How can you build rapport without coming across as wanting something in return? Prospects can easily sense if you’re not genuinely trying to connect with them and are only interested in their money. If you’re struggling with this sales method, listen to my guest, Ante Mihaljević, a sales and communication expert, share his refreshing take on building rapport with prospects. The Importance of Genuine Rapport Stop making rapport feel gimmicky or disingenuous by showing genuine interest in understanding and helping a prospect. This approach makes them feel heard and valued, fostering openness and a positive relationship. Techniques for Building Rapport Ante shares valuable insights on building rapport effectively: Stay Focused and Curious: Be genuinely interested in your prospect’s needs and listen actively to their concerns. Mirror and Match: Observe and subtly mimic your prospect’s language and behavior to create a sense of familiarity and trust. Avoid Focusing on the Outcome: Concentrate on the interaction and the process of connecting with your prospect rather than the end goal of making a sale. Recognizing Genuine Connection How do you know when it’s time to transition from building rapport to having a sales conversation? It’s all about intuition! Ante explains that you’ll intuitively know when you and your prospect are in sync and ready to discuss sales. Practical Exercises for Sales Teams For sales managers looking to train their teams in rapport building, Ante suggests exercises such as: Observational Practice: Encourage your team to observe and analyze prospects’ breathing rates and language patterns. Mirroring Exercises: Help your team get comfortable with mirroring by practicing with each other before trying it with actual prospects. “They will start finishing your sentences. They will start breathing at the same rate you’re breathing. So, a lot of these non-verbals will happen. When you know that has happened, you’re ready to move on.” — Ante Mihaljević. Resources Ante Mihaljević on LinkedIn Ante Mihaljević website Cold Call Openers 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.  

Follow-up in sales can feel daunting, but mastering it is key to success. The discussion dives into effective strategies to overcome discomfort when reaching out again. Listeners gain practical tips for setting clear agendas and scheduling next steps. Social media is highlighted as a powerful tool for boosting engagement and maintaining connections with clients. Overall, it’s a guide to transforming follow-up from a hassle to a helpful process.

Storytelling allows you to connect with your prospects on a more personal level. However, sometimes you might find yourself telling the wrong stories or sharing a story at the wrong time. My guest, Eugene Theodore, walks us through how to create impactful stories that align with your sales goals. Meet Eugene Theodore Eugene Theodore is a highly skilled and experienced storyteller with a background in sales and personal branding. His storytelling approach aligns a product or service’s message with the needs and values of a target audience. Eugene helps sales professionals and leaders navigate different stages of the customer journey by using storytelling to foster meaningful connections and close deals. Why Storytelling Matters in Sales People prefer to buy from those they trust and feel connected to. Without a genuine connection, prospects may choose not to move forward in the sales process. Eugene explains that storytelling serves as a powerful alignment tool throughout the customer journey. It brings the necessary harmony between the product, the company, and the target audience. The Story Matrix Tool If you find it challenging to craft effective stories, Eugene suggests using his “Story Matrix” tool. This tool helps map out various story types for different stages of the buyer’s journey: awareness, consideration, decision-making, and retention. The Story Matrix allows you to create a grid that matches different phases of the buyer journey with suitable story types—whether humorous, serious, technical, or adventurous. Applying the Story Matrix Eugene provides practical examples of how to use the Story Matrix to tailor stories for different audiences and stages of engagement. He emphasizes the importance of understanding a client’s personal interests, professional stage, and organizational needs to refine and personalize the story, making it more impactful. “The story matrix is simply understanding the consumer journey, whether it's B2B or B2C, and understanding what is the right kind of story at that moment in time.” - Eugene Theodore.  Resources Saga Squared  Cold Call Openers 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.  

Cindy Allis, CEO and Co-founder of Floatist, shares her insights on overcoming seasonal sales challenges in the yacht industry. She reveals strategies for compelling clients to make quicker decisions, such as using incentives and adapting to market trends. The conversation highlights the importance of mutual action plans and digital sales rooms to keep prospects engaged without overwhelming them. Cindy also discusses how understanding decision-making dynamics within organizations can help reduce delays in the purchasing process.

