The Sales Evangelist

Today on The Sales Evangelist, we’re joined by the Founder and Dean of The Non-Sleazy Sales Academy, Annie P. Ruggles. Annie has spent the last decade harnessing her Hulk-like disdain for hard sales and tacky self-promotion to help others sell their services without feeling slimy, queasy, or untrue to their ethics. And on today’s episode, she’ll explain how we can maneuver these tactics for sales in a post-COVID world. How do I ensure that my business will succeed in a post-pandemic world? Change areas of your selling that aren’t right for your message and delivery. You no longer have the excuse of COVID to keep those bad habits. Consider the post-pandemic a clean slate to look at your selling procedures and identify where more education or skill is needed. We tend as small business owners to sell and manage our sales folks to sell to people exactly like us. Cast a wider net.  Balance your emotional storytelling with the details and KPIs. What are some other things salespeople do that may be subtly eroding trust with a prospect?  If you can throw your sales script out the window, please do. The typical 30-minute discovery call no longer works: How do you know if you're the right fit for them if you blab the whole time? Instead, ask, without any fluff, what is the most important problem we could solve together? And how will you know if we're successful? What can I do for my business to thrive? Do more to rise against the horrible reputation of selling. We can have literally anything brought to us in minutes, yet we still have this idea that selling requires a ghoulish, predatory behavior.  Whoever you are or whatever your personality is, you’re a salesperson if you deliver value and receive profit. That includes parents, coaches, teachers, and many other professions you might not consider. If you're telling your story, how do you know how much emotion to bring? What she doesn't want to do is come off like it's all about her. So she's not going to share personal or painful details, but she will share her story, the emotions she felt, and why that experience helps her understand the prospect’s needs. Dial down the detail, dial up the emotion; it helps cast a wider demographics net. Annie’s major takeaway? Post-COVID, we crave connection more than ever. Be a genuine individual. Be present, be honest, and listen. Learn when to close your mouth and listen. Especially after sharing the price point, we tend to babble and fill the space. Do not fill the space - that’s their thinking space, and you should respect it. Did Annie impact you? For those in an education space, visit her website. Otherwise, connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram.  If you’re interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  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 NetHunt CRM. NetHunt CRM is a sales automation tool that lives inside Gmail. It covers a full set of features to manage leads, nurture customer relations, monitor sales progress, and automate sales and marketing workflows. With native-like Gmail and  G Suite integration, you can access your CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences from the comfort of your inbox. NetHunt helps move leads down your sales funnel and never lets a valuable prospect go untouched. NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first three months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. Try NetHunt CRM today at https://nethunt.com/tse. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales 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, tune in on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, and 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.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Here’s a fun fact: Only 33% of decision-makers feel their organization is ready to get back to in-person work. What does this mean for the sales professional? In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald shares three insights salespeople should remember as we adjust to the inevitable post-COVID return to office work. Over the next four to six episodes of the podcast, you'll hear Donald talk with different sales leaders, authors, and sales coaches about what you need to know as we get back into the office full time. Only a third of decision-makers feel their company is ready to return to the office. This Market Watch article details this statistic and that many decision-makers feel going back to the office will be unpredictable and potentially chaotic. What should the salesperson expect when they come back to the office? Sales may slow down, and your sales process might take longer. Those decision-makers will have many fires to put out with the return to the office. They’ll have to ensure employee safety, implement new protocols, and return to their typical job as well. Meaning they might not have as much time to devote to your sale. What can you do as a seller? Overplan. Don’t assume the sale, but ensure the sale. Map out the whole sales process to visually see what needs to happen to the deal or project to get implemented quickly.  Communicate. And, whenever possible, over-communicate. Keep your prospect engaged and involved in the process to prevent them from becoming distant.  Communicate through multiple channels to ensure top-of-mind thought. Don’t go overboard, but make sure you’re available and easy to find. Consider utilizing text messaging. It's quick, it's easy, and virtually everybody has their phones on them at all times. The purpose of over-communicating is not to get something or finish a sale; you communicate to bring value.  Become a digital seller, not a lone ranger. This article from the Harvard Business Review stresses the importance of being a digital-savvy sales professional. As the use of digital tools and analytics grows, Field Sales Reps will need more than just impersonal skills to be successful. The old profile of a “lone wolf” sales professional is giving way to a team player who can collaborate with others. Donald’s final takeaway: If you think the buyer will clamor over you for your product and service, you need to change that mindset. From the wise words of Stephen Covey: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. If you’re interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  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 NetHunt CRM. NetHunt CRM is a sales automation tool that lives inside Gmail. It covers a full set of features to manage leads, nurture customer relations, monitor sales progress, and automate sales and marketing workflows. With native-like Gmail and  G Suite integration, you can access your CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences from the comfort of your inbox. NetHunt helps move leads down your sales funnel and never lets a valuable prospect go untouched. NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first three months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. Try NetHunt CRM today at https://nethunt.com/tse. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales 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, tune in on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, and 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. Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

