The Sales Evangelist

This episode is sponsored by: Skipio - Get one month free on an Individual plan with code TSE, or, 2 free seats/licenses on Teams. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. NetHunt - NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first 3 months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan.  Try NetHunt CRM today →  https://nethunt.com/tse Diversity is a result of numerous kinds of efforts, and we’re focusing today on underrepresented sellers. As a sales leader, how can you offer a hand up to underrepresented sellers? Marchello Arcelay is a waste stream analyst in Metro Atlanta and he works with small to medium sized companies to provide them with sustainable waste solutions. He helps small to medium sized restaurants or Fortune 500 companies who want to reduce their carbon footprint. He also has a show called Cocktails with Chello and he streams it live on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.  Helping new and underrepresented people  You have to exercise caution when helping people of color in the sales industry. Help others with willingness and an open mind.  It’s important to create different milestones to ensure that the people you are helping are on track.  When you help others, you just don’t help them with a certain aspect. Your goal is to help them through the entire process.  You don’t just give them the tools without teaching them how to use them or without giving them a follow-up.  It’s equally important that you hold them accountable for the milestones that you give them.  You don’t need to go straight away to help. First, you need to build trust and rapport. Go for a casual conversation at first.  You can also use social media platforms. Create groups and promote them to your network. Tell them about your goals of helping other people, especially those who are new to sales or those who are from underrepresented groups.  Don’t limit your help and offer to people of color because then, you’re not promoting diversity and you won't get the momentum that you want and need.  “Diversity: How Can I Offer a Hand Up to Underrepresented Sellers?” episode resources Connect with Marchello Arcelay on LinkedIn today. You can also check out his YouTube channel here to see his show, Cocktails with Chello. You can also call him at +678-683-9136 Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation. All text messaging is not equal. Customers respond to people, NOT BOTS. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in conversions. Get one month free on an Individual plan with code TSE, or, 2 free seats/licenses on Teams. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com.Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is also 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 all the CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences right from your inbox. NetHunt helps to move your leads down your sales funnel and never let the valuable prospects go untouched. NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first 3 months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan.  Try NetHunt CRM today →  https://nethunt.com/tse This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. "We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our 2 mins survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX. 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

The conversation about building a diverse sales team is an important one, and in this episode, Donald Kelly hosts a roundtable discussion about why a diverse team should be built.  The importance of a diverse team Without a diverse team, you are missing out on the insight that you need to work with the diverse buyers out there.  There’s not just one type of buyer; there are diverse types of buyers especially in the technology space. A company with just one type of person misses out on the connection with so many different people.  Driving for maximum outcomes means capturing the perspective of diverse buyers and relating to them.  Without diversity in your organization, you are limiting the creativity, flexibility, and performance of the team.  The same is true for sports managers who aren’t open to diverse talents, backgrounds, ethnicities, and more.  Diversity allows everyone to learn from each other. Women, for example, are socialized differently.  It’s necessary to have an open mindset and to believe that there’s more than one way to have success.  It all comes down to leadership. They must be proactive and intentional in the plans of building diversity. When you are in a leadership position, you have the power to bring someone up or bring someone in that can produce at a high level.  Recruiting people is important, and the same is true for retaining them. You need to make sure that you support the new people in your team and that you provide them with a nurturing environment.  Changing the policies If you see that there’s a lack of diversity within the organization, don’t hesitate to talk about it and point it out. It’s okay to mention that there’s a person in the team who could contribute to the diversity of the organization.  You need to be transparent and ask the members of your team about the things you can do to improve diversity. Even if you’re not a leader, you can still make changes.  Ask insightful questions to help the customers think about their strategy and their processes.  Do not be afraid of asking the hard questions of your customers. The same should hold true in not being afraid of asking the hard questions to the leaders in your organization.  Change is difficult for everyone so leaders need to care. Anita Nielsen advocates using high-impact questions with customers to get to their emotions quickly.  People like people who are like them. Likeability is an important part of persuasion. Diversity is life or death. The whole concept of diversity is very important. Diversity is more than just business. It goes beyond it, especially in this day and age. “Diversity: ROUND TABLE - Why You Should Consider Building a Diverse Sales Team” episode resources Follow Anita Anita Nielsen on LinkedIn. Get a copy of her book Beat the Bots: How Your Humanity Can Future-Proof Your Tech Sales Career here. Follow Larry Long on LinkedIn.  Dre Smith’s LinkedIn is here.  Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  This episode is also partly brought to you by Wingman. Wingman uses AI-software to empower remote sales teams with conversation intelligence, actionable insights on successful playbooks and delivers real-time coaching. Are you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation. All text messaging is not equal. Customers respond to people, NOT BOTS. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in conversions. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. "We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our 2 mins survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free 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

