Future-Proof Selling

This is an amazingly energetic and value-packed episode. Dale Dupree has had an incredibly successful sales career and employs a number of innovative strategies to get customer attention and then create loyal-for-life customers. Dale is the leader of The Sales Rebellion, host of the Selling Local podcast and known to many as the Copier Warrior.  Dale brings a unique and creative approach to the sales space that encourages taking risks to get noticed and to secure new sales opportunities. Dale passionately believes in practicing what you preach, even if it means making mistakes.  This is an approach that Dale shares vigorously throughout his sales coaching platform ‘The Sales Rebellion’.     In this episode Steven and Dale explore: Dale’s positive approach to prospecting and how he maintains that outlook in everything he does across the sales space Understanding that someone is filtering your emails before reaching the prospect and using this knowledge to get beyond that first stumbling point The crumpled letter trick, its origin and how it works? Dale shares some further obscure techniques that will increase your response rate What Dale means when he says that his pipeline is alive? How to approach a live opportunity and understanding that the buyer is just as prepared going in as the seller Dale’s final thoughts on sales processes You can check Dale out in the links below - Dale Dupree - LinkedIn Dale Dupree - Website

Tune in to part 2 of my discussion with Andrew McCarthy - Head of New Business for LinkedIn ANZ. During our first discussion we talked about setting your sales team up in a work from home paradigm and how Andrew and his team have approached this transition. Today we get into the nitty-gritty at a sales level in this climate and how field salespeople can be just as effective from home.  Andrew McCarthy has had a distinguished sales and sales leadership career, for the past seven years he has fulfilled several key roles for LinkedIn both in Australia and the US, and is currently the Sales Leader for New Business for LinkedIn’s ANZ business.   Some topics we covered include :- How field salespeople can be just as effective remotely. How the transition of the sale process towards digital/social/video has been happening already. Some timeless fundamentals of sales that remain the same. Leveraging digital clues and research to be effective. Taking the opportunity to accelerate our learning during the current crisis. How to look for useful trends and events online. How customers are more available and open to calls at the moment. Opportunities for salespeople to invest time in their own development.   Check Andrew out at https://www.linkedin.com/in/awmccarthy    

David Masover is a global sales though leader and sales process expert, he is also the author of several sales books We discuss : The challenges of not having a sales process. The risks of leaving your success up to individual sales capabilities. The disconnect between the CRM and what’s really happening in the field. Designing sales process effectively. Defining sales stages in more detail. Qualifying components. Getting customers to Discovery workshops. Putting a timing dimension on pipeline stages. Learn more about David and his company here https://davidmasover.com/

Andrew McCarthy has had a distinguished sales and sales leadership career, for the past seven years he has fulfilled several key roles for LinkedIn both in Australia and the US, and is currently the Sales Leader for New Business for LinkedIn’s ANZ business. Of course Andrew interacts with many sales leaders across various industries so has some unique insight on key strategies organisations are adopting in the current challenging environment. He also shares some of the things he and his team are undertaking at the moment. Some topics we covered include :- How focusing on timeless sales fundamentals has guided Andrew through his career. Managing sales teams in the Working From Home environment. The challenge for field salespeople to manage without face-to-face customer contact. The importance of sharing across the team. The internal factors sales leaders need to be focusing on now. The weekly cadence Andrew is now using with his team and the experimentation he has gone through. Approaching customers with compassion. Progressing deals without face to face contact. Managing morale and motivation. Check Andrew out at https://www.linkedin.com/in/awmccarthy  

How should salespeople prepare for and approach C-level execs in order to get their attention? Jacques Sciammas has held many C-level roles at several global corporations, where he was responsible for making executive buying decisions for over 25 years. Through his company, Selling To Executives, he now consults to and coaches sales organisations on how to effectively navigate the buying committee, and successfully sell to the C-suite.  Master the art of executive selling and avoid no-decision outcomes.  Key Points of Executive Selling: Why we should meet at C-level. How to cut though the noise and get the attention of C-level executives. Researching and preparing our messaging. The three main focuses of an executive Mistakes salespeople are making. Goal setting for C-level meetings. Preparing for C-level meetings. How to identify if a meeting was successful or not. Avoiding 'No Decision' outcomes. Putting yourself in the executive’s shoes. Drawing on his corporate executive experience, and representing the executive buyer’s perspective, Jacques conducts interactive workshops and keynotes to global sales teams, on how to successfully prepare, access and credibly engage with a client Executive. His extensive corporate experience includes EVP at Berkshire, CFO at Charles Schwab’s $2 billion Retail Division, Director of International Operations at Standard & Poor’s, and Director of Capital Programs at TWA. Learn more about Selling To Executives

