Does it sound familiar to struggle with building a strong team culture within your sales team? You may have been told to simply focus on individual sales performance without considering the impact of team dynamics. This approach often leads to a lack of collaboration, communication breakdowns, and a decrease in overall sales success, leaving you feeling frustrated and unable to achieve your desired results. Do you want to create a team environment where collaboration and productivity thrive? Manoj Ramnani will reveal the key to establishing a cohesive and high-performing team culture. Discover the solution to fostering an atmosphere of unity and success within your sales team. Unlock the secret to cultivating a strong and effective team culture. Our gues today is Manoj Ramnani. His journey to building a successful company without taking any VC money is a testament to his resilience and determination. From the early stages of his career, Manoj recognized the value of fostering a strong team culture. It was during his first foray into entrepreneurship that he truly grasped the impact of a positive and driven team environment. Through the ups and downs of founding multiple companies, Manoj honed his ability to bring people together, instilling a sense of ownership and accountability within his teams. His approach to team culture goes beyond the conventional, as he seeks individuals who not only understand their failures but also learn and grow from them. Manoj's story is one of unwavering commitment to building a company where every team member is invested in the collective success, and his insights are invaluable for sales leaders navigating the complexities of team dynamics and culture. Building business is a team sport. If I was a pianist, I'd do it all by myself, much less coordination. It's just me, right? If I had to put 15 hours to play piano and be perfect at it, probably would be easier. But when you have to have a bunch of folks coming together, and you need A players that are independent thinkers, that take ownership, they have their own thoughts and opinions to get them all coming together, that's the hardest part of building any business. - Manjoj Ramnani Manjoj Ramnani, the CEO and founder of Sales Intel, has a proven track record of successfully establishing and growing businesses, with Sales Intel marking his fourth venture. Headquartered in the Washington, DC metro area, Sales Intel has achieved notable success without relying on venture capital funding. Specializing in providing data and intelligence solutions for go-to-market teams, Manjoj is committed to enabling businesses to build strong pipelines, increase win rates, and expand their account sizes. With a team of around 150 professionals, he is known for fostering a collaborative and innovative team culture. Beyond his professional pursuits, Manjoj's passion for flying and being a recreational pilot adds a unique dimension to his persona, reflecting his multifaceted expertise and interests. In this episode, you will be able to: Build a strong team culture to foster collaboration and success within your sales team. Understand the importance of product market fit to drive your sales strategy and maximize customer satisfaction. Overcome the challenges of selling a product in its early stages to establish a foothold in the market. Manage customer expectations for product development to ensure a positive and trusting relationship. Implement effective sales strategies and communication techniques to enhance your sales performance and customer engagement. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction to Flymessage IO and Sales Intel 00:01:30 - An Insight into Manoj Ramnani 00:05:40 - Discovering Manoj's Hidden Passion 00:09:32 - The Importance of Team Culture and Building Sales Intel 00:13:20 - Setting Cultural Values and Pillars 00:15:06 - Progress and Market Learning 00:16:13 - Cultural Pillars and Accountability 00:18:00 - Hiring Executive Leaders 00:22:05 - Long-Term View and Employee Retention 00:27:55 - Learning from Failure 00:30:06 - Key Factors for Sales in Services vs. Product Companies 00:31:29 - Impacting Product as a Sales Leader 00:32:36 - Challenges of Selling an Unproven Product 00:36:14 - Progress Over Perfection in Product Development 00:42:48 - Building Trust Through Transparent Sales 00:45:17 - The Importance of Not Selling Futures 00:46:02 - Managing Expectations on Product Development 00:47:34 - Negotiating Future Product Development 00:48:59 - Connecting with Manoj Ramnani 00:49:41 - Manoj's Favorite Movie Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction to FlyMSG.io and SalesIntel Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the podcast and guest Manoj Ramnani, CEO and founder of Sales Intel. They discuss the creation of FlyMSG and the role of Sales Intel in providing data and intelligence for go-to-market teams. 00:01:30 - An Insight into Manoj Ramnani Manoj Ramnani shares his background as a fourth-time founder and CEO of Sales Intel. He also reveals a little-known fact about being a recreational pilot, showing a different side to his professional life. 00:05:40 - Discovering Manoj's Hidden Passion Manoj Ramnani unveils his passion for flying and owning his own plane, expressing his plans to fly across the country to meet customers and partners. This personal insight adds depth to his professional persona. 00:09:32 - The Importance of Team Culture and Building Sales Intel Mario and Manoj delve into the challenges and successes of building Sales Intel without venture capital funding. They highlight the significance of team culture, emphasizing the need for the right people with the right attitude, focus, and drive. 00:13:20 - Setting Cultural Values and Pillars Manoj discusses the cultural pillars of Sales Intel, emphasizing the importance of customer-centricity and progress over perfection. He shares insights from his previous experiences and the evolution of cultural values within the company. 00:15:06 - Progress and Market Learning Manoj emphasizes the importance of making progress, getting the product to market, learning from the market, and iterating to keep making progress. 00:16:13 - Cultural Pillars and Accountability Manoj discusses the importance of cultural values, accountability, and the idea of being in it together as a team. 00:18:00 - Hiring Executive Leaders Mario raises the challenge of hiring executive leaders who may not have the same ownership mindset as a founder. Manoj highlights the importance of looking for capability, cultural fit, stability, and long-term thinking in potential executive hires. 00:22:05 - Long-Term View and Employee Retention Manoj shares the concept of longer-term thinking and how it applies to employee retention and success within the company. He emphasizes the importance of giving employees enough time to see things through and the benefits of long-term commitment. 00:27:55 - Learning from Failure Manoj candidly discusses his own experience with failure and the importance of taking ownership of mistakes. He emphasizes the value of learning from failure and the impact it can have on personal and professional growth. 00:30:06 - Key Factors for Sales in Services vs. Product Companies Manjoj discusses the key differences in sales strategies for services and product companies, emphasizing the importance of product market fit, pipeline generation, and company culture. 00:31:29 - Impacting Product as a Sales Leader Manjoj explains the role of sales leaders in partnering with product and technology leaders to ensure successful product execution, especially in early-stage companies with unproven products. 00:32:36 - Challenges of Selling an Unproven Product Mario shares the challenges faced by sales reps selling an unproven product, emphasizing the importance of managing customer expectations, downplaying product issues, and maintaining resilience in the face of challenges. 00:36:14 - Progress Over Perfection in Product Development Manjoj highlights the value of prioritizing progress over perfection in product development, sharing his experience with setting realistic expectations and focusing on strengths to achieve traction in a competitive market. 00:42:48 - Building Trust Through Transparent Sales Mario discusses the importance of transparency in sales, advising sales leaders to disclose potential product issues to build trust with buyers and manage customer expectations effectively. 00:45:17 - The Importance of Not Selling Futures Mike Reevy's leadership style is highlighted, emphasizing the importance of not selling future products or features. This approach makes life easier for the organization and conditions sellers to refrain from promising future deliverables. 00:46:02 - Managing Expectations on Product Development Manoj explains the importance of managing expectations when it comes to product development timelines. He stresses the need to communicate awareness of requested features, but not promise specific delivery timelines. 00:47:34 - Negotiating Future Product Development The conversation touches on negotiating future product development with clients. Manoj shares an example of how they negotiated a quarter million dollar payment for a specific request, highlighting the complexities of product development in a mature organization. 00:48:59 - Connecting with Manoj Ramnani Listeners are encouraged to connect with Manoj on LinkedIn and are reminded to send a personalized connection request mentioning the podcast. Manoj's LinkedIn profile and last name spelling are provided for reference. 00:49:41 - Manoj's Favorite Movie Manoj shares that "The Godfather" is his all-time favorite movie, providing a personal touch to the conversation. This light-hearted moment adds a personal touch to the end of the episode. Cultivating a strong team culture Manoj highlights the importance of creating a robust team culture in driving the success of an organization. This involves fostering an environment of transparency and open communication. Having the right people with suitable attitudes and focus, and investing in their growth, is key to achieving this. Understanding product market fit Product market fit is critical in determining the growth trajectory of a business, as emphasized by Manoj. A well-differentiated product that meets the needs of its target market is crucial for long-term success. Furthermore, it is vital to continuously evaluate and innovate your product to stay ahead in the competitive business environment. Overcoming early-stage challenges Overcoming early-stage challenges is part and parcel of any startup journey, something Manoj explains vividly. Learning from mistakes and setbacks and adopting a long-term view can significantly help in getting past these hurdles. Setting realistic expectations, focusing on progress over perfection and patience is key to navigating these initial roadblocks. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Connect with Manjoj Ramnani, CEO of Salesintel, on LinkedIn by sending a personalized connection request mentioning that you heard him on the modern selling podcast. Download FlyMSG.io for free to save 20 hours or more in a month and increase your productivity. FlyMSG is a free personal writing assistant and text expander application. Give the modern selling podcast a five-star rating and review on iTunes to show your support. If you're looking for a sales intelligence solution, consider connecting with Salesintel to explore their data and intelligence SaaS solution for go-to-market teams. Watch Manjoj Ramnani's video on YouTube titled Success is Not a Straight Line to gain insights into the lessons he learned from his previous company's failure and success.

  If you're feeling frustrated because your current hiring process is only bringing in mediocre sales talent, then you are not alone! You may already be spending countless hours sifting through resumes and conducting interviews, only to end up with sales professionals who lack the drive and results you need. Instead of seeing a boost in sales team performance, you're stuck dealing with underperformers who are holding your team back. It's time to make a change and attract the A-level sales talent your team needs to succeed. In this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, Doug Dvorak, Motivational Sales Speaker, Trainer & Sales Performance Coach, shares his insights on attracting A-level sales talent. Doug is one of the most well-traveled keynote motivational speakers available today. Doug has earned his spot in the motivational speaking hall of fame. He has also been inducted into the International Who’s Who of Professional Speaking. Doug Dvorak's journey from being a seasoned sales representative to a leader in sales talent acquisition is a compelling narrative of resilience and vision. His career spans the burgeoning era of the Internet, selling data communication products, to leading global sales teams in the realm of manufacturing enterprise software. Doug's story is a testament to the fact that attracting A-level sales talent is not just about skill; it's about creating an environment that resonates with top performers. His journey encapsulates the essence of perseverance and a relentless pursuit of excellence in sales talent acquisition. We can't sell as Fred Flintstone anymore. We're George Jetson. And AI is in support to allow us to get more FaceTime, email time, phone time, zoom times. That's the only time we make money. - Doug Dvorak This week's special guest is Doug Dvorak, the founder and managing principal of the Sales Coaching Institute, bringing with him a wealth of experience as a professional sales representative and keynote speaker. Having spearheaded sales of data communication products, web browser technology, and enterprise software to global giants such as IBM and John Deere, Doug's expertise in attracting and retaining A-level sales talent is unparalleled. In this episode you will learn to: Master the art of hiring and retaining sales talent can transform your sales team's performance. Discover the secrets to attracting A-level sales talent and elevating your team's success. Uncover the power of using sales assessments for hiring top-performing sales professionals. Learn sales compensation plan best practices to motivate and reward your sales team effectively. Explore the impact of AI on sales leadership and how it can revolutionize your sales strategies. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction to the podcast 00:01:25 - Doug's Background and Experience 00:09:02 - Hiring A-Level Talent 00:13:51 - Strategies for Hiring Senior Talent 00:16:03 - Attracting and Retaining A-Players 00:17:49 - Attracting and Retaining Great Sales Talent 00:18:50 - Hiring Process and Assessments 00:20:32 - Vetting Candidates and Cultural Fit 00:26:17 - Elements of a Successful Sales Compensation Plan 00:31:42 - Avoiding Complex Compensation Plans 00:35:01 - Importance of Compensation in Sales Leadership 00:36:39 - Impact of Technology on Sales Leadership 00:43:24 - Embracing AI in Sales 00:46:03 - Leveraging Technology in Sales 00:49:41 - Connecting with Doug Dvorak Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction to the podcast Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the podcast and the guest, Doug Dvorak, founder of the Sales Coaching Institute. 00:01:25 - Doug's Background and Experience Doug Dvorak shares his background as a former sales representative and leader, and his transition to founding the Sales Coaching Institute in 2005. 00:09:02 - Hiring A-Level Talent Doug discusses the importance of having a well-constructed hiring process and building a farm system to identify and groom A-level sales talent, including partnerships with colleges and universities. 00:13:51 - Strategies for Hiring Senior Talent Doug suggests establishing strong relationships with search professionals who have expertise in the industry to help in the search for senior talent, as well as leveraging referrals from current senior reps. 00:16:03 - Attracting and Retaining A-Players Mario emphasizes the importance of leaders being interviewed by potential hires, and discusses the significance of personal brand and culture in attracting and retaining top talent. 00:17:49 - Attracting and Retaining Great Sales Talent Doug discusses the importance of branding to attract top sales talent and shares insights on the hiring process using the top grading system. 00:18:50 - Hiring Process and Assessments Doug elaborates on the top grading system and the use of sales assessment tools like Gallup's challenger or disk, as well as the importance of conducting thorough reference checks. 00:20:32 - Vetting Candidates and Cultural Fit Doug emphasizes the significance of vetting candidates through online assessments, interviews, and reference checks to ensure cultural fit and mutual value for both the employer and the candidate. 00:26:17 - Elements of a Successful Sales Compensation Plan Doug highlights the key elements of a successful sales compensation plan, including a reasonable base, non-recoverable draw, clear KPIs, and accelerators to motivate and attract top sales talent. 00:31:42 - Avoiding Complex Compensation Plans Doug discusses the negative impact of complex and changeable compensation plans, emphasizing the importance of simplicity, transparency, and fair compensation to retain and motivate A players in the sales team. 00:35:01 - Importance of Compensation in Sales Leadership Doug emphasizes that the compensation of sales leaders should be less than top performers. He discusses the impact of compensation on behavior and the mistake of promoting the best rep to a leadership role. 00:36:39 - Impact of Technology on Sales Leadership Doug delves into the effects of technology, specifically AI, on sales leadership. He highlights the game-changing nature of AI in automating manual tasks and freeing up time for sales leaders and reps. 00:43:24 - Embracing AI in Sales Doug stresses the importance of AI augmenting sales reps and leaders rather than replacing them. He discusses the productivity savings and the need for data-driven decision making in sales. 00:46:03 - Leveraging Technology in Sales Doug emphasizes the role of AI in supporting sales reps to get more FaceTime, email time, phone time, and zoom time to drive meaningful conversations. He underscores the importance of humanization and contextual relevance in engagement. 00:49:41 - Connecting with Doug Dvorak Doug shares his contact information for connecting with him directly and mentions his website and phone number for further engagement. Hire and Retain Top Sales Talent Finding and keeping high-level sales professionals can be a game-changing strategy for organizations looking to expand their business. A thorough hiring process can include elements such as a detailed sales assessment, a well-structured interview, and even asking candidates to submit videos to demonstrate their skills and motivation. In addition, a comprehensive onboarding process and a transparent, easy-to-understand compensation plan can promote staff retention and encourage top performers to stay with the company. Attract A-Level Sales Professionals Attracting top-notch sales talent requires a strategic approach that goes beyond just offering a decent salary. Companies need to work on their branding, create a dynamic sales culture, and establish processes that can identify and attract A-level talent continuously. Forming partnerships with universities to offer internships can also provide a much-needed funnel to attract and assess potential candidates that can later become full-time hires. Power of Sales Assessments Sales assessments have evolved to become an essential tool in the hiring process, providing deep insights into a candidate's sales aptitude, personality, leadership skills, and more. Tools like Gallup's challenger or DISC can help verify if a candidate's skill set matches the job requirements and how comfortably they can fit in with the company's culture. They serve as an effective complement to reference checks and interviews, helping to ensure that hires are not only capable but also motivated and a good cultural fit. Connect with Doug Dvorak directly via https://dougdvorak.com/ Download FlyMSG.io for free to save 20 hours or more in a month and increase productivity. FlyMSG is a free text expander and personal writing assistant. Check out the 100 best chat GBT prompts and the best LinkedIn Chat GPT prompts available on Vengreso's website for AI-powered engagement. Give the Modern Selling Podcast a five-star rating and review on iTunes to show support and help the podcast reach more listeners. https://www.facebook.com/GoVengreso https://www.twitter.com/twitter.com/govengreso https://www.linkedin.com/company/vengreso https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtx5qy9xPdmQ4cL0aX50rTA?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtx5qy9xPdmQ4cL0aX50rTA?sub_confirmation=1

  Get ready to uncover the secrets of mental toughness in sales with expert Matt Phillips. Discover the key to overcoming challenges, achieving success, and reaching your full potential. But what happens when the pressure is on, and the quotas must be met? Stay tuned to find out. This is Matt Phillips's story: Matt Phillips' journey is a testament to the transformative power of embracing discomfort and seizing unexpected opportunities. His encounter with Ruben Gonzalez, a four-time Olympian, sparked a life-altering proposition - co-writing a book. Although initially hesitant, Matt's decision to step out of his comfort zone and accept the challenge led to personal and professional growth. This experience not only tested his confidence but also provided a platform to share valuable insights. It's a story of resilience, courage, and the profound impact of venturing into uncharted territory. Matt's narrative serves as a poignant reminder that growth often blossoms from embracing discomfort and seeking new challenges. His journey embodies the essence of mental toughness and the unwavering spirit required to navigate uncertainties. The quality of leader you become is based on the quality of questions you ask. - Matt Phillips Matt Phillips is the CEO of Matt Phillips Leadership Coaching, specializing in elevating sales professionals and teams to achieve peak performance. With over eleven years of experience, Matt's expertise lies in nurturing mental toughness and resilience, crucial for success in the competitive sales environment. His approach combines coaching, workshops, and online programs to instill the necessary skills for achieving sales goals. Beyond his professional pursuits, Matt's passion for gravel bike riding reflects his commitment to personal growth and embracing new challenges. His unique blend of leadership coaching and personal experience brings a fresh perspective to the crucial topic of mental toughness in sales. In this episode, you will be able to: Master mental toughness to excel in sales. Boost confidence and shatter limiting beliefs for sales success. Uncover the pivotal role of leadership in driving sales performance. Empower your sales team with effective enablement strategies. Harness the power of mindset for unparalleled success in sales. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introducing the Podcast 00:01:23 - Overcoming Mental Toughness 00:08:56 - Matt's Leadership Coaching 00:10:22 - Matt's Gravel Bike Ride 00:12:40 - Embracing New Challenges 00:12:56 - Understanding Mental Toughness 00:15:12 - The Five Elements of Mental Toughness 00:18:08 - Building Confidence 00:21:32 - Nature vs. Nurture 00:26:41 - Understanding Beliefs and Overcoming Challenges 00:27:15 - The Role of Beliefs in Sales and Leadership 00:28:49 - Shifting Beliefs for Sales Success 00:29:53 - Individual Responsibility and Leadership Development 00:36:53 - Overcoming Distractions and Effective Coaching 00:40:06 - Importance of Training and Enablement Plan 00:41:22 - Building a Leadership Philosophy 00:43:47 - Resources for Mental Toughness 00:46:06 - Quality of Leadership 00:47:53 - All-Time Favorite Movie Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introducing the Podcast Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the "Modern Selling Podcast" and the guest, Matt Phillips, CEO of Matt Phillips Leadership Coaching, discussing mental toughness. 00:01:23 - Overcoming Mental Toughness Matt shares a personal story about writing a book with a four-time Olympian, emphasizing the importance of stepping out of one's comfort zone and the impact of challenges on personal and professional growth. 00:08:56 - Matt's Leadership Coaching Matt explains that his coaching primarily focuses on salespeople and cross-functional teams, emphasizing mental toughness, consistency, and separating oneself from others as key components of achieving sales goals. 00:10:22 - Matt's Gravel Bike Ride Matt shares a personal detail about his new hobby, gravel bike riding, connecting it to the memory of his late father and emphasizing the unexpected nature of his interest in biking despite his physical appearance. 00:12:40 - Embracing New Challenges Mario and Matt discuss their shared interest in biking and how they have both embraced new challenges, such as mountain biking, demonstrating the importance of stepping out of one's comfort zone and trying new experiences for personal growth. 00:12:56 - Understanding Mental Toughness Matt and Mario discuss the importance of defining mental toughness and its key elements like confidence, focus, control, energy, and intentional action. 00:15:12 - The Five Elements of Mental Toughness Matt breaks down the five elements of mental toughness - confidence, focus, control, energy, and intentional action - and how they contribute to building a strong mindset. 00:18:08 - Building Confidence Matt emphasizes the importance of leveraging past successes to build confidence and propel future actions, regardless of challenges faced in sales or leadership roles. 00:21:32 - Nature vs. Nurture Matt and Mario delve into the discussion of whether mental toughness is something innate or can be developed through training and practice, highlighting the importance of nurturing key behaviors like confidence and control. 00:26:41 - Understanding Beliefs and Overcoming Challenges Matt shares his personal experience of understanding beliefs and how it freed him up. He emphasizes the importance of identifying and challenging limiting beliefs to achieve success in sales and leadership. 00:27:15 - The Role of Beliefs in Sales and Leadership Matt discusses the impact of beliefs in sales, highlighting the importance of confidence and understanding the origins of beliefs. He emphasizes the need to rewire the brain to overcome limiting beliefs and achieve success. 00:28:49 - Shifting Beliefs for Sales Success Matt explains the significance of shifting beliefs in sales, focusing on the role of confidence and challenging limiting beliefs. He emphasizes the need for sales leaders to coach their teams through shifting beliefs to overcome challenges and achieve success. 00:29:53 - Individual Responsibility and Leadership Development Matt addresses the individual responsibility in sales, emphasizing the importance of setting goals and reflecting on what motivates individuals. He also discusses the role of sales leaders as coaches in developing their teams and optimizing performance. 00:36:53 - Overcoming Distractions and Effective Coaching Matt shares insights on overcoming distractions and maintaining focus in sales. He also highlights the importance of effective coaching, emphasizing the need for leaders to actively listen to their team members and provide hands-on support to drive performance. 00:40:06 - Importance of Training and Enablement Plan Matt emphasizes the importance of leaders helping employees who are new to a task by providing a starting point, vision, and practical examples. He also highlights the need for leaders to invest time in coaching and mentoring employees. 00:41:22 - Building a Leadership Philosophy Matt discusses the significance of developing a clear leadership philosophy and the need for leaders to communicate their expectations and actions to their team members. He stresses the importance of investing time in training and coaching the team for optimal performance. 00:43:47 - Resources for Mental Toughness Matt shares about a free master class training for sales leaders and the importance of knowing your numbers through a metrics cheat sheet. He encourages individuals to take advantage of these resources to improve mental toughness and achieve sales goals. 00:46:06 - Quality of Leadership Matt emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions and reflecting on personal beliefs to become a better leader. He encourages individuals to challenge obstacles and rewire their thinking to unlock new possibilities and achieve desired results. 00:47:53 - All-Time Favorite Movie Matt shares his all-time favorite movie, "Field of Dreams," and relates it to his personal connection with the sentimental story behind it, emphasizing the importance of cherished memories and sentimental moments. Learn Leadership's Impact on Sales Leadership, according to Matt Phillips, extends beyond just holding team members accountable. It involves training, coaching, and equipping team members with the necessary tools to meet their sales objectives efficiently. By understanding leadership's impact on sales, professionals can better align their efforts with their overall goals, thus optimizing team performance and driving success. Strengthen Mental Toughness for Sales Matt Phillips underscores the immense role mental toughness plays in the highly competitive sales industry. In a world where sales teams and individuals are constantly jostling for the same opportunities, mental zing stands out as a reliable key to success. Through this episode, Matt seeks to equip sales professionals with the necessary tools to cultivate mental toughness, thus improving their resilience and ultimately their sales performance. Boost Confidence and Break Through Constantly revisiting past victories constitutes an essential part of fostering self-belief, according to Matt Phillips. He encourages sales professionals to leverage their past successes as a springboard to future victories. This episode inspires sales professionals to develop an unwavering confidence in their abilities, enabling them to break through challenges and meet their sales targets head-on. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Sign up for the free master class training on How to Become an Elite Sales Leader and Triple Revenue Growth to learn about mindset shifts and tactical strategies for sales leadership. Visit Mattphillipscoaching.com to access a metrics cheat sheet that can help you focus on the right metrics to optimize your performance as a sales leader or individual contributor. Download FlyMSG, a free text expander and personal writing assistant, to save 20 hours or more in a month and increase your productivity.

