Mental Selling: The Sales Performance Podcast

We all want to have the right people working with us. But what happens when we have the right person but the wrong fit for the company’s sales culture? My guest today is an expert who is helping companies identify not just the right people for the job, but the right people for the sales culture at that job. Andrea Pagnozzi is the Principal Coach and Consultant at Flint Coaching and Consulting. Hear our conversation with Andrea Pagnozzi where we discuss: - What (if anything) we’ve learned from the Great Resignation - Why the key to thriving in a sales culture is through belonging and connecting - Sales managers becoming good coaches and mentors for their employees - Why sales training and coaching tends to be too tactical - Andrea’s three-pronged approach to training. - Why any L&D spending should start with your leaders Ultimately, if you want to build a thriving sales culture that can weather pandemics or economic downturns, leadership needs to be fully present and empathetic, without ever coddling or micromanaging. That’s how you foster belonging and connection. That’s the lesson sales managers need to learn from the Great Resignation. More information about Andrea and today’s topics: LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapagnozzi/ Andrea's Website: https://www.flintcoachingllc.com/

Sales is about creating buying decisions that are in the customer’s best interests. And one of a successful salesperson’s most powerful tools to do that is how they communicate — and the specific word choices they make. But not everyone is gifted with charisma and improvisational skills. How do you improve your conversational intelligence, change perspectives and build stronger relationships with your customers with well-thought-out words? My guest today is a highly sought-after trainer, coach, and leadership consultant. Steven Lozada is the President of UpwardMindset, a gifted jazz musician, an MBA, and a professionally certified trainer in a variety of disciplines. In this insightful and informative episode, we’ll discuss: - How forging a connection is the most important part of your sales conversation - Elevating what Steven calls your "trust equity" - Rejection-free openings and why objections are a gift - The power of “no-oriented questions” - How to keep customer conversations moving forward without being manipulative More information about Steven and today’s topics: LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenlozada/ Company Website: https://www.upwardmindset.com/ Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact, by Phil M. Jones: https://www.amazon.com/Exactly-What-Say-Influence-Impact-ebook/dp/B073SF65ZZ Please follow and rate our show — we love your feedback! FeedSpot has included us on their list of the top 30 best sales podcasts.

In this discussion, Lisa Weaver and Jay Cone, partners at Unstuck Minds, dive into the essential sales discovery process. They argue that building trust and rapport surpasses late-stage negotiations. The duo emphasizes the importance of active listening and genuine curiosity, suggesting that salespeople adopt 'attention agility' to connect deeper with clients. They introduce the SCAN framework for understanding client needs and discuss how empowering sales teams can enhance relationships and keep the focus on quality engagement over mere figures.

If you’ve been in sales for awhile, you’ve seen all of the methods for sealing the deal. In a modern sales environment, the sales strategies of the past (throwing a net and seeing what you can catch) can still have their place. However, with the influx of sales tools, throwing a spear to catch exactly what you need is the modern approach. Hear our conversation with Jamie Shanks, author of Social Selling Mastery and Spear Selling, where we discuss: ● The interconnection of modern, social and account-based selling ● What scares sales people from performing at their best ● Preparing for the possible economic downturn As a sales professional, you only control two things: the decisions you make and the actions you take. Building intention and focus through these actions is essential to overall growth and success, both professionally and personally for salespeople. With the huge influx of sales enablement tools, it is possible and preferable to catch exactly what you want without sorting through the extra noise. Jamie explains the intricacies of learning to fish with a spear in sales. In addition, he offers invaluable expertise in aligning core values, creating intention in relationships in sales, and preparing for the future. “You have to believe that you are either making people money, saving them money, or mitigating risk: the three core value creators in a business.” — Jamie Shanks More information about Jamie and today’s topics: ● Follow Jamie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamestshanks/ ● Pipeline Signals: https://pipelinesignals.com/ and Sales for Life: https://salesforlife.com/ FeedSpot has recently included us as one of their top 30 best sales podcasts: https://blog.feedspot.com/sales_podcasts/

