The Sales Evangelist: Sales Training|Speaking|Business Marketing|Donald Kelly

A challenging aspect of a salesperson’s job is business development. One way you can simplify the business development process, however, is through outsourcing. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, we’re joined by Tom Ancona, founder and chief strategist at ROCKyourcompany.com, to discuss how outsourcing can lead to new business development. The first step to outsourcing: visualize. Think about your goals. If you had a team of people to execute everything you want to do, what is that vision?  Work backward from that vision to determine who will get you to that point. When outsourcing, the words “you get what you give” could not be more accurate. The results and work you get are directly related to the instruction and information you provide. Develop your vision: Pretend you’re talking to a recently hired assistant - be descriptive in what you want. The more details you provide, the better the project will be.  If the project requires platforms like Sales Navigator, have at least a baseline understan

Working as a sales manager can be tough. Why make it more challenging than it has to be? And without the proper guidance and support, it can be especially difficult to find the right people for your organization. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, we’re joined by Frank Cespedes, senior lecturer at Harvard business school, to learn his strategy for finding and retaining top-level salespeople. There are inherent challenges to hiring within sales.  Not enough people in and outside the sales function that there are challenges in hiring sales that don’t exist elsewhere. People major in engineering, accounting, and finance. There are less than 200 sales courses in the United States universities, let alone majors and programs. As a result, most learning in sales is whatever the company does. Companies on average spent 20% more per capita than they do training other positions. Most learning in sales is on-the-job learning that isn’t a challenge in other business areas. Because so much time is spent training

Does the thought of hiring a new salesperson fill you with fear? Do you dread the interview process and reading through resumes? In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald helps expedite the process of finding the perfect addition to your team by outlining three characteristics every seller must have.  You want someone curious: When it comes to identifying prospects and their motivations, salespeople need to find the root cause. They need to dig deep, ask the right questions, and find the proper intel to manage their prospects and find sales. Curiosity is asking the right questions that lead to natural conversations. But the suitably curious don’t ask questions that might be offensive or too personal. You want someone resilient. Persistency and a continual drive to work through challenges are critical for sales.  Working in sales means perseverance. The average sale takes between six to twelve touchpoints to move forward, so tenacity and stamina are necessary to succeed in any sales position.  You

Congrats, you just landed a sales job! But should you accept it? In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald provides his three tips to consider before you accept that job offer. Connect with their current sales team. Directly asking a sales team what their opinions are at their company is a great way to discover the company culture. They aren’t trying to sell you anything - they have nothing to gain from convincing you it’s a great place when, in reality, it isn’t. Finding the sales team is tremendously easy as well because their entire job is centered around being available.  Determine what customers say about them right now. How do you go about doing this? (It’s easy.) Look through case studies and online reviews to generate names, and reach out to those people on LinkedIn. But why should you do this? It can help you get a good scope of the company and show if they consistently update their work or bank off of case studies from 2008. Look at Glassdoor and Google Reviews for the company. Nobody

Do you wish you had a list of things to avoid when looking for your next sales gig? We brought an expert to do just that - Jasmine Black. As the owner of BrainChild PSM and with over 15 years of corporate sales experience, Jasmine understands both sides of the metaphorical sales coin. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, she gives you the inside scoop on mistakes B2B sellers should avoid to land their next job. What should B2B sellers avoid when searching for their next gig? Don’t wait for your next opportunity to fall in your lap.  Learn to be assertive without being overly aggressive in interactions throughout the hiring process. Remember, you want to show how you can provide value to the organization, not just show up to the office with your resume. Position yourself as a thought leader in the organization. Tell them challenges you see and explain how you’ve resolved similar issues in the past. Or even provide a plan to utilize in the future once you have the position.  Don’t engage without intenti

