Sales Strategy & Enablement by Revenue.io

Travis Truett is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ambition, an enterprise-grade sales productivity platform.

Sam Richter is Founder and CEO of SBR Worldwide/Know More, and author of the bestseller called, Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling.

Elinor Stutz is the author of the book, Nice Girls DO Get The Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, and The Wish: A 360-Degree Business Development Process That Fuels Sales.

Andrea Austin is the co-author of a brand new book called Aligned to Achieve: How to Unite Your Sales and Marketing Teams into a Single Force for Growth.

**  Originally released on December 15th, 2017  **   Joining me on this episode of Accelerate! is my friend Jill Konrath. Jill is a speaker, sales expert, and author of multiple bestselling books, including Selling to Big Companies, Snap Selling, Agile Selling, and her latest book, More Sales, Less Time. Among the many topics that Jill and I discuss are how she came to focus on selling more in less time, what she learned from her research about concentration, focus and how to eliminate distraction that waste selling time, how to make the most of the limited hours available each, and how you can take the More Sales, Less Time Challenge.     KEY TAKEAWAYS [2:19] After Jill wrote SNAP Selling, about selling to frazzled customers, readers asked her how to simplify their own lives. She had no idea how to help them, so she researched it. [6:37] Research shows multitasking is an illusion. Learn what happens when you try to jump between two tasks and refocus your attention. [8:20] How often the average sales person checks their cell phone each day. And how each interruption reduces productivity. [8:40] To write More Sales, Less Time, Jill used herself as a test subject for the before and after metrics for each new strategy she tried. [10:44] Jill shares how using your willpower impacts your ability to make decisions. [14:20] Jill’s Time Master Manifesto sets rules to manage time, starting with getting seven-and-a-half hours of sleep nightly. [17:28] How you should start each business day before turning on your computer and checking your email. [20:12] Two books to assist salespeople in learning how to prioritize are Essentialism, and The One Thing. [24:03] Challenge the status quo at all times, looking for a better way to achieve the end result. [25:00] Jill shares the value of scheduling your activities into blocks of time. You are most productive while focusing on one activity.   MORE ABOUT JILL KONRATH What’s your most powerful sales attribute?The quality of my questions. They’re penetrating; they’re insightful; they make people think; and I get a lot of good information that I can then translate into what I share later. Who is your sales role model?Neil Rackham, when I started, but today it’s new territory, and I scan a lot of people, and pick and choose what I need. What’s one book that every salesperson should read?There are so many. It depends on what you’re selling, and what you need at a particular time. What music is on your playlist right now? Podcasts only, but when I write, the Focus@Will app.   CONTACT JILL KONRATH Jill invites you to take the More Sales, Less Time Challenge! To start, text to 44144, the message, Sales Website: Jill Konrath

Jeremy Reeves, the CEO of Kaizen Marketing, and host of the marketing podcast, Sales Funnel Mastery.

Welcome to another Front Line Friday with my very special guest (and Front Line Friday co-host), Bridget Gleason, VP of Sales for Logz.io.   KEY TAKEAWAYS [1:43] Bridget likes to finish with the panic before the end of the year. The last two weeks of the year, reps say, “I don’t have anything else to close this quarter.” Bridget says, “So start building up to where you need to be for the next quarter.” [2:56] By the end of January, Bridget likes reps to be well on the way to meeting their first quarter goals. As VP of Sales, Bridget needs to have the year’s structure — territories, hiring, ramping — all set, to focus on the year’s success. [4:45] Bridget sometimes postpones personnel issues until the new year, to focus on finishing the year well, but, as soon as possible in the year, has that difficult conversation. [6:08] Andy says to have those conversations back in October or November — because the problem is evident by then — so you have the team composition in place that you need by January. [7:01] In sales, the data identifies there’s something that’s not working. Millennials in particular, would like ongoing feedback. If managers provide feedback often and early, then the final conversation isn’t as difficult, because it’s not a surprise. [8:58] Andy wants to see successes in January — milestones, closes, shared successes — to build team confidence. It is crucial to keep the team motivated. [12:20] Angela Duckworth’s, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, says great performers are often made by the team, as opposed to great players making the team great. Bridget wants a team that makes people better for being on it. [13:13] Andy believes a team gives you more people to hold you accountable, because no one wants to let their teammates down. Everybody wants to contribute. [15:30] Bridget ‘feels that in spades,’ about her company, Logz.io. Team accountability applies not only to sales professionals, but to all levels of a company. It’s a mesh. [16:35] What has inspired Bridget recently? Angela Duckworth’s book on grit, teaches that intelligence matters, but if others are smarter than we are, we can do a lot to counter that by persistence, and by hard work. [18:19] Bridget shares a story of a personal sacrifice made by one of her managers, with quiet determination, to help close out the big year-end deals. Some sacrifices are needed and appreciated, without apparent martyrdom attached. [23:05] In the first month, pay attention to what’s going on; get early successes for the team; and deal with problems, regardless of sunk cost, whether personnel, or projects that will never close. Take a hard look at everything. CONTACT BRIDGET GLEASON Bridget is VP of Sales with Logz.io, in the U.S. office in Boston, and was previously VP of Corporate Sales at SumoLogic. Prior to that her recent experience includes being VP of Sales for Yesware and SVP of Worldwide Sales for Engine Yard. She can be contacted at Bridget@Logz.io. LinkedIn: Bridget Gleason Send your questions for Andy and Bridget to Andy@ZeroTimeSelling.com.

Timo Rein is the Co-Founder of Pipedrive, which is one of the leading CRM systems for SMB (Small and Midsized Business).

Chris Brogan, CEO of Owner Media Group, a highly sought-after professional speaker, and the New York Times bestselling author of nine books and counting.

Trevor Turnbull is the owner of Linked Into Leads, a LinkedIn trainer, keynote speaker, and owner of the 30 Day Sales Machine program.