The Sales Evangelist

Disclaimer: This episode isn’t to convince listeners to become Christians; it’s to highlight how Jesus Christ persuaded people (a crucial sales trait.) As we near Christmas Day, we thought it would be fun to revisit an episode from the TSE Archives. In this episode, Donald kicked off his “Best Sellers in History” series with Jesus Christ. How did he start a movement, persuade people, and convince people to change their lives? Well, he sold them on the idea! And here are the seven reasons he was so successful: He Showed Sympathy and Built Rapport: Even when nobody else would, he sat with ordinary people and those marginalized by society. People didn’t understand these actions, but Jesus shared that a physician comes to heal the sick, not the healthy. In the same way, Jesus spent time with people who needed his help the most.  He made an impact: Jesus modeled how he wanted people to treat one another. As a sales rep, set yourself apart from others by understanding your prospect's pain points and then offering a solution.  Consider writing a blog or creating content related to your prospect's challenges.  He Was a Skilled Storyteller: In one instance, a man tried to trap Jesus while preaching by asking him how to receive eternal life. In response, Jesus replied with a question about what was written in the law.  The lawyer replied that one should love the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength and love his neighbor as he loves himself.   He then asked Jesus who he should consider his neighbor, and Jesus shared the story of the Good Samaritan. The story of the Good Samaritan was relatable, and the people listening understood the point he was making.  He Shared a Vision People believed in Jesus because he fulfilled prophecies laid out in scripture. When Jesus preached, people listened to his message of hope. As a sales rep, understand a prospect’s pain points and challenges. As you get to know them, you’ll have the opportunity to offer hope through your product or service. He Challenged the Status Quo: Challenging the status quo helped people trust Jesus to make the right decisions. In sales, we can experience the status quo and get stuck in familiar patterns. The most daunting competitor isn’t another sales rep but your client’s comfort zone. The conversation may be bold, but sometimes it takes boldness to get people to change.  He Listened Effectively Throughout his ministry, Jesus listened to people’s stories and showed mercy and compassion.  As a salesperson, imitate Jesus by listening to your prospects. Whether through a phone conversation, a LinkedIn post, or an email, listen to what they say.  Go through reports, annual filings, and quarterly earnings to better understand a prospect’s pain points and focus on what they say rather than what you can say next. He Asked Powerful Questions In sales, you don’t have to give your prospects an answer right away if additional questions or clarifications are needed.   When you hear “I’m not interested,” don’t take that at face value and end the conversation.  In every objection you face, you can learn more and get closer to finding a solution. He Invited People to Change Jesus asked people to do hard things. He gathered his disciples early in his ministry and told them to leave their livelihood as fishermen to become fishers of men. When salespeople ask clients to use their products or services, you invite change to occur.  Be proactive, ask for change, and be prepared to show prospects the action steps.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by mParticle. Are you tired of wading through thousands of open sales positions to find the one perfect for you? Well, look no further. mParticle is one of the leading independent customer data platforms out there, and they’re looking for motivated remote sellers (just like yourself.)  With top-name clients from Spotify and Burger King to Airbnb, we don’t want you to let this opportunity go to waste! For more information and to view open positions, go to https://www.mparticle.com/careers/. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, designed to help new and struggling sellers master sales fundamentals and close more deals. Help elevate your sales game and sign up now to get the first two modules free! You can visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals or call (561) 570-5077 for more information. 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, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings for each episode you listen to!  Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX 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

Cold outreach can be the worst part of your day for most salespeople. But if you had an easy-to-follow strategy, would that make it better? (Our answer: absolutely!) In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Rachel Pitts, co-host of Women Your Mother Warned You About, to discuss five cold outreach strategies to use in 2022. Rachel’s selling journey started in real estate: Rachel started her real estate journey during the 2008 market crash (AKA a lousy time to start), where she worked for ten years.  After later working in the mortgage industry, she realized her dream was to own a dance studio. And now, she is a full-time dance studio owner. (Congratulations, Rachel!) Why are people afraid of the phone? Well, there are many reasons. But namely, people believe nobody answers. But coming out of COVID, people are isolated and more willing to answer the phone. Plus, communicating over the phone is better at fostering personal connections. Many salespeople are afraid they’re bothering others. But, as a salesperson, you are a professional interrupter. You should interrupt people. However, learn how to interrupt efficiently that doesn’t piss people off. Five Strategies You Should Use: Call your existing contacts, and ask if they know anyone who needs your product or service. Consider it a warm-up; you likely already know these people to some capacity, and you’re more likely to have a positive conversation with them.  