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S M T W T F S
     
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Syndication

If we allow it to, fear can hold us back and dominate our lives, but if we focus instead on understanding and managing fear, we can identify the source of our fear and we can improve our own performance.

Kristy Ellington shares today why she believes that being fearless is a myth, and how she overcame years-old fears to unlock improved performance in her own job.

Fearless

Being fearless is a myth because the truth is that everyone experiences fear. Fear doesn't simply infect one section of our lives, but rather every part.

We get caught up in our thoughts and emotions, and fear keeps us from doing the things we want or need to do to get to the next level. Fear causes us to focus inward instead of focusing on the client, which is really detrimental in sales.

As sellers, we want to focus on our clients and how we can connect with them, but fear keeps us focused on how they perceive us, and whether they are judging us, and how we look to them.

Fight or flight

Fear triggers our natural fight-or-flight instinct, which diverts resources from our brains into our arms, legs, heart, and lungs.

It slows down our thinking so that we can't fully analyze situations and we can't think critically. We have no available judgment and we can't find creative solutions because we're afraid.

Fear hinders us in a variety of ways, but realistically it's all in our heads and it's all connected back to some unidentified source of fear that we have to address.

Take action

For sellers, the need to overcome fear is real, and they don't have a lot of time to do it. They have quotas to meet and they have to pick up the phone.

Understand your trigger. If you're afraid of picking up the phone, unpack that fear. It's often the fear of judgment or the fear of rejection or not being professional or expert enough. You fear going off-script and looking or sounding stupid.

Use this five-step process before any big presentation or conversation:

  1. Notice. Recognize the problem. Admit when you're afraid.
  2. Aware. Be aware of where the problem is: tightness in your throat or butterflies in your stomach.
  3. Make. Make the connection. Where did you first feel this problem? What's the source? A bad public speaking experience?
  4. Evaluate. Is this real right now? You have no reason to believe that anyone will make fun of you, so your own thoughts are causing the fear. It isn't real.
  5. Shift. Once you understand that your fear isn't real, you can shift your focus back to your client.

Worst-case scenario

If you have any kind of fear, it's always valid to determine the worst-case scenario.

If you fear elevators because you fear getting stuck and being claustrophobic, ask yourself if it's real. Is it true that you really won't be able to breathe in the elevator?

Is it true that the elevator is going to fall while you're in it? That's likely something you saw in a scary movie once.

Fear is false evidence appearing real.

Imposter Syndrome

Imposter Syndrome is huge for many people, and it prevents you from asking questions for fear that you'll look stupid. It can prevent you from understanding the buying decision or the challenges that your customers are facing.

People also fear saying "no" to clients who aren't the best fit for fear of what might happen. They fear failure and what failure might lead to. Maybe you don't get the promotion or you don't make enough commission to pay your bills.

As a result, you end up with the worst clients on earth because you bent over backward for clients that really weren't worth the effort.

Eliminating fear

It's probably not really realistic to think that someday you'll be fearless. No matter what level you are in life, you'll experience fear.

The fears for a sales development rep will be different for that of a CRO. You'll always experience fear somehow. If you don't experience fear somehow, you're probably not moving forward.

You should be feeling fear. It's a biological response. You can't crush it or eliminate it. You must learn to manage it.

When you do, you can move forward and take inspired action that's thoughtful and clear instead of action that's chaotic and desperate.

Fear is really just there to protect us and keep us safe. Your brain is working to protect you from bad things that happened in the past. Our fears now are social in nature, but they manifest in the same way that physical threats did generations ago.

We don't have to spend so much time being afraid of fear.

Leadership fears

Leaders are just as afraid of looking stupid as the rest of us, just on a different level. They inadvertently create a culture of fear because they are operating from fear.

The stressors are different because they have more responsibility.

As you address fears, it becomes easier to manage them.

"That which we consistently do becomes easier, not because the nature of the thing changes but our ability changes." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fear into confidence

It's possible to turn fear into confidence.

You have to be comfortable with emotion because it's an important part of sales. Empathy is an important part of the work sellers do.

[Tweet "You can't possibly understand other people's situations and fears if you can't understand your own. #EmotionalIntelligence"]

If you're running from emotion, it will make your job much tougher. Embrace emotion. Embrace fear. Start to learn what that looks like.

"Understanding & Managing Fear" episode resources

You can connect with Kristy on LinkedIn, Twitter, or on her website KristyEllington.com

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Prospect.io is offering three months at half-price.

Previously known as TSE Hustler's League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1020.mp3
Category:Fear -- posted at: 2:43pm EDT

Salespeople need mental toughness to weather all the ups and downs of the industry, as well as the pressures and difficulties when things aren’t going well.

Sometimes clients choose another seller. Sometimes a customer ends the relationship. In other cases, we do everything we’re supposed to do, and the deal still won’t close.

Today Ian Wendt talks with us about one of the most difficult moments in his career and how he got through it and continued his journey.

TEACHING INSTEAD OF SELLING

Sales is full of challenges, and it requires a certain amount of self-motivation. For Ian, though, the greatest challenge was when he decided that he didn’t want to knock on doors.

He realized that while he was really good at selling, he was even more valuable as a teacher. He needed to find a way to make himself valuable enough that he could teach other people how to sell and how to be mentally tough, which was what he was really passionate about.

It’s sometimes tough for people to build a sales career that doesn’t involve knocking on doors. Finding a way to make the transition felt daunting to him.

He was haunted by the fear of what would happen if he couldn’t make it work.

Ian shared a quote from the book Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins that goes like this:

“Most people don’t even start if they don’t have a guarantee.”

That was Ian’s mindset at the time of the transition.

PULLING THE TRIGGER

Ian decided to sell for one more summer, and his regional manager used him to do some training. When Ian went to certain offices, those groups started seeing huge spikes in their performance. He was helping them close significant deals and move the needle.

He started tracking his results so he could demonstrate his value.

Ian asked for the opportunity to run a training program, but his leadership told him there was no such position available in the company.

If, however, Ian could prove the value in his training, the company would consider creating one.

Ian is a big believer that you don’t negotiate until you bring value, so that’s what he set out to do. He was determined to produce something he could negotiate with.

TRACKING RESULTS

Ian started tracking the offices, reps, and leaders that he was training. He tracked their metrics and their increases and the improvements in their completion rates for about three months.

He visited about 11 offices and trained more than 60 reps.

Once he had a binder full of information, the leaders called him in to ask what he was doing. They were seeing improvements and they wanted to hear how he was doing it.

He got the leadership on board and he created a pitch for his proposed training. They jumped on board with his idea and moved toward getting started.

UNSEEN STRUGGLES

One of the biggest struggles for Ian was that he wasn’t directly selling anymore. He was investing his time and efforts into these offices and these other sellers, so he wasn’t selling a ton of accounts.

He got a few sales, but he went from making a lot of money to making very little. Ian overdrafted his account at least four times, which was unheard of for him.

He was battling the stress of the downward mindset.

As a result, he now teaches that stress is the number one factor in negativity and negativity is the one thing that will destroy a sales career.

Those reps that operate in fear can be completely debilitated.

WHAT IF?

What if I’m moving the needle but this doesn’t pay out? Or what if I have nothing to show for all my work? Worse yet, What if I don’t make enough to live off of?

Ian lived with exactly that fear during the summer he spent training other sellers. He was plagued by the internal debate over whether to return to the regular sales or to keep trying to develop his training idea.

RESULTS

Ian put himself in a position to do work that he loves. Now he’s over all of the training and content creation for his entire company, and he gets paid really well for it.

He’s grateful every day that he was able to create his own future. He recently spoke at a conference where he reminded the audience that sales will always be hard. But, he said, if you can master it, you can really control the outcome of your life.

 

You can find a way to do work that you love and position yourself to look forward to the work week.

He loves the opportunity to share what he has learned with other people, and he loves being surrounded by people who are constantly trying to develop themselves.

“FEAR AND MENTAL TOUGHNESS” EPISODE RESOURCES

Ian is in the process of developing a consulting and coaching program. In the meantime, he’s doing some side work with individual organizations and people.  Connect with Ian via direct message on Facebook @ian.wendt, LinkedIn @ianwendt, and Instagram @iwendtster.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never, ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Direct download: TSE_1019.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:15am EDT

Many of us in sales have jumped into companies without a training process or guidance; we find ourselves winging it and wondering, “Where’s my mentor?”

Aaron Walker started in the business when he was 18 years old. At the age of 27, he sold to a Fortune 500 company and retired.

Eighteen months later, his wife told him he was becoming fat and lazy; so he went back to work, purchased the company he first started and grew it four times in 10 years.

It was all fun until the unimaginable happened in August 2001.

Aaron accidentally killed a pedestrian with his car. It changed his life.

He sold the business and spent the next five years learning how to deal with the tragedy.

CHANGING HIS LEGACY

In the process, he realized that his financial success lacked significance. He didn’t want his legacy to be “‘enough money to retire at the age of 27.” Nobody cares.

He wanted to make a change. He decided to spend his life encouraging and edifying others.

Aaron changed the way he did business. He started looking outward more than inward and he gathered mentors to help him.

His life began to take a very different path.

With the help of several mentors he has worked with for more than two decades in a Mastermind group, Aaron launched his own coaching company, View From the Top.

He now leads 14 mastermind groups in eight different countries to help people live a life of success and significance.

ISOLATION IS THE ENEMY TO EXCELLENCE

Aaron defines a mentor as somebody who will walk alongside you for an extended period of time, as opposed to a coach who helps you get through a certain point in life.

Aaron has been with some of the same mentors for more than 40 years. They help him realize where he needs to go in life.

Mentors are people who have been there/done that and whose core values coincide with your own. They are the people who want what is best for you rather than what is best for themselves.  

For sales, in particular, mentors are crucial. Aaron believes that it is very difficult to grow and expand alone because we each have only one filter – one life experience that guides how we view things.

THE VALUE OF MENTORS

Other people see us differently than we see ourselves. As such, mentors can help realize your superpowers. They also help you understand your weaknesses and to see your blind spots.

Having a mentor to point out what we would otherwise miss ourselves can be the very thing that puts us over the top.

We have many obstacles and upper limit challenges that we need to push through. Trusted and unbiased advisors can point us in the right direction.

Aaron recalls a guy in one of his mastermind groups that was putting together a course that was, in reality, absolutely terrible. Everything about it was terrible, but the group helped him tweak it and shape it into something amazing.  

It’s the same way in our lives. Aaron admits he lacks tact but never realized that many people viewed him as arrogant and condescending until his wife pointed it out to him. It was one of his blind spots.

We need people around us who can help us out.

We all know the overly confident, borderline cocky salespeople. Getting them to accept advice, to realize their blind spots and to be humble is tricky. Confidence is needed in sales but people don’t buy arrogance and cockiness. There has to be a measure of humility. A mentor can help you get there.

Surround yourselves in business, in marriage, in every area of your life with mentors that you trust to help you get where you want to go.

WHERE’S MY MENTOR?

To find a mentor, look for someone who has been married for a long time if you have questions about marriage. Find someone who has been in business for along time if you have questions about that.

Look for someone who has nothing to lose, or gain, by talking to you. Family members are often biased in that regard because they want you to have what you want to have.

You want someone who will give it to you straight.

You have to be willing to subject yourself to scrutiny. You have to be willing to accept the truth in order to hear the truth. That is why masterminds are so profoundly helpful – you have 8-10 people with completely different life experiences at your disposal.

They can take your great idea, look at it, and point out the things about it that you might not have thought of.  When you work with the same people over months or years, a pattern develops and they see it.

Aaron has worked with the same counselor for decades. They talk when things are going well and when they aren’t. Over that amount of time, the counselor realized that Aaron did something completely radical about once every 36 months. This type of behavior classifies Aaron as a ‘creator developer’, rather than a ‘maintainer manager.’

A creator developer is someone who gets bored easily and who doesn’t like everything to be the same all the time. It explains why Aaron has had 12 businesses. He likes to develop and create.

Because Aaron had a mentor who was able to point it out, Aaron can now plan accordingly.

THE EBBS AND THE FLOWS

Many young people don’t have mentors while many people with experience to share aren’t necessarily interested in reaching out. Aaron is hoping to connect the two.

Mentors have changed Aaron’s life in many ways. He remembers many ebbs and flows throughout his life. One dark time several years ago was particularly difficult. Aaron relied heavily upon his mastermind group at the time and met with them every week. He just could not get motivated but the group was there to listen.

It went on for months.