  Do you desire to enhance your business's efficiency and effectiveness? Discover how to achieve increased focus and productivity in your business operations as I share the solution with you. Learn how to attain heightened performance and output in your entrepreneurial pursuits. Join me to unlock the key to maximizing productivity in your business endeavors. Driven entrepreneur Sebastian Schieke defies distractions to achieve laser-focused productivity, despite the ever-changing business landscape and financial constraints. Does it sound familiar to struggle with maximizing sales and providing exceptional customer service? You may have been told to simply increase your sales team or customer service staff without considering the underlying issues. This can result in a lack of efficiency, wasted resources, and ultimately, a disappointing impact on your business performance.   Stick to two or three things at most and remain laser focused on the mission at hand. - Mario Martinez For this episode, Mario Martinez Jr. was interviewed by Sebastian Schieke Sebastian Schieke is the CEO and founder of a notable company focused on productivity software. With a specialization in AI and its applications in business operations, Sebastian brings a wealth of expertise to the table. His insights into leveraging AI for enhanced workflow processes and increased productivity have made a significant impact in the realm of sales and customer service. Sebastian's role in implementing AI technologies has been instrumental in reshaping the landscape of business operations, providing valuable solutions for entrepreneurs and business owners seeking to streamline their processes. In this episode, you will be able to: Discover how AI revolutionizes sales and customer service for enhanced business performance. Explore the pivotal role of human involvement in AI-driven conversations and its impact on customer experience. Uncover the importance of responsible usage of AI technology in driving ethical and sustainable business practices. Learn effective strategies for integrating AI into your workflows to streamline operations and boost productivity. Navigate through the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in leveraging AI to stay ahead in the competitive market landscape. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introducing FlyMSG.io 00:01:31 - Evolution of AI in the Workplace 00:03:47 - Human Assisted AI and Super Productivity Tools 00:08:21 - The Power of Integrated AI 00:09:32 - The Role of FlyMSG in Sales and Engagement 00:16:07 - The Power of Contextual Relevance and Hyper Personalization in Messaging 00:16:31 - The Pitfalls of AI to AI Communication 00:17:29 - The Importance of Respectful and Human-Centric Communication 00:21:48 - The Impact of AI on Enterprise Communication 00:29:29 - Ubiquitous AI Communication and Workflow Integration 00:32:13 - Personalized AI Writing Assistant 00:33:28 - Current Business Environment 00:34:29 - Struggles in Business 00:35:41 - Focus and Productivity 00:37:31 - Special Offer for Listeners Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introducing FlyMSG.io Mario Martinez Jr. introduces FlyMSG, a free personal writing assistant and text expander application designed to help sales leaders and practitioners grow their sales numbers at scale. 00:01:31 - Evolution of AI in the Workplace Sebastian Chic and Mario Martinez Jr. discuss the rapid development of AI and its integration into workflow processes. They emphasize the importance of AI bringing value and enhancing the user's workflow. 00:03:47 - Human Assisted AI and Super Productivity Tools Mario Martinez Jr. explains the concept of human assisted AI and the need for tools that consolidate applications to enhance productivity. He highlights the value of AI in the user's daily workflow. 00:08:21 - The Power of Integrated AI Sebastian Schieke and Mario Martinez Jr. delve into the benefits and business cases of integrated AI, emphasizing its impact on daily communication and workflows. They discuss how AI is no longer limited to simple tasks but has become fully integrated into various work processes. 00:09:32 - The Role of FlyMSG in Sales and Engagement Mario Martinez Jr. explains the functionalities of FlyMSG, including its role in sales prospecting training, deploying messaging, and engaging with buyers. He also discusses the human-assisted AI approach in the development of FlyMSG's AI tools. 00:16:07 - The Power of Contextual Relevance and Hyper Personalization in Messaging The conversation starts with Sebastian Schieke emphasizing the importance of contextual relevance and hyper personalization in messaging for sales, customer service, and business owners. He highlights the value of using the human mind rather than AI for this purpose. 00:16:31 - The Pitfalls of AI to AI Communication Sebastian and Mario discuss the absurdity of AI to AI communication and the potential problems it can create. Sebastian shares an anecdote about a customer's frustration with a bot and emphasizes the need for tools to assist, not replace, human intelligence. 00:17:29 - The Importance of Respectful and Human-Centric Communication The conversation delves into the potential dangers of AI generating communication and the importance of respectful and human-centered interaction on social media. Sebastian underscores the need for developers to prioritize creating AI tools that enhance communication without contributing to disrespectful or hateful content. 00:21:48 - The Impact of AI on Enterprise Communication Sebastian discusses the potential dangers and biases created by AI platforms that use data to train their models. He highlights the importance of implementing enterprise-grade AI to protect sensitive data and maintain a high level of customization in communication across different platforms. 00:29:29 - Ubiquitous AI Communication and Workflow Integration The conversation explores the unique value of platforms like FlyMSG in providing a ubiquitous experience across various SaaS applications. Sebastian emphasizes the need for AI tools to integrate seamlessly into users' daily workflows and 00:32:13 - Personalized AI Writing Assistant Mario discusses the potential for a personalized FlyEngage tool that learns from the user's voice to generate messages. The complexity of adapting to individual voices and corporate needs is highlighted. 00:33:28 - Current Business Environment Mario reflects on the rapid speed of change and uncertainty in the current business landscape, emphasizing the challenges faced by business owners and the need for global solutions to accelerate growth. 00:34:29 - Struggles in Business Mario shares his perspective on the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs and business owners in finding product market fit and accessing funding, emphasizing the need for focus and resilience in the face of challenges. 00:35:41 - Focus and Productivity The importance of staying focused on what has worked in the past, avoiding distractions, and optimizing productivity is emphasized by Mario, highlighting the need for a laser-focused approach in business. 00:37:31 - Special Offer for Listeners Mario offers a special discount code for listeners interested in trying FlyMSG, encouraging them to leverage the productivity tools to save time and increase efficiency in their daily tasks. Human Involvement in AI Conversations While AI technology offers undeniable advantages in business and sales, the essentialness of human involvement in AI-driven conversations cannot be underestimated. By ensuring contextual appropriateness, particularly in calls to action and hyper-personalized messages, businesses can leverage technology to enhance human interaction rather than replace it. This balance of AI automation and human touch fosters a more appealing and engaging customer experience. AI Integration for Sales The incorporation of Artificial Intelligence in sales has drastically changed the landscape, offering new levels of efficiency and personalization. Tools like Vengreso's FlyMSG streamline the creation and sending of messages, which not only saves time but also enhances overall productivity. Embracing this technology combines human creativity and intelligence with AI capabilities, providing a promising path to higher sales and customer satisfaction. Responsible Usage of AI As AI technologies push new boundaries, there is a parallel need for responsible usage to navigate potential risks. Implementing enterprise-grade AI that ensures user data privacy and minimizes bias is paramount, just like FlyMSG's usage of private Language Model Models (LLMs). This mindset for responsible AI application helps enable the beneficial exploration of AI's potential, while safeguarding user trust and data integrity. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Visit Flymsg.io to set up your individual account and leverage FlyMSG for free to expand text and engage with your target buyer on LinkedIn using AI tools. Use the secret code PrimeDay2023 (capital P, capital D, 2023) to get 15% off the 27, 66, and $132 yearly plans for FlyMSG. This will help you increase your productivity and save about an hour per day. Give the Modern Selling Podcast a five-star rating and review on iTunes. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Download FlyMSG for free right now to increase your productivity and save time. It's your free text expander and personal writing assistant. If you want to stay 20 hours or more in a month and increase your productivity, go right now and download FlyMSG. That's FlyMSG.io for free.

If you're feeling frustrated by the lack of response to your personalized sales messages, where your efforts to connect with prospects seem to fall flat, then you are not alone! Despite your attempts to craft tailored messages and engage with potential clients, you may find that your outreach process is inefficient and unproductive. Instead of seeing increased engagement and con, you may be experiencing a cycle of wasted time and missed opportunities. In this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, Mario Martinez Jr., the CEO and founder of Vengreso, delves into the challenges faced by sales professionals in creating personalized engagement with buyers. He introduces FlyMSG.io, an innovative tool developed by his company, designed to streamline the process of crafting customized messages. Mario's expertise in digital sales prospecting and his company's focus on enhancing sales messaging for prospecting make him a credible source on this topic. The episode covers the inefficiencies of traditional outreach methods, the importance of personalization, and the introduction of AI-powered tools like FlyEngage AI and FlyPost AI to scale engagement efforts. The conversation emphasizes the significance of contextual relevance, personalization, and maintaining visibility across various touchpoints to improve buyer engagement. Sales professionals struggling with personalized messaging and seeking to enhance their outreach process should tune in to gain insights on leveraging AI tools like FlyMSG.io to save time and increase productivity while maintaining a personal touch in their buyer interactions. The name of the game is not Spray and Pray. The key to success is personalization and contextually relevant messaging. - Mario Martinez Jr. In this episode, you will be able to: Engage buyers with AI to boost sales efficiency. Streamline personalized messaging with FlyMSG.io Overcome challenges of email marketing with personalization. Increase buyer engagement through strategic social channel use. Scale prospecting efforts while maintaining a personal touch. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction 00:01:41 - Using AI for Buyer Engagement 00:03:17 - The Problem with Sales Messaging 00:07:54 - Templates and AI 00:11:29 - The Future of Personalization 00:14:59 - The Challenge of Engaging with B2B Buyers on Social Media 00:18:42 - Introducing Fly Engage AI and Fly Post AI 00:20:16 - Leveraging Connections and Building Engagement 00:21:39 - Maximizing the Benefits of LinkedIn Engagement 00:28:40 - Using AI to Improve Productivity 00:29:47 - Engaging with Connections on LinkedIn Sales Navigator 00:30:18 - Text Expander for Template-Based Messaging 00:31:06 - Importance of Consistency and Quality 00:31:38 - Getting Started with Fly Message Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction Mario Martinez Jr. introduces himself as the CEO and founder of Vengreso, the creator of FlyMSG.io He explains that the podcast aims to help sales professionals grow their sales numbers at scale. 00:01:41 - Using AI for Buyer Engagement Mario discusses how FlyMSG, a free personal writing assistant and text expander application, can help sales professionals increase their prospecting engagement by up to 40%. He emphasizes that FlyMSG.io is not a bot and encourages listeners to try it. 00:03:17 - The Problem with Sales Messaging Mario explains that many sales professionals struggle with writing effective sales emails and messages. He discusses the importance of using templates to save time and ensure consistency in messaging. He introduces FlyMSG as a solution to this problem. 00:07:54 - Templates and AI Mario discusses how FlyMSG combines templates and AI to help sales professionals engage with their target audience. He explains that the platform allows users to quickly deploy pre-written messages with just a few keystrokes. He emphasizes the importance of personalization in sales messaging. 00:11:29 - The Future of Personalization Mario highlights the impact of personalization in sales messaging, especially with Google's new policies on spam. He emphasizes the need for individualized and relevant messaging to improve response rates and avoid being marked as spam. 00:14:59 - The Challenge of Engaging with B2B Buyers on Social Media Sellers face the challenge of engaging with B2B buyers on social media platforms like LinkedIn. Email and phone have low effectiveness, but using additional channels like text, LinkedIn, or video can increase engagement by up to 40%. However, the time-consuming process of finding relevant posts and crafting authentic responses hinders scalability and efficiency. 00:18:42 - Introducing Fly Engage AI and Fly Post AI Fly Engage AI and Fly Post AI are tools designed to address the challenges of engaging with buyers on LinkedIn. Fly Engage AI analyzes an individual's posts and helps sellers write relevant responses, saving time and increasing scalability. Fly Post AI allows users to generate thought leadership posts on any topic, with AI-generated content that can be personalized for maximum impact. 00:20:16 - Leveraging Connections and Building Engagement Sellers can leverage connections on LinkedIn to build engagement and maintain visibility. By sending personalized connection requests and following up with valuable content, sellers can stay on the radar of their target buyers. Building a multi-channel approach that includes messaging, commenting, and posting content helps establish a strong presence and increase the chances of success. 00:21:39 - Maximizing the Benefits of LinkedIn Engagement Engaging with buyers on LinkedIn offers several benefits, including increased visibility and extended exposure through newsfeeds. Sellers can maximize these benefits by implementing a connection request strategy, sending personalized messages, and consistently posting valuable content. By utilizing human-assisted AI and maintaining a genuine, 00:28:40 - Using AI to Improve Productivity Mario discusses the benefits of using human-assisted AI to remove emotion and focus on tasks. He demonstrates how to use AI to edit and tag posts, as well as engage with connections on LinkedIn Sales Navigator. 00:29:47 - Engaging with Connections on LinkedIn Sales Navigator Mario explains how AI can be used on LinkedIn Sales Navigator to engage with connections. He shows how to view posts and leave comments directly within the platform, making prospecting more efficient. 00:30:18 - Text Expander for Template-Based Messaging Mario introduces the text expander feature, which works on various online platforms. He demonstrates how to search for and insert pre-defined message templates, saving time and ensuring consistency in communication. 00:31:06 - Importance of Consistency and Quality Mario emphasizes the importance of consistency in messaging, from using hashtags to maintaining a cultural component within a team. He highlights the role of Fly Message in improving time, quality, and scalability in sales. 00:31:38 - Getting Started with Fly Message Mario directs listeners to visit flymsg.io to set up an account and access a 14-day trial. He mentions the Sales professional plan, which includes unlimited access to Fly Message tools and 14 hours of sales prospecting training. Streamline Personalized Messaging Personalized messaging is a cornerstone of effective sales strategy. Yet, it often becomes tedious and time-consuming, making it challenging to scale. Tools like FlyMSG.io help in personalizing messages at scale, thereby significantly reducing time and effort, enhancing productivity, and leveraging the personal touch to drive impactful conversations with potential buyers. Engage Buyers with AI Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized many aspects, and the sales industry is no exception. AI empowers sales professionals to engage more effectively and efficiently with their potential buyers. Tools like FlyEngage AI and FlyPost, from the FlyMSG family, harness the power of AI, not only offering excellent time-saving solutions but also providing valuable insights into buyer habits, significantly enhancing engagement strategies. Overcome Email Marketing Challenges Email marketing is often fraught with challenges such as low response rates and high spam complaints. But, by incorporating AI-powered tools like FlyMSG.io and adhering to effective strategies, sales professionals can navigate these hurdles. Not only does this enhance email deliverability, but significantly improves engagement rates, driving a higher return on investment and paving the path for successful buyer engagement. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Download FlyMSG.io: Go to the Chrome store or website and download FlyMSG, the free personal writing assistant and text expander application. Try it out: Once you have downloaded FlyMSG, give it a try and see how it can help increase your prospecting engagement with LinkedIn by up to 40%. Increase your sales numbers: Utilize FlyMSG to improve your sales numbers at scale. Use the app to create personalized and engaging messages to your target audience. Create buyer engagement: Use FlyMSG to create buyer engagement by crafting effective and attention-grabbing emails. The app provides templates and suggestions for subject lines, message content, and more. Save time: With FlyMSG, you can save time by using pre-built templates for common sales scenarios. Simply type a few keystrokes and the entire message will be generated for you. Enhance prospecting: FlyMSG.io can help you enhance your prospecting efforts by providing AI-powered suggestions and recommendations. This can help you tailor your messages to specific buyers and increase your chances of getting a response. Drive inbound leads: By utilizing the features of FlyMSG, you can drive inbound leads by creating personalized