There are many black women in sales and despite the challenges, they keep on moving forward to have success. Tune in as today’s guest, Cynthia Barnes, speaks of the challenges affecting black women in sales.  Cynthia Barnes is the founder and CEO of the National Association of Women Sales Professionals. It’s a member-based organization of women who sell B2B services in a male-dominated industry such as SAAS (Software as a Service), tech, cloud, and others. The organization provides two things to its members: access to laser-focused companies on achieving parity for women in sales and training created by women for women to reach the top 1%.  Women’s’ participation in sales Anytime there’s an underrepresented population, there will always be challenges that are specific to them and vice-versa.  When women are working from home, they aren’t only employees. They are also mothers and wives. They juggle three or more different roles all at the same time.  These women are doing a good job of making sure that they’re staying balanced, but that comes at a price. Sometimes at the expense of their mental health.  When women give so much to their company, to their husbands, and their kids, they have nothing left for themselves.  Cynthia emphasizes the thought that you can’t pour from an empty cup. You always need to fill the cup to be a rockstar at work, home, and with the kids.  Organizations can make a difference in ensuring that their employees are appropriately compensated and given the work-life balance they need.  When sales members are well taken care of and they’re engaged, their output greatly improves. The money organizations put into their employee care is an investment.  The expression, ‘Happy wife, happy life,’ is also applicable at work. If women in sales are happy, engaged, supported, and heard, they’ll be able to perform better. As it is, women already outsell men by 5%. With that support system at work, women can do so much more.  Challenges women face in sales Sales leaders who did not grow up with a diverse background will less likely prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion because it’s only thought to get more revenue, not an actual idea where they feel and see tangible results.   With the racial and systemic bias in the previous year, many companies wanted to get women in sales. They wanted not only black women but also the other underrepresented minorities.  The problem is that there are no programs in place to elevate women in sales. They only attract them but they do not make an effort to retain them.  There are still no organizational changes that make the women feel respected, welcomed, and represented.  When it comes to bringing in more diversity to the table, all you often see is a team of leaders who are all men.  Women are leaving the workforce because they can’t be a wife, a mother, and a teacher at the same time.  It’s about creating a culture of belonging. Women should have a voice at the table, not just a seat. They need to be heard and to be treated fairly.  Breaking the barriers There should be more women in leadership roles.  As a leader of an organization for women in sales, part of Cynthia’s responsibility is to empower women to have the right mindset, get the right verbiage, and build awareness around microaggressions.  Women shouldn’t sit idly waiting for the opportunities that they’ve already earned.  Women should be the change that they want to see.  “Diversity: Challenges Affecting Black Women in Sales?” episode resources Connect with Cynthia Barnes on LinkedIn. You can also check out their official site here.  Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  Try Pipedrive today for FREE! As a TSE listener, PipeDrive is offering you an EXTENDED trial beyond the typical 30 days + 25% off your first three months after trial. Try it today at  → https://pipedrive.live/tse use your code: pipedrivetse.  This episode is also partly brought to you by Wingman. Wingman uses AI-software to empower remote sales teams with conversation intelligence, actionable insights on successful playbooks, and delivers real-time coaching. Are you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation. All text messaging is not equal. Customers respond to people, NOT BOTS. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in conversions. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. "We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our 2 mins survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free 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