Then, one Saturday, Aaron got a call from one of the guys in the group. It was alarming at first because the group never spoke on the weekends but Aaron knew by the tone of his voice that it was good news.

“I know you’ve been in a dark spot for a long time and I’ve been praying for you … but you are wearing the hell out of everybody in the group. You just keep on and on every week. Take the chains off from around your neck and move on,” he said.

And then he hung up. Aaron was so mad at the audacity of the call.

But then he started thinking.

Realizing that his friend loved him enough to tell him the truth was the change he needed to get over it and to move forward.

A casual friendship does not give that kind of hard truth.

 

Put down the facade and be vulnerable. That is where true strength starts. Surround yourself with people who know your good, your bad, and your ugly but who still care about you.

It is the solid foundation that will allow you to become all you were created to be.

“WHERE’S MY MENTOR?” EPISODE RESOURCES

You can reach out to Aaron via his website, Viewfromthetop.com. His mastermind group, Iron Sharpens Iron (ISI), meets on a regular basis via video conference all over the world. Check it out!

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Prospect.io is offering three months at half-price.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1018.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:08am EDT

If you've been guilty of bulldozing your prospects or being rude or uncaring, today must be the day you change your mindset: Don't treat prospects like a number.

Although numbers are important to those of us who work in sales, we can't let them become our primary focus. They can help us measure our success and determine our strengths and weaknesses, but we can't reduce our prospects to a number.

Find the balance

Some organizations focus so little on numbers that they don't have any way to replicate their successes. They have no idea how many calls it takes to get to the right customer. They have no idea of their conversion rate.

On the other hand, some organizations are so focused on the numbers that it becomes the primary focus of their work. As a result, they often sacrifice quality in the name of numbers.

Do not lose track of the people in the process.

My wife got a call from a traditional seller in a traditional selling situation last week: he knew nothing about the company except the name and the phone number. He didn't know who he needed to speak to, and it was obvious he was calling from a call center.

The caller wasn't prepared and he didn't have a cadence to his call.

Dialing for dollars

Some companies have a single speed. They spend each day dialing for dollars and relying on phone calls to advance their numbers.

They fail to realize that today's buyers are busy. They fail to approach selling from the buyer's standpoint.

It never occurs to them that they could have brought value in an email. Or that they could have used multiple emails to share client testimonials or valuable tips or irresistible messages.

They overlook LinkedIn as a place to connect with prospects and they miss the opportunity to provide value. They forget that they could mail something to the prospect or research who they should contact within a company.

They overlook the strength of using multiple points of entry rather than just blasting the prospect with phone calls.

Control your emotion

When my wife told the caller that we weren't interested in doing business with him, he got upset.

He's no doubt frustrated because he's doing the same activity every single day and not having much success, but it doesn't give him a pass to get upset.

Sometimes you've brought value and done everything possible for your buyer, and they still aren't ready to buy.

It's ok to say, "Hey, I get this all the time. Sometimes people aren't ready. Out of curiosity, is it because you guys already have someone in place or just that you're not looking to buy right now?"

Once they give me an answer, I ask if it's ok for me to send podcasts or videos in the future. If they say yes, then I've left the door open.

Instead of sacrificing my connection by getting angry, I keep opportunities open.

Develop processes

I'm a big proponent of making sure you have processes in place as you reach out to prospects.

If you're treating them like a number and calling without doing any research, please stop. You're treating them like a number and they're going to respond accordingly.

Offer personal touches.

Take 2 to 5 minutes to go on LinkedIn and find out what the company does. Don't eat up too much of your time, just find out the key players and the company mission so you can have an intelligent conversation.

Do work

If you're trying to reach people the same way everyone else is, you're probably not going to have a lot of success.

You're going to have to do a little bit of work to grab our attention in a busy setting.

I recently got a video from someone as a form of outreach, and I complimented the person on the video. Then, I invited the person to be a guest on the podcast, and the show is going live soon.

It's more work for you, but your job as the seller is to make the buyer's job easier. Don't add unnecessary complication.

[Tweet "Treat people like people. Try something unique. People aren't robots and they aren't just numbers. #EffectiveSelling"]

"Don't Treat Prospects Like a Number" episode resources

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never, ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler's League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Direct download: TSE_1017.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:22pm EDT

We’ve all experienced that sinking feeling in sales as we near the end of another month … so how do you deal with the pressure of hitting your quarterly number? It’s not easy, especially without the proper guidance.

Brian Manning, SVP & Head of Growth at PatientPing, works to help startups grow their ideas and he is here today to share insight on how to deal with the pressure of hitting your quarterly numbers.

PatientPing is a care coordination platform that helps healthcare providers collaborate with one another on shared platforms. Brian has been with PatientPing for three years now. He oversees their sales, marketing, government affairs, and partnerships.

From a sales leader standpoint, Brian thinks of quarterly numbers in terms of the Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) for each layer of the business: the overall company ARR, the sales team ARR and the individual sales rep ARR.

WILL, SHOULD, COULD

Sales reps often feel the pressure to perform and, as a leader, Brian likes to have his reps 3x their pipeline as they enter the quarter. As the quarter goes on, however, and things become more sophisticated, Brian moves on to the ‘Will, Should, Could’ method.

This method involves marking each deal throughout the quarter as Will Close, Should Close and Could Close.  Wills usually equal about 95%, while Should is at 70% and Could is closer to 50%. The Sales Operation Team does this for each week for each rep to provide a projection for the quarter.

In this way, at any given week, the reps have a pretty good sense of where they stand in relation to their targets. Brian has found that the projections are smart and reliable.

THE DETECTIVE MINDSET

When sales reps feel pressure to hit their quarterly numbers, it is usually a result of a failure somewhere in the sales funnel. There might not be enough leads, the presentations may not convert into proposals, or the deals may be stuck in contract too long.

It is usually one specific thing that slows them down. It almost takes a detective mindset to figure it out sometimes, but it can be done.

A key factor in reducing the pressure of hitting your quarterly numbers begins with the numbers that are expected of the sales rep.

The rep needs to be comfortable with those numbers.

If they do not see a path toward achieving the goal set in front of them, they need to alert their manager right away – before the quarter even starts.

It should not be viewed as a sign of weakness, nor should a rep fail to come forward because of pride.  

As a manager, Brian knows it is important to listen to his team. The territory could be bad, the ramp might be too quick, or the training may need to be improved.

He does, however, require an intelligent and well-thought-out conversation rather than simple excuses.

You never want to send a rep out to achieve a quota he doesn’t feel he can meet. It’s not healthy for anyone.

With their detective hats on, the manager and the rep can then work together to specifically analyze the territory, the opportunity, and the various stages that the deals are in.

It has the benefit of making the sales rep more effective which, in turn, increases the likelihood of hitting the numbers in subsequent quarters.

EMPATHY

 

When the pressure is high or the number is high, it is especially important to take care of your health. Brian believes that nothing is insurmountable when you are feeling healthy and well.

A seller under too much pressure – one with any type of resentment towards the product or the company  – will not be a seller who gives his best. It will translate into his performance and affect the clients and the sales.

When a salesperson puts his energy into dealing with the things that he can’t control – an imperfect product or lack of marketing team support, for example – the salesperson will always lose.

In Brian’s experience, the number one difference between a great seller and a not-so-great seller is that the energy of the great seller goes to the areas where he has control. Don’t waste energy on things that will not help you reach your numbers, or succeed.

Your energy, as a salesperson, needs to go into selling under the conditions you are in. This does not mean, however, that you should hesitate to flag issues. If there is something wrong with the product or the process, it should certainly be brought to the attention of management.

There will always be that one guy who wants to complain regardless of the situation. But those reps that can focus and channel their energy into doing what is best for their client are the reps that will succeed.

TRANSPARENCY

There is a seesaw to transparency. When a rep is doing really well and is on track to reach his quota, his manager will see it and will know the rep is doing fine. There is no reason to stress.

But if the rep isn’t doing well or the numbers are low, transparency needs to increase. Brian suggests something as simple as a weekly email to management to address what is working and what is not working. Being really honest and vulnerable in this way provides management with the information, and the opportunity, to improve the system. It helps everyone in the long run.

Many of us don’t like to admit when we are having trouble but it is always easier to address a problem when it is small rather than waiting until it is too big to handle.

Brian has found that, generally speaking, most sales reps that want to work for a start-up are self-starters. They are the ones who read sales books and listen to podcasts to further their own learning.

HORIZONTAL LEARNING

Over time, as a company grows, Brian will bring in sales trainers to coach and shadow. Until a solid infrastructure is up and running, however, Brian has created a system where his sales team sends out a weekly ‘Wins and Learning’ email to each other.

He also stresses that a good learning experience is more valuable than a big win. His team has become competitive to send out the best learning which scales across the team.

  • Be analytical
  • If you are doing well, document how you do it.
  • If you are not doing well, document why not. Be honest and lead the charge into fixing it.

“HITTING YOUR QUARTERLY NUMBERS” EPISODE RESOURCES

Brian has maintained a blog for the past ten years at Briancmanning.com. He is also on Twitter.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Prospect.io is offering three months at half-price.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1016.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:29am EDT

One of my favorite topics to talk about is lack of confidence and the challenges and fear that come along with it; and, more specifically, how we can overcome it.

Paul Carswell was the salaried manager of a Sherwin-Williams storefront for many years before transitioning in 2018 to become an independent Medicare Insurance Specialist. He works with clients ages 65+ to help them and to bring value to their community.  

Surviving on a 100% commission-based income took some getting used to. Instead of clients walking into the store, Paul had to learn how to make calls and set appointments.

In order to educate potential clients on the complexities of the Medicare system, Paul also hosts educational events in the community. He uses podcasts like this one to reach out to as many people as possible. Such events help people to realize that his primary goal is to help the community rather than to simply earn a paycheck.

LACK OF CONFIDENCE

Moving from a salaried position to a commission-based position certainly caused some fear and trepidation. The transition of receiving a paycheck every two weeks, regardless of performance, to selling private insurance came with a steep learning curve.

Paul knew he had to get out in front of people. Nobody was simply “walking into the store anymore.” Previously, his whole day had been planned out for him. Now he had an empty schedule that only he could fill.

It seemed nice and relaxing for the first two weeks but then reality set in. With no paycheck coming in and no prospects on the calendar, Paul admits to feeling defeated.

A lack of confidence was setting in.

REGAINING CONFIDENCE

Paul had to put his pride aside and get busy. Drawing from his experience as a basketball player, he knew he had to take shots if he was ever going to score.

He started contacting old friends and networking – anything to populate his schedule. It didn’t matter if it was Medicare-related or not.

Paul found that the more he put on his calendar, the more he was able to begin to weed out the events that would not benefit his business. Eventually, after about eight weeks of making calls and networking – still without a paycheck – he finally had a full schedule of Medicare-related events to look forward to.

As a result of the changes he implemented, Paul improved his relationships with his friends by talking with them more. On the business side of things, he has increased his bookings from zero to 50 and is earning a decent income because of the work he put into it.

It didn’t all come at once, however, as it did before at Sherwin-Williams. In his current role, sales is a lengthy process instead of a quick sale with an immediate exchange of goods.

Learning to understand the long-term payout was his biggest struggle. As such, Paul advises everyone to stay focused on long-term goals.

 

The more people you get yourself in front of, the more you will realize how many people truly care about you and want your business to succeed.

“LACK OF CONFIDENCE” EPISODE RESOURCES

You can contact Paul on his cellphone at 703-342-9087 or via email at paul@carswell.io.  Paul is on Instagram  @paulcarswell. He can also be found on Twitter and Facebook. His website will be up and running soon!

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never, ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

 

Direct download: TSE_1015.mp3
Category:Fear -- posted at: 12:27pm EDT

As salespeople, we’ve all faced new rejection. It feels like a punch in the gut every time. It can sometimes make you question if you should even stay in the business.  

Kevin Yee knows what I’m talking about. Rejection is especially hard to handle when you are new to it as Kevin was.

Kevin left the pharmacy industry and now runs a high ticket closing agency of about ten team members working with B2B and B2C clients.

It was risky move but after attending a sales training course, Kevin was highly motivated. He was excited to start making calls but terrified at the same time. He knew he lacked experience and that affected his confidence. Kevin wanted clients but he wasn’t sure if he was really going to be able to help them.

Intellectually, he knew he could work hard and figure things out but he remained insecure.

THE WRONG FOCUS

He was so focused on those insecurities, that within moments, his first client had control of the call. Looking back, Kevin realizes he was trying to be someone that he wasn’t. He is naturally inclined to be helpful but he was trying to be authoritative in his delivery.