Does this sound familiar? You've been told that in order to achieve better negotiation outcomes, all you need to do is focus on your sales pitch and product features. But let's be honest, how many times have you felt the pain of losing a deal even after delivering a flawless presentation? It's time to break free from that ineffective action and understand the procurement process. By gaining a deep understanding of how your buyers make purchasing decisions, you'll finally be able to unlock the secrets to winning and achieving the results you desire. Mark Raffan, founder of Negotiations Ninja, brings a unique perspective to the world of negotiations. With a background in procurement, he has seen firsthand the inner workings of the "devil's lair" and understands the challenges salespeople face when dealing with procurement teams. Mark's mission is to transform unsuccessful negotiators into successful ones by providing training and coaching. He believes that the key to negotiation success lies in thorough preparation. Unlike the flashy portrayals we often see in movies, Mark emphasizes that most negotiations are strategic and require a well-thought-out plan. The biggest mistake people make is going into negotiations without a clear objective or strategy. Mark teaches salespeople how to define their goals and break them down into concrete, achievable outcomes. By understanding both their own needs and the broader objectives of their business, salespeople can negotiate effectively and drive value throughout the negotiation process. Mark's approach challenges the traditional view of negotiations and empowers sales professionals to take control and achieve better outcomes. Don't sacrifice your own needs in favor of the customer. Be selfish and think about what you want to achieve in the negotiation, while still delivering value to the customer. - Mark Raffan My special guest is Mark Raffan Mark Raffan is the head of training at Negotiations Ninja, a prominent negotiation training and coaching business. With a background in procurement spanning over 15 years, Mark brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. Over the course of his career, he has helped numerous salespeople and procurement professionals improve their negotiation skills and achieve successful outcomes. With six years of running Negotiations Ninja, Mark has established the company as one of the leading negotiation training providers globally. Through their training programs, they have delivered valuable insights and strategies to companies across different continents. Mark's approach emphasizes strategic planning and value creation throughout the negotiation process. His extensive knowledge and practical guidance make him a trusted resource for individuals and businesses looking to enhance their negotiation capabilities. In this episode, you will be able to: Master negotiation strategies to achieve success in any business deal. Achieve a balance between your personal and business needs during negotiations for optimal results. Understand the procurement process to gain a competitive edge and improve your negotiation outcomes. Unlock the power of goal-based negotiation to create maximum value for both parties involved. Hone your negotiation skills through practice and become a more effective sales professional. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction 00:01:48 - Background and Inspiration 00:05:24 - Juicy Fact 00:07:26 - Biggest Mistakes in Negotiations 00:10:36 - The First Step in Preparation 00:15:12 - Prioritizing Your Needs 00:17:07 - Aligning Sales and Business Objectives 00:18:51 - Lack of Clear Direction in Sales Leadership 00:22:38 - Importance of Financial Metrics in Sales 00:25:51 - Equipping Sales Teams for Success 00:29:11 - Selling with Belief in Value 00:30:48 - Dealing with Challenges and Fluctuations 00:32:05 - Negotiation as a Practice 00:34:16 - Continuous Learning in Negotiation 00:35:15 - Accessing Information about the Counterparty 00:42:43 - Understanding the Hot Buttons in Negotiation 00:43:48 - Born Negotiators vs Skill Development 00:46:15 - Individual Negotiation Training 00:47:48 - The Myth of Win-Win 00:51:35 - Favorite Movie and Closing Timestamped summary of this episode:  00:00:08 - Introduction Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the podcast and the topic of negotiations. He welcomes Mark Raffin, the head of training at Negotiations Ninja, and mentions Mark's bestselling book, Nine Secrets to Win Deals and Influence Stakeholders. 00:01:48 - Background and Inspiration Mark Raffin shares his background in procurement and how he transitioned to training salespeople in negotiations. He discusses his motivation for starting Negotiations Ninja, which was to create more engaging and effective corporate training. 00:05:24 - Juicy Fact Mark reveals that he has made several salespeople cry during negotiations, which he considers both shameful and a badge of honor. He assures listeners that it's okay to feel frustrated or emotional during negotiations. 00:07:26 - Biggest Mistakes in Negotiations The biggest mistake in negotiations is lack of preparation. Mark emphasizes the importance of strategic planning and having a clear goal in mind. He highlights the need to understand the buyer's perspective and hot buttons. 00:10:36 - The First Step in Preparation The first step in preparation is clearly defining what you want to achieve from the negotiation. Mark points out that simply wanting a good deal isn't specific enough and encourages sellers to think about their desired outcomes in terms of value and profitability. 00:15:12 - Prioritizing Your Needs The importance of considering your own needs before the customer's needs is highlighted. While the customer's needs are important, sacrificing your own needs can be detrimental. It is essential to identify and fulfill the needs of the business while also considering personal objectives. 00:17:07 - Aligning Sales and Business Objectives The importance of aligning individual goals with the needs of the business is emphasized. By negotiating contracts that benefit both parties and contribute to the company's growth, salespeople can play a significant role in achieving corporate objectives. 00:18:51 - Lack of Clear Direction in Sales Leadership The lack of clear communication and direction from sales leadership is discussed. Many salespeople are unaware of the specific goals and objectives of the business, resulting in missed opportunities. Sales leaders should provide their teams with clear objectives to guide their negotiations and decision-making. 00:22:38 - Importance of Financial Metrics in Sales The separation between the sales team and the finance team is highlighted as a challenge. Salespeople often lack knowledge about the financial metrics and targets necessary to make informed decisions during negotiations. Sales leaders should demand transparency and provide their teams with the necessary financial information to negotiate effectively. 00:25:51 - Equipping Sales Teams for Success The importance of arming sales teams with the necessary information and tools to negotiate effectively is emphasized. Providing a range of acceptable outcomes for various success drivers, such as price, IP risk, and brand risk, enables salespeople 00:29:11 - Selling with Belief in Value It is crucial for salespeople to believe in the value their product or service brings to the organization and the client. If they don't believe in it, they should find something else to do. Belief in the mission, values, organization, and products is essential for success. 00:30:48 - Dealing with Challenges and Fluctuations Sales professionals often face challenges and fluctuations in their products or organizations. It can be disheartening when things don't go smoothly, but maintaining belief in the mission and staying consistent in their efforts are key to success. 00:32:05 - Negotiation as a Practice Negotiation should be viewed as a practice, similar to religious experiences or mindfulness practices. There is no end state of perfection, but by consistently applying negotiation techniques and continually improving, salespeople can achieve success. 00:34:16 - Continuous Learning in Negotiation Negotiation is not a one-time skill, but a practice that should be continually developed. The more salespeople read and learn about negotiation, the more they realize there is always more to know. Consistently improving and being disciplined are key to success. 00:35:15 - Accessing Information about the Counterparty To access information about the counterparty, salespeople should focus on four question sets: asking about success drivers, finding out what the counterparty wants, anticipating the questions the counterparty will ask, and reflecting on the perceptions of both parties in 00:42:43 - Understanding the Hot Buttons in Negotiation Salespeople often miss understanding the hot buttons for individuals in the negotiation process. It is important to understand the structure and priorities of the procurement team and ask discovery questions to involve them earlier in the conversation. 00:43:48 - Born Negotiators vs Skill Development There is no such thing as a born negotiator. While some people may have natural communication skills, negotiation is a skill that needs to be practiced and developed. Dedication, focus, and practice are key to becoming a successful negotiator. 00:46:15 - Individual Negotiation Training Negotiation Ninja offers live training courses for individuals. While they don't offer on-demand training, the courses provide opportunities for practice and learning from procurement professionals and other salespeople. 00:47:48 - The Myth of Win-Win The concept of win-win in negotiation is misleading. It assumes that both parties can truly win and agree on what is fair. Instead, focus on goal-based negotiation, setting aspirational goals and working towards achieving them to drive value for both parties. 00:51:35 - Favorite Movie and Closing Mark's favorite movie is Casablanca. To connect with Mark, reach out to him on LinkedIn and check out his book "Nine Secrets to Win Deals and Influence Stakeholders." The episode closes with a reminder to download Flymessage IO for increased productivity. Understand the Procurement Process Raffan underlines that understanding the procurement process is an essential factor in negotiation outcomes. This understanding equips sales professionals with insights into the buyers' hot button issues and allows them to anticipate possible challenges. By involving the procurement team early in the conversations, salespeople can facilitate a more streamlined negotiation process, ultimately accelerating their organization's growth. Master Negotiation Strategies Mark Raffan highlights the importance of mastering negotiation strategies for sales professionals. He equates negotiation to a constantly evolving practice, not a one-time event, thus, emphasizing the need for ongoing learning and refinement. Developing and honing these negotiation skills can greatly improve a sales professional's ability to secure favorable deals and drive value for their organization. Achieve Balance in Negotiations Achieving a balance between personal objectives and the overall needs of the business is fundamental in negotiations, according to both Raffan and Mario. This requires maintaining open communication lines with various teams, comprehending the organization's holistic needs and objectives, and effectively translating corporate strategies to the sales team. It's about finding the sweet spot where personal and business needs align, leading to efficient and successful negotiations. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Check out FlyMSG:  the free personal writing assistant and text expander application created by Vengreso. Use this tool to improve your writing and productivity. Get the book Nine Secrets to Win Deals and Influence Stakeholders: Purchase Mark Raffan's bestselling book, Nine Secrets to Win Deals and Influence Stakeholders. This book provides valuable insights and strategies for successful negotiations. Listen to the Modern Selling podcast: Tune in to the Modern Selling podcast hosted by Mario Martinez Jr. In this episode, Mario and Mark discuss negotiations and provide valuable tips for winning over buyers. Take notes and apply these strategies to your own sales efforts. Explore Negotiations Ninja training and coaching: Visit the Negotiations Ninja website to learn more about their negotiation training and coaching services. Whether you're a salesperson or a procurement professional, their programs can help you become more successful in negotiations. Follow Mark Raffan on social media: Connect with Mark Raffan on social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter. Stay updated on his insights and expertise in negotiations. Sign up for Negotiations Ninja newsletter: Subscribe to the Negotiations Ninja newsletter to receive regular updates, tips  

Have you ever heard these common myths about building connections and creating a sense of purpose in sales?  Myth #1: Networking is just about exchanging business cards. Myth #2: Purpose is a fluffy concept that doesn't impact bottom-line results. Myth #3: Building strong connections is only for extroverts. In this episode, our guest Lloyed Lobo will debunk these myths and share the truth about how these strategies can accelerate sales success. Lloyed Lobo, the accidental entrepreneur turned Wall Street Journal bestselling author, has a unique journey that has always revolved around the power of community. Growing up in Kuwait to Indian parents who faced educational barriers, Lloyed experienced the importance of connection and unity firsthand. Spending summers in the slums of Mumbai, he witnessed how communal activities like pumping water and sharing meals brought people together. Later, during the Gulf War, Lloyed saw how a shared purpose could unite even in the face of adversity. These experiences shaped his belief that great leaders should cascade purpose, not just goals, and that when people are united by a common purpose, they can move mountains. Lloyed's entrepreneurial spirit was ignited by these experiences, as he learned that entrepreneurship is not just about making money, but about taking an idea and executing it with extreme risk and uncertainty. Building communities became Lloyed's DNA, and it played a vital role in the success of his company, where he realized the true power of connection and the impact it has on mental well-being. His journey is a testament to the transformative power of building connections and creating a sense of purpose. When people are united by a common purpose, they can move mountains. - Lloyed Lobo My special guest is Lloyed Lobo Lloyed Lobo is a renowned author, known for his Wall Street Journal bestseller, "From Grassroots to Greatness." Alongside his writing achievements, Lloyed is also the co-founder of Boast.AI and Traction, showcasing his entrepreneurial expertise. With a unique background that includes being a refugee of the Gulf War, Lloyed brings a fresh perspective to the table. Growing up in a community-driven environment, he witnessed firsthand the power of unity and purpose in overcoming challenges. This experience has shaped his belief in the importance of cascading purpose as a leader and the ability of a strong community to achieve exceptional results. Lloyed's extensive knowledge in community-led growth makes him a sought-after guest for discussions on building connections and driving sales success. Prepare to gain valuable insights from his wealth of experience and expertise in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast. In this episode, you will be able to: Accelerate sales growth by harnessing the power of community. Empower sales leaders to effectively cascade purpose and drive sales success. Create strong connections and a sense of purpose within your sales team for increased motivation and collaboration. Tap into community-driven approaches to fuel business growth and sales results. Discover the key to understanding and targeting your ideal customer profile (ICP) for sales success. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction 00:02:26 - Background and Formative Experiences 00:06:48 - Entrepreneurship and Risk 00:08:36 - From Grassroots to Greatness 00:09:49 - The Power of Community 00:13:17 - The Four Stages of Idea Growth: Audience, Community, Movement, Religion 00:15:22 - The Importance of Human-to-Human Connection 00:16:50 - The Power of Community in Marketing 00:18:30 - Examples of Successful Community Building 00:20:08 - The Journey into Community Building 00:27:21 - Finding the Right Audience 00:28:14 - Understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) 00:29:30 - Platforms and Communities 00:30:55 - The Power of In-Person Connections 00:33:38 - Community Building Advice 00:40:46 - The Power of Positive Companionship 00:41:08 - The Influence of Founders 00:41:30 - The Importance of Communication 00:42:12 - The Fourth C: Consistency 00:43:54 - Underdog Stories and Entrepreneurship Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the podcast and the guest, Lloyd Lobo. They discuss the importance of energy and connection in building a community. 00:02:26 - Background and Formative Experiences Lloyd Lobo shares his background, growing up in the slums of Mumbai and experiencing the Gulf War as a refugee. He discusses how these experiences taught him the power of community and purpose. 00:06:48 - Entrepreneurship and Risk Lloyd Lobo explains how his experiences as a refugee during the Gulf War shaped his entrepreneurial spirit. He believes that entrepreneurship is about taking an idea to execution and impact while dealing with extreme risk and uncertainty. 00:08:36 - From Grassroots to Greatness Lloyd Lobo discusses his book, "From Grassroots to Greatness: 13 Rules to Build Iconic Brands with Community-Led Growth." He explains how building a community can drive growth and shares his experience with leveraging community to grow his own company, Boast.AI. 00:09:49 - The Power of Community Lloyd Lobo shares how building a community of entrepreneurs helped his company, Boast.AI, acquire customers and grow. He emphasizes the importance of community in understanding customer pain points and building relationships. 00:13:17 - The Four Stages of Idea Growth: Audience, Community, Movement, Religion Lloyed Lobo explains that every enduring global phenomenon follows the same four stages: audience, community, movement, and religion. Building a community is essential to avoid becoming a commodity and instead become a cult-like brand or religion. 00:15:22 - The Importance of Human-to-Human Connection Lloyed emphasizes that technology may evolve, but human-to-human connection remains consistent. The most iconic brands and businesses are built on these connections. He shares that he wrote a book on this topic, highlighting its significance. 00:16:50 - The Power of Community in Marketing Lloyed discusses how marketing has changed, with consumers becoming fed up with spam and clickbait. Building a community is crucial for businesses to own their relationships with consumers and avoid relying solely on algorithms and platforms. 00:18:30 - Examples of Successful Community Building Lloyed provides examples of companies like Atlassian and Harley-Davidson that have successfully built communities. These communities have not only saved struggling brands but have also become iconic and influential in their respective industries. 00:20:08 - The Journey into Community Building Lloyed shares his personal journey into community building, starting with cold calling and sales. He realized the importance of communication and connecting with like-minded individuals at entrepreneurial events, which led to the formation of his own community. 00:27:21 - Finding the Right Audience Lloyed emphasizes the importance of loving and understanding your target audience. He shares his experience of building a startup audience and highlights the criteria to consider, such as sustainability, niche size, propensity to pay, and ease of access. 00:28:14 - Understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Lloyed explains the process of understanding the ICP by immersing oneself in their world. By identifying their pains, goals, aspirations, and obstacles, entrepreneurs can develop products that address their needs. He also emphasizes the importance of knowing the ICP's circle of influence. 00:29:30 - Platforms and Communities Lloyed emphasizes the significance of knowing where your target audience frequents, whether it's LinkedIn, blogs, or magazines. He suggests creating an online audience through consistent content creation and bringing them together through offline meetups or online community channels. 00:30:55 - The Power of In-Person Connections Lloyed highlights the power of building connections through in-person interactions. He explains that combining multiple senses strengthens relationships and trust. While online communities are valuable, meeting in person can foster deeper connections. 00:33:38 - Community Building Advice Lloyed advises individuals to consider their DNA of giving before building a community. He emphasizes that community building is a marathon and requires time, consistency, and a genuine desire to help others. He also suggests being deliberate about the type of community to build. 00:40:46 - The Power of Positive Companionship Surrounding yourself with positive and uplifting people during difficult times can make those times feel less challenging. Companionship plays a crucial role in shaping our experiences, and having great companions can make any journey, even a difficult one, memorable. 00:41:08 - The Influence of Founders Working closely with founders has given Lloyd the courage to start his own startup. The people we surround ourselves with have a significant impact on our mindset and aspirations. Your community is your currency. 00:41:30 - The Importance of Communication Communication is key to aligning people and building an audience. Without effective communication, you have an empty room. Mario is praised for his high energy communication skills. 00:42:12 - The Fourth C: Consistency Consistency is crucial for success. Whether it's in community building, creation, or communication, consistent actions lead to significant outcomes over time. Overnight success is the result of compound interest on consistency. 00:43:54 - Underdog Stories and Entrepreneurship Lloyd enjoys underdog story movies because they teach valuable lessons about entrepreneurship. It's not about how hard you hit, but how hard you keep pushing forward. From grassroots to greatness, the journey of an underdog is inspiring. Accelerate sales growth Accelerating sales growth relies heavily on building a strong community around your business. Lloyed Lobo emphasizes that this community-building prevents a business from becoming just another commodity. When achieved effectively, it results in creating a solid foundation that helps to accelerate sales growth and drives the success of a business. Empower sales leaders Lloyed’s story inspires and empowers sales leaders to focus on creating a sense of purpose and genuine engagement with their audience. He goes on to highlight the importance of consistency and communication in attaining this purpose. Empowered sales leaders equipped with these insights have the potential to transform their business performance and achieve higher levels of success. Create strong connections Creating strong human-to-human connections and fostering a robust community is at the heart of Lloyed’s message in this episode. He emphasizes that businesses need to own relationships beyond algorithms and platforms, enforcing the importance of a two-way interaction. By doing so, businesses can build stronger, long-lasting connections which eventually lead to sustainable growth and success. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Check out FlyMSG.io, the free personal writing assistant and text expander application created by Vengreso, the company founded by Mario Martinez Jr. Tune in to the Modern Selling podcast hosted by Mario Martinez Jr. to hear from sales leaders, practitioners, and influencers and learn how to grow your sales numbers at scale. Get a copy of From Grassroots to Greatness, the Wall Street Journal bestseller written by Lloyed Lobo, co-founder of Boast.AI and Traction, to learn 13 rules for building iconic brands with community-led growth. Explore Boast.AI, the company co-founded by Lloyed Lobo, which offers solutions for automating R&D tax claims and innovation funding. Connect with Lloyed Lobo on social media to stay updated on his insights and experiences as an entrepreneur and community builder. Join the Traction community, created by Boast.AI, to connect with other entrepreneurs and access resources and support for building and growing your business. Reflect on the power of community and the impact it can have on your personal and professional life, as shared by Lloyed Lobo in the podcast episode.  

Drive Better Results through Personalization in Sales Jeffrey Gitomer, the charismatic King of Sales, challenges the notion that sales professionals should solely focus on selling by delving into the world of Taylor Swift's extraordinary success, igniting a lively football rivalry with the host, and introducing an AI tool, all while exploring the importance of personalization and emotional connection in driving sales. Jeffrey, a renowned sales expert and best selling author, believes that the key to success in modern selling lies in understanding the past and building genuine relationships. In a conversation with Vengreso's CEO Mario Martinez Jr. on The Modern Selling Podcast, Gitomer emphasizes the importance of personalization in sales and the value of turning relationships into friendships. He shares how he has made more sales after midnight than anyone else by focusing on being a value provider, not just a product pitcher. Gitomer challenges young salespeople to embrace the depth of personalization and move away from relying on shortcuts like AI. He encourages them to go back to their roots, tap into their family and business values, and invest time in truly understanding their customers' needs and desires. According to Gitomer, sales are made by engaging customers emotionally and proving their credibility socially. By customizing and personalizing their approach, salespeople can build trust and win more deals. The past will predict the future every single time. Study what happened, and it'll tell you what's going to happen. - Jeffrey Gitomer Jeffrey Gitomer is not your typical sales expert. With a charismatic personality and a no-nonsense approach, he has earned the title of the "King of Sales." As an international sales trainer, President of Buy Gitomer, keynote speaker, and bestselling author, Jeffrey has revolutionized the way sales professionals approach their craft. His most recent book, "Get Sh*t Done," is a testament to his belief in the power of productivity. Jeffrey understands that success in sales is not just about closing deals, but about building genuine connections and providing value to customers. With a deep understanding of the history of sales and the importance of personalization, Jeffrey challenges salespeople to go beyond the convenience of technology and truly connect with their customers. His insights and strategies have proven to be game-changers for countless sales professionals, making him one of the most sought-after voices in the industry. In this episode, you will be able to: Unlock the secrets to Taylor Swift's music and business success. Discover the power of personalization in sales and skyrocket your results. Master the art of building relationships and trust in the sales process. Understand cultural preferences to create winning sales strategies. Harness the potential of AI technology for revolutionary sales prospecting. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction 00:01:35 - The Importance of Understanding Sales History 00:03:58 - Jeffrey Gitomer's Background and Recent Book 00:08:41 - The Use of AI in Sales 00:10:51 - Embracing AI and the Future of Sales 00:16:30 - The Importance of Customization 00:19:05 - The Role of Emotional Engagement in Sales 00:20:12 - Adding Personal Voice to AI Responses 00:22:26 - Leaving an Emotional Impact 00:24:26 - Challenging the Sales Process 00:32:09 - How to Help Customers 00:34:45 - Understanding Why People Buy 00:36:05 - Jeffrey's Dream Jobs 00:37:24 - Upselling and Emotional Connection 00:39:03 - Quality Forever and Customer Loyalty 00:46:47 - Taylor Swift's Influence in Music and Business 00:47:30 - Eagles Games and Football Rivalry 00:48:18 - Friendly Hamburger Bet 00:48:29 - Call to Action 00:49:30 - Conclusion and Product Promotion Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the podcast and the guest, Jeffrey Gitomer, known as the King of Sales. 00:01:35 - The Importance of Understanding Sales History Gitomer emphasizes the importance of understanding the history of sales and how it influences modern selling. He highlights the value of building relationships and emphasizes the need for salespeople to connect with customers on a personal level. 00:03:58 - Jeffrey Gitomer's Background and Recent Book Gitomer talks about his most recent book, "Get Shit Done," which focuses on productivity. He mentions how he drew inspiration from a 100-year-old writer named Orison Sweat Martin. Gitomer also shares anecdotes from his early writing career and the impact his columns had on readers. 00:08:41 - The Use of AI in Sales The conversation shifts to the use of AI in sales. Gitomer criticizes a company's policy that banned the use of AI in sales communication. He believes that AI can be a valuable tool for salespeople, as long as it is used effectively and personalized for each customer. 00:10:51 - Embracing AI and the Future of Sales Gitomer expresses his openness to embracing AI in his own work and future endeavors. He believes that protecting proprietary information is becoming increasingly difficult in the digital age. Gitomer also emphasizes the value of building personal connections in sales, rather than relying solely on technology. 00:16:30 - The Importance of Customization The guest emphasizes the need to customize AI responses and not rely solely on generic messaging. He suggests that personalized responses based on the recipient's background and needs can lead to better engagement and sales success. 00:19:05 - The Role of Emotional Engagement in Sales The guest highlights the importance of emotional engagement in sales. He emphasizes the need to invest time in understanding the customer's needs, desires, and circumstances, and to respond with positive emotions to create meaningful relationships and trust. 00:20:12 - Adding Personal Voice to AI Responses The guest discusses the importance of adding personal voice to AI-generated responses. He gives an example of how he would modify a generic response to make it more personalized and engaging for the recipient, based on their background and achievements. 00:22:26 - Leaving an Emotional Impact The guest explains that at the end of a call or meeting, people will remember one of five things about you: something great, something good, nothing at all, something bad, or something really bad. He emphasizes the importance of leaving an emotional impact, even if it's a negative one, rather than being forgotten. 00:24:26 - Challenging the Sales Process The guest shares his frustration with the traditional sales process, particularly the need to go through a qualification call with an SDR before having an intelligent conversation with a salesperson. He believes in providing upfront pricing or directly booking a meeting with an account executive for a more 00:32:09 - How to Help Customers Jeffrey emphasizes the importance of understanding how to help customers and shares his approach of asking, "How can I help you the most?" He shares a recent conversation with a customer from India and how he provided valuable insights and recommendations, even though his own company couldn't fulfill their needs. 00:34:45 - Understanding Why People Buy Jeffrey believes that understanding why people buy is more crucial than teaching sales techniques. He emphasizes the importance of uncovering the customer's motives and needs before presenting any sales materials. By focusing on the customer's personal goals and challenges, salespeople can build a stronger emotional connection and increase their chances of making a sale. 00:36:05 - Jeffrey's Dream Jobs Jeffrey shares his dream jobs, which include being a Starbucks barista, a Walmart greeter, and a waiter at a high-end restaurant. He believes that these roles provide opportunities to connect with people on a personal level, upsell products, and make a positive impact on customers' experiences. 00:37:24 - Upselling and Emotional Connection Jeffrey discusses the power of upselling through emotional connection. He shares a personal experience at a restaurant where the waiter's detailed descriptions of desserts made him salivate and increased his willingness to spend more. By understanding customer preferences and using persuasive techniques, salespeople can upsell effectively and enhance customer satisfaction. 00:39:03 - Quality Forever and Customer Loyalty Jeffrey praises The Apple Pan, a restaurant with a motto of 00:46:47 - Taylor Swift's Influence in Music and Business The guest highlights Taylor Swift's success in both music and business, emphasizing that she has created her own country and economy. He mentions her high ticket sales, with the lowest price being $1,000, and praises her ability to generate billions of dollars. 00:47:30 - Eagles Games and Football Rivalry The conversation shifts to discussing their shared love for the Eagles football team. They talk about the excitement of watching games together and the upcoming Eagles-49ers game. They exchange playful banter and express confidence in their respective teams. 00:48:18 - Friendly Hamburger Bet The guest challenges the host to a bet on the outcome of the Eagles-49ers game, suggesting a private hamburger meeting if he loses. They jokingly negotiate the terms of the bet and plan to have their teams face off in a friendly competition. 00:48:29 - Call to Action The host encourages listeners to reach out to the guest and mention the podcast. He also promotes an AI technology called Flymsg.IO that can help with prospecting and engaging with target buyers. The episode ends with a request for a rating and review on iTunes. 00:49:30 - Conclusion and Product Promotion The host wraps up the episode, thanking listeners and reminding them to download Flymsg.IO for increased productivity. He signs off with a closing statement and encourages good selling. Tap into Cultural Preferences Being sensitive to cultural differences can also significantly enhance the efficacy of the sales process. As Jeffrey points out, cultural nuances can shape the business engagement and preferences of a potential customer. By showing respect and understanding toward these differences, sales professionals can foster positive business relationships and open avenues for prospective sales within different markets. Boost Sales with Personalization Sales professionals can see a remarkable difference in their results with the strategic use of personalization. Tailoring the approach to each prospect's specific needs and circumstances forms genuine connections and stands out in a sea of generic pitches. Jeffrey Gitomer's insights on avoiding generic AI responses emphasizes the need for this tailored interaction, forming a central part of the modern selling process. Build Strong Relationships and Trust Establishing and nurturing trust with prospects plays a pivotal role in sustainable sales success, as emphasized by Jeffrey. Not only does this foster long-lasting business relationships, but it also facilitates in-depth understanding of customer needs and motives for buying. The interaction that follows, therefore, becomes less of a sales pitch and more of a consultation - a collaborative process aimed at effectively addressing the customer's needs. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Visit the website of Vengreso to learn more about their free personal writing assistant and auto text expander application, FlyMSG. Subscribe to the Modern Selling podcast to hear from sales leaders, practitioners, and influencers who can help you grow your sales numbers at scale. Check out Jeffrey Gitomer's books, including his most recent publication Get Sh*t Done, which focuses on productivity. You can find it on popular online bookstores. Consider studying the history of sales, like Samuel Smiles' book Self Help and Character, to gain a deeper understanding of modern selling techniques and buyer expectations. Reflect on the value of turning relationships into friendships in sales. Remember that personal connections can lead to more sales opportunities, even outside of traditional business hours. Embrace the use of AI in your sales communication and processes. Explore AI tools and technologies that can enhance your productivity and effectiveness as a salesperson. Don't be afraid to share valuable content and knowledge with your customers. Utilize social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter to provide helpful insights and ideas that can resonate with your audience. Recognize that protecting proprietary information in today's digital age is challenging. Focus on building strong customer

