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

Equaling The Playing Field For Women In Sales    Sales used to be a man’s world, used to. The same can’t be said now because women have found their place in the sales industry as well.    Lorraine Ferguson is one of the great saleswomen. She started her career in the industry in the mid-eighties by working for a startup company. Like many women, she didn’t see herself as a salesperson but her job for the startup company called for it and Lorraine ended up joining a team of salesmen.    Lorraine’s challenges  Lorraine was young and inexperienced so she did what she could by imitating what she saw the salesmen were doing. With so much pressure sales, the job didn’t seem appealing. Sales were all about making the deal and sharing the benefits and features of the products and services. Lorraine did what she could but the biggest challenge wasn’t selling. It was her gender. Lorraine felt that she wasn’t taken seriously and several times during a negotiation, she was asked to bring in her boss.    It wasn’t just he

How To Pair Inbound Leads With Sales Triggers For Higher ROI   Are you thinking of ways you can pair inbound leads with sales triggers to get a higher ROI? In this episode, we’ll talk about how to do just that.    Tukan is the CEO and co-founder of LeadSift. It is an intent data platform for B2B technology companies. Tukan's company helps them identify which accounts and which contacts within the accounts they should be going after based on signals of intent.    What is an inbound lead? For Tukan, an inbound lead is anyone who comes into your website and fills out a form on gated content, requests a demo, or in other ways your website offers engagement. Other inbound leads may have come to you, chatted with you and given you their email address.  They could have also downloaded your webinar, your ebook, or another offering. If a person requests some form of information from your company, that is considered an inbound lead.    There’s a variety of sales triggers, including internal triggers or first party data

How To Qualify Your Prospects In Under 10 Minutes   How can a salesperson qualify a lead in under 10 minutes? Jason Swenk can help. He is a self-proclaimed professional Uber driver for his children, who are 13 and 9 years old, but his main job is to work with agency owners grow and create freedom in their company.   The downstream sales process The downstream sales process doesn’t start the conversation by immediately selling to a potential client.  Launching a meeting by talking about a product is a tactic many sales reps use but it doesn’t often lead to closing. The downstream sales process is more about taking away the risks and making sure that the transaction works for both parties and ensures both parties have good experiences.    Mistakes that people often do Oftentimes, people sell their core services right off the bat, and immediately go to the high ticket item regardless if it meets the client’s need. In this scenario a high commission is the goal by trying to capture a major commitment from a clien

Best Sellers In History Recap    The Best Sellers in History has been a hit and we’ve been doing it for the last few months. We have highlighted individuals and classified them as the best sellers throughout history. Over the course of the series, we’ve talked about:  Who they are What made them great at selling What separated them from everyone else How we can take those ideas and apply them to our selling career   The Recap In this series, Donald has talked about several individuals who made their mark. They were influential and persuasive people who were able to make a difference in their lifetimes. We’ve talked about Jesus Christ, Oprah Winfrey, Reginald F Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Benjamin Franklin, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Abraham Lincoln. They were amazing sales people even though they weren’t in sales for a living. For example, Abraham Lincoln wasn’t a salesman but he did sell a major idea.      Abraham Lincoln - sold the whole country on the idea of unity and the nee

Selling SaaS To Doctors vs. Selling Traditional SaaS    SaaS stands for Software as a Service. In this episode, Justin Welsh will teach us how to sell SaaS to doctors and how the language in these transactions can be applied in other areas of selling.    Although Justin Welsh is an accomplished seller, he is also a buyer who makes note of his purchasing experiences.  He recalls one such experience, about eighteen months ago, when he went to the Atlantic Center Terminal to buy a new TV. He and his wife had just moved to a new apartment and Justin wanted a large 60” TV so he could enjoy college football. He went to the store and told the salesman exactly what he needed.  The salesman, however, had other plans. Justin no sooner had asked about the 60” TV before he was hearing about 65”, 67”, and 72” inches TV. Justin was even taken over to the curved and 3D TVs. Justin admits he was a little intimidated by such an aggressive sales tactic. He’d just wanted to get the TV he was ready to purchase so he and his frie