He knew all the right things to say but he lacked conviction and it came across in his voice. It didn’t help that the client was also not interested in the services of a high- ticket closer.

Kevin had worked so hard to put everything in his training so the rejection really hit him hard. His confidence in sales was shaken.

He didn’t want to go back to pharmacy, however, so he decided to try again.

TRYING AGAIN

At the time, he was a one-man sales team. He had a marketing background so he set up a sales funnel for himself where he was the closer at the end. With help from his YouTube channel, the leads started to come in.

It was a good problem to have.

Kevin signed on a few friends to help out. Having confidence in the team’s ability to get results made it easier to reach out to more and more clients.

Certainly, the best time to close a sale is right after closing a previous sale because that is when confidence is high.

It has been six months since the sales funnel took off. The team has been getting better and better and Kevin has focused on getting more and more clients. He learned how to really connect with people and to be a good friend to his clients. Kevin takes the time to really learn about their businesses so that he can tackle any problems his clients may have.

He knows that the most important part of any new business is marketing and sales.

WORKING WITH OTHERS

He and his team are currently in the process of onboarding a B2B client with six-figure packages as they continue to reach out to new clients.

They strive to authentically reach out to people to help solve the closing and sales problems of their business. He believes there is a lot of opportunity on the table and is excited for the future.  

Kevin knows he could not have done it alone. He encourages you to reach out to others, especially if you are struggling. He believes that you have to have a giving mentality to succeed; nobody wants to work with a selfish person.

Sometimes we just get so focused on our own lane that we fail to realize there are cars next to us. Kevin hopes his story will inspire others who may be ‘in the slumps’ to keep putting themselves out there, and to rely on others for help as you continue to do the same for others.

“NEW REJECTION” EPISODE RESOURCES

Check out Kevin’s YouTube channel at Kevin Yee PharmD, or contact him at refugeehustle.com.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Prospect.io is offering three months at half-price.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1014.mp3
Category:Rejection -- posted at: 10:13am EDT

ow do you deal with uncertainty as a salesperson? It’s definitely a tough thing that can wipe some people out.

Tom Libelt has been a salesman for almost 20 years; inside sales, outside sales, retail, large corporations – you name it. He has a couple of his own companies as well and is currently focused on the marketing of online courses.

Tom credits just getting up every morning and going to work as the secret to his success. And, he never leaves anything half-finished.

You don’t have to accomplish ten million things in one day – aim for two or three. It is amazing how much you can achieve in a year if you just check two or three items off each day. You could record an album, get a degree, open a store …

In this way, Tom has been able to 5x his company in just three months.

PLAN AHEAD

He says the trick is to plan ahead the night before so as not to lose your focus, momentum, and energy trying to figure it all out the next morning.

When Tom is in the middle of a really fun project, he sometimes will let it set overnight just so he can enjoy it again for another day. Leaving something overnight, however, also just bugs him the whole night; he can’t stop thinking about it.

He wakes up looking forward to finishing it. In his experience, completing a great project first thing in the morning establishes the work flow for the rest of the day.

You will already be in the mindset to get things done.

DEALING WITH UNCERTAINTY

Dealing with uncertainty is especially difficult as a salesperson. We hear ‘No’ more than anyone else in any profession.

It can be a real roller coaster ride: Got a sale! … No sale…. Almost got a sale …hot lead! … nothing.

It is especially hard when there is a target to hit. The ride can last two or three weeks before it lands on a sale. It’s a grind sometimes and it can chip away at your confidence – and increase your uncertainty – if you don’t have the experience to handle it.

As a salesperson, Tom defines uncertainty as a feeling that nothing is working. It is that moment when the negative thoughts start to take over and you begin to worry. It is when the confidence and experience you need to know you will be okay are not there.

Those moments are fueled by fear and the worst decisions are often made as a result.

Imagine trying to close a deal and being terrified of what might happen if you fail. The client can sense that fear and you will not close that deal despite all your abilities. The wrong value and emotions are transferred to the client. Clients don’t buy when they are scared.

You wouldn’t want a hesitant doctor – you want a confident doctor.  It is the same with sales.

PROJECT CONFIDENCE

We have to project competence, confidence, and professionalism. Tom isn’t concerned whether or not his clients like him but he does want them to trust and respect him.

Tom is of the belief that although having a strong opinion may not always earn you friends, it will earn you respect. Clients don’t want someone who is trying to cater to everyone; they want someone who is confident and able to fix their problem.

Tom and his no-nonsense approach have closed many sales. He doesn’t tell his clients what they want to hear. He tells them what they need to hear.

Sometimes the respect comes automatically because you are working for a well-established brand name but only you, as a salesperson, can earn trust and confidence.

If you are dealing with uncertainty, if you had a poor showing in 2018 for example, Tom believes that 99% of the time it stems from a lack of prospecting.

You have to prospect to fill the sales funnel. Sitting around waiting for the phone to ring is a recipe for uncertainty.

THE FUNDAMENTALS

If you follow the fundamentals, you can succeed. You have to make a start and you have to put in the work. Just because someone hung up on you one time doesn’t mean it will happen every time.

Don’t let uncertainty keep you from continuing to try.

I especially like working with novices because they aren’t afraid. It is the flip side of experience – they haven’t failed enough times to be afraid to try again.

Tom also believes that, as a whole, we have become soft. Instead of cold calling or going door-to-door, we now have technology that allows us to stay at our desk. We no longer have to deal with brutal weather or slamming doors.

Stop asking for permission.

Instead of asking your manager how to best handle a call, or what you should do next, Tom says to just do it! The worst thing that could happen is that the client will say ‘No.’

If that happens, and it will sometimes, just move on and try again. You never know what will happen unless you do it, unless you keep trying. You can’t score unless you step up to the plate and swing the bat.

Sales needs momentum.

Tom realizes that, in the past, he wasn’t always the most successful salesperson. He knows there were times when he slacked off on prospecting, especially after a having a good week. He was forced to restart the process over and over again as a result.

As long as you do what it takes, good things will happen.

Do prospect. Do fill that sales funnel. Stop the amateur nonsense. Leave the outrage and softness at the door.

“UNCERTAINTY AS A SALESPERSON” EPISODE RESOURCES

Tom can be reached via smartbrandmarketing.com.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Direct download: TSE_1013.mp3
Category:Planning -- posted at: 2:52pm EDT

If you find yourself hesitant to tell people that you work in sales because you think anyone can do it, today we’re discussing the fact that You are Important as Well!!

The year was 2011. I was a recent college graduate working for the first company in my professional career. I was attending a fine dining networking event when I ran into an old friend.

The old friend, it turns out, had decided to take on Wall Street after graduation and was now the head of finance for a multinational company in Miami. It sounded like he was doing great.

“Hey! Donald! It’s great to see you! What are you doing these days?!”

I clammed up because I didn’t want to tell him that I was in sales for a medical company. I was ashamed of saying I was a sales rep because, early on, it felt to me like anyone could do sales. [0:00]

Change your mindset

It took me a while to realize that not just anyone can do well in sales. And I want to help you change your mindset, too. I want you to understand that you are important as well!

Many professional careers - medical, law, finance - require college degrees. They are critical jobs with important tasks.

Sales, however, doesn’t carry the glamour it once did. Many of us don’t even wear a suit to work anymore. Rather, it is believed that anyone who can “sell” can get a job in sales. We sit behind a computer and make phone calls … we are pushy people, bottom feeders, and we lack the ability to do anything else. [03:19]

That is how I used to feel. Now I know better.

Money

In sales, we have an unlimited level of income. After executives, sellers earn the highest incomes.

  • As a salesperson, it is your job to bring money into the organization.
  • Money is the lifeblood of any company, even for non-profits.
  • Finance, HR, tech, even the CEO - none of them can do their job without money.
  • The company cannot grow without money.

Every department needs money but only sales can deliver it. [04:38]

Certain jobs, like sales, are an asset to any company. Other positions - ones that earn a paycheck every week without bringing money into the firm - are liabilities. [06:21]

Salespeople are so important to the bottom line. The information we have is needed in board meetings because everyone wants to know what the sales pipeline looks like.  They need to know. [06:52]

Education

Sales can be an easier field to get started in because it doesn't require a lot of technical training. [Tweet "It is also true that your capacity to perform well as a salesperson will increase significantly with education. #SalesEducation"]

It is why I do this podcast. It is why I offer training and how I am able to help companies, and their sales teams, do better.

Understanding individuals, understanding the industry, and understanding the sales process is all part of training. It increases our education.

Schools are now spending time and effort to offer sales training as a degree because they recognize the power of the sales role. They recognize how critical sales is to any organization.  

The prestigious capabilities of sales is returning and it is exciting. [07:33]

Believe in yourself

I am ashamed sometimes for ever doubting myself but I learned from it. I learned and I improved and I was able to perform better as a result. Now I understand what I am truly capable of bringing to an organization and I understand how valuable I am.

Have the strong and firm knowledge and belief that you are important. Listening to this podcast, for example, shows that you have taken an interest in learning something new. Improving yourself improves the entire profession. [09:19]

I was fortunate enough the other day to be thanked by a regular listener who credits this podcast with helping him succeed. He took some of the things he has learned from our guests and from the books we’ve recommended and is currently enjoying a sales incentive trip for doing so well in 2018. [10:00]

Recognize that you are important.

You are a professional sales rep with a skill that many people do not have. Work for a company that validates your contributions and offers a product or service that you feel strongly about.

Keep learning and keep growing. Earn that unlimited income.

I want you to be successful and to find more ideal customers. Build stronger value, close more deals. Do more each and every day. [10:56]

“You are Important as Well!!” episode resources

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Prospect.io is offering three months at half-price.

Previously known as TSE Hustler's League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link. 

Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1012.mp3
Category:Mindset -- posted at: 4:01pm EDT

On today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, we talk to Alex Quin about how to step up our game, get back up when we get knocked down, and what to do when everyone tells you no.

Alex is an investor who focuses on projects that he is passionate about, whether they be in entertainment, media, or fashion. His current projects include a globally-distributed clothing company based in Miami and several content creation projects bound for Netflix and Amazon.

As a public figure, Alex has had the opportunity to work with many brands that use his image and likeness for promotions and commercials. As an entrepreneur with several successful projects that garnered a lot of media attention, Alex became an influencer despite initially wanting to remain behind the scenes. [01:28]

HARD WORK AND CONSISTENCY

Some view his achievements as an overnight success. Alex doesn’t agree. He knows it took many years of hard work and consistency.

Yet people tend to focus on the finished product.

Consider social media for example. We want to portray ourselves positively and in the best light, which can come across to others as a perfect life. But social media is just the highlight reel. It doesn’t show the downfalls, the difficult times, or the moments of self-doubt.

When all the hard work is glossed over, it is easy to be fooled into thinking that you are the only one not succeeding.

In reality, everyone makes mistakes. But those mistakes can become opportunities to learn. [03:16]

Alex cites money, or rather the lack of it, as his biggest challenge. He started an advertising company using money he earned working in the fast food industry.

No job was too small. If he needed to clean bathrooms in order to afford computers or camera equipment or to pay the rent on a small office, he did it.

It was a difficult journey and he worked with a lot of people who let him down. [04:46]

HOW TO HANDLE ‘NO’

As sellers, many of us enter the industry assuming everyone will be nice, or at least polite. So rejection really hurts.

It takes a while to understand that they aren’t necessarily being mean to us but that maybe we are just not offering a good fit for what they need.

So how do we handle ‘no?’

We need to be realistic. We can get so involved in our project that we lose the outsider’s perspective and fail to see our own shortcomings.

Maybe the prospects are saying ‘no’ because there is a flaw in our presentation. Maybe we aren’t doing something right.

We need to re-evaluate ourselves and keep an open mind.

Is the feedback coming from a negative perspective or from a constructive criticism perspective? If you are continually hearing ‘no’ – what is the common denominator?

Find out why you were rejected.

It is the least you can do for yourself. Find out what part of your pitch caught their attention and what part turned them off. [05:38]

Study your project. What do you need to do – what might you need to change – to get a ‘yes’?

The founder of Starbucks had hundreds of rejections, as did Walt Disney. They both learned so much throughout the process that when the ‘yes’ finally came – they were ready.

A ‘no’ is an opportunity to learn because it points you in the direction of improvement. [07:33]

MENTAL HEALTH

Learning to handle rejection is also extremely important from a mental health perspective. Depression is real. It is often overlooked but it happens.

As entrepreneurs, we deal with a lot of negatives and the only way to keep a positive outlook is to turn those negatives into positives.