Boost Your Sales with Personalized Communication Strategies - David Graswick In a world where sales influencers typically write books to establish their expertise, Mario Martinez Jr. took a different path. Instead, he embarked on a journey that led to the creation of The Modern Selling Podcast, ultimately making him a sales influencer without ever writing a book. But what Mario didn't expect was the incredible impact he would have, with nearly seven years and 250 episodes of wisdom shared. And now, as he welcomes David Graswick, Vice President of Global Sales at DataBook, they uncover the unexpected key to sales success in the digital landscape. Brace yourself for a twist that will revolutionize the way you approach personalized communication, leaving you hungry for more. Today's special guest is David Graswick, Vice President of Global Sales at DataBook. He joins host Mario Martinez Jr. on the 250th episode of The Modern Selling Podcast. Reflecting on his journey, Mario shares that he started the podcast to become a sales influencer without writing a book, a task he wasn't particularly fond of. Instead, he opted for the medium of podcasts and short videos. With almost seven years and 250 episodes under his belt, Mario is thrilled to have David as a special guest. David, who has been with Data Book for three years, is praised for his impressive three-year tenure as a VP of Sales, which is quite rare in the industry. Mario and David delve into the importance of securing C-suite meetings and the value they bring. They emphasize the need for sellers to understand the business problems they solve, as well as the different buyer personas within an organization. Articulating these solutions effectively is crucial to capturing the attention of executives. They also discuss the significance of personalized messaging, keeping it concise and attention-grabbing. With their combined expertise, Mario and David provide valuable insights for sales professionals in the digital landscape, aiming to improve sales outcomes through personalized communication. Executives aren't moved by product features and content. Salespeople need to bring narratives and messaging that can be consumed in 30 seconds or less. - David Graswick Meet David Graswick, the Vice President of Global Sales at DataBook. With over 21 years of experience in software sales, David is a seasoned professional who understands the value of personalized communication in the sales process. He believes that connecting with C-level executives is worth the extra effort, as it opens the door to uncovering additional budget and unlocking new opportunities. David's strategic approach involves tailoring sales campaigns to address the unique needs and pain points of different buying personas, from top-level decision-makers to the doers in the middle and the end-users. His wealth of knowledge and expertise has helped countless sales professionals achieve success by focusing on personalized engagement and building meaningful relationships with key stakeholders. We are thrilled to have David join us on the podcast to share his insights and strategies for leveraging personalization in sales. Get ready to gain valuable tips and techniques that will elevate your sales game to new heights. In this episode, you will be able to: Master the art of selling to the C-suite and unlock new opportunities for business growth. Harness the power of personalization to supercharge your sales efforts and win over even the toughest prospects. Unlock the potential of AI-powered writing assistance to effortlessly craft compelling messages that resonate with your audience. Streamline your sales processes with technology and turbocharge your productivity, allowing you to focus on what truly matters – closing deals. Elevate your writing proficiency to foster stronger connections with your prospects, leaving a lasting impression that sets you apart from the competition. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction 00:01:08 - Celebrating 250 Episodes 00:03:39 - Introduction of David Graswick 00:06:33 - Fun Fact about David 00:08:38 - The Value of C-Level Meetings 00:16:36 - Articulating the Business Problem 00:18:04 - The Need for Strategic Selling 00:19:55 - Creating a Tight Narrative 00:21:18 - The Power of Brevity 00:25:34 - Effective QBRs 00:27:38 - Elevating Business Acumen 00:32:26 - Identifying and Solving a Problem 00:33:55 - Presenting to C-Level Suite 00:36:32 - Building Relationships with Executives 00:36:57 - Finding Champions 00:40:49 - Using an Omnichannel Approach 00:47:20 - Introduction to Flymsg.IO 00:47:33 - Conclusion Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the podcast and its purpose, which is to provide insights and tips to help sales professionals improve their sales numbers at scale. 00:01:08 - Celebrating 250 Episodes Mario expresses his gratitude to the listeners for making the podcast successful and announces that this is the 250th episode. 00:03:39 - Introduction of David Graswick Mario welcomes David Graswick, Vice President of Global Sales at Data Book, as the special guest for the 250th episode. David shares his background in sales and his role at Data Book. 00:06:33 - Fun Fact about David David reveals that he was a two-time horseshoe champion in Pittsburgh during his younger days, showcasing his talent in an unexpected sport. 00:08:38 - The Value of C-Level Meetings Mario asks David about the importance of getting C-level meetings. David highlights the benefits of engaging with C-level executives early in the sales process, as it can unlock additional budget and lead to more strategic conversations. 00:16:36 - Articulating the Business Problem Many sellers struggle to articulate the business problem their product or service solves, which hinders their ability to impress executives. Focusing on product features instead of business problems is a common challenge among sales professionals. 00:18:04 - The Need for Strategic Selling Economic conditions have forced organizations to realize that sales teams need to be more strategic. The product feature-focused approach that worked in the past is no longer effective. Salespeople must attach themselves to high-impact problems to capture executive interest. 00:19:55 - Creating a Tight Narrative To get the attention of executives, salespeople need to align their messaging with what the executives care about. This means understanding their personal and business goals and linking them to the solutions they provide. Concise messaging is crucial. 00:21:18 - The Power of Brevity Salespeople should assume that their messages will be read on smartphones. Keeping messages short and to the point is essential. The first two sentences of a message can determine whether an executive continues reading or moves on. 00:25:34 - Effective QBRs QBRs should be concise and focused on what executives care about. A successful QBR should include an executive summary that ties financial metrics, operational metrics, strategic priorities, and the value story together. This approach maximizes the chances of getting executive attendance. 00:27:38 - Elevating Business Acumen Sellers need 00:32:26 - Identifying and Solving a Problem The conversation starts with a discussion about identifying a problem and finding a solution. The speaker talks about how they were able to save over $100,000 a month by solving a coverage issue at their office using wireless repeaters and building a core infrastructure. 00:33:55 - Presenting to C-Level Suite The speaker discusses the importance of understanding what C-level executives care about and framing the conversation around those concerns. They share an example of how they saved $1.2 million for a company by not reducing their costs, but by reducing another provider's cost. 00:36:32 - Building Relationships with Executives The speaker shares a strategy they used to build relationships with C-level executives. They started with 15-minute coffee meetings and gradually developed strong relationships that led to attending important meetings and events together. 00:36:57 - Finding Champions The importance of finding champions in an organization is discussed. The speaker differentiates between a coach and a champion, emphasizing that a champion has access to power and is willing to help you reach the C-suite. If you don't have a champion, find someone else who is willing to break through roadblocks. 00:40:49 - Using an Omnichannel Approach The speaker emphasizes the importance of using an omnichannel approach to engage with executives. They mention that cold outreach is often necessary, but it should be combined with other channels such as personalized emails and video messages to increase 00:47:20 - Introduction to FlyMSG.io FlyMSG is a free text expander and personal writing assistant. The host expresses gratitude to the listeners and hints at the next episode. 00:47:33 - Conclusion The episode ends with the host bidding farewell with the phrase "Lam." No specific information or key takeaways are mentioned in this part. AI-powered Writing Assistant An AI-powered writing assistant, like flymsg IO, can significantly streamline and improve sales communications, addressing the ever-increasing need for efficiency and effectiveness in the highly competitive digital landscape. These tools utilize natural language processing to provide real-time, personalized writing assistance, enabling sales professionals to craft clear, concise, and impactful messages. Not only does this help to engage and capture the attention of potential customers, but it also allows sales teams to focus more on building relationships and closing deals. Master Selling to the C-suite Engaging the C-suite is a key aspect of successful sales operations. When selling to executives, it's vital to focus on the business problems that your product or service can solve, not the product features. By understanding what financial metrics and goals the executives prioritize, salespeople can tailor their messaging to align to these areas, enhancing the chance of securing a successful meeting and concluding the sale. Personalization Personalization in sales is not just a matter of courtesy; it’s also a proven strategy for achieving better results. A personalized approach to sales allows salespeople to develop strong relationships with their prospects by directly addressing their needs, challenges, and objectives. By crafting personalized messages that engage and resonate with the prospects, sales professionals are more likely to drive conversions and foster long-term relationships. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Visit the FlyMSG.IO website to download the free personal writing assistant and text expander application. Subscribe to the Modern Selling Podcast on your preferred podcast platform to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes. Connect with Mario Martinez Jr. on social media to engage with his content and stay informed about sales strategies. Learn more about Data Book, the company where David Graswick is the Vice President of Global Sales, by visiting their website. Consider the benefits of targeting C-level executives and the potential for unlocking additional budgets by engaging with them in a strategic manner. Research financial metrics that are important to C-level executives and use this information to have more meaningful conversations with them. Remember that there are multiple buying influencers within an organization, so develop a sales campaign that addresses the needs and pain points of each persona. Recognize the importance of engaging with middle-level employees who are responsible for implementing solutions and may serve as champions for your product or service. Don't overlook the users and lower-level employees who will be directly using your product or service on a regular basis. Prioritize personalization and tailor your pitch to the specific needs and challenges of each executive you are pitching to.

Boost Your Sales with ROI and Payback: Ian Campbell's Expert Advice Does this sound familiar? You've been told to bombard your customers with a laundry list of product features and hope that it somehow convinces them to buy. But all you're left with is a frustrated audience and lackluster sales results. The pain of spending valuable time and effort crafting complex messages that fail to resonate is all too real. Isn't it time you learned a more effective approach to drive sales success? Our guest for this episode: Ian Campbell, the guest for this week's The Modern Selling Podcast, is the CEO of Nucleus Research, a leading research firm focused on helping organizations understand and articulate the value and return on investment (ROI) of technology. With over 20 years of experience in the tech industry, Ian brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. He is also the author of the book "The Value Sale," which provides sales professionals with a simple and effective process for building a business case and delivering a value message that resonates with buyers. Ian's insights and practical strategies make him a valuable resource for sales professionals looking to drive sales success through effective communication of value and ROI. He has a rich background in the tech industry. Starting as a software programmer, he later transitioned into research, where he found his passion for understanding the ROI from technology. As the founder and CEO of Nucleus Research, Ian and his team focus on helping vendors and end users articulate the value of technology through ROI studies. With a wealth of experience in teaching value and ROI at the college level, Ian recognized the need to simplify the process of building a business case for salespeople. His goal in writing a book was to provide sales professionals with a clear and straightforward approach to showcasing value and ROI to their customers. By breaking down the concept into easily understandable terms, Ian believes that salespeople can confidently communicate the benefits of their products, ultimately leading to increased sales success. The easier it is to build a business case, build an ROI case, the easier it's going to be for you to sell. - Ian Campbell Mastering Communication for Sales Success Understanding the art and science of communication is crucial for sales success. Strong communication skills allow sales professionals to articulate their value proposition clearly and persuasively, which is critical in convincing potential customers of the benefits of a product or service. Skilled communicators can effectively convey complex information, maintaining the interest of their audience, and promoting engaging and productive conversations that drive sales. Simplifying and Communicating Value Proposition A crucial skill for any sales professional is to effectively simplify and communicate the value proposition of their product or service. This involves distilling complex features and benefits into understandable and impactful messages. By focusing on the key benefits that resonate most with the customer, salespeople can create a compelling narrative that underscores the value of their offering and encourages the customer to make a purchase. In this episode, you will be able to: Master the art of communicating value and drive your sales success. Learn how to simplify your value proposition and effectively communicate the benefits to your customers. Discover the role of ROI and payback in sales and decision-making, and how to leverage it to close deals. Quantify the value you provide to your customers and demonstrate the impact of your product or service. Understand the importance of identifying your customer's needs and focusing on key benefits to drive sales success. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction. 00:01:36 - About Ian Campbell and Nucleus Research. 00:05:33 - The Value Sale Book. 00:06:51 - Easy Way to Determine Positive ROI. 00:09:56 - Leading with ROI. 00:13:51 - The Importance of ROI in Sales. 00:15:08 - Categorizing Benefits and ROI. 00:16:20 - The Value of Hours Saved. 00:17:43 - Simplifying ROI for Marketing Sequences. 00:19:07 - Challenges of ROI in Larger Opportunities. 00:26:11 - The Importance of Payback Period. 00:27:28 - Mitigating Risk with Payback Period. 00:28:00 - Leveraging Payback Period in Marketing. 00:29:38 - Using Payback Period to Improve Sales Messaging. 00:30:01 - Avoiding Common Mistakes in Building a Business Case. 00:39:02 - The Power of Simplifying Product Benefits. 00:39:38 - Connecting with Ian Campbell. 00:40:43 - Quota Performance and Sales Challenges. 00:42:29 - Research Collaboration Opportunity. 00:42:39 - Ian Campbell's Favorite Movie. Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction, Mario Martinez Jr. introduces himself as the CEO and founder of Vengreso and the host of the Modern Selling podcast. He welcomes the audience and mentions that they will be discussing the value sale ROI in this episode. 00:01:36 - About Ian Campbell and Nucleus Research, Mario introduces Ian Campbell, the CEO of Nucleus Research and author of the book "The Value Sale." Ian shares his background in technology and explains that Nucleus Research focuses on helping vendors and end users understand the return on investment from technology. 00:05:33 - The Value Sale Book, Ian discusses his book "The Value Sale" and its purpose of providing salespeople with a process to build a business case and demonstrate value to customers. He emphasizes the importance of ROI in helping customers understand the potential return they will get from a product. 00:06:51 - Easy Way to Determine Positive ROI, Ian introduces the concept of breadth and repeatability as indicators of positive ROI. The more people use a product and the more often they use it, the greater the potential ROI. He advises salespeople to consider these factors when evaluating the potential value for a customer. 00:09:56 - Leading with ROI, Ian suggests that while ROI is an important metric, payback period is even more impactful. Salespeople should focus on how quickly a customer will cover their costs and the return they will receive over time. Payback period can be a more compelling metric when discussing financial 00:13:51 - The Importance of ROI in Sales, The conversation begins by discussing the significance of showcasing ROI to end users. The guest emphasizes the need to focus on increasing productivity and saving tangible resources, such as time. The value proposition should highlight the number of hours saved and the cost justification. 00:15:08 - Categorizing Benefits and ROI, The guest introduces the concept of categorizing benefits into direct, intended, productivity gain, and distant categories. While direct and intended categories are easy to calculate, distant benefits, like happier employees, have a lower impact on ROI. The key is to focus on the two big benefits that drive the deal. 00:16:20 - The Value of Hours Saved, The guest emphasizes the importance of focusing on the number of hours saved and how it justifies the cost. Even a few hours saved can make a significant impact. By calculating the worst-case scenario, it becomes evident that the value proposition for sales should revolve around the hours saved. 00:17:43 - Simplifying ROI for Marketing Sequences, The guest suggests a brilliant question to ask in marketing sequences: "How many hours do I really need to save you to justify the cost?" This simplifies the ROI discussion and helps in converting more people. He advises focusing on the two big benefits that drive the deal and not getting caught up in other smaller benefits. 00:19:07 - Challenges of ROI in Larger Opportunities, The guest acknowledges the difficulty of unpacking ROI in larger opportunities and more. 00:26:11 - The Importance of Payback Period, Understanding the payback period is crucial in making informed decisions about signing a contract. It helps determine if a project will cover its costs within a reasonable timeframe and if the return on investment is favorable. Shorter payback periods increase the likelihood of moving forward with a project. 00:27:28 - Mitigating Risk with Payback Period, A shorter payback period reduces the risk associated with a project. If the costs can be covered within a few months, even if the decision turns out to be a bad one, the project will have already generated positive value. Emphasizing a quick payback period can accelerate decision-making. 00:28:00 - Leveraging Payback Period in Marketing, Highlighting a quick payback period in marketing can be more impactful than focusing on a small daily cost. Demonstrating how quickly customers can cover their costs and start generating positive value is a stronger selling point. Real-life examples and customer testimonials can reinforce these claims. 00:29:38 - Using Payback Period to Improve Sales Messaging. Incorporating the idea of payback period into sales messaging can significantly enhance the effectiveness of the message. By framing benefits as numbers that contribute to covering costs and generating positive value, sales reps can appeal to prospects' desire for tangible returns. 00:30:01 - Avoiding Common Mistakes in Building a Business Case Sales reps often make the mistake of including too many benefits in their business case, diluting the impact of their message. 00:39:02 - The Power of Simplifying Product Benefits, Ian Campbell emphasizes the importance of focusing on the three key ways a product impacts customers, making it easier to articulate their value. He encourages salespeople to drop the mic and make sure the benefits drive to those big numbers. 00:39:38 - Connecting with Ian Campbell, Mario asks how listeners can connect with Ian Campbell, suggesting Twitter and LinkedIn. Ian recommends finding him on LinkedIn and reaching out to Nucleus Research for valuable resources and articles on topics like IRR. Personalized connection requests are encouraged. 00:40:43 - Quota Performance and Sales Challenges. Mario asks about the latest research on the percentage of sellers making quota. Ian shares that they are about to launch a survey to gather this data. He mentions that while revenues may be down, competition is up, and deals are extending rather than falling off. 00:42:29 - Research Collaboration Opportunity, Mario offers to connect Ian with their database of 100,000 sellers, business owners, and sales leaders if they need to poll for research. Ian expresses his appreciation and interest in collaborating for future research. 00:42:39 - Ian Campbell's Favorite Movie. Mario asks Ian about his all-time favorite movie. Ian chooses "Castle Black" as a classic old film with a cheesy charm and memorable one-liners. He considers it a movie that never gets tiresome and stands out among the rest. Leveraging ROI and Payback to Close Deals A key aspect of successful sales is the ability to convincingly demonstrate the Return on Investment (ROI) and payback period to potential customers. Showcasing the tangible benefits, savings, and productivity gains that will be achieved through the purchase in a simple and believable manner can expedite the decision-making process. By leading with a short payback period, sales professionals can alleviate risk concerns, making it easier for decision-makers to approve the purchase. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Visit the FlyMSG.io to download the free personal writing assistant and text expander application. Check out the Nucleus Research website to learn more about their services and how they can help you understand the ROI of technology. Purchase a copy of Ian Campbell's book, The Value Sale, to learn how to build a business case and deliver a message that will help close deals. Consider leading with the concept of payback rather than just ROI in your sales process to help customers understand how quickly they can cover their costs. Explore the various metrics and value propositions that can be used to start conversations with potential buyers. Connect with Mario Martinez Jr. on LinkedIn to stay updated on future episodes of the Modern Selling podcast.