The resume is an integral part of the professional world. But while it does show off your prior work experience, it doesn’t show who you are as a person. What motivates you, or why are you applying for that specific job? Simon Tecle, VP of Sales at SyncroMSP, joins us on today’s episode to explain how you can tell your story at your next interview, sans resume, to begin the next step of your career with confidence and success. The resume is not your story. A typical interview response is to admit, “I don’t have experience in x,y, or z.” Don’t let your resume be the anchor in your conversation, especially if you know you lack the experience to capitalize on it. The hiring manager already knows you have a lack of experience, and they wouldn’t be talking to you if that was a deal-breaker. Why do we feel so tied to our resume experience? Because resumes are critical in the corporate world. However, stories convey key skills to a job we don’t put on our resume. Are you ex-military? Talk about your time manageme

Going into an interview can be tough. Whether it’s your very first interview or your twentieth, the nerves never go away completely. You don’t want to sound like an idiot, right? But what if you had a cheat sheet and knew the most common questions salespeople tend to mess up? That’s exactly what we did for today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist. Today we’re joined by Kathleen Steffey, founder, and CEO of Naviga Recruiting, to learn how to answer difficult interview questions and secure your next sales gig. Question One: Anything related to your sales process.  A VP of Sales might ask an interviewee about their selling process from beginning to end. Even if that salesperson knows their approach, they often just don’t know how to articulate it. If someone can’t walk through their process, a leader might think they lack depth or aren’t methodical. Think about your process in advance, write it down, and go from there. Question Two: Tell me where you came in against quota? You have to know when you came in aga

Moving to a virtual workplace means companies can hire better and faster while reducing employee cost and turnover. But are there benefits to returning to the brick-and-mortar model of 2019? In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald interviews Dan Fantasia, founder of the sales career advancement company Treeline Inc. to discuss what sales professionals look for in their 2021 work environment. What are sales professionals looking for in 2021? Most employees prefer virtual roles over in-person. So if you’re thinking of reintroducing your company to the office, you might want to reconsider. If someone is sold on the remote option, they might start looking for a new opportunity. The pros and cons of having a brick-and-mortar company versus operating remotely: In a virtual job, it’s more challenging to build camaraderie outside the office. However, there are ways to facilitate this relationship.  Dan’s company participated in a virtual wine tasting, and they start each morning with a zoom call to stay

Are you trying to find your first sales job or looking to stand out from the competition to land that first gig? Look no further, because on today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald Kelly shares three strategies to find your first sales job. Strategy One: Befriend recruiters for the type of jobs you’re trying to land. Recruiters have a vested interest in finding great people - it means they get more money. So don’t be afraid of interacting with them! To find the right recruiters, go to any recruiting website to see which industries specific people recruit for. Search for them on LinkedIn, connect with them, and see which companies they hire for.  Once you find the recruiters and build a relationship, you’ll have an opportunity ready for you when looking for your next career step. Strategy Two: Network, network, network Your network is your net worth. If you go on social media and ask your network for job recommendations, you’ll get a ton. Not all of them will be good, but there will be opportunities

Before the pandemic, salespeople could hear and learn from their peers through unscheduled interactions. But with water-cooler conversations at an all-time low, how can we continue to learn from our team members? On today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, we’re joined by Zach Ballenger, co-founder of Casted, to discuss how companies can continue to foster spontaneous conversations in the virtual office.  What is learning in osmosis? Learning by osmosis uses that desktop chatter you don’t expect to hear. It’s walking by your coworker right when he gives an excellent pitch or when you casually see how your colleague organizes her work on her computer—organic learning through unscheduled interactions. A lot of salespeople don’t want to go back to an office post-pandemic. While there are many benefits to virtual work, losing the ability to develop unscheduled conversations is one element that is unfortunately lost. What are the benefits of osmosis learning? It facilitates unexpected growth opportunities. With