Diversity and inclusion are important in sales but what do these things mean exactly?  In today’s episode, Stephen Hart and Sharon Manker are joining Donald in talking about what diversity and inclusion mean in sales.  Diversity and inclusion in sales Diversity is being invited to the table and inclusion means having a seat at the table to participate in whatever opportunity there is.  It’s not just about getting the seat at the table but it’s also about having the equity component. We need to break down the unconscious biases that we have. We need to employ true diversity, equity, and inclusion not only in the sales team but also in an organization as a whole.  For the black men and women, what the media portrays of us doesn’t really represent who we are.  Growing up, you may have developed a certain mindset towards people of color and that translates into the workplace. Naturally, you gravitate towards the things that you know and what you’ve been taught.  There are biases that we were brought up with that we need to check at  the door.  Getting over the things that you’ve been taught is an uncomfortable conversation. There’s a need for willingness and openness to have these difficult conversations.  There are things that you can do to change the cycle and have more diversity and inclusion in your organization even if you’re only a small group.  Shaping the culture Culture is very important. Sharon’s organization is very committed to the culture of inclusion and diversity. They recently hired a Chief Diversity Officer, an initiative that highlights the differences. There's self-reporting that employees can do. You can go and report that you’re an LGBTQ without any repercussions.  You need to be comfortable in the skin that you’re in when you go to work.  Organizations should encourage people to have difficult conversations to ensure that the culture is sustainable. It needs a top-down approach where people at the top invite everyone to be heard.  The goal is to create an environment in the workplace where everyone can talk about the biases and differences. Every member of the organization should be able to see each other and be able to show empathy.  Organizations should champion training everyone on unconscious biases, on how to talk about difficult conversations, and how to be advocates.  Expanding the workforce for people of color At the end of the day,  you're going to hire the most suitable person for the role. But it’s also important that organizations represent society and have different perspectives in the team.  If everyone is looking through one lens, then you’re missing an opportunity.  The more you know, the more you grow. In sales, the more you know of the things that you’re trying to achieve, the more likely you’ll get success.  Unless you have a diversity of thoughts in the team, you won’t have innovation.  Unless you are inclusive, you won’t know what else is out there.  “Diversity: What Do Diversity and Inclusion Mean in Sales?” episode resources Connect with Sharon Manker on LinkedIn. You can also connect with Stephen Hart on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram or visit his site here.  Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  Are you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation. All text messaging is not equal. Customers respond to people, NOT BOTS. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in conversions. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is also partly brought to you by Wingman. Wingman uses AI-software to empower remote sales teams with conversation intelligence, actionable insights on successful playbooks, and delivers real-time coaching.  This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. "We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our 2 mins survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX. 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 matters of diversity, salespeople can’t help but sometimes ask,’Do Americans have racial bias with who they buy from?’  Kwame Christian has both a law and business background. He understands the issue of whether Americans have a bias from who they buy from, and he is doing bias training to help companies understand the importance of knowing humans on a deep fundamental level.  The existence of bias In truth, everybody has biases. It is a by-product of a naturally functioning brain.  Bias doesn’t make you bad.  It only becomes a problem if you are aware of your biases and you don’t do something about it.  It’s important to raise awareness to help people make better decisions.  Americans have biases with the way they buy. Salespeople need to determine what those biases are and create strategies to try to work around them.  Biases cut both ways - there are positive biases and negative biases.  You are more likely to know, like, and trust people who are like you and people who are represented frequently in the media. The reality is that regardless of race and color, we all share the same media representations repeatedly. It’s not only the Caucasians who would favor white people, but even some people of color also favor white people too.  Changing your perception The change has to start with self-awareness because you can’t do anything about any obstacle unless you know that it exists.  As a salesperson of color, you need to be aware of the bias working against you. You need to learn how to tip the scale in your favor in terms of the positive bias.  Salespeople of color need to be more mindful in creating unique opportunities to make positive touchpoints with the people they want to work with. Spend a little more time building rapport and making people feel comfortable. If a white salesperson allocated three minutes for pleasantries during a call, then a black salesperson needs to allocate seven minutes for pleasantries before moving to the business side of things.  You need to make more effort at the beginning of the interaction to ensure that the person you are speaking with feels comfortable with who you are as a person and what you bring to the table before you transition to the other side of the dialogue.  Once they recognize that you’re legit, that you have intelligent quantities and value, then pushing through the barriers will become easier.  As a white buyer, you need to recognize how your bias impacts your decisions. “Diversity: Do Americans Have Racial Bias With Who They Buy From” episode resources Connect with Kwame Christian on LinkedIn and check out this podcast as well. If you want more tips on how to be a genius in negotiating, check out their official website.  Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. Are you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation. All text messaging is not equal. Customers respond to people, NOT BOTS. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in conversions. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is also partly brought to you by Wingman. Wingman uses AI-software to empower remote sales teams with conversation intelligence, actionable insights on successful playbooks and delivers real-time coaching.   This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. "We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our 2 mins survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX. 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