On today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Austin McCulloh, consultant and founder of Austin McCulloh Advising. Austin shows people how to prospect virtually, whether using LinkedIn, Facebook, or other methods to take advantage of online opportunities. During his professional career, he’s learned that what's between your ears is your biggest obstacle, not who’s in front of you. Overcome your mental challenges. None of us are perfect, so stop trying to live up to an impossible standard. Some salespeople spend an hour researching before a main call only to get a prospect voicemail. How much excitement and energy do you have now to make that next call? Have a counsel or advisor around you - people you can bounce ideas off. Especially those better than you. Read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz to understand and overcome your own self-limiting beliefs. Develop a process. Some salespeople feel out a sale as it goes because they believe that’s what a successful salesperson can do. In actuality, a developed sales process is what brings confidence and success.  A big pro of virtual prospecting: You can look at and update a google doc while maintaining eye contact with a prospect. What are some of the things salespeople tell themselves that prevent success? The belief that age prevents success. Those new to an industry or career often think they can’t work with someone older than themselves. From Austin’s firsthand experience, people genuinely don’t care about your age. They care about how competent you are and doing what you say you’re going to do. Read anything by Ed Mylett - Competence comes from doing what you say you're going to do.  Austin tips to keep himself motivated: He writes down what he needs to do each day and keeps track of it quantitatively, meaning he can clearly measure his completion percentage. Some days the percentage will be higher than others. But if you consistently control what you can on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, you're going to be a more competent person.  Austin’s advice for the new or incoming salesperson: If you already have the job, figure out if it’s the job you want to have. If you don't believe what you're selling, it's going to be tough.  People stereotype right off the bat. So whether it's not having the proper clothing or the right look, don't put yourself at a disadvantage right away. Want to connect with Austin? Find him on LinkedIn and his company website. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  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 NetHunt CRM. NetHunt CRM is a sales automation tool that lives inside Gmail. It covers a full set of features to manage leads, nurture customer relations, monitor sales progress, and automate sales and marketing workflows. With native-like Gmail and  G Suite integration, you can access your CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences from the comfort of your inbox. NetHunt helps move leads down your sales funnel and never lets a valuable prospect go untouched. NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first three months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. Try NetHunt CRM today at https://nethunt.com/tse.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Today on The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Junior Germain - intern extraordinaire at The Sales Evangelist. When he’s not hitting the books at BYU-Idaho, you can find Junior assisting the TSE team in all things social media, PR, and marketing. Today’s episode is a quick Q&A, where Junior asks Donald his questions about one topic: what do I need to do to succeed in sales? Question 1: How do I overcome mental fatigue as a salesperson? When people tell you no, view it as a part of the sales game. (Meaning they aren’t rejecting the person; they’re rejecting the role.) That person might be in the middle of cooking dinner, watching a great Netflix show, or preparing for work. If you try to make a sale (especially when inconvenient for the prospect), you’ll inevitably get rejected. Question 2: How do you overcome the fact that you’re interrupting their daily schedule?  You’re providing a helpful service or product - something of worth to your prospects. Your job is to help them realize that. You don’t want to convince people that you have a product they need; you want people to convince themselves. At the end of the day, a sales job isn’t about getting people to like you; it’s to deliver a message to solve a problem. And it’s a tough gig. Question 3: What can I do to turn a no into a yes? Ask questions. Learn about their hesitations to help guide the conversation to a sale. Sometimes people won’t understand the offer, so the salesperson has to help them understand. Give them a menu option. List out a few common reasons someone might not be interested in your product, and use that to address their specific concerns. The key takeaway: understand your product or service. If you’re selling pest control products, you want to know what bugs are likely to be a problem, where they’ll be, and how they’ll present themselves in a house or yard. And since you probably didn’t learn pest control in school, it’s your job to fill the gaps in your knowledge. You can connect with Junior on LinkedIn and keep an eye on The Sales Evanglist’s social media as well to see Junior’s work. 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 NetHunt CRM. NetHunt CRM is a sales automation tool that lives inside Gmail. It covers a full set of features to manage leads, nurture customer relations, monitor sales progress, and automate sales and marketing workflows. With native-like Gmail and  G Suite integration, you can access your CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences from the comfort of your inbox. NetHunt helps move leads down your sales funnel and never lets a valuable prospect go untouched. NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first three months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. Try NetHunt CRM today at https://nethunt.com/tse. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales 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, tune in on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, and 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.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