Leave a voicemail. One of the great courses offered at Sales Gravy University is the fanatical prospecting boot camp (based on Jeb Blount’s book Fanatical Prospecting.) Be clear and concise. Say your name, your company, and the prospect's direct opportunity by calling. (And, of course, a return phone number.) Get to the point. People like to know the reason for things. By clearly stating your reason for calling, you’re giving the prospect an early opportunity to decide if they care to listen or not. Schedule the next call, and make that the mission of your call. If they’re busy, offer a follow-up time to continue the conversation, and get their email as a backup to send them your calendar. Develop a creative strategy to supplement your outcome. For example, when selling a mortgage, it’s boring. So, Rachel did singing parodies. And it differentiated her from everyone else. Whatever you love to do, lean into that and find a way to incorporate it into your work. To contact Rachel, find her on Instagram at both @ultrafiftlifestyle and @thesinginglender, or send her an email at rachel@salesgravy.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is brought to you in part by mParticle. Are you tired of wading through thousands of open sales positions to find the one perfect for you? Well, look no further. mParticle is one of the leading independent customer data platforms out there, and they’re looking for motivated remote sellers (just like yourself.)  With top-name clients from Spotify and Burger King to Airbnb, we don’t want you to let this opportunity go to waste! For more information and to view open positions, go to https://www.mparticle.com/careers/. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, designed to help new and struggling sellers master sales fundamentals and close more deals. Help elevate your sales game and sign up now to get the first two modules free! You can visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals or call (561) 570-5077 for more information. 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, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings for each episode you listen to!  Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX 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

While we might be in a post-pandemic world, the myriad of zoom calls is here to stay. But, for any professional, creating and maintaining professional virtual relationships is more complex than in-person. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by actor, author, and founder of Selling On-Video Master Class Julie Hansen to learn how to better engage our virtual audiences.  When transitioning from theatre to camera, she had to practice communication. When everyone went virtual, Julie noticed other people struggling (as she was) to communicate through a camera. So, she created her masterclass to teach skills salespeople could apply to their virtual sales techniques. She also wrote an Amazon bestselling book, Look Me In the Eye, to further educate people in virtual communication. Communicating with a client whose video is off can be challenging. The value of having your video on is huge. Even if the prospect is unseen, looking at the camera as if they’re speaking will create a stronger relationship. Salespeople tend to assume the worst - that the client is bored, disengaged, or not paying attention. And that attitude tends to bring out the worst in the salespeople, resulting in skipping ahead and rushing through content. Visualize the prospect having a great reaction, even if you can’t see it, because it encourages you to maintain positive momentum. Resist the urge to watch yourself: Never have your own image on; you’ll focus on your faults and be entirely out of the moment. (Remember, It’s not a mirror!) While Julie recommends setting your camera as close to the screen or image as possible, remember that humans are precise with eye contact. So even if it’s off by only a couple of inches, most people will recognize that. In general, look directly at the camera whenever someone else is speaking. (Yes, it’s counterintuitive, but it’s true!) How can you better engage with virtual prospects? Break the passive pattern of the virtual call - especially if there’s more than one person. When we get in front of a screen, we're trained to be in a receiving mode- looking at something, reading something, or typing something. We aren’t usually engaged with other people. To break that, use the power of eye contact. People will feel more compelled to respond when you look at the camera. Whenever you want someone to respond to what you’re saying, look directly at the camera (rather than the screen) to indicate you’d like a verbal response. In-person communication utilizes much more body language than we realize. But if your face has nothing to say, why are you on video? Being expressive will help book more meetings. Julie’s major takeaway? Don’t expect this to be something you’ll figure out independently. While you can minimize the importance of these skills, recognize others are perfecting this craft to deliver great virtual communication. And they’ll make their customers feel seen and heard.  To contact Julie, follow her on Twitter @acting4sales, LinkedIn (@juliehansensalestraining), or YouTube.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, designed to help new and struggling sellers master sales fundamentals and close more deals. Help elevate your sales game and sign up now to get the first two modules free! You can visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals or call (561) 570-5077 for more information. 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, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings for each episode you listen to!  Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX 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. This episode is brought to you in part by mParticle. Are you tired of wading through thousands of open sales positions to find the one perfect for you? Well, look no further. mParticle is one of the leading independent customer data platforms out there, and they’re looking for motivated remote sellers (just like yourself.)  With top-name clients from Spotify and Burger King to Airbnb, we don’t want you to let this opportunity go to waste! For more information and to view open positions, go to https://www.mparticle.com/careers/.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