Jorge Soto and Justin Dorfman, co-founders of Asset Mule, dive deep into buyer enablement strategies. They discuss how understanding buyer psychology can accelerate sales and tailor approaches to match the buyer's journey. The duo emphasizes the need for human elements in sales and building trust through meaningful connections. They break down the awareness, consideration, and decision stages, illustrating how informed buyers make decisions today. By leveraging insights and crafting mutual action plans, businesses can create a more engaging customer experience.

James Buckley, a self-proclaimed phone expert and co-host of the Sell Better Podcast, shares invaluable insights on enhancing cold call success. He emphasizes matching your communication style to a prospect's personality, adopting a jovial tone for friendly profiles or a serious tone for more reserved ones. Buckley advises against lengthy emails, highlighting the importance of brevity and clarity. He also critiques over-reliance on AI, encouraging genuine and personalized outreach strategies to build trust and rapport.

Here’s a shocking fact, reps don’t have to be nice in order to make a deal. Unconsciously, your need to be liked is turning you into a pushy salesperson. Listen to this episode with my guest Chris Caldwell to help you stop making this sales mistake.  Chris Caldwell’s Background Chris Caldwell is a sales trainer and expert who runs “Sell As You Are,” a company that helps sales professionals succeed by embracing their authentic selves. With experience coaching youth soccer and leading sales retreats, Chris has deep insights into human behavior and the psychological needs that drive success. He focuses on aligning beliefs and behaviors with genuine intent, offering practical strategies to foster personal power, authenticity, and commitment in sales teams. Unmet Needs in Sales How do sales reps manifest their unmet needs in sales contexts? Chris provides an analogy of parents at a youth soccer game, demonstrating how people often project their unfulfilled emotional needs onto external situations or people. This behavior negatively impacts sales performance and client relationships. The Power of Setting the Frame To set clear expectations and agendas with prospects, try using Chris’s framework for sales conversations. His framework allows you to stay confidently in control throughout the sales process. The Importance of Getting to the Truth The primary objective of every first discovery call should be to uncover the truth of the prospect’s needs and situation. Chris stresses the significance of ensuring honest exchanges to facilitate genuine progress and decision-making. “It is in the nature of executives to get distracted because they have a hundred things they’re responsible for, and the problem you’re solving is likely one of fifty they’re trying to address. At the same time, if you do not keep them on the leash, if you do not keep them on your calendar, it is in their nature to deprioritize you. And you cannot blame them; you can only blame yourself.” - Chris Caldwell. Resources Chris Caldwell on LinkedIn sellasyouare.com  Email: chris@sellasyouare.com  LinkedIn Prospecting Course Cold Call Openers 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.

Join AJ Wilcox, a seasoned LinkedIn advertising expert and host of the LinkedIn Ads Show, as he shares powerful strategies for sales teams. Discover why LinkedIn Ads can double your return on investment compared to Meta Ads. AJ emphasizes the importance of thought leadership ads, which can increase click-through rates by up to 16%. He discusses account-based marketing techniques that connect with key stakeholders and how personalized content can enhance customer engagement. Get ready to rethink your advertising approach with AJ's insights!

Will Barron, founder of Selling Made Simple and the Salesman Podcast, dives deep into the barriers that hold salespeople back, particularly the pervasive status quo. He discusses how inertia can stall deals, not due to competition but from reluctance to change. Will shares strategies for engaging decision-makers effectively, tackling DIY objections, and understanding the buyer's journey. He emphasizes the need to recognize urgency in client interactions and offers insights into leveraging tools and community for sales success.

Emily Davidson, a sales strategist at Sandler Sales Training, and Mike Montague, her collaborator, dive into essential tactics for boosting sales performance as Q4 approaches. They explore overcoming productivity challenges and how to strategically prioritize accounts. The duo emphasizes the need for strong client relationships while balancing leadership responsibilities. Plus, they highlight innovative tools and the role of urgency in closing deals, alongside insights on enhancing sales with AI technology. Tune in for valuable lessons to maximize your sales potential!