New sellers struggle to make sales because they lack the skill and experience to ask well-crafted questions and build rapport with their prospects. In this episode of The Sales Evangelist, guest Tony Morris tells us the five ways for new sellers to sell like pros. As an author, podcaster, entrepreneur, and speaker for sales conferences worldwide, Tony knows how any beginner in the sales world can stand out.   Follow the 80/20 rule (but in the proper order) Sales reps should apply the 80/20 rule when talking to prospects: listen 80% of the time and speak 20% of the time. (We have two ears and one mouth, so use them in that order.) Many salespeople use the 80/20 rule, but reversed. Tony’s first tip for new sellers: talk less and listen more.  When you encourage your prospect to talk more, you learn more about their needs and how you can help them. Ask the right questions.  What makes a bad question? Any question that prompts a one-word answer. These questions are impersonal and don’t provide insight into the prospect’s journey. Instead, ask what Tony calls the “killer questions:” questions that allow you to understand what the prospect is looking for, what they’ve seen in your competition, and how you can help.  Sales managers should encourage their teams to ask open-ended questions. The goal is to hold a conversation, not an interrogation. Treat people how they want to be treated. Remember the childhood The Golden Rule? Treat people how you want to be treated. In sales, throw that out the window. Follow the Platinum Rule: treat people how they want to be treated. You don’t respond to clients the same way every time because they all have different perspectives of what that looks like. Pay attention to how they want to be treated, and respond accordingly.  Be interested, not interesting. Top salespeople are genuinely curious and interested in their prospects. Your job is not to sell but to serve by helping them buy what is most appropriate to their needs. Genuine interest will transform regular customers into ambassadors who recommend you to their friends, family, and colleagues.   Be The Challenger  The book The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon challenged Tony’s perspective on sales.  Tony initially thought sales to be about relationships. However, this book shows most successful salespeople share insights to make their prospects think differently.  Do the basics brilliantly. We over-complicate the sales process. The basics are pretty simple: schedule meetings, prepare questions to preempt objections, build rapport, understand problems, and develop solutions.  For example, you need to offer multiple touchpoints. If they are genuine prospect, connect with them on LinkedIn, comment on their post, send them articles of interest or a copy of your book.  Once you know how to do things the right way, you’ll want to keep going. The more you get good results, the more these actions become habitual.  Connect with Tony Morris via his LinkedIn, and you can also check out his website, Tony Morris International.   If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  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 NetHunt CRM. NetHunt CRM is a sales automation tool that lives inside Gmail. It covers a full set of features to manage leads, nurture customer relations, monitor sales progress, and automate sales and marketing workflows. With native-like Gmail and  G Suite integration, you can access your CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences from the comfort of your inbox. NetHunt helps move leads down your sales funnel and never lets a valuable prospect go untouched. NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first three months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. Try NetHunt CRM today at https://nethunt.com/tse.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Today on The Sales Evangelist, we’re joined by Shufflrr CEO and co-founder James Ontra to discuss the importance of storytelling in sales. What’s Shufflrr? They help companies transform humble PowerPoints into invaluable business assets. Even better, your entire company can present and share from those same decks. It’s a paradigm change in presentation management that’s long overdue. Why are presentations so important? Presentations are an integral part of the business world. From product information to case studies to introductions, companies communicate to each other through presentations.  We typically think of presentations as a single document, but it’s more nuanced than that. Every presentation is a story, and every slide is a scene. Within Shuffler, you can drag and drop slides to create custom stories, and your entire company can present and share from those same decks. Meaning, those coworkers presenting in London or Hong Kong will be unified with the same platform.   How do we tell better stories? Most modern presentations are slapped together to supplement basic information. (Remember that college lecture that made you fall asleep every Monday and Wednesday morning?)  You want your slides to follow, not force, the conversation. Emotional storytelling conveys the experience when the time is right; that’s the difference between a $1 billion and $2 billion sponsor or whether or not you make your sale. If you move your audience, you’ve made an impact. There’s nothing worse than indifference. Applying storytelling to sales. People buy emotionally and justify logically.  The key to effective presentations is to determine which components emotionally drive you and your product or service. You probably have dozens of disorganized sales and marketing presentations. James recommends you put them in one place and decide which ones can best tell your story. (AKA exactly what Shufflrr will do for you.) Consistent presentations throughout your organization will help you achieve your goals.  The typical funnel: sales make a PowerPoint and then send it to marketing for their blessing. Shufflrr gives you marketing-blessed PowerPoints to pick from that ensure brand consistency. James’s final takeaway: Your presentations tell your company’s story, and each slide is a scene. Once you figure out which scenes appeal emotionally to your audience, use those across your company. 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.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