We could spend hours discussing the importance of honing your craft. But, whether it’s perfecting your golf swing, mixing the perfect cocktail, and of course, making sales, practice is what leads to a better result. Today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist features NYT bestselling author Seth Godin. He and Donald discuss elements of his most recent book “The Practice” and how salespeople can use these principles to connect with prospects.  There is a disconnect between what selling used to be and what selling is now. A salesperson is no longer responsible for informing prospects or conducting a sale- the internet does that. A salesperson is responsible, however, for the transference of emotion. And that is the skill most salespeople need to cultivate.  How can the idea of trusting yourself from “The Practice” help an individual sales rep? Most people are their own worst boss. They’re never satisfied with their work and undermine their future potential. The challenge that comes with trusting yourself is acknowledging two voices in your head - the scared one that needs reassurance and the generous, connected voice. Silence the first voice a little bit and listen to the other one.   In a B2B setting, we don’t need a replaceable salesperson lined up to argue about some RPF; we need people with creativity and confidence. Remember, the client isn’t just buying the product; they’re buying the story. Instead of saying “I need to be the expert,” say “ I know all the questions.”  Young BDRs don’t position themselves to be seen as the expert. View yourself as a consultant to be more confident in conducting meaningful conversations. If you know the ten questions that change everything for a client, that’s useful.  You aren’t pushing people to buy your answer, but it’s about being present for someone to find their own. Look at Fred Wilson’s blog (one of the most successful venture capitalists of all time.) Be like Jackson Pollock.  Both Jackson and his brother Charles took painting classes from Thomas Hart Benton. Charles’s work looked like Benton’s, and he went unknown. On the other hand, Jackson’s work was creative. However, everyone hated it. But when the right collectors saw his work, Jackson found success. The moral of the story: Don’t look for gimmicks or stunts. Just be unique. The desire to be liked and fit in drives many salespeople to the role. But great salespeople are willing to bring friction to the table to get people out of their rut. Be a Purple Cow and look for ways to stand out.  Being a purple cow isn’t talking about yourself. What it means to be remarkable is that people make remarks about you.  They're not going to talk about you because you need to make a sale. They're going to talk about you because you're generous, see status roles, understand affiliation, have insight, and make their life better.  Seth’s takeaway for people new to the sales industry? You don’t need to learn all the tactics yet. First, decide if you want to be a professional, look to the future, and fail along the way. For more content from Seth, check out his blog for daily articles, and purchase his new book The Practice or his previous book Purple Cow (among others), available on Amazon. This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, designed to help new and struggling sellers master sales fundamentals and close more deals. Help elevate your sales game and sign up now to get the first two modules free! You can visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals or call (561) 570-5077 for more information. 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, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings for each episode you listen to!  Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX 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

Selling can be a complicated process, especially when prospects have multiple objections to your solution. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by David Smith to discuss how he uses prospect-centered selling to overcome these objections and help prospects make authentic and genuine decisions. David encountered this issue when developing senior housing communities in St. Louis. His job was easy: to fill the communities. But David’s problem wasn’t generating leads; it was converting them to make a final decision.  It’s a difficult decision to leave your home and move into a retirement community. It’s a decision many people don’t want to make, even though it is logically the right choice.  Motivational speaker Brian Tracy says there are four prerequisites to a sale: Having a product or service Being able to afford it Being able to use it Having a desire for it - this was the critical missing from David’s prospects. The solution? David had to draw motivation out of them. It’s a complex, heuristic sale based on emotional resistance. And until someone recognizes and overcomes that emotional resistance, there’s no solution. David recognized that moving out of your home comes with a loss of identity. He needed to look at this transaction not from an investor perspective but the perspective of each individual prospect. When David sells, he looks for themes and values of the individual to build a foundation. And this approach applies to any product or service. Upon finishing this project, David could go back to law or help others fill their communities. He chose the latter. He built a methodology (with the help of his partner, Alexandra Fisher) based on the psychology of change. He also build the CRM Sherpa, which launched in June of 2014 and is now used by 1500 communities around the globe. With his CRM, David extrapolated helpful information that further guided his methodology: If you spend more time in direct selling activity, you’ll have better results. How you use that time in the selling zone matters.  