Another day, another salesperson gone. Lost to a toxic workplace. Or a lack of empathy. Or misalignment. What if your sales team could increase retention? What can you do to decrease churn? Is it even possible with the traditionally high turnover of sales? The key lies is empathy. 🗝️ This week, Ronda Robinson, Founder of Robinson Alliance Group, joins me to discuss recruiting and retaining salespeople while maintaining a healthy work culture. According to Ronda, your business must: 💥Lead with empathy and intention 💥Set sales teams up for success by understanding who are the Hunters and who are the Farmers- and nurturing both 💥Avoid paying a 'people tax' by paying attention to the human aspect of workers Following these guidelines from recruiting to retaining will foster an environment where salespeople are: 💥Excited to come to work 💥Set up for success and growth 💥Retained long-term Join us on the latest episode of Mental Selling to learn more about breaking the high-churn culture of sales and fostering a revolutionary sales culture in your business. “When we don't pay attention to the personal side of people, what they have going on inside, then you will pay a people tax.” — Ronda Robinson

Your sales journey is like a book. There are different chapters for different stages and each unwritten page is just another part of the process that hasn’t happened yet. Everyone starts their book at a different stage. Some are the team’s A-Players that were born for sales. Others need some coaching. Regardless of where the book begins, the next chapter relies heavily on the sales leader involved. Hear our conversation with Leigh Ashton, Founder & CEO at The Sales Consultancy, where our discussion includes: - The difference between a good and great sales leader - Creating psychological safety for a sales team - How a growth vs. fixed mindset determines a sales team dynamic - The 10-80-10 rule of sales teams “An assumption that would really inhibit an organization's growth is to think that training, on its own, is the end of the story; it is just step one of a multi-step process that takes a person from where they are to where you'd like them to be.” — Leigh Ashton

Growing a sales team isn’t hard. Growing a sales team that’s successful and feels comfortable in their role… now THAT'S a challenge. And it really comes back to the leadership of the team and the work they are willing to do to take their people to the next level by bringing confidence and humility to every interaction. Hear our conversation with Karin Hurt, CEO and Co-Founder at Let's Grow Leaders, where we discuss: - How to create a psychologically safe and courageous sales culture - Developing new sales leaders - The 6 essential competencies of a sales team Want to learn more about the 6 competencies of a sales team, the 6 competencies of sales leaders AND what companies get wrong identifying and developing sales leaders and how to fix it? Listen now.

It’s 2022 — why is there still a gender gap in sales? Studies definitively show diverse sales teams generate more revenue. So... what’s the hold up? My guest today is Lori Richardson, the Founder of Score More Sales and a passionate champion for #WomenInSales. She’s an author, in-demand speaker, and one of the most popular sales coaches at Harvard Business School. Lori also serves on the advisory board of the Sales Education Foundation, where she seeks to destroy old misconceptions about our industry. Sales is a helping profession. This is backed up by the fact that during the pandemic, many women had to leave the field to stay closer to home or become full-time caregivers. Remote work has increased the accessibility of sales roles, but Lori still encounters all-male teams all the time. But women are the majority of undergraduates now. Many companies haven’t yet realized that female sales pros bring a lot to the table, such as empathy, coachability, and a deep motivation to succeed. Lori believes diversity builds strength, which leads to higher revenues. Customers want to buy from brands that reflect their beliefs and values — and companies lagging behind the times will be on their way out. Check out the full episode 🎧 click the link below!

Customers dread being sold to. It's no different for B2B buyers than it is for anyone else. In fact, research shows that buyers now spend only 17% of their time actually buying. Since that's often divided among many potential suppliers, you might be getting 1% to 5% of their time. What are you going to do with your small fraction of your buyer's time? On this episode of Mental Selling, we speak with Janice B. Gordon, Customer Growth Expert, about why people hate buying and what you can do to make the experience something they love instead, why you should stop using Zoom like a phone and how to maximize its value, the matchless value of self-awareness in sales, and more. Let’s jump right into the discussion! “The buyer has come to you for a particular reason. Your job is to find out what that is.” — Janice B. Gordon

A salesperson today is vastly different than the one you’re probably imagining right now. It’s not all about making the sale anymore — It’s about providing a solution that will be mutually beneficial to seller and buyer. But as we have transitioned to more of a virtual approach, it’s important to not lose those valuable customer connections along the way. Hear our conversation with Tony Alessandra, Founder of Assessments 24x7 as we discuss: - The future of selling & reasons why some still avoid the profession - Who the modern salesperson is and the future of selling - Adjusting to today's savvier buyers and the importance of honesty and building trust - The learning curve of virtual selling & best practices - Assessing and attracting talent today and getting rid of the old views of selling - Matching your selling style to the customer’s buying style “The old days of selling where we give our pitch, close, and overcome objections is still in the mental makeup of too many people.” — Tony Alessandra " People avoid selling because they really believe that you're either a born salesperson or not, which is the furthest from the truth." — Tony Alessandra