Maybe things are falling apart so that you can build them back up in a better way. Maybe the structure was wrong or the foundation was crumbling; this is your chance to fix it.

Entrepreneurs are not successful simply because their one crazy idea took off. They are successful because they worked consistently at that idea. [08:56]

It can be confusing when you see all the young kids on social media making so much money. You have to realize that most entrepreneurs aren’t successful until their mid-30’s or mid-40’s.

You are not in competition with other people. As an entrepreneur, you are in competition with yourself.

Your success depends upon your abilities:  your ability to be organized, to be focused, and to care for your mental state. It is your achievement when it works and it is your fault when it doesn’t.

Think of it as a race. Don’t focus on the competition, or the people behind you, or next to you. Focus on what you can do this time to make it better than last time.

Focus only on the finish line and go for your personal best. [10:04]

Think about your outreach. Can you improve your email? Is your offering good? Maybe it is all great but the timing just doesn’t work for your client.

LEAVE AN OPEN DOOR

Alex recalls working on a huge proposal for a global brand a few years ago. He spent three months researching and building strategy but didn’t get the deal through no fault of his own.

He and his team had done everything they could have possibly done. The client loved it but they were simply not ready.

No amount of sweet talking would have changed a thing.

Fast forward to the present, and that same company now endorses Alex.

You never know where something might lead. Leave an open door and don’t burn bridges. Do good business with good morals. [12:34]

Don’t be upset when faced with a ‘no.’ It could become a ‘yes’ in the future.

It is understandable that several rejections can eat away at your confidence. We all have our insecurities. You have to love what you are doing so much that it doesn’t matter what other people think about you.

Don’t listen to negative comments. Understand and have faith in your talent. Listen only to those people who want the best for you personally and professionally.

CONFIDENCE IS KEY

You will meet setbacks and failures because nothing is perfect. But you were brave enough to come up with and pursue your idea, so the negative opinions of others should not stop you.

If others don’t see that confidence in you, however, they will move on. You must have confidence and project confidence.

There are ways to build confidence. Books you can read, classes you can take – the more you learn about something, the more confident you will be when speaking about it.

Use frustration as fuel to improve yourself. Educate yourself. Be informed. Hustle inspires hustle. Surround yourself with uplifting people and rise together. [15:13]

You will face rejection. It is not the end of the world. Get yourself back in the game.

When Alex is having a bad day at work, he reads about the struggles that Elon Musk is going through with his business, or reads about the daily struggles facing people without clean water.

It puts a renewed perspective on things.

If you are listening to this podcast, you are already in a better position than most. You have access to a computer and a desire to learn.

If you don’t know how to use what you already have to do well, then do your research. Learn how. There is an alternative to everything.

ENERGY ATTRACTS ENERGY

Don’t let the game change you. Don’t allow other people to bring you down with their negativity.  Radiate positivity.

Don’t give your energy to people whose loyalty is controlled by opportunity. Weed out the people in your life.

Why are they trying to help you? Why are they doing what they are doing? You can’t give from an empty cup so take care of yourself first. [17:01]

“PLAN, PREPARE AND REFUSE TO GIVE UP” EPISODE RESOURCES

Alex loves to connect with people and to give marketing advice. Reach out to him at www.Alexquin.com.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcastso you won’t miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Direct download: TSE_1011.mp3
Category:Rejection -- posted at: 9:13am EDT

Sales professionals who lose track of the fundamental tasks involved in selling don't perform as well, so we've created the TSE Certified Sales Training Program to help sellers stay focused on what's important.

Sales includes many tedious tasks that, done together, help sellers be successful. The TSE Certified Sales Training Program focuses on fundamentals because we want to help you be proficient at selling.

Golf game

Golf demands precision. Small adjustments to your club or your stance can completely change your swing and where the ball lands.

It's a tedious game, and the professionals who play it every day practice the same shots over and over to become proficient at it. If they don't practice it repeatedly, they won't perform well on the course. [03:19]

TSE's Certified Sales Training Program intends to do the same thing for sellers. Our goal is to help sellers focus on the small, fundamental tasks on their way to becoming proficient.

I spoke to a VP of a major organization about fundamentals and why we miss them sometimes; things like prospecting, asking the right questions, building rapport, listening, building value, and closing. When we don't do the fundamentals, we don't succeed.

Experienced sellers

I've come across many people who are experienced sellers that suddenly clam up and struggle to do things like prospecting. Fear paralyzes them and their pipelines dry up as a result. [04:02]

I typically discover that they never truly understood the fundamentals, so when they started to struggle, it wrecked their confidence.

The TSE Certified Sales Training Program is different than anything we've offered in the past. It's 12-weeks long, and it's broken up by month. Each month, we tackle the core struggles sellers face.

The first month addresses prospecting. The second deals with building value. The third area is conversion or closing.

Each month includes four modules and each module includes 30 minutes worth of video. After you watch the videos, you can engage with the coaching groups to address what you learned.

At the end of the week, you apply the principles you learned, and test the results. We include role-playing and shared experiences.

At the end of the entire course, you're certified. Now you can go and share what you've learned with others in your organization.

We're launching a Beta test of the program and we're inviting about 20-25 people to participate with us. They'll help us work out the kinks before we publicly launch the program.

Role play

If you're looking to improve your own fundamentals, role play is an important tool. Even if you've been selling for a long time, role-playing helps you improve your interactions with customers.

A recent guest on the podcast shared that his company shares information among all the team members, tests new ideas, and then evaluates to see how successful it was.

When they stumble upon a successful idea, they apply the new concept to their own process. They role play and practice it because they realize that you can always improve and you can always learn. [07:50]

Study

Listening to this podcast is a great way to continue to learn about sales. In addition, you should engage in personal sales study of your own.

In the case of TSE, we can't always discuss concepts in depth because we have a limited amount of time. Consider listening to audiobooks as a way to expand your knowledge base. If you don't already have Audible, take advantage of the 30-day free offer available to the TSE audience to listen to books while you do other things.

If you prefer, you can use Overdrive in conjunction with the public library to get access to free audiobooks.

Either way, invest 30 minutes each day to increase your knowledge and capabilities on your way to being a more effective seller. [09:05]

Practice

Practice what you learn.

Try all the things you role played and read about and then be intentional to implement new ideas into your process. Practice them to see what kind of results you get.

We're excited to share the new program with you, and we'd love to talk to you if you or your team are interested in joining us.

"TSE Certified Sales Training Program" episode resources

Check out Audible and Overdrive to help you maximize your growth by learning more about sales.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler's League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1010.mp3
Category:Sales Training -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Pauline “Muffin” Grayson is a graphic designer who believes we shouldn’t let anything get in the way of our passion, and she has a single message for us: Don’t ration your passion.

Pauline has a degree in fine arts. After school, she stumbled into freelancing and surface pattern design; the design for gift wrap and greeting cards. You may know her from her designs on  petitelemon.com and Shutterfly.com.

PURSUE YOUR PASSION

Pauline describes passion as doing something you absolutely love without letting anything else get in the way. For Pauline, that is design. She says she is just not happy unless she is doing it. It is who she is as an individual.

Yet sometimes, societal expectations seem to limit us from pursuing our passions.

I remember telling people that I was in sales and getting the distinct impression from them that they assumed it was only because I couldn’t find anything better to do. I wasn’t living up to their expectations despite that I was doing what I truly loved to do.

Pauline can relate.  As a stay-at-home mom, many people wrongly assume she chose to do so because she couldn’t do anything else.

Pauline is passionate about being a mom, but she is also passionate about design. So she found a way to do both. It makes her a better mom and a better designer as a result.

Many people abandon their passion because they fail to set goals. As a young girl on a dairy farm in Idaho, Pauline learned that hard work pays dividends.

She says she is not the best designer out there but believes that her hard work and her goal to continually improve is what sets her apart.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY

Fear is often not even based in fact. We worry about what might happen and create a false reality as a result. It is helpful to have someone to discuss your goals and aspirations with; someone who can keep you grounded and on course.  

Set goals high but also set reasonable timelines to reach them.

Pauline recalls a time when she met the owner of Betty’s Beds, someone she really wanted to work with. Fast forward a year after their initial encounter and Pauline never heard back from the owner. But rather than letting it go, or being afraid to reach out, Pauline sent them an email.

They have been working together now for some time and Pauline has seen her designs on blogs, magazines, and HGTV.

DON’T GIVE UP

Pauline could have concluded from the year-long gap in communication that the owner simply didn’t want to work with her. Instead, she chose to understand and empathize that they are busy with their work and their families, or that maybe the timing wasn’t right, etc.

Pauline chose to share and offer value and it paid off.

 

From doing this podcast, for example, I’ve been introduced to many more people and opportunities than I ever would have if I hadn’t put myself out there. You have to get out and share.

Do what you love and put it out there for people to see.

FINDING YOUR PASSION

Pauline always had an interest in art but as a young girl on a dairy farm, all she really knew was that she liked to draw. It wasn’t until high school, with the encouragement from her art teacher, that she started taking art classes. Soon afterward, she attended a business conference where she heard a graphic designer speak.

The spark was lit. She knew that was what she wanted to do.

She remembers being awful in so many of her classes. It just didn’t click until her very last class in college but she worked at it and eventually figured it out.

She began working as a freelancer, designing gift bags for Target, after being laid off from her first office job when the company was bought out.

With the confidence she gained from seeing her products on display in a huge retail setting, Pauline started a blog to post more items that she had designed. It was there that she got the call from Petite Lemon and Shutterfly.

Put yourself out there. Don’t worry about whether it will be liked by everyone or not.

Do what you love.

“The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.”  

To Pauline, that is the best piece of advice because that ‘other thing’ that you choose to do may just be your passion.

Find a way to do what you love. Be happy!

“DON’T RATION YOUR PASSION” EPISODE RESOURCES

You can reach Pauline “Muffin” Grayson at muffingraysondesign on Instagram or through her website at www.muffingrayson.com. You can also find her on Pinterest and LinkedIn.

Pauline "Muffin" Grayson, Passion, The Sales Evangelist

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

They are offering a 14-day free trial, and half off your subscription when you use the code Donald at checkout.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1009.mp3
Category:Hard Work and Determination -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Today we’re talking about how to Plan, Prepare and Refuse to Give Up with podcast host, branding expert, and author Henry Kaminski, Jr.

Henry is the founder of Unique Designz, a full-service design, branding and digital marketing agency dedicated to helping authority brands; coaches, consultants, influencers, speakers and authors to scale their expertise and personal brands into profitable business models.

Henry started twelve years ago as a freelance graphic designer, eventually growing his business into a mature, boutique brand development agency.  His average client is typically worth $50-100K over a calendar year.

But Henry remembers not so long ago when he was working for Fiverr. As sales reps, we know how it feels to want to get to the top as quickly as possible. We think it will be easy but then it is not long before we hit the hiccups.

PLAN AND PREPARE

Henry says it all comes down to preparation. He credits himself with once being the worst salesman on the planet.

These days, Henry follows a very specific, tried and true script that he practices on a weekly basis. He does not deviate from that script and, as such, he is closing more and more sales.

People perceive our value based on the questions we ask so planning ahead of time what to say is key. As Henry says “asking stupid questions only gets you stupid answers.” You will be perceived as an amateur.

As a brand strategist and brand developer, Henry wants to position his clients to become subject matter experts.  He wants people to be on the edge of their seats whenever one of his clients is speaking. It is all about positioning and that comes with preparation.

Do your research on your client. Know as much about them before you make the call.

This is a lesson Henry learned the hard way.

You have to know the answers to the questions but you will want to challenge the person that you are speaking to. There is no value in telling the client what they already know.

Let your client know that you may ask them some tough questions – questions they maybe haven’t about thought before. Be sure they understand that your intent is not to pry but to get to the root of the issues in order to be the most helpful.

BE INTENTIONAL

Henry became intentional with his desire to start his own business after Hurricane Sandy blew through New Jersey and wiped out two of his biggest clients. Henry tried to continue living the lifestyle to which he had become accustomed but with a revenue loss of a quarter of a million dollars, it just wasn’t possible.

At the same time, Fiverr entered the design world and disrupted the entire industry. Henry couldn’t beat them so he joined them. But it wasn’t a sustainable position.

He remembers a $120 paycheck for over 90 hours of work and he remembers earning $5 for six hours of revisions on a business card.

And he remembers telling his wife that they needed to make a change.

She got out the laptop and said, “Let’s get to work.”

Henry started working with a mentor, Russell Brunson. He couldn’t afford to pay for the coaching program but he couldn’t afford not to, either. So he maxed out his credit card and got on the phone with Russell.