On today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, we’re joined by coach, speaker, and presenter Francois Lupien. From Tae Kwon Do Canadian champion to a top real estate agent to serial entrepreneur, Francois has worn multiple hats and now dedicates himself to helping entrepreneurs increase their net worth and accomplish their goals. Today, he lets us know why sales are important and his approach to doing it right every time. But first, why are sales so important? Nothing happens until a sale is made, regardless of the field. A sale is needed for a business, just like fuel is needed for any car. For the client, you are an essential cog in the wheel. There are many problems and many solutions, but the salesperson’s job is to ensure the solution is brought to the problem. As a salesperson, you need to be Sherlock Holmes: inquisitive, curious, and 100% focused on the person in front of you. Genuine interest in the client is your first role. Francois’s tips to be excellent in sales: Questions are the answer. If you aren’t getting the answers you want, change your questions to get the right answers. Do not make assumptions as a salesperson - you will fail. Ask questions to find out what the prospect wants. The salesperson’s job is to serve the people, even if they aren’t the perfect fit for the sale. If you remain professional and helpful, they’ll be impressed and give referrals to more prospects. Use active listening to figure out what information you need from the prospect. A phrase that brings sales “I can help you with that. It’s very common with the people that I deal with. If I can show you how to solve your problem, will you work with me?” His parting advice: His go-to method - describe a scenario and ask the client if the scenario describes them. Never ask to close or make the person join when they’re in that stressful environment (AKA when you tell them the price.)  After stating the price, link your service back to their end result - exceeding their expectations and future pacing. Once they’re back in a yes mentality, move forward and make the sale. One major takeaway? Listen to the people who’ve been in your situation. Success leaves clues. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel and embrace the experience of others.  Connect with Francois on LinkedIn and at his website howtobecomemore.com to schedule a free call with him! 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 NetHunt CRM. NetHunt CRM is a sales automation tool that lives inside Gmail. It covers a full set of features to manage leads, nurture customer relations, monitor sales progress, and automate sales and marketing workflows. With native-like Gmail and  G Suite integration, you can access your CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences from the comfort of your inbox. NetHunt helps move leads down your sales funnel and never lets a valuable prospect go untouched. NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first three months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. Try NetHunt CRM today at https://nethunt.com/tse. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales 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, tune in on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, and 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.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Today on The Sales Evangelist, Donald gives three tips to consider before your first BDR role. Success doesn’t happen overnight, but using Donald’s tips will pave the path to your success as you begin your sales career. Don’t take it personally. There will be times people hang up on you are simply not interested - it happens to everyone. But don’t let that unmotivate you! There will also be times putting yourself out there, and engaging with the prospect will be what makes the sale. Even if a prospect isn’t interested, recognize they’re rejecting the offer and not the salesperson. Follow up more than you think you should. 80% of sales require five follow-up calls after the meeting, yet 44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up. Why is that? Salespeople are often afraid of how they’re presenting themselves if they contact a prospect multiple times in a row. Even worse, the salesperson might have their feelings hurt after a nonresponse.  Avoiding these mentalities is key to developing sales. From the wise words of Donald Kelly, “follow-up, follow-up, follow-up.” It’s important to develop a process. Have you ever run across another salesperson who just seems like they have everything together? You only see half the picture. You only see the results of their effort. You don’t see the reading, practice, and organizational work that developed their sales process. As a new seller, you will not have developed a refined process that works for you; that simply happens with experience and exposure. Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers,” says you need 10,000 hours of work to be good at something Here’s a bonus secret: If you want to succeed as a BDR, talk with someone in that role who has developed their process. Take the time and ask them what they would do if they were in your shoes.  They’ll probably say to listen to The Sales Evangelist, but they’ll also give helpful advice that can help launch you from point A to point B. 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 NetHunt CRM. NetHunt CRM is a sales automation tool that lives inside Gmail. It covers a full set of features to manage leads, nurture customer relations, monitor sales progress, and automate sales and marketing workflows. With native-like Gmail and  G Suite integration, you can access your CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences from the comfort of your inbox. NetHunt helps move leads down your sales funnel and never lets a valuable prospect go untouched. NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first three months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. Try NetHunt CRM today at https://nethunt.com/tse. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales 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, tune in on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, and 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. Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