The more time per lead worked, the better results will be. Effectively use the time spent planning subsequent engagements Creatively and purposely connect and follow up with prospects. It’s not in the hearing; it’s in the telling.  Hearing keeps interest and motivation along the way.  But the most crucial part is for the prospect to articulate their thoughts and feelings. And you do that by asking clarifying questions and showing a genuine interest. His goal is to help his prospects make an authentic, autonomous decision that reflects their own values. His major advice? It’s not one size fits all when it comes to selling. Everyone responds differently. Be yourself, be heroic, and be authentic. For more content from David, check out his book “It’s About Time,” available on Amazon. Visit his website, oneonone.com, and check out his CRM at sherpacrm.com. This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, designed to help new and struggling sellers master sales fundamentals and close more deals. Help elevate your sales game and sign up now to get the first two modules free! You can visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals or call (561) 570-5077 for more information. 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, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings for each episode you listen to!  Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX 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

Studies show it takes 8-12 touchpoints to convert a prospect to a client, yet many salespeople give up after the first one or two. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald interviews Fractional CMO and digital marketing expert Daphne Thomson to learn her strategy for effective sales follow-ups and why you should revitalize your process. First things first, the follow-up is more than just a phone call. A follow-up is a value you provide in that touchpoint, and it should be roughly 80% value and 20% sales. Because 60% of conversions occur only after the 12th touchpoint, you must have a system in place to ensure prospects regularly receive valuable messaging. See the prospect as a person, not just a lead. The connection becomes much more powerful once you relate to them on a human level. Salespeople bring in the business, so you’re indirectly responsible for a large part of your team. Hopefully, that drives and motivates you to continue to follow up. To continue to add value to prospects throughout their touchpoints, make sure you place them in the funnel specific to the value they want. The majority of follow-up platforms are similar. She uses Zoho, ActiveCampaign, and MailChimp as follow-up systems, but there are many. So it really depends on your needs. What should an organization do to establish a better follow-up system? Educate yourself. If you can learn these systems, you are educated and have power.  For salespeople, perform a survey to ask people for reviews on platforms or your value messaging. When a salesperson comes to sell their product or service, ask them what platforms they use. Particularly for follow-up platforms, see if they even use their own. Remember, it’s not going to happen overnight. This is a process that requires consistency to make effective. If you’re worried about reaching out to people too many times, realize those people were likely not going to buy from you in the first place, especially if that’s the typical style for your company. Final takeaway? Keep consistent. Remember that 60% of sales aren’t made until the 12th touchpoint, so keep at it. Visit www.catchthebeat.ca for a full webinar on the specific funnels you should create for optimal success. For more great content and information from Daphne, connect with her on LinkedIn, or find her on Facebook and Instagram (@daphnethomson2901.) She also hosts weekly small business shows on Clubhouse (@daffer.) This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, designed to help new and struggling sellers master sales fundamentals and close more deals. Help elevate your sales game and sign up now to get the first two modules free! You can visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals or call (561) 570-5077 for more information. 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, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings for each episode you listen to!  Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX 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

When we dive into the nitty-gritty of sales, there’s a critical difference between sales engagement and sales enablement. While both are important, especially when developing relationships with prospects, the differences can be challenging to determine. That’s why, on today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald discusses what sales engagement is and how you can implement it in your own sales practice. So, what is sales engagement? Simply put, sales engagement is an interaction between you and the prospect. (But there’s obviously more to it than that.) Sales enablement is giving salespeople the tools to know what to say and do it effectively. Effectively implementing sales engagement: Many tools offer both sales enablement and sales engagement. And back in the day, salespeople would dial-up contacts in a phone book. But that isn’t effective today.  