At the end of the one-hour call, they were both crying hysterically as Henry was hired on the spot to help with Russell’s first book launch.

That gave Henry the confidence boost he needed. It was the biggest sale he ever made and it led to another job with Russell a few months later.

More importantly, Henry received the most important tidbit of insight from Russell. Despite all his fancy websites and great designs, Henry himself was nowhere to be found on any of it.

His big personality was hiding behind the logo.

That has all changed now and Henry doesn’t regret it for a minute. He has found his lane. Content creation and working one-on-one with the clients is where he wants to stay.

GET SEEN

As a podcast host, myself, I can relate. People came to my webpage and listened to my podcast, but if they wanted to see me, they couldn’t. It was all stock photographs. I had to put myself out there. I had to make myself available for my audience.

We shouldn’t diminish ourselves. We need to put ourselves first and refuse to give up. I used to be intimidated and afraid that maybe I didn’t look good on camera or that seeing my brand was better than seeing the real me.

Rather, your personal brand is just an offset of your business. If you are shy and timid, it will show in your messaging. Don’t be afraid of yourself.

Even the bigger brands, according to Henry, are coming out of their shells. The only difference between you and everybody else is you! You have to invest in your personal brand. It’s critical.

REFUSE TO GIVE UP

Henry credits his unwillingness to give up to his parents who tried for 16 years to become pregnant with Henry. His Mom would call him her ‘miracle baby.’ Henry believes that hearing that story while growing up – that his parents refused to give up for over 16 years – is what fuels his drive now.

There are so many times when we try something once or twice and quit when it doesn’t go our way. His parent relentlessly pursued their goal for 16 years.

If you are feeling uncertain or hesitant when looking forward because of past difficulties, Henry recommends you remember that it is all a numbers game. He once went three months without one single sale. He kept looking back and beating himself up over what he might have done differently.

His mentor reminded him that a rearview window is smaller than a windshield for a reason – because you are not going that way.

Any setback is temporary. It’s like a storm passing through town. It might be a struggle but it will pass.

Have confidence in your preparations and see them through.

“PLAN, PREPARE AND REFUSE TO GIVE UP” EPISODE RESOURCES

Henry is very active on Instagram and can be found at thebranddr and on his website Unique Designz.

Grab a copy of his book Refuse to Give Up and connect with him at Brand Doctor’s podcast.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1008.mp3
Category:Persistence -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Is it possible to have a “perfect day” in sales? Phone calls from prospects just as soon as you walk into the office … demonstrations are set … proposal reviews are awesome; everything is smooth sailing.

What would it take to have that perfect day in sales? Do we have control over any of the elements?  I think so.

In this episode of The Sales Evangelist, I will share something valuable that I learned over the weekend that can help us all accomplish the perfect day in sales. [0:00]

Perfection doesn’t happen by accident

There was an awesome older lady in our congregation who recently passed away. During the eulogy, her daughter shared a story about her mom who was, apparently, quite a perfectionist.

She always looked great. Everything was always on point.

One day when the daughter was leaving for school, the mother noticed that the daughter had only ironed the front side of her skirt. As the daughter explains, she didn’t see any reason to iron the back of the skirt because she was going to be sitting down at school, nobody was going to see it. It just didn’t matter.

Her mother disagreed and told her,  “Perfection doesn’t happen by accident.” [02:46]

She was right. If you want something to work out well, it isn't going to happen by accident. The perfect job, the perfect marriage - the perfect day in sales - do not happen by accident. You have to do something to make it work.

None of us will be perfect but we can get close. We can get results if we put in the work.  

Michael Phelps, for example, imagined in his mind the perfect swim meet before every competition. He knew what it would feel like to win - to have the perfect race. He practiced for perfection and it is no accident that he became the best swimmer in the world. [03:33]

Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Serena Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, Usain Bolt, Mother Teresa ... They are all arguably the best in their chosen fields because they put in the work.

Aim for the perfect day

Imagine the most amazing appointments and demonstrations on the schedule. Proposal reviews, closing calls, deals closing left and right … It can happen. It won’t be perfect, maybe a few will need to reschedule, but it will be pretty darn close. [04:56]

Certainly you’ve noticed the sellers in your organization who always seem to have the perfect day; everything always seems to work out for them.  How do they do it?

They are prepared. They know that the perfect day in sales will not happen by accident.

Do all you can now to have appointments for next month. Maybe that means going early to the office to respond to the leads that came in overnight and get ahead of the competition. Make the calls. Make the follow-ups.

Do the work so the results will come. The perfect day in sales will come.

Perfection requires sacrifice

It takes time and it takes sacrifice. You have to be willing to sacrifice the ‘now’ to earn enjoyment later. [05:25]

I could spend my entire lunch break chit chatting with my buddies in the break room every day, or I could give up one or two of those days and focus on returning emails, or reaching out to folks on LinkedIn instead. [06:40]

We just published our 1,000th episode. That is five years worth of content and we’ve been fortunate to be covered by Huffington Post, Hubspot and Entrepreneurial Magazine.

Some people might think that we just got lucky. But in truth, it happened because we put in the work. When this first started, I also worked a full-time day job.

I used my lunch break to schedule podcast interviews. Then, I would find park my car near a spot with good WiFi and record interviews with my guests over Skype.

I could have easily decided that it was too time-consuming or too much work. I could have chosen to hang with my buddies over lunch.  Instead I made the necessary sacrifices and it paid off. [07:04]

Sacrifice, not luck

As a salesman, I became of the top performers in my company. Again, not because I was lucky or because management liked me more.

It was because I went to work early, I studied the sales content, I understood the sales process. I learned from the different departments and I made sure I knew what was happening in the industry.

To educate myself, I studied past deals and read case studies. I knew what the directors wanted and I knew what my competition was doing. I called more people and set more appointments. [08:26]/

Again, perfection doesn’t come by accident.

My company and my podcast aren’t perfect but we are striving for it every day. We put in the work towards reaching the perfect result, the perfect company, the perfect podcast.

Put in the hustle. This is not a New Year’s Resolution type thing that lasts a few months. It has to be a desire. You have to want to achieve the perfect day in sales.

If you don’t know where to start, look for the people in your group that are succeeding and ask them for advice. If you can’t find anyone like that, come to me. I am always more than happy to share what I’ve done, what I see clients do, how I help people, etc. [09:07]

It is going to take work. It is going to take sacrifice.

Thank you to Evelyn Terry. She was an amazing woman. Perfection doesn’t come by accident. Evelyn left a legacy and a fire burning.

"Perfect Day in Sales" episode resources

Email me at Donald@thesalesevangelist.com or on LinkedIn. I’m also on Instagram and Twitter

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

They are offering a 14-day free trial, and half off your subscription when you use the code Donald at checkout.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler's League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcastso you won't miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct download: TSE_1007.mp3
Category:Sales Training -- posted at: 1:37am EDT

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, we discuss the immediate steps you can take to begin growing your influence.  Whether you are in sales or not, everyone, at one time or another, needs to increase their influence.

I’m reminded of a coworker of mine who really knew how to connect with people. Tom had that ability to influence others.

He just understood people and prospects and he knew how to speak to them. He could point out potential problems before they became problems. As such, when he spoke, his clients listened. He was respected.

My guest today, Stacey Hanke, is here to talk about how we, like Tom, can grow our influence. [00:01]

Stacey is the author of two books, a Certified Speaking Professional, and CEO of StaceyHanke, Inc.

Stacey and her team work with directors, to C-Suite, and with sales professionals to make them more aware of the level of influence they really have versus they level of influence they believe they have. They accomplish this with keynotes, with mentoring, and through workshops.

They increase awareness by giving practical how-to advice so their clients know how to use both verbal and non-verbal methods of influence every day of the week. [03:25]

INFLUENCE: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT ISN’T

Stacey has worked with a lot of individuals and organizations over the past 16 years. And though she sees it happen quite often, Stacey believes that influence is not something that you should turn on and off.

For example, you’ve got a high stakes phone conversation, meeting or sales pitch and you decide to ‘turn it on.’ 

There’s nothing authentic about that. There’s no integrity to it. [04:46]

Influence is when your verbal and non-verbal communication remain consistent at all times and in all situations. It is congruent with your priorities and purposes.

Influence is having the ability to move people to take action long after the interaction has occurred.  

It takes discipline and hard work. It is hard because we often get caught up with worrying about how we are perceived. Will they like me? Am I going to say the right thing?

Switch your thinking. What is important to my client? What is their experience with the topic? Why is this conversation happening?

To really drive home the value of your product or your service – whatever you’re trying to influence the person to act on – it first has to resonate with the client. [05:36]

So, be genuine.

Stacey recently helped a client to realize that he was putting more time into marketing materials and PowerPoint slides than into the actual delivery of the product. It is not the experience his clients were looking for. [06:46]

FEEDBACK: WHY YOU NEED IT.

As a sales rep, one of the first steps to increase your influence is to ask for real feedback. You have to plan for it and ask for it.

Ask someone who you can count on to tell you the truth to listen to you as you practice. Ask them to listen, pay attention and give you feedback. When you can prepare in this way, the person providing the feedback is more likely to be direct and constructive with their comments.

We don’t need to be told how great we are.

We have to figure out our weaknesses in order to grow. It takes discipline to handle feedback and even more discipline to act on it. Don’t sabotage yourself by asking a subordinate or someone who is likely to tell you what you want to hear, instead of what you need to hear.

Put your pride aside. Strive for honest answers. [07:39]

Stacey has encountered many in her workshops who are hesitant to pursue feedback. She attributes this to the stigma that surrounds feedback as meaning you’ve done something wrong.

Feedback instead means that you are already doing well. You wouldn’t be in the position you are in if you didn’t know what you were doing. Feedback provides opportunity to become even better. It encourages constant growth. [09:41]

LEADERSHIP

In a study conducted by Joseph Folkman of over 51,000 leaders, it was realized that leaders who frequently ask for feedback rank in the top 86% for leadership effectiveness. On the other hand, leaders who rank in the bottom 15% for leadership effectiveness are in the bottom 10% when it comes to asking for feedback. [10:20]

So how does this translate to working with a prospect?

Stacey reaches out to her clients every three or six months to find out what has been working for them during that time. She frequently asks her clients why they continue to work with her team. What keeps them coming back?

Then she flips the coin. What can her team do to make things easier? How can they provide more value on a long-term basis?  This allows the client to tell you how best to upsell them by letting you know what other services they might want or need.

Your clients can disappear at any point but if you deliver the value that you promise and you truly care about your clients, then the ability to upsell based on their feedback provides a service to them. [11:31]

Being influential is not the same as being manipulative. The more you practice asking for, setting up, receiving, and dealing with feedback, the more you’ll start to crave it.

It sounds crazy but sometimes the feedback is completely different from how you felt during the conversation or how you thought you came across.

Sometimes feedback can be harsh.

But the toughest feedback often comes during periods of growth or transition. You might hate it at the time but it will help you grow. [13:42]

GET COMFORTABLE WITH BECOMING UNCOMFORTABLE

Feedback can be hard to embrace if it requires a change that takes us out of our comfort zone.  Make feedback common practice. You can apply it to everything in life. The more uncomfortable you get, the faster you grow.

Once you get over the hurdles, once you stop hitting your knees every time, you will start to see improvement.

Staying in our comfort zone only makes us lazy. Resting on our laurels or believing that we already know everything comes across in our performance.

When you are feeling strong and landing deals, Stacey says that is the time to feel uncomfortable. Work hard even when times aren’t tough.

Imagine going to the gym only when you want to lose weight. It isn’t going to last. It is too painful.

Instead, be consistent to get consistent results. [17:09]

Talk to your clients like you would talk to a friend. They don’t need somebody pushing a product down their throat. They want someone who is trying to meet their needs so ask how you can do that for them.

  • What is the best way to communicate with them?
  • How frequently do they want to hear from you?
  • When can you call or email them next?

To have more influence from a personal standpoint, try seeing yourself as your audience does.

Record yourself on your phone. The level of awareness that develops from observing your own verbal and non-verbal cues can be truly eye-opening.

Everything about our behavior translates into the experience that people have with us. Influence doesn’t happen during the conversation. It happens after the fact. Focus on your thoughts. [20:26]

NO EYES? NO TALK.

Focus your eyes on a single point and practice as if you are speaking to individuals there.

When you focus your eyes, you become focused in your thoughts.  When you lose focus on the point, you will find that you also lose your train of thought.

Make every interaction purposeful.

