future retreat details.Sponsorship Offers1.  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.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.