Does this sound familiar? You've been told to send countless generic emails, hoping that one will catch the attention of your prospects. But instead, you're left feeling frustrated and defeated as your inbox remains empty and your sales winrates plummet. It's time to break free from ineffective actions and address the pain of wasted time and missed opportunities. Discover the power of an omnichannel approach tailored to individual prospect preferences and unlock the key to enhanced prospecting and increased sales deals. You Will Learn in this Episode: Build lasting relationships and close more sales by learning the importance of human connection in sales. Maximize your prospecting efforts and reach your target audience effectively with an omnichannel approach tailored to individual preferences. Discover the power of phone calls in prospecting and unlock a less cluttered channel for reaching and engaging potential customers. Increase your sales by understanding the unique pain points and challenges of different buyer personas within an organization and tailoring your value propositions accordingly. Save time and motivate your sales teams with good data by investing in high-quality prospecting data and using it effectively in your outbound efforts. About our guest: David Kreiger, founder of SalesRoads, has been in the sales game for nearly 17 years. He started his company with a vision to create a distributed workforce and build a remote inside sales team. With a belief that the core of selling lies in connecting with people, David aimed to recruit the best salespeople regardless of where they lived. Over the years, SalesRoads has worked with a wide range of companies, from seed stage startups to established organizations, helping them accelerate their sales and generate more top-of-the-funnel appointments. David's experience has taught him that while an omnichannel approach to prospecting is important, the phone remains the most powerful tool for connecting with prospects on a human level and truly understanding their pain points. In a cluttered digital landscape, the personal touch of a phone call can break through the noise and lead to meaningful conversations. By developing a solid strategy, understanding buyer personas, and crafting tailored messaging, sales professionals can enhance their prospecting efforts and drive more sales. So, if you're looking to improve your prospecting game, take a page from David's book and start dialing. Being able to connect one on one with individuals, understand their pain, and engage in a dialogue with them is essential for successful sales. There is no replacement for the phone or a meeting to truly understand what a prospect needs. - David Kreiger The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction, 00:01:33 - About SalesRoads 00:04:23 - Impressive Case Studies 00:05:46 - Fun Fact 00:06:27 - The Power of Phone Calls 00:15:23 - Understanding Persona-Based Messaging 00:16:41 - The Importance of Preparation and Practice 00:18:36 - The Role of Data in Sales Prospecting 00:21:44 - Creative Lead Generation Strategies 00:23:16 - Prospecting for Small Businesses 00:30:57 - The Importance of Personalization in Sales Outreach 00:32:24 - Customization vs Personalization Based on Team Size 00:34:10 - The PVC Sales Methodology 00:37:13 - The Importance of Patience in Sales Outreach 00:44:12 - The Power of Building Relationships 00:45:52 - The Challenges of Virtual Communication 00:46:21 - The Hardest Job in Sales 00:46:55 - Emerging Trends in Sales Development 00:49:26 - Best Way to Connect with the Guest Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction, Mario Martinez Jr. introduces himself and the podcast, highlighting that each episode focuses on helping sales professionals grow their sales numbers. He introduces his guest, David Kreiger, and mentions that they will be discussing appointment setting strategies using phone calls over email. 00:01:33 - About SalesRoads, David Kreiger shares that he is the president of SalesRoads, a company that specializes in SDR outsourcing and appointment setting. He explains that SalesRoads was founded with the goal of creating a distributed inside sales team that can recruit the best salespeople regardless of location. 00:04:23 - Impressive Case Studies, David highlights some of the impressive case studies of companies SalesRoads has worked with, ranging from seed stage startups to established companies like Paylocity and Samsung. He emphasizes their focus on generating top-of-the-funnel appointments to drive sales. 00:05:46 - Fun Fact, David shares a fun fact about himself, revealing that he was almost killed by a yo-yo when he was younger. He explains that he was into yo-yoing and accidentally hit a glass lamp, narrowly avoiding injury. 00:06:27 - The Power of Phone Calls, Mario and David discuss the challenges of sales prospecting and the importance of booking the first meeting. David explains why he believes phone calls remain a powerful tool in today's digital age, emphasizing the human connection and the ability to understand prospects' pain points. He also mentions that phone calls can be less cluttered 00:15:23 - Understanding Persona-Based Messaging, Developing a value proposition based on the unique challenges and pains of each persona is essential for effective sales. Tailoring your messaging to address the specific needs of each individual will lead to better engagement and success in selling. 00:16:41 - The Importance of Preparation and Practice, While you don't want to sound scripted, being prepared and knowing what you want to say is crucial. Practice and develop your messaging to ensure you can articulate it effectively to different personas. 00:18:36 - The Role of Data in Sales Prospecting, Good data hygiene is vital for successful sales prospecting. Utilizing tools like Apollo, Lucia, Seamless, and ZoomInfo can provide data, but it's important to verify its accuracy and engage in manual data mining to ensure the information is up to date. 00:21:44 - Creative Lead Generation Strategies, Sometimes existing lists don't meet your specific criteria. In these cases, creative strategies like web scraping can be employed to find the right leads. Additionally, combining multiple data providers and waterfalling leads can help improve accuracy and increase the chances of success. 00:23:16 - Prospecting for Small Businesses, Outbound prospecting can be done by small businesses, but it requires a strategic approach and investment in good data, a sales acceleration platform, and the necessary time and resources. Doing it right is more important than rushing into it and wasting time and money. 00:30:57 - The Importance of Personalization in Sales Outreach, David Kreiger highlights the importance of personalization in sales outreach. He advises that while it may be more effective to send personalized messages to a smaller number of high-value prospects, for larger teams targeting a larger number of leads, it is more efficient to personalize the approach rather than customizing every single message. He emphasizes the need for brief and focused messaging that addresses the specific challenges and interests of the prospect. 00:32:24 - Customization vs Personalization Based on Team Size, David explains that the approach to customization and personalization should depend on the size of the team and the number of leads they are targeting. For smaller teams and high-value accounts, customization and deep research are recommended. However, for SDRs with a larger set of leads, being personal and personalized without customizing every message is more effective. The focus should be on asking relevant questions and providing value in a concise manner. 00:34:10 - The PVC Sales Methodology, Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the PVC sales methodology, which stands for personalization, value, and a call to action. He provides examples of how personalization can be done on an individual level, such as referencing a prospect's shared interest in a message. He also suggests a persona-based approach for sales automation, where a concise message addresses the common challenges faced by the target audience and offers value-added content. 00:37:13 - The Importance of Patience in Sales Outreach, Both David and Mario emphasize the need for patience in 00:44:12 - The Power of Building Relationships, The guest shares a story about how building a strong relationship with an executive assistant helped him gain access to the CIO's office. He emphasizes the importance of finding and connecting with key gatekeepers to increase sales opportunities. 00:45:52 - The Challenges of Virtual Communication, The guest discusses the challenges of virtual communication and the lack of personal interaction in today's business environment. He acknowledges the difficulty of reaching decision-makers without the assistance of receptionists and highlights the role of platforms like LinkedIn in connecting with prospects. 00:46:21 - The Hardest Job in Sales, The guest believes that the hardest job in sales is prospecting. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the CXO's perspective and the roles of various stakeholders. He suggests that prospecting will become easier as the sales environment evolves. 00:46:55 - Emerging Trends in Sales Development, The guest mentions two emerging trends in sales development: the experimentation with full cycle Account Executive Sales (AES) and the integration of AI in sales processes. He advises caution in relying solely on AI and encourages leveraging it while curating and refining its use. 00:49:26 - Best Way to Connect with the Guest, The guest shares that the best way to connect with him is through LinkedIn, where he is very active and responsive. He also mentions his company's website as another means of reaching out. Build Lasting Relationships and Close More Sales The podcast episode highlights the importance of forging strong relationships to achieve sales success. David Kreiger shares his experiences of gaining access to decision-makers by developing good rapport with key individuals such as executive assistants and receptionists. This rapport builds trust and paves the way for a deeper connection with potential clients, reducing the sales cycle time and increasing conversion rates. Maximize Prospecting Efforts with an Omnichannel Approach An omnichannel approach to prospecting is discussed throughout this podcast, emphasizing the need to tailor communication channels to each prospect's preferences for optimal results. The shift towards virtual phone systems and digital communication platforms like LinkedIn has created new opportunities for initial contact. Balancing these tools with traditional phone calls, according to David and Mario, can significantly maximize outreach and engagement efforts. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Visit Vengreso.com to learn more about their personal writing assistant and text expander application, FlyMSG.io Take notes during the podcast episode to gather valuable insights and strategies for growing your sales numbers at scale. Check out SalesRoads, the company founded by David Kreiger, to explore their expertise in appointment setting and sales prospecting. Read the case studies on SalesRoads' website to see impressive results in terms of booking more meetings and growing the sales pipeline for various companies. Consider incorporating phone calls as a powerful tool for cold prospecting, as suggested by David Kreiger. Recognize the importance of human connection and understanding prospects' pain points through engaging conversations. Embrace an omnichannel approach to prospecting, combining phone calls, emails, LinkedIn messages, and other channels to reach prospects in the most effective way for them. Implement effective phone call strategies, such as using scripts, practicing active listening, and adapting to each prospect's communication style. Utilize sales automation tools like SalesLoft and Outreach to enhance your prospecting efforts, but avoid relying solely on automated emails and LinkedIn messages. Remember the value of personal connection through phone calls.

  If you're feeling frustrated and defeated because your attempts to close deals are constantly getting stalled, then you are not alone! It can be disheartening when you put in all the effort but still face resistance from prospects who are not moving forward. Despite your best efforts to engage and persuade, you might be experiencing a lack of commitment or a fear of making decisions from your potential clients. This is Ryan Maggio's story: Ryan Maggio's journey is a tale of resilience and growth. A Silicon Valley native, he had a unique start in the corporate world. As a young man, he cleverly navigated a loophole in his college's reimbursement program, managing to save and invest in experiences that would shape his future. This early display of entrepreneurial spirit was a sign of his grit, a quality that would serve him well in his future role in Xactly, a leading software company. Here, he weathered the company's evolution, from its initial VC funding stages to its private equity ownership. The fluidity of the company, coupled with his own dynamism, allowed him to thrive in an ever-changing ecosystem. Ryan's understanding of stalled deals and the challenges faced by sales professionals was born not just from his experiences but also from his passion for understanding the intricacies of the field. You have to retrain the mind of how do I go sell right now? How do I go in and drive value, get that person to open up? What is your fear? Because if you tell me what you're apprehensive about, it can be a little bit different of an experience. - Ryan Maggio My special guest is Ryan Maggio Introducing Ryan Maggio, a stalwart in intelligent revenue sales with a notable career spanning nearly 15 years at Xactly Corporation. Rising from an individual contributor to his current position as Vice President of North American Sales, Ryan's career trajectory is commendable. He has been a pivotal force during the venture-capitalist backed early days, the IPO phase and the current private equity-owned era of the company. His acumen in driving value sales and deep-rooted understanding of dealing with common sales hurdles such as stalled deals sets him apart. Ryan’s insights on navigating turbulent selling environments and thoughtful engagement strategies are truly enriching. In this episode, you will be able to: Discover effective tactics to troubleshoot stale deals and navigate through the intricate labyrinth of sales obstacles. Uncover unique methods to mitigate buyer apprehensions and successfully interact with the decision-making hierarchy. Learn how to deploy a powerful multi-faceted approach and showcase rapid value realization to win prospects. Realize the critical role of team synergy and how tools like Fly Engage can be a game-changer in your sales journey. Gain insights into proactive measures to prevent deal stagnancy and guarantees customer delight. List 2:   The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction, 00:01:14 - Get to Know Ryan Maggio, 00:04:24 - Juicy Fact About Ryan, 00:06:45 - Causes of Stall Deals, 00:10:21 - Selling to the Right Level, 00:15:42 - Getting Ahead of Churn, 00:16:19 - Addressing Stalled Deals, 00:19:40 - Identifying and Preventing Stalled Deals, 00:22:17 - Transparent Communication and Mutual Action Plans, 00:25:59 - Driving Accountability and Next Steps, 00:29:59 - Leveraging LinkedIn Connections, 00:31:21 - Understanding the Buying Committee, 00:33:01 - Utilizing LinkedIn Company Page Followers, 00:36:58 - Leveraging AI and ML for Sales Coaching, 00:39:18 - Tying Commissions to Discounts, 00:44:12 - Connecting with Ryan Maggio, 00:45:07 - Connecting with Ryan Maggio on LinkedIn, 00:45:39 - Ryan's All-Time Favorite Movie, 00:46:08 - Finding Common Ground with Kids, 00:47:14 - Closing Remarks, Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction, Mario Martinez Jr. introduces himself as the CEO and founder of Vengreso and the host of The Modern Selling Podcast. He introduces his guest, Ryan Maggio, the VP of North American Sales at Xactly Corporation, and mentions that they will be discussing stalled deals. 00:01:14 - Get to Know Ryan Maggio, Ryan Maggio shares his background and experience at Xactly Corporation, where he has been for almost 15 years. He talks about the company's evolution from a commissions vendor to an intelligent revenue platform. 00:04:24 - Juicy Fact About Ryan, Ryan Maggio reveals that he essentially got paid to go to college through a reimbursement program at the Apple retail store he worked at. His parents didn't know that he was getting reimbursed for his college tuition fees while living at home. 00:06:45 - Causes of Stall Deals, According to Ryan Maggio, the majority of stalled deals are caused by the lack of engagement and failure to sell value. In a good time selling motion, sellers focused on value, but now buyers have a fear of messing up and require more engagement and understanding of their apprehensions. 00:10:21 - Selling to the Right Level, Ryan Maggio emphasizes the importance of selling value to the right level in the organization. Getting buy-in from the CFO or engaging with the office of the CFO is crucial for deal approval. It's necessary to build relationships and understand the power dynamics within the organization. 00:15:42 - Getting Ahead of Churn, The guest discusses the importance of customer satisfaction and renewal even before a deal is signed, emphasizing the need to engage the right team to give customers confidence. 00:16:19 - Addressing Stalled Deals, The guest suggests engaging prospects with relevant information such as recent earnings releases or LinkedIn activity. They also emphasize the importance of understanding the customer's objectives and initiatives to craft personalized messaging and reengage stalled deals. 00:19:40 - Identifying and Preventing Stalled Deals, The guest mentions the use of technology to monitor prospect engagement and search activities. They also highlight the importance of ongoing communication, qualifying the prospect's commitment, and using mutual action plans to prevent stalled deals. 00:22:17 - Transparent Communication and Mutual Action Plans, The guest emphasizes the need for transparent communication, setting clear expectations, and establishing mutual action plans with prospects. They stress the importance of accountability and ongoing qualification to prevent deals from stalling. 00:25:59 - Driving Accountability and Next Steps, The guest discusses the importance of driving accountability by setting up clear next steps and follow-up meetings during sales interactions. They highlight the need for both reps and customers to take action and fulfill their commitments to keep deals progressing. 00:29:59 - Leveraging LinkedIn Connections, Ryan discusses the importance of leveraging LinkedIn connections to gain valuable introductions and insights. He highlights the need to go beyond the main point of contact and reach out to other individuals in the organization to gather information and determine if the deal is worth pursuing. 00:31:21 - Understanding the Buying Committee, Ryan emphasizes the importance of understanding the entire buying committee associated with an opportunity. He shares the advice he received from his mentor to go two levels up, two levels down, and one to the side to identify key individuals who may have influence in the decision-making process. 00:33:01 - Utilizing LinkedIn Company Page Followers, Ryan reveals a valuable technique of utilizing the followers of a company's LinkedIn company page. By sorting and searching followers, sales professionals can identify potential members of the buying committee and engage with them to strengthen their network and gather insights. 00:36:58 - Leveraging AI and ML for Sales Coaching, Ryan discusses how his company's solution, Xactly, utilizes AI and ML technology to provide valuable insights and coaching for sales professionals. The solution analyzes various data points, such as email and conversation language, to identify areas for improvement and drive momentum in deals. 00:39:18 - Tying Commissions to Discounts, Ryan highlights the importance of tying commissions to discounts offered during the sales process. By showing sales professionals the financial impact of their discount decisions, they can make more informed choices and prioritize value-driven negotiations. 00:44:12 - Connecting with Ryan Maggio, Mario asks Ryan the best way to connect with him, and Ryan suggests using LinkedIn or email. He is open to discussing various topics such as stalling deals, forecasting, and commissions. Mario also comments on the confusing branding of different social media platforms. 00:45:07 - Connecting with Ryan Maggio on LinkedIn, Mario provides Ryan's LinkedIn profile information and advises listeners to send a personalized connection request message. He encourages listeners to mention that they heard Ryan on the Modern Selling podcast to establish a connection. 00:45:39 - Ryan's All-Time Favorite Movie, Mario asks Ryan about his all-time favorite movie. Ryan mentions that his favorite movie changes over time but currently he enjoys watching "Rookie of the Year" with his son, who loves baseball. 00:46:08 - Finding Common Ground with Kids, Mario and Ryan discuss the movies they watch with their children. They both enjoy watching movies that resonate with their kids, particularly sports movies. Mario shares his recent experience of watching "Big" with his children. 00:47:14 - Closing Remarks, Mario thanks the listeners for tuning in and encourages them to leave a five-star rating and review for the Modern Selling podcast on iTunes. He also promotes FlyMSG, a text expander and personal writing assistant tool, and signs off with a message of good selling. Mitigate Buyer Apprehensions Mitigating buyer apprehensions, as Ryan puts forward, necessitates an anticipatory approach towards understanding potential risks and problems from the client's perspective. By engaging in absolute honesty and direct queries about what could deter them from closing the deal, sales professionals can proactively prevent obstacles. This fosters a sense of reliability, reaffirming customer trust and validating the salesperson's commitment to making the deal successful. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Check out FlyMSG.IO, the free personal writing assistant and text expander application created by Vengreso. Listen to The Modern Selling Podcast hosted by Mario M. Martinez Jr., featuring sales leaders, practitioners, and influencers sharing insights on growing sales numbers at scale. Learn more about Xactly Corporation, a leading provider of intelligent revenue platforms for sales forecasting, sales planning, and commission execution. Explore the revenue enablement solutions offered by Xactly Corporation to drive value and solve business problems for your organization. Access the report conducted by LinkedIn on the causes of stall deals and the challenges faced by sellers in today's market. Find out how to overcome the fear of messing up and engage with buyers at the right level to ensure decision-making and deal progression. Develop a multi-channel approach to engaging with the CFO and other key decision-makers in the buying committee to prove value and ROI. Leverage Turbo teams, a cross-functional approach involving sales, product, innovation, sales enablement, finance, and customer success teams, to strategically attack

Building a Personal Brand in Sales: Lessons from Allison Mullins In a world of sales and personal branding, one woman's journey took an unexpected turn. From the tranquil landscapes of southwest Virginia to the bustling markets of Italy and Brazil, Alison Mullins was on a path of growth and expertise. But it was a fateful encounter with Hurricane Wilma in Cancun, Mexico, that would change everything. Surviving the storm became more than just a test of strength for Alison - it ignited a fire within her, a passion that transformed her approach to sales. But what happened next? How did she turn adversity into triumph? Stay tuned to uncover the remarkable twist in Alison's story. This is Alison Mullins's story: Alison Mullins' journey towards becoming an expert in sales and personal branding can be traced back to her roots in southwest Virginia and her experiences in some of the most competitive markets around the world. As a small-town girl, she began her career in the construction industry specializing in natural stone surfaces. With time, Alison ventured into sales and marketing, exploring architectural, interior design, and luxury residential sectors. From working in Italy to quarries in Brazil, her experiences have shaped her unique expertise. However, the most pivotal of her experiences was surviving Hurricane Wilma in Cancun, Mexico. This event pushed her to a road of self-discovery, where she transformed her hardship into a resilient spirit, becoming a survivor with an undying passion for her work. To truly be an expert in your field, you have to be willing to talk to others, learn from others, and give to others. You've got to be a connector. - Alison Mullins My special guest is Alison Mullins. With a rich background in sales and marketing, Alison Mullins has spent two vibrant decades leaving imprints in various sectors, including construction and natural stone surfaces. Her passion and dedication are reflected in her global work travel, from the United States and Canada to Italy and Brazil. Now as the founder of Rep Methods, her deep-rooted sales wisdom continues to bloom, helping countless professionals transform their sales strategies. Alison's approachable personality also adds a warm touch to her expertise, making her insights more relatable yet powerful. In this episode, you will be able to: Uncover the secret to upscaling your business through sales proficiency and a resonant personal brand. Traverse the journey of book writing, encapsulating its challenges and rewarding experiences. Comprehend the need for humility and ongoing education for longevity in the sales field. Apprehend the increasing influence of video content in consumer engagement. Decode the method to foster leadership skills within your sales force. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction and Background 00:01:42 - Expertise and Becoming an Expert 00:08:07 - Writing a Book as a Platform 00:10:38 - Developing Expertise and Claiming Expert Status 00:14:21 - Rewards of Putting Yourself Out There 00:15:50 - Using Video to Engage with Buyers, 00:16:43 - The Power of Video in Sales, 00:19:19 - Key Elements of Successful Sales Leadership, 00:23:30 - Building Leadership in Sales, 00:28:01 - Sales Leadership Skills, 00:32:35 - Being a Disruptor, 00:33:31 - Disrupting in a Male-Dominated Industry, 00:35:05 - Quiet Disruption, 00:36:33 - Disrupting the Conversation, 00:38:15 - Connecting with Alison, Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction and Background Mario Martinez introduces the podcast and welcomes Allison Mullins as his guest. They briefly discuss Allison's new book, "The Art of Selling," and her background in sales and marketing. Allison shares her experience in the construction industry and her passion for natural stone surfaces. 00:01:42 - Expertise and Becoming an Expert Allison emphasizes that expertise is self-declared and requires passion, knowledge, and humility. She believes that being willing to learn from others, connect with people, and contribute to the community are essential for becoming an expert. Validation from others can also help establish expertise. 00:08:07 - Writing a Book as a Platform Allison shares her motivation for writing the book, which was to establish herself as an expert and share her knowledge and experiences. She sees writing a book as a way to gain credibility and prove a point. It was also a therapeutic process for her. 00:10:38 - Developing Expertise and Claiming Expert Status Allison discusses the boldness required to claim expertise but also emphasizes the importance of allowing others to recognize your expertise. Putting yourself out there, being prepared for backlash, and receiving validation from others can help establish expert status. 00:14:21 - Rewards of Putting Yourself Out There Allison encourages individuals to put themselves out there and take credit for their expertise. While there may be fear and uncertainty, the rewards can be significant. The validation and positive feedback received can enhance credibility and establish expertise in the field 00:15:50 - Using Video to Engage with Buyers, The importance of using video content to engage with buyers is discussed. Video allows for face-to-face interaction and the use of multiple senses, making it a more effective tool for building expertise and connecting with an audience. 00:16:43 - The Power of Video in Sales, Video is highlighted as a valuable tool for salespeople to engage with customers. Platforms like Loom, OneMob, and Hippo Video are mentioned as options for sending video messages and maintaining customer connections. 00:19:19 - Key Elements of Successful Sales Leadership, The importance of mental health balance is emphasized as a key aspect of sales leadership. Other essential elements include organization, passion, and understanding one's strengths and weaknesses. 00:23:30 - Building Leadership in Sales, Empathy is identified as a crucial skill for salespeople to develop leadership in their craft. The concept of limbic resonance and the ability to intuitively understand and connect with others is discussed as an art form in sales. 00:28:01 - Sales Leadership Skills, The importance of empathy, intuition, and chameleoning (the ability to adapt and fit into different situations) in sales leadership is highlighted. These skills take time to develop and contribute to effective sales leadership and customer relationships. 00:32:35 - Being a Disruptor, Alison discusses the benefits and challenges of being a disruptor in the industry. She emphasizes the importance of speaking one's mind and standing up for what one believes in. She also shares her experience as a woman in a male-dominated industry and how it has shaped her as a disruptor. 00:33:31 - Disrupting in a Male-Dominated Industry, Alison highlights the unique challenges she faces as a woman in the construction industry. She shares the importance of having confidence and resilience as a disruptor. Being noticed and heard is key to making an impact in a male-dominated field. 00:35:05 - Quiet Disruption, Alison shares a story about an interaction with someone in the tech industry who initially praised her book but later expressed hesitation in sharing it with his audience. Instead of reacting negatively, Alison responded humbly and asked for his support, demonstrating a quiet form of disruption. 00:36:33 - Disrupting the Conversation, Alison discusses her response to the tech industry professional's feedback. She explains how she disrupted the conversation by assuming he either intended to insult her or didn't realize the impact of his words. Alison humbled herself by asking for support while still pursuing her goals. 00:38:15 - Connecting with Alison, Alison shares how listeners can connect with her through her website, where they can schedule a quick conversation with her. She prefers phone calls as a way to connect in the 21st century. Sales expertise and personal branding: Wielding a profound experience in sales, Alison paints a clear picture of the importance of personal branding as a lever to establishing oneself as an expert in an industry. Her belief is that passion, continuous learning, and humility should drive this endeavor. By taking a bold stance to showcase their skills, individuals can gain recognition and influence, which can boost their professional journey and build credibility. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Get your pen and paper or iPad and keyboard ready to take notes as you listen to the Modern Selling podcast. Check out FlyMSG.io, the free personal writing assistant, and text expander application created by Vengreso, the company founded by Mario Martinez Jr. Learn more about Alison Mullins and her new book, The Art of Selling: We Make Order Makers, Not Order Takers. Visit the Rep Methods website to explore Alison's brand and the services she offers for business development and sales. Consider writing your own book to establish yourself as an expert in your field and gain credibility. Reflect on the importance of humility and continuous learning in developing and maintaining expertise. Take Mario's advice and create a YouTube channel or video series to share your expertise and answer burning questions related to your industry. Check out Modern Selling on YouTube to watch the video version of this podcast episode. Visit the podcast's website to access additional resources and episodes to help you grow your sales numbers at scale. Follow Mario Martinez Jr. and Alison Mullins on social media to stay updated on their latest insights and content.