When you are trying to connect with someone, only speak to them when you can see their eyes. Make it a meaningful conversation.

Anytime you need to look away, stop talking. It creates trust. Without trust, nothing else matters.

You save time when you stay focused and speak less. [22:30]

Many of us forget that the people we are trying to influence may not be as excited about our years of experience or about our product as we are. If you only have two or five minutes with a client, think about how to provide the greatest value in the shortest time.

Make it memorable for them. They don’t have to say ‘yes’ today but you can increase their interest today. Let them know how to reach you tomorrow. [24:31]

CONSISTENCY

If you want to use social media to increase your influence, be sure to be consistent among the platforms.

Stacey cites the common problem of using cellphones to send emails, namely, that disclaimer at the bottom to ‘please forgive any grammatical errors.’ Why would you ask a potential client to do that?

Influence comes through with everything we do.

Be sure your messages are consistent. Don’t bash other companies. Remember that your tone of voice does not convey to the written word. Avoid the risk of coming across as unprofessional.  

Think before you post.

Your reputation is on everything that you do. You choose the reputation that you want people to have of you. [25:28]

“IMMEDIATE STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO BEGIN GROWING YOUR INFLUENCE” EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Stacey and check out her available resources at staceyhankeinc.com

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1006.mp3
Category:Influence -- posted at: 4:04am EDT

Sometimes small problems grow into much bigger problems, and without emotional intelligence to help you address misunderstandings, these problems can affect your relationships with prospects and clients. 

Have you ever met up with a friend who suddenly became upset but, to you, the thing they were upset about wasn’t a huge problem? When you react, it becomes something bigger, and before you know it - you are arguing with each other without really knowing what you are even arguing about?!

You can have similar situations with a prospect. The client loses interest, or maybe, becomes so upset they no longer want to do business with you ever again. [0:00]

What happened? Why does it go wrong? The answer: Emotional intelligence.

These situations affect both sellers and buyers, so our TSE Certified Sales Training Program will help you identify these problems before they escalate. 

The TSE Certified Sales Training Program is designed to help sellers at every level, from new sellers to seasoned professionals. The course has three main sections of four modules each. Tackle each section on your own or participate in a group. [01:58]

Surface-level problems

I was running a meeting last week when one of the committee members had an issue outside the topic we were discussing. The challenge she proposed began to derail the entire meeting.

What was I to do?

I realized that it was a surface-level problem rather than a true issue. We decided, therefore, to have a one-on-one discussion to address it instead.

Turns out, there was so much more she wanted to talk about than what was originally mentioned during the meeting. If I had entertained the issue during the meeting, it would have derailed the entire event for the entire group. [02:43]

No money was involved, but imagine a similar scenario when working with a client. A client or prospect presents you with a surface-level problem. Then, because of a lack of emotional intelligence, people focus on that problem instead of the underlying issue. [03:37]

Emotional intelligence

Suppose your client says they will not renew their contract. They might be upset because the project was late. Perhaps they are downsizing. Or maybe they no longer have the budget for it.

Those are not the true issues.

[Tweet "When we lack emotional intelligence, we focus on the distractions instead of the core issue. #EmotionalIntelligence"]

Emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of, to control, and to express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.[04:22]

Empathy

In Stephen Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, empathy is defined as seeking first to understand, then to be understood.

Back to the client who is no longer interested, we have to dig deeper to find out the true reason for their decision.

Someone with a high level of emotional intelligence is able to see things from the prospect’s perspective. Rather than take the lack of interest as something personal, they are able to investigate and realize the core issue instead.

It's tempting to think about how the decision affects me:

  • What did I do wrong?
  • How will this affect my commission?  

Instead, as the seller, we need to think about the buyer.

  • What will happen to the buyer?
  • Why did he change his mind?
  • Is this the real issue? 
  • What caused him to feel upset or frustrated?
  • What changed?

It could be that the buyer didn’t get their second round of funding and now has to do some trimming. The service you provide is still important to them but it is not mission critical to the function of their organization.

That is something, as a seller, that you would want to know. [06:11]

When you put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and seek to understand, you may find other ways to be of assistance.

Is there something else you can do? Is there another value that you can bring? Maybe you can introduce them to someone else in the industry.

Bring value

When you focus on being helpful instead of on selling your product or service, you have attained a high level of emotional intelligence.

Recognize that it is not about you, or your bottom line. It is about serving your client. [07:02]

People sometimes lash out or seem angry. Perhaps they had a bad morning or an argument with their spouse. Maybe that team member who annoys you so badly is having trouble paying his bills.

Your job is to not react to surface level issues. Your job is to understand the true source of the problem so that you help to find a solution.

Your job is to bring value to the situation.

Don’t simply react to the emotions. Be a problem solver instead. [08:32]

Emotional intelligence is something you can build on. It will help you tremendously in the early stages of the sales process.

Put yourself in your buyer’s shoes. Connect on a human level and realize that your client is not just the CEO or the marketing director. He is a human being with goals. When you recognize that, you will create a foundation of trust.

Then, if something does change, he will be willing to discuss the true issues with you. It will also help you guide your buyers toward a close.

Try not to react to difficult situations. Seek first to understand. Remember that there are two sides to every situation: the side they let us see and the side they don’t want us to see.

Your job is to identify the real reason for the situation so that you can help provide solutions.

Don’t react to surface-level problems. Dig a little deeper. [09:26]

"Emotional Intelligence" episode resources

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

They are offering a 14-day free trial, and half off your subscription when you use the code Donald at checkout.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler's League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1005.mp3
Category:Emotional Intelligence -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

There’s a single characteristic that distinguishes effective sellers from the others, and it’s grit.

It separates those who work hard and effectively from those who don’t. It distinguishes those who go above and beyond the call of duty from those who do not.

GRIT

Those of us in sales need to have grit.

Grit is courage. It is resolve. It is a strength of character. To have grit is to have rock solid mental toughness.

If you can be rock solid, right now – at the beginning of the year – you will be so much more effective and efficient. [01:39]

Consider the new hire whose resume looked fantastic, but who shows up with no drive or passion for the work. Sometimes we pass by individuals with higher levels of grit simply because their GPA wasn’t as high or their resume was lacking. [02:34]

I have a problem with that.

I know some very smart people who lack the level of grit needed to take advantage of their intelligence. They end up in mediocre jobs. It seems like a waste of talent.

On the other hand, we see folks without the necessary level of education who have passion and grit. They have the ability to do more and work harder than the average person.

DESIRE

How? Where does their level of passion and perseverance come from? [03:16] I believe it has everything to do with their level of desire.

There was a low point in my life when I was faced with homelessness but I had the drive to make sure that my family was taken care of. There are certainly people who are smarter than I am or who have more experience than I do, but I had the grit to create this podcast series. I was determined to make it happen and I hustled. [04:06]

I had the desire and the perseverance. There were difficult times, of course. I didn’t always know if it was going to work. But we pushed through.

Can grit be taught? Can mediocre individuals on your team get it? Yes.

BE POSITIVE

“I can’t do it.” “I can’t make that call.” “It’s not going to work.”

If you can’t, then you won’t.  

But if you say you can – then it is more likely that you will. Things move for people who have the desire to make things move.

Perseverance means you will do whatever it takes to make something happen because you want it to happen. You have to push through the tough spots.

Use the right words. Instead of “maybe I’ll get a sale,” or “I hope I get a sale,” try “I will get a sale today!”

Obviously, realistic goals are important: Is it possible? Can I do it?  I’m sure you can make a million dollars in sales in a day – but is it likely?

Maybe not. But it is certainly likely that you will find the right client today or close a deal today. [06:22]

VISUALIZE SUCCESS

Think about what you need to do to make it happen. If you tell yourself that it isn’t possible from the very start, it’ll never happen.

When you feed yourself failure, your whole subconscious and whole body react. You will only get back what you put in. [07:02]

Think about how to reach your goal. What will you do? What will you say? And what are the steps necessary to succeed?

Set the entire process up in your mind; from what you will say, to what the email will say, to when you are going to call. Tell yourself that the clients will be interested, they will want to set up an appointment, and you are going to get the demonstration.

Visualize it all. If you can’t see it, you can’t achieve it. [08:24]

ACT

You need to practice. Perfection doesn’t come by accident. It has to be deliberate. Be specific. [09:01]

You will get the appointment or that meeting with the CEO when you decide the steps to take and then practice those steps.

Before you get on the phone, for example, think about what you need to talk about and what questions you need to ask. Know why they would want to talk to you! What challenge can you solve for them? [09:52]

In this way, if you get thrown an objection, you will automatically know how to handle it.  You’ve already visualized the entire conversation.

You can’t wing it. Winging it only gets you winging-it results. [10:32]

People with grit have a vision. They know what they want and they are determined to get it.

They practice achieving it and set a plan to do it. Then they do it, and do it, and do it again until it happens.

SUCCEED

Will you have perseverance this year? Will you push through the tough times, or will you just give up?

I encourage you to look past any shortcomings you’ve had. Make 2019 the year that we accomplish greatness. The theme for the year is Empire Building, whether that be your sales empire, business empire, or family empire. Let’s build it!

You are the only person who can stop you. [11:19]

“GRIT” EPISODE RESOURCES

Check out Grit by Angela Duckworth.  

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1004.mp3
Category:Grit -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

In our work with sales reps, sales teams, and sales managers, we encounter many people who believe that sales coaching doesn’t work, but many of them fail to realize that there are 5 common mistakes sales managers make when coaching.

Steve Richard, founder of ExecVision, shares how to avoid those mistakes, and he suggests you start by recognizing that there’s a difference between coaching and training.

COACHING

Training is teaching someone to do something new that the person doesn’t know how to do. Coaching is helping someone do something that they do know to the point of mastery.

If we expect a rep to embrace a certain behavior, we have to train him. If we don’t, that failure is on us. [04:37] Then, after we’ve trained him, we have to overcome the “forgetting curve” which is a function of our brain’s tendency to purge information.

Coaching is the act of training iteratively, focusing on the person, and repeating that behavior until it becomes second nature, like tying a shoe.

Consider whether your organization is struggling with any of these mistakes.

1. FAILING TO DEFINE WHAT GOOD LOOKS LIKE.

We must give our teams a definition of what a call should look like. Include the key things you want them to say, the behaviors you want them to exhibit, and give them a target.

Give your team members total clarity on what you want them to do. [06:11] Develop consistency among your team members so you can hit bigger numbers.

Also, build a team of people who will identify these steps. Include managers, senior executives, and representatives from operations, enablement, and sales. A varied team can ensure that these decisions aren’t being made by people who haven’t made calls in a while.

Check out the book Cracking the Sales Management Code: The Secrets to Measuring and Managing Sales Performance for clarification about metrics. Learn the difference between activity metrics that you can control — things like making phone calls and sending LinkedIn connection requests — and objectives like having conversations with people which you have less control over.

Aside from simply giving your team members goals, give them a roadmap to achieve them. [08:32] How many activities should they achieve in a week to achieve their goals?

Many organizations have salespeople who are “unconsciously competent,” which means they don’t know why they are successful. Though it’s not bad, it’s impossible to scale. You can’t pair a new employee with someone who is “unconsciously competent” and expect her to learn the right way to do things.

2. NEGLECTING TO TRAIN BECAUSE OF TIME.

Most every sales leader intends to coach his team. [10:26]

Managers typically know they have to be more consistent as a team, and they know that the way to do that is through coaching. But they also universally say that time is the thing that prohibits them from doing it.

They have the greatest of intentions, but something always gets in the way.

3. MISUNDERSTANDING HOW TO TRAIN CORRECTLY.

It’s shocking to think of the amount of money that is spent on sales rep training. Sales managers, however, typically receive very little training. Many of them have never been taught to coach the right way.

Think, for example, of a sales manager who observes a call and then immediately launches into constructive feedback. Basically, he tells you all the things you did wrong.

When the sales rep hears it, his system sends a hit of the stress hormone cortisol, which triggers the “fight or flight” response. [11:46]

The sales rep either defends himself by digging in his heels or he puts up a wall and stops listening. In either case, it’s not good.

 

Instead, try the model that Jim Kennan recommends: observe, describe, prescribe. Leave the judgment on the shelf.

Listen to the call. Recount what the rep did during the call. Then ask a question that prompts the seller to figure out what he could have done differently to improve the call.

People value more what they can conclude for themselves than what they’re told. 

4. LACKING OBSERVABLE MOMENTS.

If sales reps can’t listen to recordings of their calls, they’ll have no way to improve their performance. [18:45] They will only have vague ideas of what they think they did during the call.