The sales space is a huge industry but it needs more diversity. In this episode, DeJuan Brown talks about how we remove the barriers to sales for people of color.  Studies show that 78.9% of salespeople in all industries are white, 11.2% are tan, and the remaining percentage is divided into various ethnicities. There is so much success in sales but there are barriers - both visible and not so visible to many.  The barriers in sales Job descriptions can become a barrier, especially for black people. These are individuals who do not have much experience in a specific space. Some jobs need 7-10 years of experience before one can even get a nod for an interview.  There’s also the perception that sellers don’t make money and that a career in sales is just a plan B, C, or D.  In some communities, there’s still a stigma on salespeople. They’re the ones you shut your door to, they are the car dealers, the door-to-door insurance man, and other undesirable roles.  Changing the mindset Sales leaders and professionals who have experienced in sales and who have seen saw how it  can could support families for generations have to be vocal. T, they need to speak up, and start talking to break the stigma.  Salespeople who are achieving success in the sales world need to put their success on display to attract other people into the sales space. It’s essential to help these people to make it in sales and get themselves past the door.  Some people already have the skills to get into sales and succeed in it but they lack the right mindset. As sales leaders, your goal is to put that spark in them, to bring them along for the ride, and teach them what they can do.  There is a need to attract a new generation of salespeople and when you do that, you need to have a place for them to grow. They need guidance on how to navigate the sales space to avoid the pitfalls.  Job description is a barrier and many companies today are eliminating cutting people off right off out the bat because of it. Organizations are looking for years and years of experience that many do not have. What they do have is the right attitude but they don’t get to show their tenacity off because they’ve been cut off by the experience requirement.  Young black people who want to get into the sales space need good mentors. They need to be taught the truth that sometimes companies are looking for people who can do the job right and who have the right attitude.  Aspiring salespeople need to lean into communities, gain get confidence from their mentors, and have the humility to ask for help in improving their skills.  Companies right now are looking for ways to make gender-neutral job descriptions. DeJuan, however, would like to see that same effort to create job descriptions that wouldn’t box people out.  DeJuan encourages sales leaders today to keep learning from the people before them, to keep learning and sharpening one another, look for ways to help others get into the sales space, and ensure that these new salespeople are properly equipped.  “Diversity: How Do We Remove the Barriers to Sales for People of Color?” episode resources De Juan and other great minded individuals who were also mentioned in this podcast created a community called Sales for the Culture. It’s a community to attract and empower black people in technology sales. Check out the community on LinkedIn.  Connect with DeJuan Brown on LinkedIn, Marcus Knight, and Jacob Gebrewold.  Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. Are you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation. All text messaging is not equal. Customers respond to people, NOT BOTS. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in conversions. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is also partly brought to you by Wingman. Wingman uses AI-software to empower remote sales teams with conversation intelligence, actionable insights on successful playbooks and delivers real-time coaching. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. "We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our 2 mins survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX. 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

For an organization to succeed, it is important for sales leaders to see the benefits of building a diverse sales team. In this episode, Donald talks about three reasons why diversity and inclusion are important.  The sales statistics The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2019 that 86% of sales managers were white and 80% of people in the sales occupation are white as well.  Sales is a great field and a huge one. There is still so much space and room for more people.  Three reasons why diversity and inclusion are important It helps you understand your clients better.  A study of the Harvard Business Review in 2013 showed that organizations with sellers who share the same ethnicity as their clientele were  152% more likely to understand their clients’ needs better.  Putting people of the same culture and ethnicity creates a  connection that would help the sales progress. Clients and prospects are more at ease and relaxed when they speak with sales reps who share their culture.  It improves employee engagement A  Gallup poll in 2018 shared that companies with engaged employees achieve 4x the growth of their competitors. This means that if the employees are engaged and they’re enjoying the atmosphere, they are bound to grow.  Building connection is hard but if you have a diverse team, there is better engagement among team members and it encourages participation. Every member of the team will feel understood and will  feel like they belong,  Based on the study, organizations lose about $480 billion a year in productivity because of disengaged employees.   Increase in market share The diverse sales team reports a 40% increase in their market share.  