Revolutionizing Sales Training: Breaking the Cycle of Forgetting - Chet Lovgren Does this sound familiar? You invest time and resources into sales training programs, only to see little improvement in your team's performance. You've been told that simply providing more information and content will lead to better results. But the pain you're feeling is the frustration of seeing your team struggle to apply what they've learned, resulting in missed sales opportunities and stagnant growth. It's time to break free from ineffective methods and discover the key to truly impactful sales training. In this episode, Mario Martinez Jr. invites sales leader and consultant Chet Lovgren to discuss the challenges of traditional sales training. Lovgren emphasizes the need for a different approach to onboarding and training that focuses on making information stick and turning it into a habit. He suggests structuring onboarding programs in a week-by-week format, focusing on singular topics each week. Lovgren also highlights the importance of covering essential topics such as company culture, mission, and values during onboarding to help reps build trust and connect with customers. He further recommends understanding target audiences and using problem-centric language to engage with potential customers at the right time. Lovgren stresses the need for collaboration between sales enablement and sales teams to create effective onboarding programs, as well as the importance of one-on-one conversations to reinforce training content. Mario Martinez Jr. adds insights on spacing and chunking techniques in training, advocating for breaking down topics into smaller sections spread over a period of 60 to 90 days. Listen to this episode to gain valuable insights on how to improve your sales onboarding and training programs, Discover the key insights and strategies for transforming your sales onboarding and training programs with sales leader and consultant, Chet Lovgren, on this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast. Lovgren highlights the alarming statistics that reveal how easily sales reps forget the information they learn during traditional training sessions. He suggests a new approach that focuses on making information stick and turning it into a habit. Lovgren recommends structuring onboarding programs with a week-by-week approach, covering singular topics each week. He emphasizes the importance of including essential topics like company culture and values during onboarding to help reps connect with customers and build trust. Lovgren also emphasizes understanding the target audience and using problem-centric language to engage with potential customers at the right time. Mario Martinez Jr. adds his insights on spacing and chunking techniques in training, advocating for breaking down topics into smaller chunks and spacing them over a 60-to There's an archaic way we do sales enablement and coaching... I wanted to solve for that with the Sales Doctor. - Chet Lovgren Introducing Chet Lovgren, a seasoned sales maven who has spent more than a decade mastering the art of sales and sales leadership. Known as the Sales Doctor, he has built an impressive reputation through his strategic counsel to various startup ventures. Besides being a pivotal driving force behind Pavilion’s top-notch sales course content, Chet founded Sales Doctor. His strong viewpoints on traditional sales training sparked revolutionary changes in the field. Chet's relatability and expertise make him a go-to resource for organizations seeking to overhaul their sales strategies. Confront the barriers inherent in traditional sales training often overlooked in the industry. Grasp the formidable impact of consistent and succinct sales training on team performance and overall business health. Uncover the vital force of intentionality for ensuring effective sales training that yields tangible results. Understand why robust onboarding programs are a non-negotiable in B2B sales for long-term success. Dive into the trenches of assessing new hire performance and fostering a culture of accountability that keeps everyone aligned with company goals. **   Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction, Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the podcast and Chet Lovgren, the Sales Doctor, as his guest. 00:04:11 - Fun Fact about Chet, Chet Lovgren shares that he has broken his nose twice and that 80% of his nose is fake. 00:06:20 - Why Traditional Sales Training Doesn't Work, Chet explains why traditional sales training and enablement programs fail due to lack of engagement, retention, and relevance. 00:09:23 - Emulating Onboarding for Effective Training, Chet suggests a more effective approach to sales training by emulating the onboarding process, with concise, compact, and recurring training sessions for specific topics. 00:12:04 - Importance of Intentional Training, Chet emphasizes the importance of intentional training with clear goals and structured daily sessions to ensure retention, practice, and application of new skills. 00:13:07 - The Problem with Onboarding Programs, Many B2B sales reps forget the information they learn within a week or a month of training. Traditional onboarding programs often involve overwhelming reps with content in a short period of time. This approach does not lead to long-term retention or habit formation. 00:13:54 - Improving Onboarding Programs, Companies can improve their onboarding programs by adopting a focused and structured approach. Instead of overwhelming reps with information, they should dedicate each week to a specific topic, such as people, problems, process, and practices. This allows for better retention and application of knowledge. 00:16:35 - Building the Right Onboarding Program, To build an effective onboarding program, companies need to focus on specific areas of the business and create a narrative that leads to hands-off training. It's important to cover topics like company mission, vision, values, and history. Onboarding programs should be developed in collaboration with sales leaders and enablement professionals with recent sales experience. 00:18:49 - The Flaws of Traditional Sales Training, Traditional sales training programs that cram a large amount of content into a few days are ineffective. The spacing effect, which involves spreading out training over time, is a more successful approach. Using the chunking technique, sales training should be broken down into smaller topics that can be addressed over a period of 60-90 days. 00:21:26 - Importance of Ongoing Coaching, Ongoing coaching and reinforcement are crucial 00:25:24 - Effective Measurement of New Hires, The discussion focuses on how companies can effectively measure the performance of new hires early on to determine if they are the right fit. The guest suggests using software tools like Yardstick to collaborate with sales leaders, HR, and team members. By integrating colleague interviews and surveying feedback, companies can identify if a new hire is not meeting expectations and make decisions sooner rather than later. 00:29:36 - Challenges in Building a Culture of Accountability, Sales leaders often struggle to build a culture of accountability and performance. The guest believes this is because there are numerous ways to measure performance but limited ways to measure engagement. He suggests creating a culture of participation and integration, where everyone is involved in meetings and performance reviews. By highlighting performance and comparing results, accountability can be increased and underperforming individuals can be identified and addressed more effectively. 00:30:57 - Importance of Engaging Sales Teams, The guest emphasizes the importance of engaging sales teams and setting expectations for their participation. By involving them in meetings, presentations, and performance reviews, accountability can be increased. He argues that being politically correct and avoiding highlighting underperforming individuals can hinder performance and motivation. Sales is a performance-based job, and individuals need to be able to handle the pressure and scrutiny that comes with it. 00:34:31 - The Role of Stack Ranking and Accountability, The guest discusses the role of stack ranking in highlighting underperforming individuals. He believes that avoiding stack ranking due to concerns about hurting individuals' feelings can be counterproductive 00:37:53 - The Importance of Leadership in Sales, Chet discusses the impact of leadership in sales and how great leaders focus on accountability, coaching, and motivation. He believes that leaders should lead by example and inspire their team to rise to their level. 00:38:26 - Promoting Salespeople with Leadership Skills, Chet shares his perspective on promoting salespeople to leadership positions. He values individuals who have leadership qualities, even if they are not top performers. He mentions that high-performing lone wolves can create toxic work environments, and success may be the result of unethical practices. 00:39:13 - Beware of Wildly Successful Salespeople, Chet warns against blindly promoting wildly successful salespeople. He highlights the importance of looking beyond quota attainment and evaluating how individuals contribute to the overall team and company culture. He shares an example of a sales rep who achieved exceptional results due to a rigged system. 00:40:05 - Connecting with Chet Lovgren, Chet provides various ways to connect with him, including his website, LinkedIn, and TikTok. He offers resources, podcasts, and educational content on sales. 00:41:00 - Chet's All-Time Favorite Movie, Chet reveals that his all-time favorite movie is "Rain Man." He describes it as a perfect story about male relationships, brotherhood, and friendship, with a pure and lovely portrayal of the bonds people can create. Confronting Barriers in Sales Training Chet Lovgren highlights the significant challenge B2B sales reps face when digesting traditional training methods: forgetting nearly all the new information within a month. This issue stems from an outdated approach of condensing too much data into a brief training period, which proves ineffective for long-term retention. Adopting new strategies, such as week-by-week topic-specific training, can make these programs more impactful by integrating the information slowly and thoroughly. Visit the Vengreso.com website to learn more about FlyMSG.IO, the free personal writing assistant and text expander application created by Mario Martinez Jr.'s company, Vengreso. Subscribe to the Modern Selling Podcast to hear from sales leaders, practitioners, and influencers who can help you grow your sales numbers at scale. Check out Chet Lovgren, also known as the Sales Doctor, and learn more about his role as a strategic advisor to portfolio companies and startups. Explore the Sales Doctor's short-term and long-term engagements, which offer solutions for teams that need help with execution or companies looking to build or rebuild their sales motion. Consider the Sales Doctor's approach to sales training and coaching, which focuses on more concise, compact, and recurring training sessions that emulate the engagement and retention of onboarding. Learn about the forgetting curve phenomenon and why traditional sales training and enablement programs often fail to engage and retain information. Discover alternative methods, such as virtual instructor-led training, that prioritize engagement and retention by providing more relevant and condensed training sessions. Understand the importance of intentional and structured training sessions that cover specific topics and include exercises and practice to ensure information is retained and enacted

  In a world where career paths are often linear and predictable, one man's journey took an unexpected twist. From the rough and tumble world of rugby league to the intricate world of business operations, Brad Eisenthuth's path was anything but conventional. But it was this winding road that led him to discover his true passion: leadership and culture. Now, he uses his unique experiences and broad knowledge to help organizations navigate the complexities of leadership in a rapidly changing business environment. Curious to know how this unexpected twist shaped his perspective and ultimately led him to where he is today? Stay tuned for the surprising revelations ahead. If you're feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by the constant changes in the business landscape, and finding it difficult to navigate the complexities of leading in such a rapidly changing environment, then you are not alone! Many business leaders like yourself are struggling to achieve the desired results despite their best efforts. They may be relying on outdated strategies and approaches that no longer work, and as a result, they are unable to effectively lead their teams and drive organizational success in this new era. My special guest is Brad Eisenthuth. Welcoming the dynamic Brad Eisenthuth, a business leader with a rich and varied professional repertoire. Tracing his journey from a professional rugby player to the realm of executive search and now, entrepreneurship, Brad brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. As the Founder and CEO of The Outperformer, he develops and deploys strategies for global organizations and SMEs, optimizing corporate culture and operational effectiveness. Brad’s approach to leadership is distinguished by his focus on maintaining resourceful thinking amid constant change – a testament to his ability to navigate and lead in an ever-evolving business environment. Deliberate progress requires creating an environment that fosters engagement, where individuals are motivated to lean into the big questions that drive us forward into the unknown. - Brad Eisenthuth In this episode, you will be able to: Explore leadership dynamics in a constantly evolving business landscape. Identify the signs of leadership challenges that hinder the achievement of efficient progress. Grasp the impacts of unaddressed biases in leadership roles. Discover how to shape a culture centered on innovation and analytical thinking. Gain insight into motivating initiative and problem-solving among team members. Explore Leadership Dynamics Understanding the dynamics of effective leadership is crucial in a rapidly evolving business environment. Leaders have the responsibility to inspire and motivate their teams towards a shared vision. They need to recognize their strengths, biases, and cultural backgrounds to effectively guide their teams, all while adapting their style to match the organization's goals and culture. Discern Leadership Difficulties Navigating the complexities of leadership presents various challenges, regardless of the size of the organization. Leaders consistently face the task of making judgments and decisions, emphasizing the need for constant reflection and adaptability. The successful execution of leadership principles differs based on the size of the team, necessitating unique engagement and communication tactics. Grasp Impacts of Unaddressed Biases Recognizing and addressing personal biases is paramount for effective leadership. Biases, left unexamined, can hinder growth and negatively impact both the leader and their team’s performance. Committing to self-awareness, embracing curiosity to overcome blind spots, and fostering open communication can effectively mitigate these biases, leading to improved decision-making and ultimately driving the organization's success. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Visit the website of Vengreso.com to learn more about FlyMSG.io, the free personal writing assistant and text expander application. Check out The Outperformer's website to explore their management consulting services, including corporate culture and business advisory practices. Connect with Brad Eisenthuth on LinkedIn to stay updated on his insights and leadership expertise. Consider reading Brad's book on the development of the CFO to gain insights into the finance function in organizations. Follow The Outperformer on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for valuable leadership and strategy content. Sign up for The Outperformer's newsletter to receive regular updates and resources on leadership, strategy, and culture. Explore the resources section on The Outperformer's website to access valuable tools and templates for effective leadership and management. Schedule a consultation with The Outperformer to discuss how they can support your organization in achieving its goals and improving performance. Subscribe to the Modern Selling Podcast to listen to more episodes featuring sales leaders, practitioners, and influencers sharing insights on growing sales numbers at scale. Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the podcast and the guest, Brad Eisenthuth, founder and CEO of The Outperformer. They discuss leadership, culture, and strategy. 00:01:38 - About The Outperformer Brad explains that The Outperformer is a management consulting business with two arms: one focused on corporate culture and the other on business advisory. They work with organizations to improve performance, strategy, and culture. 00:02:50 - Brad's Background Brad shares his background, including his experience playing rugby league and his transition into executive search and consulting. He emphasizes his passion for helping people and businesses excel. 00:05:45 - Juicy Fact Mario asks Brad to share something juicy that people may not know about him. Brad reveals that he does not post pictures of his food on social media, despite the trend of food posts. 00:08:06 - Effective Leadership in a Changing Environment Brad discusses the challenges of effective leadership in a rapidly changing business environment. He emphasizes the importance of motivation, inspiration, and execution in leading teams through change. 00:12:07 - Symptoms of Struggling Leadership Brad identifies two key symptoms of struggling leadership: lack of results and siloed behavior within departments. He highlights the importance of addressing these issues to promote productivity and collaboration. 00:15:18 - The Importance of Engagement and Environment The discussion focuses on the significance of engagement and creating a positive work environment. Recognizing signs of defeat and dissatisfaction in employees is essential to assess if they are in the right environment or if changes need to be made to support their engagement. 00:17:49 - Understanding Leadership Culture The conversation delves into the understanding of leadership culture and how it is defined within different businesses. Business managers and leaders need to have a clear understanding of their leadership style and its impact on their team. The importance of effective communication and creating a supportive environment is emphasized. 00:18:19 - Creating Your Own Leadership Mantra The discussion explores the possibility of creating a personal leadership mantra within the framework of a defined leadership culture. Each leader's unique background and strengths contribute to their leadership style, and they must use this authenticity to motivate and inspire their team. 00:22:09 - Leadership in Small and Large Organizations The conversation addresses the differences in leadership between small organizations and large organizations. While the principles of leadership remain the same, the practical implementation and methods may differ. Scaling leadership in larger organizations requires different mechanisms to ensure effective communication and alignment. 00:24:33 - Making Effective Judgments as a Leader, The importance of making effective judgments as a leader is discussed. Leaders need to reflect on their decision-making processes and assess if their judgments are deliberate and move the team forward. Constant self-reflection and improvement are key to effective leadership. 00:31:08 - Strengths and Weaknesses It's important to acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses as human beings, and sometimes our strengths can also be weaknesses. We all have biases that shape the way we function, and it's crucial to recognize them in order to be effective leaders and create successful businesses. 00:32:24 - The Effectiveness of Bias Our bias not only affects our personal lives but also impacts the effectiveness of our businesses. As leaders, we need to understand that our biases and decisions shape our organizations, and it's important to assess whether our biases are still effective or if they need to be addressed. 00:34:41 - Embracing Blind Spots The blind spots that hold us back are the ones we need to focus on the most. By being curious about our biases and blind spots, we can learn and grow as individuals, which ultimately leads to growth in our teams and businesses. Having a playbook and seeking third-party perspectives can help challenge our blind spots. 00:38:11 - Attracting Different Types of People As a leader, it's important to attract and empower people who have different styles and perspectives. Some may be more docile and action-oriented, while others may push back and provide valuable feedback. Encouraging open communication and ensuring that team members feel heard and have a voice is essential for success. 00:41:30 - Leadership Style and Ownership, A good leader knows when to swoop in and swoop out, providing guidance to their team. 00:45:19 - The Importance of Encouraging Great Ideas Brad discusses the importance of leaders creating an environment where others feel comfortable sharing their ideas and thinking for themselves. He acknowledges that early in his career, he wanted to be the smartest person in the room, but realized that this stifled others' ability to think independently. 00:46:53 - Identifying the Problem Brad explains that if leaders find themselves as the only ones thinking through processes and considering different possibilities, it could be due to hiring the wrong people, having a personality that stifles growth, or other factors. He emphasizes the need to identify and address the underlying issue. 00:47:51 - Facilitating Ownership and Alignment Brad discusses the importance of creating a sense of ownership and alignment within teams. He encourages leaders to facilitate open discussions where people can pressure test ideas and offer their thoughts on the process. This fosters intrinsic ownership and leads to more engaged and motivated employees. 00:48:44 - Moving from Blame to Responsibility Brad highlights the importance of shifting from a blame mindset to one of responsibility and accountability. He emphasizes the need for individuals to take ownership of their work and actively contribute to problem-solving. This mindset, combined with a supportive and empowering leadership style, creates a motivated and inspired team. 00:49:20 - Connecting with Brad Brad shares that the best way to connect with him is through LinkedIn. He encourages listeners to reach out and connect with him if they have any further questions.

Get ready to unlock a treasure trove of B2B sales insights with the Modern Selling Podcast! Join Mario Martinez Jr. and David Fortino as they dive deep into the world of Intent Data and its game-changing impact on B2B Sales strategies! Ready to supercharge your B2B sales game? Brace yourself for an enlightening episode where we unravel the mysteries of }IntentData! Discover how decoding intent can take your sales strategies to stratospheric heights!  Ignite your B2B sales with the power of Intent Data! Join Mario Martinez Jr. and David Fortino as they guide you through the intricacies of decoding intent for unparalleled sales success!  🔥💼 In this transformative episode, we break down the immense potential of Intent Data and its revolutionary role in B2B sales strategies. Say goodbye to guesswork and hello to laser-focused targeting that fuels conversions! 🔥🎯💰 🔦💡 Join Mario Martinez Jr. and the insightful David Fortino as they shed light on the uncharted territories of Intent Data. Get ready to harness the potential of decoding intent and catapult your sales game into overdrive! 💪🚀📊 🔥 Don't miss this golden opportunity to master the power of Intent Data and elevate your B2B sales like never before! Remember to like 👍, subscribe 📺, and hit the notification bell 🔔 to stay up-to-date on cutting-edge sales strategies. Join the conversation using #ModernSelling #IntentData #B2BSales 🗣️💼🎯 🔗 Dive deeper into the discussion by checking out the full blog post for additional insights and resources: [Insert Blog Post Link] 🎧 Tune in to your favorite podcast platform or catch the video here: [Insert YouTube Video Link] 🌟 Decode intent, revolutionize your B2B sales approach, and embrace the future of sales strategies! Get ready to soar to new heights in your sales journey