The pandemic changed the way we sell. Or even how do we sell? Using LinkedIn as a resource for BDRs and SDRs to make sales, even during COVID-19, can help lead you to success. Today on The Sales Evangelist Donald is joined by Amanda Staffon and Jason Behnke, former business development representatives at BlueGrace Logistics, to learn how they used LinkedIn throughout the pandemic as a tool to supplement and advance their sales process. Selling in a difficult time While the pandemic threw a wrench in everyone’s professional lives, an opportunity was created: to help those in need.  Amanda and Jason found themselves focusing even more on building relationships and being available for their prospects. With COVID-19, the necessary questions have shifted from understanding company strategies to understanding if their basic needs are being met as an organization. Prospecting today  Now that the end of COVID is in sight, salespeople are running at high speeds to make up for the lull of 2020.  Rotating between pho

President and Co-founder of BombBomb Darin Dawson joins us on today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist to discuss the importance of utilizing video in sales after COVID-19. Running sales marketing and customer success for his video platform company gives Darin key insights to make your post-pandemic sales successful. The importance of video for sales in the post COVID era: The pandemic taught us how to create a new and different customer experience: video. Even once the pandemic ends, people might not be keen to leave the video approach because people can be unique, creative, and (most importantly) themselves.  Any business can replicate and develop new features, but there is no way to replicate people. And video allows people to capitalize on the people and the relationship you’ve built with your prospects. Video is personal, not personalized. Relationships aren’t built over text on a screen: Use video for the back and forth dialogue typically done through text. Video capitalizes on a salesperson’s relatio

Today on The Sales Evangelist, we’re joined by the Founder and Dean of The Non-Sleazy Sales Academy, Annie P. Ruggles. Annie has spent the last decade harnessing her Hulk-like disdain for hard sales and tacky self-promotion to help others sell their services without feeling slimy, queasy, or untrue to their ethics. And on today’s episode, she’ll explain how we can maneuver these tactics for sales in a post-COVID world. How do I ensure that my business will succeed in a post-pandemic world? Change areas of your selling that aren’t right for your message and delivery. You no longer have the excuse of COVID to keep those bad habits. Consider the post-pandemic a clean slate to look at your selling procedures and identify where more education or skill is needed. We tend as small business owners to sell and manage our sales folks to sell to people exactly like us. Cast a wider net.  Balance your emotional storytelling with the details and KPIs. What are some other things salespeople do that may be subtly eroding

Here’s a fun fact: Only 33% of decision-makers feel their organization is ready to get back to in-person work. What does this mean for the sales professional? In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald shares three insights salespeople should remember as we adjust to the inevitable post-COVID return to office work. Over the next four to six episodes of the podcast, you'll hear Donald talk with different sales leaders, authors, and sales coaches about what you need to know as we get back into the office full time. Only a third of decision-makers feel their company is ready to return to the office. This Market Watch article details this statistic and that many decision-makers feel going back to the office will be unpredictable and potentially chaotic. What should the salesperson expect when they come back to the office? Sales may slow down, and your sales process might take longer. Those decision-makers will have many fires to put out with the return to the office. They’ll have to ensure employee sa

On today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Austin McCulloh, consultant and founder of Austin McCulloh Advising. Austin shows people how to prospect virtually, whether using LinkedIn, Facebook, or other methods to take advantage of online opportunities. During his professional career, he’s learned that what's between your ears is your biggest obstacle, not who’s in front of you. Overcome your mental challenges. None of us are perfect, so stop trying to live up to an impossible standard. Some salespeople spend an hour researching before a main call only to get a prospect voicemail. How much excitement and energy do you have now to make that next call? Have a counsel or advisor around you - people you can bounce ideas off. Especially those better than you. Read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz to understand and overcome your own self-limiting beliefs. Develop a process. Some salespeople feel out a sale as it goes because they believe that’s what a successful salesperson can do. In

