The Sales Evangelist

Whether you’re a brand new BDR or you’ve been in sales for a while, we know you care about bringing your best in your professional life. If you didn’t want to improve, you wouldn’t be here, right? Today is your lucky day - on this episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald Kelly is going to share the strategy he has developed to help you get more appointments booked than ever before. This is a 4-part strategy, and in this episode, Donald will take you in-depth into two of the parts to help you get started. Part 1 - Relevance Analyze your ICP - Trigger #1 Donald looks for is a business leader who is new to the role - these people are likely to want to make changes Trigger #2 is whether the target has been active on LinkedIn in the last 90 days Cold e-mails fail if the salesperson doesn’t understand the person/business they’re emailing if they do not present a point of reference, and if the e-mail isn’t relevant Find a focused list of people you can reach out to - people who will be interested in what you have to offer Part 2 - Engagement This is about an interaction between two people - it has to feel like a real connection Some personal touches in e-mail or over LinkedIn can spark conversations - Donald gives an example of a time this worked for one of his BDRs Cold, unsolicited e-mails could start damaging brands - if they are irrelevant and don’t spark engagement, the brand will be associated with that This isn’t all it takes, however. Tune in to the next episode, where we go over the next two parts of the strategy - conversation, and appointment! Resources TheSalesEvangelist.com/linkedin Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the fastest way for sales professionals to update Salesforce. Move at the speed of thought with Scratchpad. Try it for free or learn more at Scratchpad.com.  2.            This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Cold calling will not work if you’re using shallow, outdated information. You need to go deep. Try Deep Sales by LinkedIn, the next generation of LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial - simply go to Linkedin.com/TSE. 3.            This episode is brought to you in part by TSE Sales Foundation. I think we can all agree that sales should be fun. However, many times, we find ourselves in a quagmire where we’re not progressing and deals are not going the way that they should. This is why we created TSE Sales Foundation. It’s a program designed to help sales professionals just like you master the fundamentals of sales so they can radically improve their sales pipeline and close more deals. To find out more about TSE Sales Foundation and our next start date, simply go to thesalesevangelist.com/foundation.  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.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Sometimes the most interesting conversations are between experts on parallel paths sharing their journeys and noticing what their paths have in common. This conversation between Donald Kelly and Derrick Williams (Founder and Principal of 3Link Consulting) is an example of just that - they both have a keen sense of sales trends that has been honed over years of work in the industry. Williams is as knowledgeable as they come, but like Donald, he’s always learning more from the best and most educated voices in sales today. They discuss Williams’ new project, The Sales Consultant Podcast, and cover some of the salient pieces of information that have started to reveal themselves as important as Williams has been going through his first round of interviews. Whether you’re new in the field or have years of experience, check out the new podcast, and become a fly on the wall in a conversation between leaders in the field.   A Throughline: Focus on the Fundamentals Communicating Value - Know how to open calls, all the way through to the end of the conversation. Discovery - Even if you have a good conversation with someone, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to lead somewhere. To be most efficient, try to avoid going down the wrong path by taking your time in the discovery phase. Practice - If you haven’t mastered the basics, you can’t move past the basics. Practice demos and rebuttals in real-time. As Williams says, “Get those reps up.” Keep your mind clear.   No Time for False Positives False positives, or going too far down a fruitless path, is not something businesses can afford to do in the current sales climate. Whether a false positive occurs during hiring or targeting, it will (needlessly) cost the business resources. They happen because we want to rush into making revenue and because a certain amount of risk-taking is rewarded, especially in the culture. But a scientific, data-driven approach is ultimately more efficient. Having a sense of urgency can be okay, but having the proper practices in place in case things go wrong can soften the blow of losing a lead or doubling back.   Check out The Sales Consultant Podcast for conversations that go into these topics, and so much more. Donald was interviewed on the podcast, too - let us know how you liked his episode! If you want to reach out to Donald, drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram @donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft.   “I’m looking to expand and broaden my research and understand what’s working out there. Part of me getting better as a consultant and just as someone who wants to bring value to my clients, I need to be out there talking to industry experts. I need to be out there looking at what’s working, and bringing that back into my engagements … I want to share that with those that are on a similar journey.” - Derrick Williams  Resources Williams’ podcast: The Sales Consultant (launching 2/27/2023). Check it out on your favorite platforms.  Derrick Williams on LinkedIn  Derrick Williams on Instagram @derrickis3linksales 3linksales.com Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the fastest way for sales professionals to update Salesforce. Move at the speed of thought with Scratchpad. Try it for free or learn more at Scratchpad.com.  2.            This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Cold calling will not work if you’re using shallow, outdated information. You need to go deep. Try Deep Sales by LinkedIn, the next generation of LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial - simply go to Linkedin.com/TSE. 3.            This episode is brought to you in part by TSE Sales Foundation. I think we can all agree that sales should be fun. However, many times, we find ourselves in a quagmire where we’re not progressing and deals are not going the way that they should. This is why we created TSE Sales Foundation. It’s a program designed to help sales professionals just like you master the fundamentals of sales so they can radically improve their sales pipeline and close more deals. To find out more about TSE Sales Foundation and our next start date, simply go to thesalesevangelist.com/foundation. 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.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