Embarking on the journey of SaaS Sales Training can feel like navigating a labyrinth. You know it's crucial for your business growth, but where do you even start? The truth is, without proper SaaS sales training, scaling your software company becomes an uphill battle. It's what sets apart those SaaS businesses that succeed from those having difficulty making it. Finding the right strategies and implementing them effectively... well, it’s no walk in the park. Consider this: You've just onboarded a new sales rep who promises to skyrocket your revenues. But within weeks they're struggling with product demos and failing to close deals. This leaves you frustrated and questioning whether investing in hiring was worth it at all. Sounds familiar? But here’s some real talk... Evolution from Sales Training to SaaS Company In the dynamic world of business, transformation is often key to survival and growth. One such compelling story of metamorphosis comes from Vengreso, which has impressively transitioned from a sales training firm into an influential Software as a Service (SaaS) technology enterprise. The role of FlyMSG in the transition A pivotal player in this journey was our innovative product - FlyMSG. This tool served not just as a game-changer but also provided momentum for change within Vengreso's operational model. FlyMSG revolutionized communication processes by enabling users to manage messages across various online platforms efficiently. It played an instrumental part in enhancing productivity levels and overall efficiency within organizations that adopted it. Charging strategies for growth plan Beyond products, pricing strategy can be equally transformative, especially when transitioning towards becoming a SaaS company like Vengreso. A well-structured charging system impacts revenue generation positively while ensuring customer retention rates remain high over time. In response to these dynamics, we at Vengreso implemented strategic pricing tiers based on usage patterns, providing customers with flexible options suitable for different budget ranges. From small-scale enterprises seeking cost-effective solutions to larger corporations requiring comprehensive features - all were catered to effectively under this new structure leading toward sustained growth. [bctt tweet="Vengreso's transformation from sales training firm to influential SaaS enterprise is a testament to business evolution. Their tool, FlyMSG revolutionized communication and their strategic pricing ensured growth. #SaaSSuccessStory" username="GoVengreso"] Features of FlyMSG In the ever-evolving world of SaaS sales, tools like FlyMSG are making a significant impact. This unique text expander and writing assistant goes beyond just storing and organizing messages into various categories or subfolders. It's all about deploying these saved messages anywhere online with ease. How does it work? FlyMSG operates on a principle that can be summed up in one word: simplicity. Users create custom shortcuts for their frequently used texts and phrases - everything from simple greetings to complex customer service responses. The software offers an intuitive interface where users can sort stored messages into different categories based on personal preference or business needs. The result? Quick access when you need it most. To deploy these stored messages across multiple platforms online, simply type the designated shortcut key combination assigned during setup phase . Instantly , full message replaces this shortcut saving precious time & reducing chances errors significantly - perfect way to boost SaaS sales results . Deploying Messages with Ease An integral feature of FlyMSG lies within its deployment capabilities . Having pre-written content ready for instant usage irrespective platform being operated upon greatly enhances efficiency & speed - two critical factors determining success outcome especially while dealing shorter SAAS sales cycle situations. This seamless integration ensures consistency brand messaging as same set responses/communication pieces utilized throughout diverse platforms eliminating risk associated ad-hoc replies which may confuse customers dilute overall brand image. Beyond merely serving handy productivity tool though embracing technology solutions like FlyMSG indicates forward-thinking approach towards modern workplace demands something resonates well among progressive businesses seeking competitive edge through smarter workflows. Key Takeaway: With FlyMSG, you're not just storing and categorizing messages but deploying them with ease across platforms. It's a game-changer in SaaS sales training, offering custom shortcuts for frequently used texts, seamless integration across digital channels, and consistent brand messaging. Embrace this forward-thinking tool to boost your business efficiency. Subscribe to Modern Selling on the app of your choice! Customer Education Process in SaaS Businesses In the competitive world of SaaS, customer education is a must for success; it helps customers make the most out of your product or service and ultimately leads to higher satisfaction and retention rates. It's not enough to simply provide excellent software solutions, businesses must ensure their customers can effectively use these services. This necessitates teaching users how to take advantage of the full capability of your product or service, which in turn leads to enhanced user contentment and loyalty. It can be argued that this educational aspect is one of the most essential factors in promoting growth within SaaS businesses. Importance of Customer Education Process The digital age has brought with it countless innovative products and platforms - each vying for consumer attention. Amidst all this noise, standing out requires something special: delivering value beyond what's expected. A well-executed customer education program does exactly that by empowering clients with knowledge about your product/service while reducing support costs associated with common user errors. The end result? Loyal customers who contribute significantly towards lifetime value, thereby propelling business success forward. Case Study - Vengreso Vengreso serves as an ideal example when discussing effective customer education strategies leading to substantial increases in adoption rates over short periods. We implemented self-paced onboarding processes allowing new users to learn at their own pace without feeling overwhelmed - resulting in a significant surge within a mere 30 days post-implementation. Rapid User Acquisition Through Self-Paced Learning: Note: While the above-mentioned practices have proven successful in many instances, they should serve merely as guidelines rather than absolute rules set in stone; every organization has unique needs depending upon factors like audience demographics/product complexity, etc. Always strive to create customized strategies best suited under specific circumstances you're dealing with. Key Takeaway: Customer education isn't just a nice-to-have in the SaaS world, it's a must. Teaching users to maximize your product not only boosts satisfaction and retention but drives business growth. Just look at Vengreso; their self-paced onboarding skyrocketed adoption rates within 30 days. Remember though, there's no one-size-fits-all strategy - LinkedIn Sales Navigator Success Story The journey of our partnership with LinkedIn Sales Navigator is an exciting tale. Our collaboration with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a testament to innovation and partnership, has yielded amazing results. Collaboration details with LinkedIn Sales Navigator Vengreso's alliance with one of the industry's most popular sales tools was born out of shared goals - streamlining sales processes and boosting productivity through cutting-edge technology. Our text expander tool, FlyMSG, became an integral part of their platform by providing users access to its unique features directly within their workflow. This integration led to significant time savings as it allowed for swift storage, categorization, and deployment of messages across various online platforms. This not only reduced repetitive tasks but also improved overall communication efficiency - a win-win situation for all involved parties. Rapid success factors A combination of strategic planning coupled with effective execution played pivotal roles in achieving rapid success post-integration. We delved deep into understanding the user base before integrating FlyMSG into their system, which ensured tailored solutions meeting specific needs leading towards high adoption rates among end-users. Beyond technological compatibility, another key factor contributing significantly towards this rapid growth phase was continuous customer support during implementation stages. By addressing queries or issues promptly, we were able to ensure smooth transitions while simultaneously building strong relationships based on trust and reliability. Pondering upon these past events makes us realize that commitment towards innovation when combined with effective problem-solving strategies can indeed lead down the path of accelerated transformational growth. [bctt tweet="Discover the power of collaboration. Vengreso's partnership with #LinkedIn Sales Navigator has revolutionized #sales processes and boosted #productivity. #Innovation #SalesTech" username="GoVengreso"] Inside Our Learning Library - Comprehensive Prospecting Training Content We've put together a rich trove of sales prospecting training content in our learning library. This resource is meticulously designed to cater to the needs of modern selling, offering more than 16 hours' worth of material. Components Covered Under the Training Program The curriculum spans an array of topics vital for successful sales prospecting. These include understanding and leveraging social triggers, mastering negotiation techniques, and honing effective communication strategies. Besides these core areas, we also delve into advanced concepts such as building relationships in today's digital age and utilizing data analytics for strategic decision making. All this information is presented through interactive modules that promote active learning. Explore our course offerings here. Benefits Gained from Comprehensive Course This extensive training program offers numerous benefits to participants. First off, it arms them with practical skills necessary for efficient prospecting, which can lead to increased conversion rates. In addition to skill development, learners gain access to an invaluable network of like-minded professionals who share their experiences and insights - a networking opportunity often leading beyond classroom interactions towards fruitful collaborations. Last but not least, investing time in professional development through our courses demonstrates your commitment towards career growth - something highly beneficial during performance evaluations or job interviews. So why wait? Dive right into our programs now: FlyMSG Sales Pro for Teams. [bctt tweet="Dive into our comprehensive #SalesProspecting training program. Master negotiation techniques, leverage social triggers, and build digital relationships. Boost your conversion rates and network with like-minded professionals. Invest in your career growth today. #SaaSSalesTraining" username="GoVengreso"] Pre-seed Funding Round Insights The pre-seed funding round is a pivotal phase in the life cycle of any startup. For Vengreso, it was an opportunity to secure initial capital that would drive innovation and growth. Details regarding pre-seed fund campaign Vengreso's goal for its pre-seed funding round was to raise $650k. This ambitious target wasn't just about securing funds; it served as inspiration for other small businesses, showing how even modest investments can spark significant changes. Apart from fueling internal development, these funds were allocated towards marketing efforts designed to increase visibility within the SaaS industry. The strategy involved targeted campaigns on various platforms where potential investors could learn more about what makes Vengreso stand out in the crowded field of SaaS companies. Future prospects post successful fund-raising Hitting our fundraising goal opened up new possibilities for us here at Vengreso. With sufficient resources now at hand, plans were set into motion geared towards revenue generation and sustained growth - critical components when you rethink SAAS sales training strategies. An essential part of this plan revolved around leveraging our proprietary product - FlyMSG - as a primary source of income through effective sales training programs offered by our learning library. They anticipated increased adoption rates which would translate into steady revenue streams over time, thereby boosting SAAS sales results significantly. Beyond immediate financial gains, successful fundraising had another crucial implication - It validated Vengreso's business model before external stakeholders, thereby increasing investor confidence and setting the stage perfectly well for future rounds too. A noteworthy example being collaboration with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, which proved instrumental in accelerating company-wide success and evolution towards becoming a full-fledged SaaS enterprise. Launch of Training Academy for Aspiring Entrepreneurs We're delighted to introduce our unique training academy, a revolutionary opportunity for those wishing to start their own SaaS business. This initiative is perfectly aligned with our vision and mission, focusing on empowering aspiring entrepreneurs. What's Offered Under Academy Curriculum? The heart of this endeavor lies in its comprehensive curriculum. Crafted by industry veterans, it covers all aspects crucial for starting and successfully running a SaaS business. From market research techniques that help identify potential opportunities to financial management strategies essential for sustainable growth - we've got you covered. Apart from theoretical knowledge transfer sessions, hands-on learning experiences are also incorporated through case studies based on real-world scenarios faced by startups in the tech industry. These practical insights provide an invaluable understanding of how to navigate common challenges encountered during early stages. Potential Benefits Aspirants Can Look Forward To Beyond acquiring extensive product knowledge about managing a successful SaaS enterprise, participants will find ample networking opportunities within their reach at our training academy. Engaging with like-minded individuals and experienced professionals opens doors towards collaborations that could potentially fuel future success stories. Mentorship forms another key component here as well. Our seasoned experts provide ongoing guidance, ensuring students not only learn but effectively apply what they've learned when they venture out independently after completing SaaS sales training program. Continuous support goes hand-in-hand with continuous learning - something we strongly believe in fostering amongst budding entrepreneurs who may face unexpected hurdles along their journey. This new venture aligns seamlessly with Vengreso's overall vision and mission: nurturing innovation among small businesses like ours. By equipping tomorrow's leaders today, we aim not just at individual triumphs but envision creating an ecosystem where every entrepreneur thrives, leading them towards boosting SaaS sales results significantly over time. FAQs in Relation to SaaS Sales Training What is the importance of SaaS training? SaaS training equips sales reps with the necessary skills to sell subscription-based software products effectively, understand customer needs, and manage long-term client relationships. What are the key SaaS sales skills? Critical SaaS sales skills include understanding complex technical concepts, effective communication, relationship building, problem-solving abilities, and a consultative selling approach. How can I improve my SaaS sales? To boost your SaaS sales: enhance product knowledge, build strong customer relationships, leverage data analytics for decision-making, offer personalized solutions, and invest in continuous team training. How much do SaaS sales reps make? The average salary of a SaaS Sales Representative ranges from $50k to $150k annually depending on experience level and location. This doesn't include potential commissions or bonuses. Conclusion Embarking on the journey from a sales training firm to a SaaS company is no small feat. It requires strategic planning, innovative products like FlyMSG, and an unwavering commitment to growth. SaaS Sales Training plays a pivotal role in this transformation process. With it comes unique features that revolutionize communication and productivity among teams. Customer education becomes more than just an add-on; it's integral for business success. Case studies such as ours, here at Vengreso, underline its importance. A collaboration with giants like LinkedIn Sales Navigator can fuel rapid growth and further solidify your position in the market. The comprehensive prospecting training content offered by us covers everything from social triggers to negotiation techniques - all designed keeping modern selling needs in mind. Raising funds successfully not only validates your vision but also opens up avenues for future innovation and sustained growth. The launch of our academy dedicated exclusively towards teaching aspiring entrepreneurs ways to start & run successful SAAS companies aligns perfectly well with our overall mission. Our SaaS Sales Training, offers you an opportunity not just to learn about SaaS Sales Training but actually implement it effectively into your businesses saving valuable time thereby increasing productivity manifold.

Generative AI for Sales Prospecting is an uncharted territory for many. Sure, it sounds like a tech buzzword that's been thrown around lately... But when it comes to implementing Generative AI in your sales strategy... Most are at a loss when it comes to incorporating Generative AI into their sales tactics. Utilizing Generative AI in your sales strategy could be the key to unlocking success. But if you don't understand how to harness its power effectively, you might as well be throwing darts blindfolded. The Role of Engage AI in Enhancing LinkedIn Engagement Let's dive into the world of artificial intelligence, where Jason Tan's company, Engage AI, is making waves. This innovative tool addresses a common challenge - maintaining regular interaction with prospects and clients on LinkedIn. Overcoming Writer's Block with Engage AI We've all been there; staring at an empty screen, struggling to craft compelling prospect outreach messages. No more. With its embedded generative AI technology designed for sales professionals like you, writer's block becomes a thing of the past when writing sales content or repurposing existing ones. A Comprehensive Outreach Strategy Facilitated by Engage AI Calls? Check. Emails? Absolutely. Videos Messages? You betcha. Texts too? Yes indeed. This comprehensive approach makes it easier than ever before to engage your audience through multiple channels. And guess what? You don't have to be a seasoned Sales Operations Manager or tech guru. No matter if you're just beginning your AI journey, Engaging AI has the resources to get you started. Now that we've explored how this powerful tool can change sales as Prabhakant Sinha envisioned, let us delve deeper into understanding Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our next section. Stay tuned. Understanding Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Exploring the distinction between generative AI and other types of AI, let's delve into the details. Generative AI, like DeepAI explains, is a branch of artificial intelligence that uses statistical models to generate new data similar to the input it receives. It's not your everyday chat GPT or Google Bard. Difference Between Generative AI & Other Forms The key differentiator? Its ability to create. This embedded generative ai technology designed for creativity can do more than just respond; it generates entirely new content based on patterns learned from existing information. Think writing sales content with an artistic twist. A Recent AI Survey - A Quick Look indicates how businesses are increasingly leveraging this tech innovation. Moving Beyond The Basics With Machine Learning While machine learning provides algorithms that learn from data inputs, generative ai tools run deeper by generating recommendations akin to human-like brainstorming. The Role Of Human Intelligence In Using These Technologies Let me be clear: these technologies aren't replacing us anytime soon. Instead, they're here as our digital assistants. The real magic happens when we combine them with human ingenuity - creating powerful synergies for problem-solving and idea generation. For instance, imagine launching Viva Sales a tool incorporating this cutting-edge techa into your business operations. As a sales operations manager or even someone who teaches sales executives regularly you could use such advanced tools effectively. From repurposing existing sales content into engaging prospect outreach messages without breaking a sweat to customizing scoring criteria using HubSpot's predictive lead scoring software the possibilities seem endless. Remember though an artificial intelligence learning path requires patience and persistence. So keep exploring because change is inevitable in fact it might even change 'sales' prabhakant sinha style someday. Now isn't that something worth looking forward too?   Key Takeaway:  Generative AI, unlike everyday chatbots, uses statistical models to generate new data based on existing information. Businesses are increasingly leveraging this technology for creativity and problem-solving. While these tools can generate recommendations, they are meant to assist humans rather than replace them. Combining generative AI with human ingenuity creates powerful synergies for sales prospecting and idea generation. So keep exploring because change is inevitable - it might even revolutionize the way we do sales someday. With the help of generative artificial intelligence tools like Lavender, sales teams can now streamline their prospecting efforts and increase their chances of success. Strategies For Effective Digital Sales Prospecting Leveraging generative artificial intelligence for prospecting is a game-changer in the sales world. Generative AI tools run, analyzing and repurposing existing sales content to create personalized outreach messages that resonate with your target audience. Leveraging Generative Artificial Intelligence For Prospecting The modern HubSpot's predictive lead scoring software, an embedded generative AI technology designed specifically for this purpose, can change sales prospects' engagement dramatically. This tool uses machine learning algorithms and custom scoring criteria to rank leads based on their likelihood of becoming customers. Sales operations managers find it easier than ever before to access key sales data thanks to these advancements in technology. A recent AI survey showed businesses using such systems experienced significant improvements in efficiency and conversion rates. Besides improving productivity, they also help teach new skills by offering an artificial intelligence learning path tailored towards each individual's needs. Balancing Automation And Personalization On Platforms Like Linkedin To truly harness the power of platforms like LinkedIn, we must strike a balance between automation and personalization when commenting or engaging with posts. This is where writing prospect outreach content becomes crucially important. Using pre-written templates or automated responses might seem efficient but often lacks genuine human touch needed for building relationships. Change Sales Prabhakant Sinha, one of the pioneers who teaches sales executives how leveraging tech can enhance results emphasizes this point strongly. While having unique selling points (USPs) are essential; knowing how you're different from competitors isn't enough anymore - being able to communicate those differences effectively through well-crafted prospect outreach messages sets successful brands apart from others. So next time you write a message remember: Be real. Show empathy. Make connections. Exploring Fly Message As A Text Expander And Engagement Insight Tool In the world of sales, every second counts. Fly Message is a game-changer in this arena, serving as an effective text expander and engagement insight tool. Achieving Better Results With Fly Message The primary goal for any sales team is to drive revenue growth. To achieve this, they need access to key sales data and tools that can streamline their processes. This is where artificial intelligence can help to produce results. FAQs in Relation to Generative Ai for Sales Prospecting What is generative AI in sales forecasting? Generative AI in sales forecasting leverages machine learning to generate predictive models, providing insights into future customer behavior and market trends, thus enhancing strategic decision-making. How does generative AI affect sales? Generative AI impacts sales by automating prospecting tasks, personalizing outreach strategies, improving writing efficiency and offering predictive analytics. This leads to increased engagement rates and revenue growth. How can generative AI help in marketing? Generative AI aids marketing efforts by creating personalized content for target audiences, predicting consumer behaviors based on past data patterns and optimizing ad campaigns through real-time adjustments. How will generative AI change retail? Generative AI will revolutionize retail by offering personalized shopping experiences, optimizing inventory management through demand forecasting, and enhancing customer service with automated responses. Conclusion It's the future of sales. It breaks down barriers, enhancing LinkedIn engagement and transforming how we connect with prospects. This technology doesn't replace human intelligence but complements it, creating a powerful synergy that drives success in the digital world. Tools like Grammarly and Lavender aren't just about correcting grammar; they're about improving understanding within teams to attract enterprise deals. The right strategies can balance automation with personalization, making your outreach on platforms like LinkedIn more effective than ever before. Fly Message isn't merely an engagement insight tool; it's a revenue growth engine powered by generative AI. If you're ready to take your sales prospecting game to new heights, consider exploring Vengreso.com. We are dedicated to helping knowledge workers save on productivity through innovative solutions such as Generative AI. Start harnessing this cutting-edge technology today for transformative results tomorrow!