Instead of phone book contacts, we rely on intent-based marketing and information to gather potential leads. How can you know if an HR director is looking for contacts? Platforms like ZoomInfo and 6sense allow the sales rep to find companies based on keywords relevant to your product or service.  Tools like Outreach and Salesloft help you understand when emails are opened and their interaction with content. It’s like Whack-a-Mole - frustrating when you hit empty space. But, if you knew where the moles would pop up, you could predict where they’d be. And you’d whack with confidence!* *TSE does not endorse whacking prospects.  Fine-tuning the sales engagement workflow: Know when to reach out to a prospect and what type of outreach is most effective for that prospect.  Use analytics to drive content decisions. Utilize tools like video and other content (based on what your prospects are most likely to use.) Today’s final takeaway? In the B2C world, major companies are experts at sales engagement. (Amazon probably knows more about you than you do yourself.) B2B organizations are working towards that goal to understand the situation, problem of the prospect, and series will help you do the same. This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, designed to help new and struggling sellers master sales fundamentals and close more deals. Help elevate your sales game and sign up now to get the first two modules free! You can visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals or call (561) 570-5077 for more information. 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, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings for each episode you listen to!  Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX 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

Account-based selling isn’t like your typical sales procedure. While both take skill and finesse, Account-based selling requires mastery over both your company and your clients. For the past year and a half, Thomas has worked for Amazon Web Services, making nine-figure deals. And on today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, he and Donald discuss what you need to know about selling to enterprise organizations. (Fun fact: On today’s undisclosed episode of recording, it’s our guest Thomas Niewiara’s birthday!) Amazon is (to say the least) not a small organization, and they do both account-based and traditional sales approaches. Working with Amazon Web Services’ global accounts team, Thomas manages large AWS customers. Before, he did many sales and sales engineering roles from Google Cloud to a cybersecurity startup. The difference between traditional and account-based selling: the conventional model is a top-down funnel centered around creating and nurturing brand awareness. In account-based sales, you start by identifying critical strategic accounts to focus on and then building lead generation around them. How to start account-based selling: Develop executive-level relationships because prospecting with a bottom-up approach might not work when 1000s of people work within one company segment.  Because most of these larger accounts are public, analyze available financial statements (such as 10k’s) to frame your specific solutions.  Thomas spends much more time than average on research. He spends 40% of his time researching for his accounts, with the remaining 60% going towards pitching, presenting, and other facets of his work. Why does he spend so much time researching? You need to understand the problem before you prescribe the solution. As an account rep with these clients, you are the expert. You’re expected to know all the key players within that account and how they work with each other. He has google alerts for both of his accounts, and he uses LinkedIn Sales Navigator for company alerts. He moves nine-figure deals. With that amount of money, you need to bring knowledge and professionalism to the table. Thomas’ final takeaways and sales advice: It’s essential to develop a relationship with the customer, but for account-based selling, it becomes even more important to network internally.  Know all the tools available to you to do your job as best you can. For listeners working in bigger companies, check if coworkers have past connections and ins into the company. You’d be surprised how much overlap there is. Quick Tik Tok Talk: Follow Tom on Tik Tok at techsalestom (and follow our own Donald Kelly at donaldckelly.) It turns out the app is far more than just dancing! Follow Tom for conversations about tech sales and how it goes beyond the standard software sale. If Tik Tok isn’t your thing, you can connect with him on LinkedIn. This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, designed to help new and struggling sellers master sales fundamentals and close more deals. Help elevate your sales game and sign up now to get the first two modules free! You can visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals or call (561) 570-5077 for more information. 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, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings for each episode you listen to!  Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX 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