During the 80s, the Japanese beat us in the auto industry because they were continually improving their operational efficiency.

Adopt the continuous improvement mindset that served the Japanese so well.

5. MAKING TRAINING AD HOC.

Your organization’s training must be habitual. It must be part of the rhythm of the company.

Make your training such a part of the process that it becomes the gospel.

It can be as simple as listening to 5 minutes of a call with a rep and asking for reflections. It will do good things for your company.

Instead of feeling like sales managers have to do all the work, involve the sales reps in their own development. [21:15] Run call-of-the-month competitions where reps submit their best call every month with written commentary.

Give people an environment in which it’s fun to learn and improve.

“5 COMMON MISTAKES SALES MANAGERS MAKE WHEN COACHING” EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Steve via email or call him on his cell phone at (202) 302-3193.

Check out ExecVision’s Call Camp that breaks down real sales calls like game tape to evaluate what works and what doesn’t. It’s a free webinar that shares practical advice with sales reps, managers, and leaders to improve their effectiveness.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

They are offering a 14-day free trial, and half off your subscription when you use the code Donald at checkout.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1003.mp3
Category:Coaching -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Many leaders avoid adequately training their team members because of a single looming question: What if I train them and they leave?

They structure their businesses so that multiple people work on a single project while other projects sit undone. It costs them money and productivity.

If you're one of those managers, I'll offer you a different consideration: what if you don't train them and they stay?

We're devoting the month of January to the topic of mental toughness, and today's topic is directed at business and sales leaders as well as sellers.

Leaders

When team members aren't trained well, they won't be effective at their jobs. When team members aren't effective at their jobs, the manager will have to help them do their jobs in addition to doing his own.

Leaders who fear employee departure often choose not to provide the necessary training, but the reality is that many of those untrained employees end up staying in their jobs. [3:37]

What if they stay with you and they don't know what they are doing?

Financial considerations

Imagine your employee makes $40,000 a year. Are you willing to pay him $40,000 despite the fact that he doesn't know what he's doing, and then require someone who is making $60,000 a year to help him do his job?

Maybe you'll eventually fire the person because he isn't performing. [04:23]

When you let someone go, you may end up paying unemployment benefits, and then you'll incur the cost of hiring someone new.

Whether you use an agency or review the resumes yourself, you'll have to invest time trying to find someone who already has training.

Cyclical

Even if your new hire does have sales training, she won't know your process. She won't be able to perfectly understand your organization, so she won't immediately be effective.

If you choose not to provide training, you'll be back in the same cycle three months after you hire her. [05:04]

You will have spent countless amounts of money to avoid spending money on training. You'll suffer from lost opportunity and lost revenue.

Long-term benefits

Imagine you have three employees. After you train them, one of them leaves your organization.

First of all, consider why the person is leaving. Is it possible that you're not paying enough? Does your organization lack direction for its employees? Don't miss a chance to evaluate why people are leaving. [06:36]

Even if you have a great situation, people may still leave. They may have to move out of state for family reasons or something else. People don't stay in one place forever.

If one leaves, you still have two great employees who are giving you money back.

If you don't train them, you'll likely lose thousands in sales because they aren't good at their jobs.

Do the math

When I was a young seller, I worked for a company that spent probably $7,000 training me to be an effective seller, and I'm thankful for it.

After my training, I landed a $30,000 deal as one of my first big successes. [07:52]

You don't have to be a scientist to understand that $30,000 is a good return on $7,000.

If you invest in your people, they'll love you, they'll stay with your company, and they'll earn you more money.

For sellers

When you're considering your next organization, find out what kind of sales training they provide. Even if you're a seller with a 10-year track record, it's ok to consider training programs at prospective companies. [08:58]

If they don't offer coaching or continuing education, that might be a red flag. If they aren't willing to invest in you, consider other organizations that will.

Do it yourself

Sales leaders might consider providing the training themselves as a way to save money, and it might be true that they're able to do it. For me, though I'm able to change my own oil and cut my own hair, I don't do it. [10:21]

Just because we're capable of something doesn't mean we're the best person for the job. Consider the opportunity costs and the cost for you to stop your own work in order to train other people.

If sales is the most important unit in your organization, if it's the lifeblood of the company, why not continue to educate your team. Give them podcasts to listen to or books to read.

Don't hurt your company by trying to save a dime.

"What If I Train Them And They Leave?" episode resources

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler's League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

 

Direct download: TSE_1002.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:31pm EDT

We all have some kind of fear, but when we discover what causes fear and how to overcome it, we can discover new opportunities and success.

Fear can prevent us from experiencing amazing things in life, or pursuing new business opportunities. We suffer through anxiety and difficulty when dealing with these fears.

But no more!

James Moffat, CEO and Founder of Visibility Impact guides new entrepreneurs and people wanting to start businesses by providing them with the tools and information they need to grow their business with proper exposure.

He accomplishes this through a number of programs to drive results. His clients achieve bigger goals in a shorter amount of time and gain visibility. [02:00]

Self-limiting

I used to have a fear of talking to important people. I felt like I wasn’t worthy of their time or attention. It was a fear I quickly had to learn how to overcome in order to succeed in sales.

When I finally understood that I was speaking with other human beings, people who were maybe just as nervous about talking to me as I was about talking to them, it made all the difference. I was the only limiting factor to my success. [10:37]

James and I will talk about fear. What is it? How can we overcome it? What can we do on a daily basis to conquer fear instead of allowing it to conquer us?

The Effects of Fear

Many of us in sales have fears that hold us back and cause inaction.

James defines fear as a worry about the unknown. It has a physiological effect not only on your mind but on your body as well... cold sweats, stress, etc. [05:10]

Common fears among salespeople include worrying about what to say during a cold call, worrying about having enough product knowledge, and worrying about how prospects may react.

Many of us also fear giving our first presentation to a real audience. Is my content relevant? Will people even listen to me? [05:48]

Overcoming fear

Overcoming these fears - or at least accepting them and learning how to cope with them - is necessary for success.

You don’t have to suddenly like what it was you once feared; you may always dislike cold calling for example, but you must learn how to deal with it.

We often find ourselves assuming the worst before we even begin. We have negative thoughts instead of positive ones.

Controlling Fear

Using cold calls again as an example, James still doesn’t particularly enjoy making them but he found a way to make himself feel more comfortable about it.

He took the time to learn more about the person prior to the making the call. James spent time on their website, learned about their business, and visited their LinkedIn profile.

James would also coordinate the time of the call via email. This allowed for a more relaxed introduction and eradicated the fear James had about interrupting a prospect with an unexpected phone call. [08:37]

Using these techniques, James was able to turn a cold call into a warm call.

Reducing negative outcomes

Once the negative possible outcomes are reduced - once the number of unknowns is reduced by planning ahead - the level of fear is reduced.

We may not conquer the fear, but we will have it under control.

James recalls a situation, outside of sales, when he was atop a tall building with a friend and found himself convinced that he had a very real fear of heights. His friend disagreed because James has no such fear when traveling by airplane.

It is not a fear of heights but a fear of falling. When James feels safe, he is not afraid.

This lesson applies to sales.

When we change the paradigm and view our fear from a different perspective, we gain control over it. [11:48]

Moving Beyond your Comfort Zone

James introduced a new concept to his Facebook group in order to help people overcome their fears. He didn’t want people to join without being known, so he required a short introduction from all new members via a 40-second video.

The videos are posted to the group for comment which in turn stimulates discussion and comments.

It creates immediate visibility among the group members. The video requirement was beyond the comfort zone of many participants, but to James, that is the whole point.

We have to embrace change and technology. Do it once and it becomes easier each time thereafter. [16:27]

You can not find success by remaining in your comfort zone. Learning to move beyond is when remarkable change can begin to occur.  

Training wheels

Think back to when you first learned to ride a bike. You were certainly afraid to fall and probably did fall several times. But the more you tried and the more you trusted the person who was teaching you, the better you became.

You overcame the fear.

Use the resources around you. Ask the senior sales reps how they overcame the fear of cold calling or the fear of rejection. How do they introduce themselves? What steps do they take to make themselves comfortable?

Think of them as the training wheels on your bicycle. [20:32]

“What Causes Fear and How to Overcome It” Episode Resources

Please check out VisibilityImpact.com and the Facebook group by the same name. James can also be found on LinkedIn.com.

This episode is brought to you in part by Maximizer CRM, personalized CRM that gives you the confidence to improve your business and increase profits. To get a demonstration of maximizer, go to the sales evangelists.com/maximizer.

Click on the link to get a free demo of what Maximizer CRM can do for you. It integrates your marketing campaign as well as your CRM, and it works whether you're a small organization or a large one.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

They are offering a 14-day free trial, and half off your subscription when you use the code Donald at checkout.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler's League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1001.mp3
Category:Fear -- posted at: 11:15am EDT

It's The Sales Evangelist 1000th episode and Stephen A. Hart from the Trailblazers.FM Podcast is conducting the interview while Donald Kelly answers the questions.

This podcast started five years ago after Donald attended sales training to try to improve his performance. He started seeing some gains, and he figured the very least he could do was tell other people what was working for him.

He realized along the way that he would get to interview great guests like Jeffrey Gitomer who would share a wealth of information and he was hooked. Donald wanted to share sales content that would help himself and others at the same time.

Blessings and opportunities

The greatest benefit to a podcast like this is the relationships you build. There's a camaraderie and people want to help each other. [05:50]

Perhaps it's because the medium is so new, but a lot of podcasters are connecting with each other to share experiences.

People have become like family, and many business opportunities have emerged from it.

There's a whole crew of people in the background who help create the content, and it's blessing people along the way.

After Donald jumped ship from his full-time job in 2015, this lifestyle business allowed him to travel and speak in different parts of the country, and it all stemmed from the training and consulting that has developed.

10,000 hours

The podcast is officially five years old, which amounts to about 10,000 work hours. According to Malcolm Gladwell's theory that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert, Donald is officially an expert podcaster now.

The story started when Donald was working at a software company in Boca. His plan was that at the three-year mark, he wanted to go back to grad school for an MBA. [10:11]

The other alternative was that he would launch a startup.

TSE started as a hobby because Donald had done B2C in high school and college. Now, he transitioned to B2B, but he didn't know how to talk to people or set up business opportunities.

His company provided training and he discovered a love of teaching and an excitement about the content he had learned.

He paired his love of teaching and his desire to be the center of attention, and it was a perfect marriage. Edutainment allowed him to educate and entertain at the same time.

Birth of a podcast

Jared Easley introduced Donald to the world of podcasting despite the fact that Donald knew nothing about it.

He started by listening to Seth Godin's Startup School, a podcast that featured Seth guiding 30 entrepreneurs through the process of launching a dream business. [11:46]

He was still debating startup or college, and he realized that a startup didn't have to mean developing a product. Donald didn't see how the podcast was going to make money, but he launched it as a hobby.

The platform existed six months before the podcast did, but Donald recalls that he had to get over the worry and just pull the trigger. He had to stop worrying about how it would sound and what people would say about it.

He eventually decided that he had something valuable and he needed to share it. When he got out of his own way, the money started coming in.

When Donald started producing content that benefited the people around him, people started to raise their hands and seek his help.

[Tweet "Done is better than perfect. #TakeAction"]

Lessons learned

Donald calls episode 1 cringe-worthy. He says he was nervous and afraid throughout it. He was self-conscious about his voice, and he didn't own his personality. [15:29]

Donald also wishes he had done video much sooner. He was afraid of the comments people would make and that fear kept him from producing video.

Donald also wishes he had known that people don't know what you have to offer until they know what you have to offer. He was afraid of sounding pushy, so he was apprehensive about sharing what he knew.

Take more action. Get out of your comfort zone. Get out of your own way.

Despite the late start to the video world, TSE is getting into video now, so it's better late than never.

Rejection

Donald points to the burned-ship theory that dates to sailors who were either going to burn the ships and win the battle or die on the seashore. There was no escape.

If you've burned the ship, there's no alternative, so you have to make it work. Those men are the master of their own destiny.

Although Donald could still be employable in the sales realm if necessary, he doesn't want to use that as a parachute. [19:27]

The "no's" can't hinder him. He either has to conquer or die.

He realizes that the "no's" aren't personally directed at him.

Your "why"

Donald's desire to provide for his family drives his passion and his motivation. He wants to make things happen so that his family never has to be in the predicament of being homeless again. [21:50]

Those dark moments such as the first lull in listenership can plague podcasters.

Although numbers are great for measuring, Donald got too focused on the numbers. He started to compare too much and he neglected his own community.