A salesperson usually has a list of questions they want to ask a prospect. After all, understanding the prospect and their business is necessary to know if and how you can help them and their business. But often, these questions come across as overly prying. How do you fix this? By using Donald’s four tips to avoid sounding like you’re prying in their business. Build rapport before you ask questions. The private information you need will come only if the prospect feels comfortable. You don’t have the authority to ask those questions when you first start interacting with a prospect. The key? Don’t ask about the weather - surface-level questions don’t build the relationship you need.  Ask more profound questions and provide thoughtful engagement to show the client you care about their result. Let them know you’ll be asking tough questions.  Think back to episode 1275 and episode 452 about rapport building and rule-setting, respectively - these elements are critical to establishing before asking questions. Give a prospect everything they need to know before starting, and they’ll be much more likely to be okay with it. Be mindful of your question phrasing. The way you phrase questions or statements will change the impact of the question. Softening questions by providing your reasons for the questions will make a prospect more likely to react positively and give a thorough answer.  Educate them enough before you ask the question Enter the room as a professional to be treated as a professional. If a client recognizes someone as an expert, they’ll be more willing to divulge information. Share relevant statistics that link to your question - it shows you know what you’re talking about, especially if you apply that statistic to your end result. Put these points together, and your questions will not come across as prying; because you’ve done the research and methods to build a relationship with your prospect and show you deserve answers to your questions. 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 NetHunt CRM. NetHunt CRM is a sales automation tool that lives inside Gmail. It covers a full set of features to manage leads, nurture customer relations, monitor sales progress, and automate sales and marketing workflows. With native-like Gmail and  G Suite integration, you can access your CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences from the comfort of your inbox. NetHunt helps move leads down your sales funnel and never lets a valuable prospect go untouched. NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first three months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. Try NetHunt CRM today at https://nethunt.com/tse. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales 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, tune in on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, and 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. Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Today on The Sales Evangelist, we’re joined by David Garcia. The current CEO of the pre-employment background check company ScoutLogic Screening, David’s 25 years of experience in B2B sales and marketing has made him well-accustomed to asking the right questions. With a specialty in big enterprise deals, David developed a strategic sales method to optimize his success chances. He’ll share some of that methodology by telling us four things to consider when drafting sales questions based on a customer’s personality. Rethink your role in the sales process.  Sales is shifting away from a sales-driven approach. Consider yourself more akin to an intelligence agent. (Think Carrie Mathison from Homeland.) Why is this important?  Because sales today is 80% research and 20% asking questions. Salespeople are versed in researching a company: check reports, Twitter feeds, social media; you can learn a lot that way. But when David says research, he means to learn about the buyer - the person on the other end of the call or table. You know this, one of the best ways to build rapport with someone is to find a common interest.  Discover your prospect’s learning style. You need to uncover what that person’s learning style is or how they absorb and give information. We all have four primary learning styles: listening, visual, reading, and tactile and touch. David recommends finding out either from others through research or even asking the prospect directly.  Find your prospect’s personal win. This tip is the most critical, and it’s important to remember that your prospect’s personal win might not align with their business objective. When crafting the value proposition, you want more than to get the organization’s goal. You want to provide a way the prospect can keep building bricks towards their personal win, whatever it may be. Strategize the questions you ask. In the age of zoom, people have less time than ever to answer questions. Buyers don't want to give you a lot of information anymore; they want solutions. They want to know that you're coming with expertise and advice. Think about what’s most important: where are they at in the sales process? What's going to move them to the next step? What is David’s major takeaway? Do your homework upfront. Grab pieces of information when you can; even a half-hour of research on a buyer will make you a better salesperson. Want to get in touch with David? Email him at david.garcia@scoutlogicscreening.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 NetHunt CRM. NetHunt CRM is a sales automation tool that lives inside Gmail. It covers a full set of features to manage leads, nurture customer relations, monitor sales progress, and automate sales and marketing workflows. With native-like Gmail and  G Suite integration, you can access your CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences from the comfort of your inbox. NetHunt helps move leads down your sales funnel and never lets a valuable prospect go untouched. NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first three months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. Try NetHunt CRM today at https://nethunt.com/tse. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales 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, tune in on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, and 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. Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com