ABM (or account-based marketing) is the latest buzzword in the sales world, but how can we integrate this strategy within an existing marketing strategy? More importantly, should you? On today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by the Director of Global Account-Based Marketing at ON24, Lisset Sanchez-Schwartz, to learn her approach to implementing account-based marketing campaigns successfully. Determine what ABM really means and which type you should utilize.  ABM is a cross of a full range of communications, from events to content delivery. It’s segmenting customer bases into unique groups where you can apply different and specific messages. In some cases, that could even mean a 1:1 strategy. It’s not a tactic or campaign type, but it's an orchestration amongst many team members to holistically approach an account. There are three ABM approaches: one-to-one, one-to-few, and one-to-many. Of course, the personalized you get, the more expensive it is to implement.  Determine if an ABM strategy will be effective. Admittedly, this should probably be a discussion before you determine the type of ABM. But remember, not every account needs an ABM strategy attached. ABM needs to be a partnership with sales. (Many places even call it ABX, because it applies to so much more than just marketing.) Lisset’s pro tip: Don’t try to boil the ocean. It takes money, time, and effort over a long period to see results.  Develop the infrastructure to support your ABM approach If you don’t have the infrastructure to do retargeting at scale, select a handful of accounts and research. Apply an ABM strategy where it makes sense.  To determine if an account might benefit from an ABM strategy, evaluate and research. If you have a limited budget, use information from your sales team to build the most robust plan possible. If you have a larger budget, utilize third-party data to gain more information about a potential company. This is a great way to learn if a company is interested in you (or a competitor.) The more time you spend on the model, the better the backend will be How do you aggregate this information if you don’t have the software to find all these data points? Hopefully, you have a CRM. The first-party data you’ve built up will pay dividends. Start with what you have today. Even if your data isn’t the cleanest, start a 1:1 with a company you’re more confident about. Lisset’s final takeaway? Have the conversation and have patience. A long-term strategy might not seem successful initially, but it will pay dividends down the line with consistency. Visit ON24.com for more company information and connect with Lisset on LinkedIn to learn more. This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, designed to help new and struggling sellers master sales fundamentals and close more deals. Help elevate your sales game and sign up now to get the first two modules free! You can visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals or call (561) 570-5077 for more information. 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, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings for each episode you listen to!  Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX 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

How can you interact with potential buyers (especially enterprise clients) that encourage a dialogue? After all, landing the sale isn’t the only part of the equation; you first have to get their attention! In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Dr. Stephen Timme and Melody Astley to discuss their recent book Insight-Led Selling, which details how to learn how buyers think. But first, why did they write a book? Ultimately, Stephen and Melody wanted to create a resource their clients and community could utilize. It’s harder than ever to sell to enterprise sellers (yes, people say that every year. But it’s true!) And COVID-aside, the subscription-based economy is growing. There are more stakeholders than ever before in traditional buying processes. At the same time, implementation costs for platforms are lower, making it easier to switch between service providers. They interviewed many executives to see how they felt about sales.  From AT&T, Coca-Cola, Proctor and Gamble, and even Honey-Baked Hams, Stephen and Melody interviewed executives to learn firsthand how they felt about salespeople. (If you were curious, Honey-Baked Hams didn’t even give them coupons. We’re just as disappointed as you are.) They asked one simple question: what could sellers do better? Below were the three overwhelming responses: First, tell me something I don’t know. Second, how does what you’re selling align with my goals and strategies. Third, make my life easy (and don’t give me a 30-page proposal.) Personalization is more than inserting the name of each person in an email blast.  It’s developing a point of view that is interesting to the person you’re talking to. Hold on, let’s say that again for those who missed it: spend a moment to develop a point of view interesting to the person you’re talking to. As a sales leader, we expect output from our BDRs. But we can’t do this and expect results from a spray-and-pray method. The game has changed. How can you implement these sales techniques? For publicly-traded companies, you have access to specific financial figures; use that to align your selling proposition with their capabilities.  Explain the “how” you can help them before you can get into the “how much.”  For sales leaders, equip your salespeople with the specialized knowledge they might need.  You can self-learn if you feel unsupported by your organization, or (and an even better strategy), ask your organization for support. Their final takeaway? Understanding the language of how a customer speaks (and relating that to financial objectives) is a skill that will last the rest of your career.  Insight-Led Selling is available for purchase on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. To contact Melody and Stephen, reach out at info@finlistics.com or connect on their business’s LinkedIn page. (Or connect directly with Stephen and Melody.) This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, designed to help new and struggling sellers master sales fundamentals and close more deals. Help elevate your sales game and sign up now to get the first two modules free! You can visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals or call (561) 570-5077 for more information. 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, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings for each episode you listen to!  Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX 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