In this episode, Donald meets with Jerrod Best-Mitchell, a passionate seller who has dialed in using video to make connections online. Best-Mitchell is a master of his craft - he has sent 6000 personal videos on LinkedIn so far and has gained so much knowledge in the process. Listen in so you can learn how to up your personalized video game so you can generate leads, and build connections and community. Why use video? Videos are the quickest way to build relationships and trust with strangers. Letting someone get to know you is what begins building community. And community is the direction sales are moving in 2023 and 2024. Personalized videos may take a bit longer, but if you can isolate a few people to reach out to with short, engaging videos, it can increase your response rates and make you more efficient as a seller. But all videos are not created equal - Best-Mitchell has great tips to make your videos count. In sales, and especially when you’re starting as a BDR or SDR, the way to be successful is to set yourself apart. Break the mold. It’s another way to stretch, become more flexible, and learn new skills. 3 Do’s and Don’ts for Personalized Video Content Don’t say your name. Don’t start with “hi.” Imagine you’re running into an acquaintance on the street. If you’re reaching out, they probably already know your name, so say their name. Make it personal. Do your research. It takes very little time to read through someone’s content, their personal bio, or their posts. Find something you personally connect to and start from there. Start a conversation, not a sale. Keep it short. As Best-Mitchell says, “This is not a Martin Scorcese film.” Keep it brief, meaningful, and interesting. In the episode, Donald and Jerrod go over ways to overcome the obstacles associated with video, namely, the time it takes and how to not come in sounding like you’re about to give a terrible pitch. It’s clear, just from listening to this call, how personable and informative Jerrod is. We learned a lot, and we know you will, too. If you want to reach out to Jerrod, find him on LinkedIn, or on his website, jerrodbestmitchell.com. And of course, the TSE community by sending a message to Donald. Drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram @donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. “There must be the top 20 people on your list that day that you can send a video out to. You can look at your list and tell - these are the best ones. And you may not get them on a phone call, but video might be the next option… Personalize the video, please, don’t send them a generic text. It will make a massive difference in your pipeline, and it will probably improve your response rate.” - Jerrod Best-Mitchell Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.    This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. The sales landscape is totally changing. You need to adapt to succeed. Deep Sales, a part of the next generation of LinkedIn Sales Navigator, can help you do just that. Check it out yourself and get a 60-day free trial at Linkedin.com/TSE. 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.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

If you are ready to take control of your own destiny, get ready to hear the conversation with someone who has done exactly that. In this episode, Donald meets with Michael Schill, a former athlete who learned his skills in sales from NYT Bestselling Author and Real Estate mogul, Grant Cardone. Schill is now the founder of his own organization, Full Circle Agency. Listen in as he discusses how he got to where he is today, the lessons he has learned, and how he makes sure he will achieve his goals for the future. Schill’s Background He played football for Florida State University, where he learned the discipline it takes to improve - if you don’t show up and train, you don’t win. Academics were also a huge focus for him - Schill graduated with a BA in Exercise Science from FSU. He received a world class education working with Grant Cardone, training extensively in sales and learning how to solve the problem every product faces: building awareness. A Few of Schill’s Core Tips for Success Have a schedule. The only things that go on the schedule are “profit and/or potential profit-producing activities.” Always be “on.” As he puts it, “all the greats have it.” No matter how many people you’re speaking to, or what you’re speaking to them about, you always represent you. Learn to communicate effectively. If you can learn to get your message across concisely and correctly, this is what can take you to the next level. Of course, in the episode, we go into way more depth on these topics and so much more. You’re sure to find yourself inspired to get out there, work hard, and make things happen for yourself. Connect with Mike on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok @mikeschill_ or you can find him on LinkedIn. You can also follow his organization @thefullcircleofficial on Instagram, or reach out on their website, thefullcircle.io. If you want to reach out to Donald, drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram @donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. “Treat [sales] as if you are approaching a game, because when it’s all said and done, it is a game. You’ve gotta train every single day, and if you don’t train every single day, you can’t expect results.” - Michael Schill Resources The E-Myth by Michael Gerber Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. The sales landscape is totally changing. You need to adapt to succeed. Deep Sales, a part of the next generation of LinkedIn Sales Navigator, can help you do just that. Check it out yourself and get a 60-day free trial at Linkedin.com/TSE. 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.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Confidence is key in life, but ESPECIALLY in sales. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, our host Donald Kelly meets with Wesleyne Whittaker-Greer to discuss different ways you can increase your confidence as a seller. Strategies For Building Your Confidence Talk to yourself like you’re your own best friend. Your best friend wouldn't lie to you or sugarcoat things. If you talk to yourself like your best friend, you'll see what needs improvement. Practice selling. As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. By practicing selling you can see what does and doesn't work. From there, you can better master your craft. Be open to constructive criticism. If you don't take feedback and criticism into consideration, you'll never improve. Listen to people's critiques and use them to improve your craft. If you want to connect with Wesleyne or learn more about building confidence, you can connect with her on her LinkedIn. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com. 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.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Tech sales can be one of the most daunting sales industries to work in, but this doesn’t mean finding success is impossible. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, our host Donald Kelly interviews Shirelle Francis to talk about her success in tech. How Shirelle Overcame Challenges The first challenge that Shirelle faced was finding a mentor. She looked for a black female mentor who had previously found success in sales and studied AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE from this mentor. The second challenge that Shirelle faced was finding proper training. This ties into finding a mentor. As Shirelle looked for a mentor, she also sought out useful training for sales and not only mentored someone but studied the craft of sales. The third challenge Shirelle faced was getting access to capital. She overcame this by searching for a sponsor and actively seeking training and someone to teach her. You can connect with Shirelle on her LinkedIn or check out her website at www.ileapgroup.com. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com. 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.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Being successful is EVERYONE’s goal in life. So how can sellers achieve this success? In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, our host Donald Kelly goes over how sellers can reach the success they’re aiming for. 5 Keys For Achieving Success You have to clearly define what success actually IS for you personally. You have to help people solve their problems. You have to know where you can improve. You have to continually improve yourself and work towards perfecting your craft. You have to do a self-evaluation. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com. 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.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Now that 2023 is here, EVERYONE is a seller! In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Ted Blosser to talk more about selling in this upcoming year. The Importance of Momentum Momentum is KEY in business, whether you’re a seller or not. Think about it: If you’re some start up company, you have to generate momentum to build your business. If you’re a seller, you have to generate momentum for your sales. Momentum is key. This is DOUBLY true with the current economic situation. As business slows and profits wane, sellers and businesses have to be ready to REBUILD that momentum to come back even stronger as the economy recovers. Generating momentum is important, yes, but how do you actually build this momentum? Through SELLERS. Blosser gives the example of Tesla in its early years: Elon Musk made EVERYONE act as a seller when the company nearly went under. Being able to sell is critical in the generation of momentum, Three Key Points For Sellers Blosser has also identified 3 KEY things for sellers to keep in mind, in the upcoming year. The first thing is: Focus on outbounding. The second thing is: Make everyone a seller. As different people interact with clients throughout the sales process, they ALL have a chance to add value and upsell. Get everyone involved to think, and act, like a seller. The final thing is: Change marketer’s mindsets. This combines the two other points. Marketing teams generate leads and CONSTANTLY interact with clients. This is your BEST opportunity to upsell and get extra profits from qualified leads. The Mindset Shift In the past, especially when the market was more saturated, businesses and sellers took a quantity over quality approach. Sellers focused SOLELY on just sheer numbers, but not things like conversion rate. With the current state of the market, quality is king. Instead of focusing on several inefficient things, focus on a few VERY efficient ones. Blosser compares this to a regular infantry vs special ops approach: Instead of sending waves of infantry out, send a few highly specialized, and effective, soldiers out. If you want to connect with Ted Blosser more, or learn about shifting your mindset, you can talk to him on LinkedIn or at his website, www.workramp.com. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com. 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 is provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Continually generating leads and beginning the sales cycle with qualified leads is the CORE of any seller’s career or B2B business. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with John Butler to discuss three principles you can adopt for a consistent pipeline. Intangible Traits Athletes and Sellers Have Both elite athletes and champion sellers are goal oriented. They have a passion for excellence. They practice their craft with intention. What Elite Sellers Are Doing They conduct DEEP account research. They follow up in unique, creative, and personalized ways. They maintain and FOLLOW strong and stringent sales processes. “Top sellers provide personalized AND relevant content to buyers - John Butler”. If you want to connect with Butler, you can check out his website at www.shiftgroup.io or connect with him on LinkedIn. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com. 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 is provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Hendrik Isebaert to talk about ending sales activities, and how it can help you MAXIMIZE your selling potential and profit. The Issue With Numbers According to LinkedIn, during the pandemic, the percentage of emails that sellers sent out increased by 50%. Despite this rapid increase though, buyer responses went DOWN by 30% Both the market AND buyers have changed over the past few years. As a seller, you HAVE to adapt to these changes to remain relevant and proficient. In the modern day, whenever buyers are polled on their opinions of sellers: The MAJORITY of the time, buyers don’t think sellers give them any value. Combating These Trends There are a few different methods Isebaert suggests to stay relevant in today’s changing sales landscape. The first method is: Having a platform that delivers buyers relevant content. By the time a seller and buyer first meet, the buyer has already done 60 PERCENT of their process through research. If you host a platform that helps them actually conduct that research, you’re both offering value AND staying at the top of their mind. The second method is: Remaining educated. Knowledge is power. As a seller, you should CONSTANTLY be learning about the current state of the market AS WELL as what your specific buyer is looking for. Utilize what you learn to help finalize the deal. The third method is: Talk TO your buyer, not at them. Isebaert specifically suggests using things like digital salesrooms to conduct presentations. Why? You can personalize your buyer’s experience AND have a two way conversation with them. If you want to learn more about Hendrik Isebaert, you can check out his website at www.showpad.com or connect with him on LinkedIn. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com.  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 is provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com