Today on The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Junior Germain - intern extraordinaire at The Sales Evangelist. When he’s not hitting the books at BYU-Idaho, you can find Junior assisting the TSE team in all things social media, PR, and marketing. Today’s episode is a quick Q&A, where Junior asks Donald his questions about one topic: what do I need to do to succeed in sales? Question 1: How do I overcome mental fatigue as a salesperson? When people tell you no, view it as a part of the sales game. (Meaning they aren’t rejecting the person; they’re rejecting the role.) That person might be in the middle of cooking dinner, watching a great Netflix show, or preparing for work. If you try to make a sale (especially when inconvenient for the prospect), you’ll inevitably get rejected. Question 2: How do you overcome the fact that you’re interrupting their daily schedule?  You’re providing a helpful service or product - something of worth to your prospects. Your job is to help them realize that. You don’t

New sellers struggle to make sales because they lack the skill and experience to ask well-crafted questions and build rapport with their prospects. In this episode of The Sales Evangelist, guest Tony Morris tells us the five ways for new sellers to sell like pros. As an author, podcaster, entrepreneur, and speaker for sales conferences worldwide, Tony knows how any beginner in the sales world can stand out.   Follow the 80/20 rule (but in the proper order) Sales reps should apply the 80/20 rule when talking to prospects: listen 80% of the time and speak 20% of the time. (We have two ears and one mouth, so use them in that order.) Many salespeople use the 80/20 rule, but reversed. Tony’s first tip for new sellers: talk less and listen more.  When you encourage your prospect to talk more, you learn more about their needs and how you can help them. Ask the right questions.  What makes a bad question? Any question that prompts a one-word answer. These questions are impersonal and don’t provide insight into the

Today on The Sales Evangelist, we’re joined by Shufflrr CEO and co-founder James Ontra to discuss the importance of storytelling in sales. What’s Shufflrr? They help companies transform humble PowerPoints into invaluable business assets. Even better, your entire company can present and share from those same decks. It’s a paradigm change in presentation management that’s long overdue. Why are presentations so important? Presentations are an integral part of the business world. From product information to case studies to introductions, companies communicate to each other through presentations.  We typically think of presentations as a single document, but it’s more nuanced than that. Every presentation is a story, and every slide is a scene. Within Shuffler, you can drag and drop slides to create custom stories, and your entire company can present and share from those same decks. Meaning, those coworkers presenting in London or Hong Kong will be unified with the same platform.   How do we tell better stories?

On today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, we’re joined by coach, speaker, and presenter Francois Lupien. From Tae Kwon Do Canadian champion to a top real estate agent to serial entrepreneur, Francois has worn multiple hats and now dedicates himself to helping entrepreneurs increase their net worth and accomplish their goals. Today, he lets us know why sales are important and his approach to doing it right every time. But first, why are sales so important? Nothing happens until a sale is made, regardless of the field. A sale is needed for a business, just like fuel is needed for any car. For the client, you are an essential cog in the wheel. There are many problems and many solutions, but the salesperson’s job is to ensure the solution is brought to the problem. As a salesperson, you need to be Sherlock Holmes: inquisitive, curious, and 100% focused on the person in front of you. Genuine interest in the client is your first role. Francois’s tips to be excellent in sales: Questions are the answer. If you a

Today on The Sales Evangelist, Donald gives three tips to consider before your first BDR role. Success doesn’t happen overnight, but using Donald’s tips will pave the path to your success as you begin your sales career. Don’t take it personally. There will be times people hang up on you are simply not interested - it happens to everyone. But don’t let that unmotivate you! There will also be times putting yourself out there, and engaging with the prospect will be what makes the sale. Even if a prospect isn’t interested, recognize they’re rejecting the offer and not the salesperson. Follow up more than you think you should. 80% of sales require five follow-up calls after the meeting, yet 44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up. Why is that? Salespeople are often afraid of how they’re presenting themselves if they contact a prospect multiple times in a row. Even worse, the salesperson might have their feelings hurt after a nonresponse.  Avoiding these mentalities is key to developing sales. From the wi