There can be many contributing factors to this including the fact that your team can go to different communities and areas to look for people they can connect with.  Have a good mix of people in your team and build it in a diverse way.  “Diversity: 3 Benefits of Building a Diverse Sales Team” episode resources Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. Are you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation. All text messaging is not equal. Customers respond to people, NOT BOTS. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in conversions. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is also partly brought to you by Wingman. Wingman uses AI-software to empower remote sales teams with conversation intelligence, actionable insights on successful playbooks and delivers real-time coaching.   This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. "We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our 2 mins survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX. 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 day and age, how can salespeople schedule appointments when so many people are working from home? Tune in as Maddy Martin talks about prospecting in the modern sales world.  Scheduling appointments in the remote working scene The work-from-home setting has a huge impact on sales especially in website chat messages, missing calls, and others. The impact is also apparent with what your next steps will be for the leads that are coming through.  Every single call and chat is precious. This truth makes you realize that how you do in that first conversation is the most critical step.  It’s important to take that first incoming call or you do something about the first message. Salespeople have to be ready to respond and answer the calls at all times because your follow-up and other efforts will be in vain when you don’t take the first opportunity that prospects present to you.  There is a debate between profit and productivity. There’s a question of whether you can interrupt your day for every inbound new lead.  Screening and then scheduling are the most important workflows that you need to do to determine if you’ve asked the right person and identify if the prospect is right for the business.  Sales is all about preparedness. It’s important to lock in the prospect by scheduling it in your calendar. You can’t be available every second of the day but you can be open to having the appointments scheduled to be able to prepare properly. Create a system that allows you to do other sales activities and let other people help fill in your calendar with qualified leads. You need to focus your energy on walking people through your business to the point that they’re ready to sign an agreement with you because nobody else can do that better than you.  There are several tools for scheduling available today - Calendly, Acuity, and ScheduleOnce. All these are only for a few bucks a month. With these tools, you don’t need to spend so much time hiring new people.  Make sure to have a quality lead list to begin with. Know your target audience and your ideal client profile and hone that. You can give that list to Smith.ai, a superior virtual receptionist, and they will do the outbound calls for you.  At the moment, Smith.ai does social via Facebook Messenger.  Most times, your ideal clients are busy during the day. On these remote-working days, you need to be available at that time when your prospects and clients are available.  Always be on the channel where the conversations are happening about your business. This may be Facebook groups and pages. These groups are active throughout the day so look for clients there, know what they’re talking about, their concerns, and be a part of the conversation.  One effective approach is to give your prospects a video that would help them prepare as well.  Businesses that charge for consultations can integrate a payment system as well or attach an invoice link that prospects or clients can click into.  When scheduling an appointment, it’s best to ask a couple of questions ahead of time to establish expertise and control. Your goal is to establish your position in the relationship properly.  “Prospecting: Scheduling Appointments When so Many People are Working from Home’” episode resources Connect with Maddy Martin via LinkedIn. You can call 657-276-484 to start your Smith.ai experience today. Use the code sales evangelist to get $100 off for the first month.  Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. Are you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation. All text messaging is not equal. Customers respond to people, NOT BOTS. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in conversions. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is also partly brought to you by Wingman. Wingman uses AI-software to empower remote sales teams with conversation intelligence, actionable insights on successful playbooks and delivers real-time coaching.   This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. "We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our 2 mins survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX. 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

Sales reps can’t spend all their time nurturing a prospect. It is difficult, however, to just decide to stop. In that case, you may ask, “How can I tell when it’s time to consider a prospect close-lost?”  Learn more in this episode.  A close-lost deal For Guil, a deal is never lost in the sense that once you start building a relationship with someone, you should keep that relationship alive for as long as it takes.  Some prospects need more work and time than others.  It’s not a closed deal when the prospect has been qualified after you’ve done your discovery call and you’ve seen that there’s a huge opportunity there. It may only mean that the prospect needs more time and push to get converted.  In this case, it means that as a sales leader, it’s your responsibility to take the lead.  