When the website was down for a prolonged period in 2016, he started to feel tremendous stress. For 1-2 months there was no new content.

He worried about losing listeners and the huge setback that might come. He wasn't sure he would be able to continue because there were so many technical problems.

Valley

You can't succeed in a silo. Name any company and you can almost guarantee that they had help from some outside forces. [29:17]

The term entrepreneur is deceptive because there's really no single person who creates a business. Donald avoided asking for help because he was embarrassed and he thought he was supposed to know how to solve the problem.

Advice and discussion help people share their burdens and to recognize that they can benefit from other people's input.

Top takeaways

People who succeed do so because they partnered with others for good. There are people who are willing to partner strategically to make things work. [31:57]

All of his guests who have had success did so because they found synergy in the people they worked with.

Look at Henry Ford and the number of companies that spawned from his invention. Tire companies, radio companies, and other companies developed because of it.

You can't be a lone wolf and you must be willing to admit that other people might be able to do things better than you can.

TSE is writing for HubSpot now and has been mentioned in Entrepreneur and Inc. Magazine because Donald was willing to reach out.

Don't be afraid to sell yourself. People in post-recording conversations advised Donald that he was charging too little.

Customers aren't paying for one hour of guidance or coaching. They are paying for 15 years of experience. [35:23]

Be aware of your worth. If you undervalue yourself, no one will willingly pay you more. Ask for more than you're comfortable asking for.

Always push yourself for bigger and better things.

Once you push outside of your comfort zone, you'll evolve. You'll find yourself doing things that once scared you.

Emotional rollercoaster

Preparation helps us avoid the emotional rollercoaster of sales. October Donald should be helping December Donald. Salespeople must plan much further out than they can comfortably do. [38:50]

If you know you need 5 deals, you should put 7 or 8 in your pipeline. Never ease up off the gas. Have a systematic approach.

When Donald coaches people, he helps them see beyond the now. He helps them develop a system that prevents lulls.

Healthy competition

Donald remembers wanting to be included on a list of top sales podcasts. [44:01]

He refers to the power of "coopertition," where people become allies.

As a track athlete, he learned that when you're turning back to see where other people are, you aren't aerodynamic anymore. You lose your focus and you slow down.

Instead of looking to see where other people are, look toward the finish line. Compete against your own yesterday instead of competing against others.

Future of TSE

The Sales Podcast Network will continue to grow and offer a community of salespeople who will encourage one another. [50:57]

If TSE ever gets boring, maybe the day would come when it would be "sunset."

TSE will continue to grow. The goal on sponsorship side will eventually separate so that the training organization will separate from the media company side.

TSE will seek to double its revenue, and ultimately the platform will be bigger than just a podcast.

TSE has been a huge influence in the podcasting space by encouraging those people who are in the community.

The Sales Evangelist 1000th Episode resources

Connect with Stephen A. Hart and check out his  Trailblazer.FM Podcast.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler's League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_1000.mp3
Category:Motivation -- posted at: 9:58am EDT

Your morning routine has the power to start the day off right, which makes it crucial for you to make sure yours is effective.

Whether you’re listening to music, educating yourself with podcasts, exercising, or engaging in spiritual activity, you’ll find that you accomplish more when you engage in a regular routine.

BRAINPOWER

Scientific research suggests that our brains work best in late morning. If we lay in bed scrolling through social media, we’re missing crucial time in our day. [04:29]

We should take advantage of that time to engage in productive activity.

 

TAKE CHARGE

Instead of starting your day focused on the negatives in the day, take charge of your perspective. Because you know what will happen in the first hour of the day, you’re in charge of your day. [05:23]

By acting instead of being acted upon, you’re taking charge.

If you get an email from your boss who suddenly wants a report by noon, you may find yourself stressed and short-tempered. On the other hand, when you’re in control, you’ll respond better and be less likely to get stressed out.

You won’t do anything in your day until you’re ready to do it.

OWN YOUR MORNING

There’s no limit to the ways you can take control of your morning.

Besides reading, journaling, and exercising, you can also work on a side hustle. When I was still working for a software company, I did my podcasting in the morning. [06:23]

It was something I enjoyed, so I didn’t mind doing the work.

Now that podcasting is my work, I use my mornings to write my book.

I’ve discovered that by taking control of my morning, I find clarity on things I’ve been thinking about and answers to problems I’ve been trying to solve.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Test the idea for a week. Begin by adding tasks to your calendar. [08:43]

If you’re planning to exercise or read, write those activities on your daily calendar. Then, find an accountability partner who will follow up with you.

Ask your mentors and others to follow up with you.

At the end of the week, you can measure your results to see how effective they are. If a week isn’t long enough, test it for a month.

“START THE DAY OFF RIGHT” EPISODE RESOURCES

This episode is brought to you in part by Maximizer CRM, personalized CRM that gives you the confidence to improve your business and increase profits. To get a demonstration of maximizer, go to the sales evangelists.com/maximizer.

Click on the link to get a free demo of what Maximizer CRM can do for you. It integrates your marketing campaign as well as your CRM, and it works whether you’re a small organization or a large one.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

They are offering a 14-day free trial, and half off your subscription when you use the code Donald at checkout.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_999.mp3
Category:Daily Planning -- posted at: 11:10am EDT

Failures can be crippling if we allow them to be, but when we have the proper guidance, we can learn how to turn failure into success. Airica Kraehmer of Gracious Care Recovery shares her own story here and reminds us that we can turn our weaknesses into our strengths.

MENTAL TOUGHNESS

Airica’s story doesn’t directly involve sales, but it does involve difficulty and mental toughness.

She started working as a model in the fashion industry and she had a dream to succeed there. She realized that the fashion industry demands that you be your own product and that you bring your A-game all the time. She called it cut-throat.

As a result, there’s room for exploitation. Airica found herself the victim of human trafficking because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She wrote down her story, and when she finished her book, she looked for outlets that would help her share it. She figured telling her story would help her move beyond the struggle.

She became an international best-selling author, and it taught her that she could rise above the low points in life.

SEEKING A CHALLENGE

After she moved to Florida, Airica realized that the state was number two in the country in terms of human trafficking, tied with Houston. After the upcoming Super Bowl, Florida is projected to move into the number one spot due to the large influx of people.

Hearing stories of other victims made her realize that she was part of something bigger. She realized that the process would repeat if she didn’t do something to help.

She reminded herself that there were as many good people in the world as there were bad people.

REJECTION

Nobody wanted to talk about trafficking, so she kept encountering closed doors. She compares it to cold calling for sellers. [07:23]

Though people cared about it, they didn’t feel like they could speak out about it.

She kept knocking on doors, and eventually, she found Gracious Care Recovery. There were survivors there who recognized the need for people to speak out.

Her message to sellers, then, is to keep knocking on doors. Despite the fact that she was addressing an impossibly hard topic, she found people who would engage.

Get in the other person’s mindset. We each have different experiences, and we’re each traveling a different journey. That means we each have different ideas.

That can be a powerful tool as long as we remember that the effort isn’t all about us. It’s about who we can help and who we can serve.

Keep in mind that the prospect isn’t rejecting you. It simply isn’t the right time for your prospect.

PERSISTENCE

If you’re a sales manager who is motivating a team to overcome rejection, teach your team members to practice persistence.

Be persistent, but be kind. Be willing to invest the time to build trust.

Sales is a numbers game to some degree, and you have to keep reaching out in order to achieve results. Especially now that we find ourselves at the beginning of a new year, you have to keep knocking in order to hit your targets.

OVERCOMING FAILURE

Airica compares her personal experience to bankruptcy. It was the ultimate low. She had nothing left. And she knew it would take years to recover.

She learned that you have to leave behind the things that don’t serve you well and that you shouldn’t focus too much on the why. It’s ok, for example, to ask why something happened, but refuse to stay focused on it.

Instead, look to the future and ask yourself what you can do to address what happened.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Who am I serving?
  • What is my purpose?
  • What’s my goal?

Once you’ve identified those things, align your morals and values with your goals.

Tackle one goal at a time. Small goals will accumulate quickly and result in large accomplishments.

“HOW TO TURN FAILURE INTO SUCCESS” EPISODE RESOURCES

You can connect with Airica at airica@graciouscarerecovery.com and grab a copy of her book, Models Stop Traffic: How to Dodge Enslavement in Pursuit of Your Dream to Become the Next Top Model.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss a single episode, and share with your friends!

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Direct download: TSE_998.mp3
Category:Failure -- posted at: 10:56am EDT

Where there is no vision the people perish, and that’s especially true in sales. Because we aren’t constructing physical structures like houses or sidewalks, the game of sales is largely mental, and it requires a visionary mindset.

The book Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, now available as a free download,  addresses the importance of vision and what can happen when you don’t have an eye on the future.

VISION FOR SALESPEOPLE

Vision demands that we look beyond the work that we’re doing today. It demands that we look into the future, perhaps to the end of the quarter or the end of the year. In some cases, we’ll look to the end of five or 10 years.

Without vision, you won’t progress and you won’t grow.

We may imagine the worst-case scenario, and then we find ourselves in a loop, playing it over and over in our heads.

Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps shared his strategy of playing a “tape” of a perfect race in his head. His coach encouraged him to imagine how it would feel to win, the accomplishment he’d experience, and then think about that over and over.

POSITIVE LOOP

Michael had a positive loop playing in his head, so even when he found himself making bad decisions, he was able to get back on track quickly. He had a tenacious drive to succeed.

I worked with a guy once who always saw life through a negative lens. He could turn the very best outcomes into negative scenarios.

If he won the lottery, he’d likely complain about driving to Tallahassee to claim his prize, or about the fact that he had to pay taxes on his winnings.

You may work with people like this.

Avoid getting pulled into their negative mindset. When you spend large amounts of time around these people, you may allow their negativity to creep into your thinking.

CHANGE YOUR FOCUS

Emerson said that whatever we persist in doing becomes easier.

I refer to this quote all the time because it’s true that our mindset affects our outcome. If you are focused on negativity, you’ll more readily see negative outcomes.

If you focus on the fact that you’re going to set an appointment, you’re going to capitalize on an opportunity. You’re going to reach your commission and create power to accomplish those things.

When I spent too much time around my negative coworker, I spent less time on the phone and less time doing email outreach.

When I changed my focus to positive things, prospects were more willing to listen to me because I was the catalyst. I still had negative experiences, of course, but there were fewer of them.

GET RID OF NEGATIVE

When I was a young seller, I didn’t speak up to my negative coworker because I didn’t want to cause a rift between us.

If I could go back, I would push back against the negative thinking. I would share positive thoughts and read encouraging books. I would either seek to change my coworker’s attitude or repel him because he knew I wasn’t going to listen.

Be honest about the fact that you’re trying to focus on positive things.

IMAGINE THE WINS

When you achieve your daily goals, what will it feel like? What will you say to convince those people to close?

Practice seeing how that will look.

Take charge of your life. Read encouraging books. Refuse to let other people affect your personal vision.

You’re listening to this podcast, and that’s a great start.

COMMAND YOUR DESTINY

Take charge of your future.

For the team at The Sales Evangelist, 2018 was our best year ever. My 2019 vision is to double the numbers we had in 2018 and c continue to increase our customers and grow our podcast.

I had a vision last year of writing for Hubspot and we’re doing that. I envisioned being mentioned by Inc. magazine, and TSE was just mentioned as one of the top podcasts to fuel company growth.

My vision helped me connect with the right people so that I found positive opportunities.

Create positive vision for yourself.

“NO VISION” EPISODE RESOURCES

This episode is brought to you in part by Maximizer CRM, personalized CRM that gives you the confidence to improve your business and increase profits. To get a demonstration of maximizer, go to the sales evangelists.com/maximizer.

Click on the link to get a free demo of what Maximizer CRM can do for you. It integrates your marketing campaign as well as your CRM, and it works whether you’re a small organization or a large one.

This episode is brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.

They are offering a 14-day free trial, and half off your subscription when you use the code Donald at checkout.

This episode is brought to you in part by prospect.io, a powerful sales automation platform that allows you to build highly personalized, cold email campaigns. To learn more, go to prospect.io/tse. It will help you with your outbound to expand your outreach. It allows you to set it and forget it. Your prospecting will never ever be the same.

Previously known as TSE Hustler’s League, our TSE Certified Sales Program offers modules that you can engage on your own schedule as well as opportunities to engage with other sellers in other industries.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple PodcastGoogle PodcastStitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

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Direct download: TSE_997.mp3
Category:Sales Vision -- posted at: 10:51am EDT

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