Three Sales Principles I Learned While Visiting Jamaica   Donald Kelly, our podcast host, recently traveled back to his home country, Jamaica. The trip was beautiful and an eye-opener. In watching the work ethic and ingenuity of the Jamaican people, Donald learned 3 key principles that can be used by sellers in the U.S. and abroad. His experience in Jamaica can strengthen and help sales professionals to persevere in their roles.    Jamaica is a beautiful country. It has beaches and looks to be a people with an easy-going lifestyle. People picture Jamaica as a beautiful country but the way it looks doesn’t tell the whole story. It has its fair share of challenges too, just like any other country. The average salary of an individual is $149,000 (Jamaican dollar). That’s $138.72 in the US. People have to learn how to live off a meager income. While it’s not easy, they are still able to make it work. Parents are still able to send their kids to school to get a great education.    Principle 1: Sell lemons  Despite

The Best Sellers in History Series 10 - “Oprah Winfrey”   Welcome to yet another episode for the Best Sellers in History series. For this episode, we are featuring one of the most influential individuals in our century. She isn’t only known among the African-American community. Her fame reaches worldwide and this individual is now worth over $3.5 billion. She started from nothing but didn’t let that stop her as she overcame obstacles all the way to success and influence. She is Oprah Winfrey    Sales Spotlight - Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29th, 1954 and her parents are Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey. She grew up in a humble community where she was raised by her grandmother on a farm. Oprah entertained herself by playing and acting in front of an imaginary audience. She had her first speaking gig in front of the congregation at church, where she spoke about Jesus and how he rose up from the dead on Easter Sunday. It was the beginning of her knowledge that this was something she could do. 

How To Train Salespeople That Aren’t Natural Salespeople   Getting training as a salesperson is part of the process and it is especially important for those individuals where selling doesn’t come naturally. How do you shape them to become great salespeople?   John Martinez is a sales trainer and has been training salespeople exclusively for about six years. Before that, he’d had a sales career for over 20 years. Working in corporate America training and building sales teams, he eventually decided to leave to start his own sales training company.    Becoming a great salesperson With proper training, anyone can learn the skills to get better at their job and sales is no exception. Not all salespeople are born for sales but with the right exposure and training, a skillset can be gained to excel. In these cases, one needs the desire to develop the strategies to help them overcome the inevitable hurdles and challenges that can come with a career in sales.  John wasn’t a natural-born salesperson himself.  He had a

How To Develop An Unstoppable Drive To Sales Success   Salespeople and startup entrepreneurs all strive to have an unstoppable drive toward sales success; however, this isn’t an easy feat. There are hurdles to face before that success can be attained. How do you get the unstoppable drive to sales success?   Dre Baldwin was a professional basketball player. He graduated from Penn State and played overseas for nine years across eight different countries. He is now an author and speaker. Dre creates programs for both athletes and non-athletes and does coaching and consulting, among his many jobs. He is also considered as an influencer with YouTube views of over 40 million.     The beginning of his basketball career  Dre started playing basketball at the later age of fourteen. With other players starting out much earlier, many were better than he was and had a greater skill set. With this in mind, he knew the only way for him to get better and earn their respect was to do more than everybody else was doing.    He

Best Sellers In History Series - "Harriet Tubman"   It’s another episode from the Best Sellers in History series. This month, we will be focusing on African American individuals who have been very persuasive. One such individual was Harriet Tubman, also known as the Black Moses. Harriet was born as a slave but managed to escape and rescue more than 300 slaves. In this episode, we’ll focus on why Harriet was so successful in convincing people to leave the life of slavery, even if getting caught meant death.    Sales on Spotlight - Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman was born as Emerita Ross in March 1822. The exact date was never known because a slave’s birth date wasn’t recorded. Slaves were considered property and weren’t valued as individuals. She was born in Dorchester County, Maryland and growing up, she was beaten and whipped by her masters.  There was one incident Harriet endured when a slave owner threw a heavy metal object at another slave and hit Harriet instead. This injury caused a scar she would wear th