Salespeople must be clear of their next steps. It’s not enough to hop on a call with a prospect and just bid them goodbye with a promised email sent to their inbox later on. You need to be clear of what you’re going to do next whether it’s scheduling an appointment with the prospect or others. Most salespeople make the mistake of not planning ahead and not putting a timeline to their plans.  Instead of deciding that a deal is dead, it’s better to put the prospect in a nurturing funnel where they get a monthly email from the company. It may be valuable content relevant to them or just actionable tips they can do.  It’s not advisable to put the prospect in an inbound machine when the deal is taking too long.  Don’t make the mistake of deciding that a prospect is dead when you haven’t done your research. In the end, you may be ending a deal without knowing that the person you were talking to wasn’t even a decision-maker in the company.  Focus on building relationships and focus on discovery.  Build your personal brand on LinkedIn and let people know what you do and what value you offer.  A deal can be lost for a specific moment but it might not be lost forever.  The end game is always building relationships and bringing in value.  When a salesperson loses faith in the relationship you’ve built with the prospect, then that can be a sign that deal is lost.  Remember, you don’t need to proverbially bend your knee or do what you wouldn’t do just for a deal to happen. Don’t waste your effort and time on prospects who don’t share and appreciate the value you bring to the table.  You don’t need disappointed customers. What you need are clients who are satisfied and happy with the services you offer and who would potentially refer your business to other people.  “Prospecting: How can I Tell When It’s Time to Consider a Prospect “Close-Lost?” episode resources Follow Guillaume Moubeche on LinkedIn. You can also check out the tool, lemlist. A tool that allows you to send effective cold emails that get attention.  Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. Are you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation. All text messaging is not equal. Customers respond to people, NOT BOTS. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in conversions. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is also partly brought to you by Wingman. Wingman uses AI-software to empower remote sales teams with conversation intelligence, actionable insights on successful playbooks and delivers real-time coaching. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. "We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our 2 mins survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX. 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

Not all deals come to a close, so when a deal doesn’t close, how long should you wait before re-engaging the prospect? David Perry speaks in length about closing in today’s episode.  Re-engaging the prospects David is a big fan of value selling.  Value selling is part of the training that enterprise sellers can go through. It is a value-based approach which is a seemingly simple framework on the surface but with a lot of power behind it.  Looking at frameworks is helpful when conversing with other salespeople or whoever is involved in the deal.  The more you look at the framework, the more you are able to see the things that are taking priority in the organization at a given moment.  There are top three reasons why deals don’t close:  The lack of access to power Timing The lack of articulation of value or tying it to the key master sector business issue Sales reps, however, have a whole array of reasons why deals don’t close.  Value selling is very difficult since every customer has their own view and perspective of what value is. You need to be able to translate that value for it to be considered value for the overall organization.  Before re-engaging the prospect, you will want to make sure that the team has a clear idea of what the gap is. Brainstorm with the team about the issues and forecast the additional risks that you will have when you re-engage with a prospect.  All the issues with the deal must be discussed with the rest of the team no matter how minute those issues may be.  When you are having a problem re-engaging the prospect even when the deal is almost at the end of the line, it’s good to take a step back and identify the bad signal and whether it’s the lack of access to power or something else.  At the end of the day, your first step is to call or email the prospect to try and get back on their calendar.  Chapter 11 of David’s book, Game of Sales: Lessons Learned Working at Adobe, Google, and IBM, lists all the value sources that you can use as hooks for re-engaging and catching the attention of your prospects.  With huge deals and with so much at stake, it’s normal to feel like the deal is dead several times over.  Reaching an impasse doesn’t mean that you have to let go of the deal.  It’s important to always be prepared no matter who you meet, especially if you are meeting with the executives. Make sure to learn what you can before the arranged meeting. Identify their style and make sure to adapt and adjust.  Make sure to highlight the risks of the deal to the executives. Transparency is important.  “Prospecting: When a Deal Doesn’t Close, How Long Should I Wait Before Re-Engaging the Prospect?” episode resources Follow David Perry on LinkedIn. You can also check out his book, Game of Sales: Lessons Learned Working at Adobe, Google, and IBM on Amazon or get the PDF here. You can check more resources here.  Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. Are you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation. All text messaging is not equal. Customers respond to people, NOT BOTS. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in conversions. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This episode is also partly brought to you by Wingman. Wingman uses AI-software to empower remote sales teams with conversation intelligence, actionable insights on successful playbooks and delivers real-time coaching. This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. "We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our 2 mins survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX. 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