“Engaging in value co-creation with your customers strengthens your relationship with them and enhances your product offerings and services.”   Alana Brittain joins me on the Future Proof Selling podcast to talk sales hacks from the perspective of an accomplished millennial. Alana has had a distinguished sales career in the healthcare and technology industries and is currently a Sales Leader for LinkedIn Australia.  Alana brings with her an infectious energy as we discuss the complexity of corporate sales, the importance of connection and relationship-building skills and her concept of co-creating value with our customers. Some Key Points of Our Discussion : Alana’s beginning in the sales world. The increased complexity of corporate sales. The expansion of stakeholders we need to cover. The emergence of millennials in decision-making roles. The importance of relationship-building skills, not just having relationships. Co-creating value with customers. The importance of authenticity in sales to better connect with our customers. Using storytelling effectively in the sales process, and the associated pitfalls. Leveraging data effectively to help us be more productive. Follow Alana on https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanabrittain/

Mike Weinberg is a highly respected global sales thought leader. He was named by Forbes magazine as a top sales influencer, he is the author of three Amazon #1 best sellers including his recent blockbuster Sales Truth - Debunk the Myths. Apply Powerful Principles. Win More Sales. Some key topics we discuss: Don’t believe everything you read about sales especially from the online experts. Sorting through the noise of advice and vendors all claiming a magic bullet to grow your sales. Despite the noise, not everything has changed in sales While we need to adapt and leverage new channels, the fundamentals of sales remain the same. How to leverage new technology and techniques to enhance what we do. How we should look at social as a channel to reach potential customers. There is no shortcut or ‘easy’ button. The importance of managing your calendar. How we should be driving new business. Why pipeline is the lifeblood of your business. Learn more about Mike here:  https://mikeweinberg.com Sales Truth: https://mikeweinberg.com/salestruth-book/  

Dale Dupree is the fearless leader of The Sales Rebellion, host of the Selling Local podcast and known to many as the Legendary Copier Warrior.  Dale brings a heartfelt, unique and creative approach to the sales space that encourages vulnerability, honesty and authentic human interaction. Dale passionately believes in practicing what you preach, even if it means making and admitting to mistakes.  This is an approach that Dale shares vigorously throughout his sales coaching platform ‘The Sales Rebellion’   In this powerful episode Steven and Dale explore: Dale's background in the copier industry and what inspires him to bring creativity to the sales space Avoiding assumptions about clients or the marketplace to prevent limitations Using your personal brand creatively to show authenticity and to resonate with your customers His late Father's influence on Dale's career and life values Dale’s relationship with depression and navigating the sales space while dealing with mental illness The Sales Rebellion and the philosophies behind the project that are helping to create a movement and community Being willing to succeed in your workspace and being confident in making the choices to support you along the way It was an absolute pleasure talking to Dale, he is a rockstar. So clear and passionate. You can check Dale out in the links below - Dale Dupree - LinkedIn Dale Dupree - Website

Shawn Finders grew up as one of North America’s top tennis players, traveling around the world competing to be the next Andre Agassi.  He was told at age 23 that he had to decide to try and become a tennis professional or get an MBA and go down the education route.    Shawn is now the CEO of autoklose.com a sales automation platform that is used by 3000+ sales professionals around the world.  He specialises in generating leads and sales strategy implementation. Throughout this interview Shawn provides his first hand experience for improving sales strategies in a way that benefits all parties.   In this episode Steven and Shawn explore: How Shawn went from playing pro tennis to becoming a sales entrepreneur The issue with poor quality data and how Shawn is working to provide higher quality data to all of his clients A look at whether companies are wasting money on data   Shawn's perspective on prospecting and the sequences sales professionals should follow Employing a 7-8 touch sequence and techniques to make the process effective and build trust with prospects Understanding your potential prospects and why this is an essential first step Shawn's approach to email structure, subject lines and engaging new prospects Using video in email sequences and how effective it can be How to act on live prospects and ensuring the process is working Adapting the cadence for larger deals with bigger companies A humorous approach to closing Shawn shares some extra tips around the sales sequence  You can check Shawn out in the links below - Shawn Finder - LinkedIn Shawn Finder - Website

Taking over underperforming sales teams can be a huge challenge, management want fast results, the team will be looking to you for direction and no doubt changes will need to be made. But what is the best way to approach this problem? Kent Eimbrodt is the General Manager for Bullivants. He is a high-achieving professional and an exceptional business leader. Kent has vast experience in creating vision, employee engagement and bringing strategy to life. With over 30 years experience in the sales space, Kent’s wealth of knowledge is a trusted resource to improve team confidence, and guide them towards reaching their goals.  We discuss the importance of a solid and defined value proposition, and the power of customer data. Kent suggests using Alex Osterwalder’s Value Proposition Canvas to precisely determine your customer profiles, define the most important components of your offerings and achieve product/market fit.  Kent elaborates on this and more during the interview.  Key points of this discussion How Kent started in the industry and the experiences that have helped shape his career Kent’s move to Finland to take on the role as a Global Sales Director and his insight into approaching a new role Gathering insight from clients to shape an understanding of market needs, in order to provide a customised service Ignoring the core issues of an under-performing team by focusing in on issues with pricing and product Supporting and building enough confidence in your team to communicate price increases Training your team to be adaptable and to provide solutions to improve clients businesses and save them money Integrity in pricing and helping your team to understand pricing strategies Kents final thoughts on sales team ethics You can check Kent out in the links below - Kent Eimbrodt - LinkedIn Bullivants - Website