Three Things Small Businesses Get Wrong When Marketing     Businesses often make mistakes in their marketing campaigns and as a result, don’t maximize their exposure. Let’s discuss how strategic decisions about your online presence can make a bigger impact.    Stephen Hart is the host of the Trailblazers.fm podcast and is also a digital brand strategist. Stephen enhances marketing and communications for a global software firm by coaching individuals and businesses to improve their own brand. Through his experience, Stephen is seeing the need for people to address their brand presence and their digital footprint. It’s important for your brand to represent your product well and this is done by your prospects associating your online presence with a reputation of quality..    Digitally sophisticated  People today are more digitally sophisticated. Employers and consumers often end up going to Google or asking Alexa and Siri for answers to their questions. The same is true when consumers are looking for products or

Abundance Now: Amplify Your Life & Achieve Prosperity Today   We all want to amplify our lives and achieve prosperity. Entrepreneurs want to prosper in their business, but how is that achieved? Sales professionals all have the desire to be successful. The definition of the word can be pretty broad and it may differ from one salesperson to another. Lisa Nichols is a transformational coach and her clients achieve massive succes through her use of education, motivation, and inspiration.   Getting to Know Lisa Nichols  Lisa Nichols was academically challenged in school. She had a difficult time learning and in her twenties discovered she’s functionally dyslexic. While she gets by, she’s slower than most. C was her highest grade in school and she was told she was the weakest writer her English teacher had ever met. Even her speech teacher said, “Ms. Nichols, I recommend that you never speak in public. Get a desk job.”   Education was challenging and when she had her son, she had to get government assistance. S

Best Sellers In History Series 8 - "Reginald F. Lewis"   This episode of the Best Sellers in History series is different from the other episodes we’ve had. We are going to do an interview not with the person himself, but with his friend, Lin Hart. He wrote a book about a period of Reginald Lewis’ life. As we talk to Lin, we discover how Reginald was able to inspire us to achieve our goals and become great sellers as well.    Knowing Lin Hart Lin had a great experience when he was still a customer, back when he first purchased his own computer. His brother had told him to get a computer and with the help of his colleague’s daughter, who was a salesperson with new computer company, was able to decide what computer to buy and make all the purchasing decisions    He was reluctant but the young lady was excellent. She came over to his office and explained to him all the things he needed. She also picked out the right package for Lin. The computer came with a lot of instructions and she explained how it worked, and

It’s Time To Transform Our Sales Training   2020 is here and there is an opportunity to update sales strategies. The most common ways to execute sales systems, processes, and training have historically been written by men and for men but how do we get take those same techniques and update to include the natural strengths of women?   All about Cynthia Cynthia is a keynote speaker and sales trainer who shows sales professionals how to influence decision-makers through her company, the Barnes Sales Institute. Between her company’s focus on women-centric sales training and her global organization, Women who Sell, there is a focus on empowering female sales professionals in  male-dominated industries. Their organization is giving saleswomen a voice to be heard, so they can stand out from the competition, and be counted.   Buyer’s journey  Salespeople need to realize that 70-80% of the buyers’ journey includes conducting their own research, even before they get in front of the first salesperson. In addition to doin

How To Tell A Story That Connects & Sells   In this episode, we are going to talk about how to tell a story that connects and sells. We tell stories to inspire others, show empathy, and more. The problem is, we don’t know how to tell stories in a way that consumers will be compelled to buy our products. This is what Jude Charles is going to teach you in this episode.    Jude Charles is a story-driven filmmaker, brand strategist, and a speaker who’s been running a video production company for the past 13 years. He’s been helping entrepreneurs tell stories effectively to be able to connect with prospects and clients.    What is a story?  Stories are universal. There is no difference between a story about your normal day and a story you might tell during a sales meeting. The only difference is the ending and its goal.  Stories are about a specific moment in time. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. What happens at the end will make your story impactful.    When you’re telling a story in sales, you want

Best Sellers In History Series 7 -" Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.    This is the seventh episode in the Best Sellers in History series. We celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. day on January 20, a legendary man who was the face and voice behind the civil rights movement. We have freedom today and now have opportunities that weren’t available for many people before him. Martin Luther King Jr. fought a tough battle but he never gave up and his efforts paid off. Through his actions and his character he was able to move people closer to justice and freedom.    Today’s episode is about Martin Luther King Jr., one of the best sellers in history. We’re going to focus on the characteristics that made him so persuasive and how he was able to inspire a nation to change its ways.    Sales Spotlight - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was originally named Michael King Jr. He was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He passed away on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Martin was a Baptist min

How To Rapidly Grow Your Sales Through An Effective Message & A Powerful Sales Script   A message and a powerful sales script are important to rapidly grow your business. These strategies can take your sales game from zero to hero.  Matthew Pollard was a customer before he became a game-changer and a rapid growth expert. He was 21 when he met the most unbelievable salesperson he’d ever met. The man was part of the Wine Selector’s club. Matthew grew up in a relatively poor neighborhood so beer, straight vodka or bourbon had been his drink of choice. He wasn’t a wine person but the salesman’s script was so good he bought it.  Matt signed up for a club membership and collected wine for 7-8 months before he moved houses. He started drinking wine and has become a huge fan.   When Matthew told this salesman he’d purchased the wine because of the sales pitch, he was told the secret was to tell the same story every time.  What made it so effective was that because he knew the script so well, he could guarantee a

How To Create An Environment Where People Thrive At Work   A healthy work environment allows people to thrive and grow. But what can we do to create that environment where people thrive?  Kingsley Grant is focused on helping leaders get better results by using a framework of emotional intelligence and leadership. He helps sales leaders create environments that support positive output.    Reasons why salespeople don’t thrive at work  The research group, Aussie Tanner, interviewed people who left their companies. Based on that research, it showed that people leave because they felt unacknowledged,  under-valued, and unimportant. The best way to address these problems is to create an environment that supports employees and allows them to feel they are part of the team. This engagement can be a challenge for many leaders.    Another reason why salespeople fail to thrive is they don’t feel safe to share their ideas. There is a fear that sales leaders will use those ideas against them. Sales leaders need to create

Best Sellers In History Series 6 - "Mary Kay Ash"   It’s the sixth episode for out Best Sellers in History series. We’ve talked about Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Gandhi. This time, we’re going to talk about someone who helped get others promoted but was overlooked for promotions herself.  She noticed how unfairly she was being treated at her job but instead of begging for a piece of the pie, she went ahead and created her own pie! Let’s talk about Mary Kay Ash and how she built her empire from the strong skill sets she developed as a salesperson.   Sales Spotlight - Mary Kay Ash Mary Kay Ash is world-renowned for being the makeup and skincare queen.  Her pink Cadillac has become iconic. How did this come from someone who kept getting passed over for promotion?  Because she is considered to be one of the best sellers in history. Here are five reasons why:  Had a purpose and a why Created a vision or a common cause Had a strong and impressive work ethic Had the

5 Ways Exercise Will Help You Become A Better Sales Professional   Everybody wants to be better and be the best version of themselves. There are ways to help you become a better sales professional.  Austin Rolling is the founder and CEO of a software company based in Houston, Texas called Outfield. It’s a web and mobile-based software application designed for organizations that compete for outside sales, field marketing, and field merchandising activities.  They created a platform to help companies acquire the necessary data to be effective in rolling out and executing their field marketing strategies.  Austin wrote an article about 5 areas we can become a better sales professional through exercise. To be better, exercise doesn't just refer to physical fitness. Mental health is just as important for someone wanting to be a great salesperson. The 5 areas we’ll be reviewing include:  Mental fitness Having various outlets  to relieve stress  Appearance Energy to make it through the day Self-reflection    Menta