Maximizing Success with Digital Sales Referrals: A Guide with Mario M. Martinez Jr., #240 As the world of sales continues to evolve, Digital Sales Referrals have emerged as a powerful tool for driving business growth. This shift from traditional methods towards more modern approaches has revolutionized how we engage with potential customers and generate leads. In this comprehensive guide, you will gain insights into the transition from traditional to modern selling techniques and understand the impact COVID-19 has had on sales strategies. We delve into the concept of digital referrals, emphasizing their importance in making warm introductions. We'll also explore how platforms like LinkedIn can be used effectively for networking and expanding your reach through personal connections. You’ll learn about securing successful digital referrals by establishing rapport before asking favors and tactfully expressing intent during communication exchanges. Finally, we'll provide tips on leveraging shared connections using LinkedIn's Sales Navigator tool and crafting strategic follow-up messages that resonate with your target audience. With these insights at hand, you're well-equipped to maximize the benefits of Digital Sales Referrals in your business strategy. The Evolution of Sales Techniques Sales techniques have come a long way in the digital age. Traditional methods are out, and modern strategies are in. It's a whole new ballgame. Transition from Traditional to Modern Selling Methods Gone are the days of face-to-face sales and cold calling. Gone are the days of face-to-face sales and cold calling, now replaced by a digital world where technology is king - from social media networking to email marketing, content creation, and SEO; connecting with customers online has become paramount. Say hello to social media networking, email marketing, content creation, and SEO. It's all about connecting with customers online. Impact of COVID on Sales Strategies COVID-19 turned the sales world upside down. With physical meetings and travel on hold, businesses had to adapt fast. Video calls and emails became the new norm. It's a virtual sales revolution. Research shows that video conferencing skyrocketed during lockdowns. We had to find new ways to connect. Sales pros had to level up their digital game to keep up with the times. Harnessing the Power of Digital Referrals In the digital era, sales techniques have had to adapt. Enter digital referrals. These online recommendations can help you secure new clients and expand your business network. Understanding Digital Referrals Digital referrals are word-of-mouth recommendations made online. They come from satisfied customers, professional contacts, or even friends who believe in your product or service enough to recommend it to others. These endorsements carry weight because they're based on personal experiences and relationships. The process usually involves an existing customer sending a referral link or code to someone else. This person then uses the link when making a purchase or signing up, linking the referral back to its source. Importance of Warm Introductions A warm introduction is more effective than cold outreach methods like unsolicited emails or calls. A recommendation from someone trusted by both parties helps build immediate credibility. Salesforce suggests warm introductions can increase success rates by 80%. In today's interconnected world, leveraging our existing connections for growth opportunities has never been easier, thanks to social media platforms like LinkedIn. Tips For an Effective Digital Referral Strategy: Create Value: Your products/services should provide value so people feel confident recommending them. Nurture Relationships: Maintain good relationships with customers/clients; they're more likely to refer if they've had positive experiences. Simplify Process: Make it easy for people to share about you via links/codes. Reward System: An incentive system encourages more people to participate in referring others to your offerings. These strategies, combined with diligent follow-up actions, can greatly enhance the effectiveness of any digital referral program, leading to increased conversions and overall growth for businesses. Building Personal Connections Online In today's digital age, building personal connections online is as important as in-person networking. The internet has revolutionized the way we communicate and interact with others, providing us with unprecedented access to potential clients or partners worldwide. Using LinkedIn as Your Digital Rolodex LinkedIn, a professional networking platform, serves as an excellent tool for maintaining your business contacts - essentially serving as your digital Rolodex. With over 700 million users globally, LinkedIn is a great way to make contacts in multiple industries and locations. To make meaningful connections on LinkedIn: Create a killer profile that shows off your skills and expertise. Engage regularly by sharing awesome content and joining discussions in industry groups. Send personalized connection requests explaining why you want to connect. Expanding Network Reach through Personal Connections Beyond just adding people on LinkedIn, it's crucial to nurture these relationships. Engage with their posts or reach out directly via messages or emails. You never know when one of these connections might lead to a valuable referral. A study by LinkedIn Sales Solutions revealed that salespeople who excel at social selling are creating more opportunities - they're 51% more likely to hit quota than those who lag behind. This shows how powerful personal connections can be when used in sales strategies. Tips for expanding network reach: Nurture existing relationships: Engage with your current network; comment on their updates or share useful resources related to their field of work. Leverage mutual connections: If you want to connect with someone specific but don't have any direct contact, see if there are any common acquaintances who could introduce you. The key here is authenticity. Genuine interactions will build trust and increase chances of receiving referrals because people prefer doing business with individuals they know and trust. Remember, successful online networking isn't about collecting contacts - it's about planting relations. Key Takeaway: Building personal connections online is essential in today's digital age, and LinkedIn serves as a valuable tool for maintaining business contacts. By creating a killer profile, engaging regularly, and nurturing relationships with existing connections, professionals can expand their network reach and increase the likelihood of receiving valuable referrals. Steps Towards Securing A Successful Digital Referral In this digital age, achieving a referral necessitates more than simply requesting one. You gotta build trust, establish rapport, and express your intent tactfully. Here's how: Establishing Rapport Before Asking For Favors First, butter 'em up. Construct a rapport predicated on reciprocal esteem and comprehension. Engage with their content, join discussions, or slide into their DMs on LinkedIn. People help those they like, so make 'em like you. Expressing Intent Tactfully In Communication Exchanges Now, time to ask for that referral. Be polite, not pushy. Show appreciation, be clear about what you want, and offer something in return. It's all about respect and making your request crystal clear. Show appreciation: Thank them and acknowledge their previous help. Craft your request carefully: Be specific but not complicated. Foster reciprocity: Give back or provide useful info in return. This approach shows respect and makes it clear what you're asking for. Win-win. Tips For Effective Communication On LinkedIn LinkedIn is the place to be for professionals worldwide. To maximize the effectiveness of your LinkedIn presence, craft personalized connection requests. Here are some tips: Personalize connection requests: Don't be generic, make it personal. Engage meaningfully: Comment and message with purpose. Keep it professional yet friendly: Be cool, but not too cool. Check out this article titled "5 Templates That'll Make Writing the Perfect LinkedIn Message Easier" for more help. Remember, it's not just about one referral. It's about nurturing relationships for the long term. Keep 'em beneficial for both parties. Utilizing LinkedIn Sales Navigator For Effective Networking The digital age has transformed the way we do business, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator is at the forefront of this revolution. This powerful tool allows you to tap into your existing network, expand your reach, and secure more referrals than ever before. Leveraging Shared Connections On LinkedIn Sales Navigator Referral programs are essential in today's competitive landscape. With LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you can identify mutual contacts between yourself and potential customers. This feature provides a unique opportunity for warm introductions that make referral marketing programs essential. A referred customer often comes with an inherent level of trust, shortening sales cycles. By leveraging shared connections, you're not only reaching out to new prospects but also strengthening relationships with your existing customers who are making those introductions. Crafting Strategic Follow-Up Messages In addition to identifying shared connections, it’s crucial to craft strategic follow-up messages as part of your referral process. Personalize your messages based on what you know about each prospect from their profile or any prior interactions. Email Marketing Campaigns: Consider integrating email marketing campaigns into your strategy. Provide personalized recommendations tailored specifically for each customer. Remember: people spontaneously sharing information about products they love is one thing; being prompted by well-crafted emails encourages customers even further. Social Media: Don't underestimate the power of social media. Encourage loyal customers to share their positive experiences with your product/service on review sites like Yelp or Google Reviews. Remember, consumers trust online reviews. Customer Service: Ensure that every interaction potential clients have with your company leaves a positive impression. This includes having a well-trained customer service team providing excellent customer service. To maximize success using LinkedIn Sales Navigator (or any other networking platform), always offer incentives when asking for referrals from existing contacts. Motivate them towards action with discounts on future purchases or exclusive access to new products/services. And don’t forget, provide exceptional customer service throughout every stage of engagement to foster long-term loyalty among both current and prospective clientele alike. Key Takeaway: LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a valuable tool for networking and securing referrals in the digital age. By leveraging shared connections, crafting strategic follow-up messages, and offering incentives to existing contacts, knowledge workers can maximize their success in generating sales leads. FAQs in Relation to Digital Sales Referrals Why use referrals in digital marketing? Referrals are a powerful tool in digital marketing because they leverage the trust and credibility established between individuals, leading to higher conversion rates. Learn more about the power of referral marketing. What are the statistics about referrals in sales? Sales statistics show that referred customers have a 16% higher lifetime value and are four times more likely to refer others. Check out these referral marketing statistics. What is a digital referral? A digital referral is an online recommendation from one person to another, often facilitated through social media platforms or email. Learn more about Digital Referrals. What is the referral rate for digital marketing? The average referral rate for businesses using online programs ranges from 2% - 5%. Read this article on Digital Marketing Referral Rates. Conclusion Understanding the evolution of sales techniques and harnessing the power of digital referrals are essential for success in today's business landscape. Build personal connections online through platforms like LinkedIn and secure successful digital referrals to tap into a vast network of potential clients and partners. Utilize tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator to enhance networking efforts by leveraging shared connections and crafting effective follow-up messages. Embrace digital sales referrals to expand your reach and generate more opportunities in the modern marketplace.

AI in Business Growth: Leveraging Strategies and Tools, with Ryan Staley #239 Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a game-changer in driving business growth. AI is transforming the way businesses run, giving them access to solutions and systems that can greatly enhance their performance and effectiveness. In this blog post, we delve into how AI enhances SaaS sales and the role of text expanders in business communication. We also discuss the phases of implementing an AI tool, from understanding the four-phase approach to preparing your organization for AI integration. We explore how SEO combined with AI aids in content creation at scale and ways to overcome challenges associated with large-scale content production. Furthermore, we shed light on common mistakes made by SAS CEOs during customer base expansion and provide effective strategies for growth. The final part of our discussion focuses on the pivotal role B2B sales and marketing executive leadership plays in company growth. Stay tuned as we unravel how experience impacts executive leadership roles and ways to leverage product-led strategies along with outbound events for company expansion. Join us as we navigate through these critical aspects of leveraging AI for business growth - a journey towards increased automation, better decision-making process, enhanced customer experience while gaining a competitive edge in today's dynamic business world. Leveraging AI for Business Growth It's revolutionizing various sectors, including sales and marketing, by automating tasks and providing valuable insights into customer behavior. One area where AI has made significant strides is in enhancing SaaS sales. How AI Improves SaaS Sales In the realm of SaaS sales, most leaders struggle with efficiency and productivity. That's where tools like Fly Message, an innovative text expander powered by artificial intelligence, come into play. By deconstructing complex processes such as email communication or LinkedIn messaging, Fly Message enables swift responses, thereby improving productivity. Email Efficiency: With Fly Message's intelligent algorithms that predict your response based on past interactions, you can reply to emails faster than ever before. Social Media Engagement: The tool also aids in quickly responding to LinkedIn messages, which enhances social media engagement - a critical aspect of modern-day business communication. The Role of Text Expanders in Business Communication Apart from boosting efficiency and speed in replying to emails or messages on platforms like LinkedIn, text expanders also improve accuracy and consistency across all communication channels within an organization. They allow users to create shortcuts for frequently used phrases or sentences, thus saving time spent typing repetitive content while ensuring uniformity across all company correspondence. By leveraging these capabilities offered by AI-powered tools like Fly Message, businesses can streamline their operations, leading to improved overall performance. AI is the future of business growth, and companies that embrace it will have a competitive edge. If you wish to stay on the cutting edge, start taking advantage of AI now. Leverage AI for business growth with tools like Fly Message, an innovative text expander that boosts efficiency and productivity. #AIinBusiness #ProductivityBoostClick to Tweet Phases of Implementing an AI Tool Introducing an AI tool to your business operations is not a one-step process. It involves several phases that require careful planning, development, integration, and evaluation. Understanding the Four-phase Approach The four-phase approach for implementing an AI tool typically includes planning, development, integration, and evaluation stages. For instance, Fly Message, a text expander that aids in replying to emails and LinkedIn messages swiftly, is currently in its first phase out of these four planned stages. Planning: Identify what you want the AI tool to achieve within your business operations and how it will fit into existing processes. Development: Work with developers or vendors to create or customize the tool according to your specific needs. Integration: Integrate the new technology into current systems and train staff on how best to use it effectively. Evaluation: Measure performance against set objectives regularly after launch and make necessary adjustments based on feedback from users as well as data analysis results. Preparing Your Business for an AI Tool Integration To ensure seamless integration of an AI solution into your company's workflow without disrupting productivity requires careful preparation. Everyone involved should understand why this new technology is being introduced, whether it's about increasing efficiency or improving customer service, so they can fully support its implementation. Additionally, consider conducting training sessions for employees who will be using the software daily so they can get familiar with its functionalities before going live. Remember that just because something works during testing doesn't mean there won't be hiccups when rolled out at scale; hence continuous monitoring post-implementation is crucial too. "Boost your business productivity with AI tools. Learn the four-phase approach for seamless integration and prepare your team for success. #AIinBusinessGrowth #ProductivityHacks"Click to Tweet Content Creation at Scale with SEO and AI The rise of technology has revolutionized various industries, and content creation is no exception. AI and SEO make it possible for companies to produce a large amount of excellent content quickly. Advantages of Using SEO and AI Tools for Content Creation By utilizing SEO tools, businesses can create content tailored to their target audience's search habits, thus increasing website visibility and traffic. Meanwhile, AI tools, such as natural language generation software, automate the content creation process, producing unique and engaging content at scale. Overcoming Challenges in Large-Scale Content Production Producing quality content consistently can be a difficult task, especially when there are time constraints or limited personnel. However, AI-powered writing assistants can help overcome these hurdles by speeding up the writing process without compromising quality. Faster production: AI tools enable rapid creation of multiple pieces simultaneously while maintaining consistency across all outputs. Better optimization: Incorporating SEO strategies ensures your articles rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs), attracting more visitors to your site. Ease-of-use: Most AI platforms have user-friendly interfaces, making them easy to navigate even for non-tech savvy individuals. By leveraging the power of SEO and AI, businesses can create high-quality content at scale, driving traffic to their websites and boosting their online presence. "Revolutionize your content creation process with the power of SEO and AI. Produce high-quality, engaging content at scale and boost your online presence. #AIinBusinessGrowth #ProductivityHacks"Click to Tweet Common Mistakes Made by SaaS CEOs During Customer Base Expansion Many SaaS CEOs make critical mistakes that hinder growth while expanding their customer base. One of these is focusing all resources on acquisition channels responsible for only 20% growth within their client profile. Pitfalls to Avoid During Customer Base Expansion Over-reliance on a single channel: It's easy to fall into the trap of over-investing in one marketing or sales channel, especially if it has shown some success. However, this approach can lead to diminishing returns and may leave your business vulnerable if that channel becomes less effective. Neglecting existing customers: While acquiring new customers is important, retaining existing ones should not be overlooked. Existing customers are more likely to purchase again and can become advocates for your brand. Lack of diversification: Relying too heavily on a few big clients can also be risky. If you lose one major account, it could have a significant impact on your revenue stream. Effective Strategies for Growing a Customer Base Diversify Your Marketing Channels: A multi-channel strategy will allow you to reach different segments of your target market and reduce reliance on any single source. Forbes Foster Relationships with Current Customers: Create loyalty programs or offer exclusive deals to encourage repeat purchases from current clients. Happy customers are also more likely to refer others. Entrepreneur Risk Mitigation Strategy: Analyze potential risks associated with each client or sector you serve so as not to put all your eggs in one basket. This might involve spreading risk across multiple sectors or geographies. CIO The key takeaway here is balance - while pursuing new leads is crucial for expansion, nurturing relationships with current clientele forms an equally essential part of a sustainable growth strategy.   Key Takeaway:  SaaS CEOs often make mistakes when expanding their customer base, such as over-relying on a single channel or neglecting existing customers. To effectively grow a customer base, businesses should diversify marketing channels, foster relationships with current customers through loyalty programs and exclusive deals, and mitigate risk by analyzing potential risks associated with each client or sector served. The key takeaway is to balance pursuing new leads while nurturing relationships with current clientele for sustainable growth. Role of B2B Sales and Marketing Executive Leadership in Company Growth The success of a company, especially in the SaaS industry, heavily relies on its leadership. B2B sales and marketing executive leaders play a critical role in driving growth and expansion. These individuals bring years of experience, extensive knowledge, unique perspectives, and tested strategies that can propel a business forward. The Importance of Experience in Executive Leadership Roles Experience plays an indispensable role in leading a business towards growth. A seasoned leader like Martinez Jr., with over 25 years as a B2B sales marketing executive leader, exemplifies this perfectly. His vast experience has equipped him with invaluable insights into market trends, customer behavior patterns, and effective strategies for sustainable growth. Martinez's tenure saw significant strides made by companies such as Fathom video - achievements attributed largely to his expertise and innovative approach. This clearly illustrates how experienced leadership can steer an organization towards achieving their goals effectively. Leveraging Product-Led Strategies and Outbound Events for Company Growth Successful leaders understand the importance of leveraging various tactics for maximum impact on business performance. Martinez Jr., for instance, used product-led strategies alongside outbound events led growth tactics while growing Fathom video. Product-led strategies: These involve using your product as the main vehicle for acquiring new customers or retaining existing ones - essentially making your product sell itself through exceptional user experiences or unique features that meet specific customer needs. Outbound events: These are proactive initiatives where you reach out directly to potential clients or partners - think trade shows or webinars - which provide opportunities not only for direct selling but also networking and brand exposure. Savvy use of these approaches helps create robust pipelines capable of delivering consistent results over time, ensuring sustained company growth.   Key Takeaway:  Experienced B2B sales and marketing executive leaders like Martinez Jr. play a crucial role in driving company growth by leveraging their extensive knowledge, unique perspectives, and tested strategies. Their use of product-led strategies and outbound events can create robust pipelines for consistent results over time, ensuring sustained business expansion. FAQs in Relation to Ai in Business Growth How AI Boosts Business Growth AI streamlines tasks, provides data-driven insights, and personalizes customer experiences, driving business growth. The Impact of AI on Businesses AI revolutionizes businesses by improving decision-making, operational efficiencies, and enabling predictive analytics. Built In has a comprehensive guide on this. How AI Will Shape the Future of Business AI's advanced automation and data analysis capabilities will redefine the future of businesses. Learn more from this article by Wharton Knowledge. The Dark Side of AI AI's negative impact on jobs is a growing concern. Learn more about the ethical concerns related to AI in business from this article by Forbes Tech Council. How AI Algorithms Work Curious about how AI algorithms work? This article by Investopedia explains the specifics. Conclusion Implementing AI tools can greatly benefit businesses looking to grow, improving SaaS sales and content creation at scale. However, it's important to approach implementation strategically and avoid common mistakes made by SAS CEOs during customer base expansion. Effective leadership from B2B sales and marketing executives is crucial for company growth through product-led strategies and outbound events. By properly integrating AI into your business strategy, you can take advantage of significant growth opportunities. Utilizing the advantages of SEO and text expanders while avoiding common pitfalls can help businesses succeed in AI for business growth. For more information on the benefits of AI in business growth, check out these credible sources: Forbes McKinsey & Company Deloitte Insights

Top earners in sales use certain approaches to attain their success, and this Modern Selling Podcast episode will examine the top sales strategies needed to become a 1% earner. By adopting these proven techniques, you can elevate your own skills and propel your team to new heights. We will explore various aspects such as developing a winning mindset, consistently prospecting for new opportunities, and engaging in meaningful conversations with potential clients. Additionally, we will discuss how leveraging referrals can lead to higher-value deals and greater customer satisfaction. Furthermore, understanding the traits that set top-performing salespeople apart from their peers is crucial when hiring or nurturing talent within your organization. Lastly, we'll examine lessons gleaned from record-breaking achievements in sales to provide valuable insights on persistence and collaboration. By incorporating these top sales strategies into your playbook, you're setting yourself up for success as you work towards exceeding your company's sales goals. Becoming a Top 1% Earner in Sales Want to join the elite club of top 1% earners in sales? Here's how: Adopt a Winning Mindset As a Sales Strategy Believe in yourself, set ambitious goals, and keep learning through sales coaching and training best practices, for a better sales mindset. Consistently Prospect for New Opportunities Use social media, industry events, email campaigns, cold calling, and referrals to find new prospects. Track interactions with leads and schedule regular follow-ups. Read our Definitive Prospecting Guide for sales management to grow pipeline. Engage in Meaningful Conversations As a Sales Strategy Build trust by being genuine and empathetic. Practice active listening techniques. Avoid using confusing industry jargon. By adhering to these tactics, you can maximize your potential for achieving maximum success in sales conversations. Remember, persistence and dedication are key. [bctt tweet="Unlock your potential as a top earner in #sales with these winning #strategies. Adopt the right mindset, #prospect consistently, and engage meaningfully. #salesstrategies #productivitytips @M_3Jr" username="GoVengreso"] The Power of Referrals For Top Sales Strategies Want to close more deals? Focus on sales referrals from satisfied customers - they have higher close rates because they come from trusted sources who already see value in your product or service. Dedicate Time to Engage with Existing Customers Allocate time to nurture relationships with current clients through regular check-ins, providing valuable insights and resources, or simply showing appreciation for their business. Ask for Warm Introductions As a Sales Strategy Take the initiative and ask happy clients if they know anyone who might benefit from your products or services. Approach this conversation tactfully and emphasize that you're looking out for their contacts' best interests. Pricing Referred Leads Higher Better Qualification: Referred prospects often come pre-qualified since the person referring them has already identified a need within their network. Faster Decision-Making Process: Since these prospects trust the person who referred them, they're more likely to make a decision quickly. Higher Close Rates: Referrals have higher close rates due to the trust factor involved in the process. Consider pricing your offerings slightly higher for referred leads to reflect their increased value and incentivize existing clients to provide even more high-quality referrals in the future. [bctt tweet="Boost your #sales with these top strategies: prioritize #Salesreferrals, engage with existing #customers, and ask for warm introductions. #salesstrategy #productivitytips" username="GoVengreso"] Traits of Top 1%-ers in Sales Here are the traits you need: resilience, innovation, consistency, and adaptability. Resilience: Bounce back from setbacks Top salespeople don't let rejection get them down; they learn from it and use it as fuel for future success. Innovation: Think outside the box The top salespeople are constantly searching for novel solutions to challenges and striving to stay one step ahead of their rivals. Check out this article on sales innovation techniques you can implement today. Consistency: Stick to daily routines, prioritize, and keep learning Daily routines: Establishing habits helps maintain focus on key tasks that drive results. Prioritization: Knowing which activities will yield the highest return allows top-performers to allocate their time and energy more effectively. Continuous learning: The best salespeople are always looking for ways to improve. Adaptability: Embrace change Top sales professionals understand that staying stagnant can lead to missed opportunities and decreased performance. Learn more about adapting to change in sales. Emulate the success of top 1%-ers in sales by incorporating these traits into your approach. Hiring Top Performers As a Top Sales Strategy As a sales leader looking to recruit top-tier talent, how can you best identify potential candidates? Listen to the episode to get the best sales hiring tips. Identifying Potential Candidates through Networking Events & Industry Connections Expand your search beyond traditional job boards and recruitment agencies by attending industry conferences, networking events, and engaging with professional communities on LinkedIn. Creating Room within Organizational Structures for Mavericks' Personal Growth & Performance Career development: Offer clear paths for growth based on achievements. Mentorship programs: Encourage knowledge sharing and build strong relationships among team members. Incentives: Design plans that reward exceptional performance. Encouraging Innovation and Adaptability within the Sales Team Provide ongoing training resources and create a sales culture that values innovation by encouraging team members to share new ideas, experiment with different effective selling techniques, and learn from both successes and failures. Incorporate hiring strategies to draw in the best-of-the-best and ensure their commitment, leading to an elite sales team that can reach the peak of success. [bctt tweet="Increase your #sales team's #productivity with these top strategies for #hiring and retaining high-performing sales #talent. #salesstrategies #modernselling" username="GoVengreso"] Lessons from Record-Breaking Sales Achievements Learn from those who have already achieved this level of success, like the salesperson who closed a $2.1 million software deal. Persistence Pays Off for Top Sales Strategies Don't give up when faced with challenges or setbacks - push forward until you reach your goal. Salesforce shares tips on developing persistence skills. Collaboration is Key Work closely with experienced mentors and colleagues to draw upon their collective knowledge and expertise. Inc Magazine suggests ways to build strong professional networks for meaningful collaborations. Leverage Existing Connections Create value: Offer valuable insights or resources to your connections before asking for referrals or introductions. Maintain regular contact: Stay in touch with your network to build trust and stay top of mind. Show appreciation: Always thank those who help you or provide referrals. Nurture your connections and provide value to others in your network to uncover new opportunities. Forbes Coaches Council offers additional tips on leveraging your network for business growth. By incorporating these lessons into your sales methodology, you can join the elite 1% earners club in no time. [bctt tweet="Learn from top #sales achievers and incorporate persistence, collaboration, and leveraging connections into your #strategy to join the 1% earners club. #salesstrategies @M_3Jr" username="GoVengreso"]   FAQs in Relation to Top Sales Strategies What are the 4 most common sales strategies? The four most common sales strategies are: (1) Solution selling, which addresses a customer's specific needs and pain points; (2) Consultative selling, where the salesperson acts as an expert advisor to help customers make informed decisions; (3) Relationship selling, which prioritizes building long-term connections with clients for repeat business; and (4) Inbound selling, leveraging content marketing and SEO to attract potential buyers. What is the most effective sales strategy? The most effective sales strategy varies depending on industry, target audience, and product or service offering, but a consultative approach that combines solution-based and relationship-focused tactics often leads to higher conversion rates and increased customer satisfaction. What are the 5 selling strategies? The five key selling strategies are: (1) Solution Selling - focusing on solving customer problems; (2) Consultative Selling - acting as an expert advisor for clients; (3) Relationship Selling - nurturing long-term connections with customers; (4) Inbound Selling - attracting prospects through valuable content marketing efforts; and (5) Cold Calling - proactively reaching out to potential clients via phone or email. What are the three most commonly used sales strategies? The three most commonly used sales strategies are: Solution Selling - addressing client-specific needs; Consultative Selling - providing expertise in guiding customer decisions; and Relationship Selling - fostering long-term connections for repeat business. Conclusion Want to become a top earner in sales? Adopt a winning mindset, consistently prospect for new opportunities, and engage in meaningful conversations. Don't underestimate the power of referrals - allocate time to engage with existing customers, ask satisfied clients for warm introductions, and price referred leads higher based on their perceived value. Top performers are resilient under pressure, innovative when faced with obstacles, and consistent in their performance despite external factors. Hiring top performers requires identifying potential candidates through networking events and industry connections, creating room for personal growth and performance, and encouraging innovation and adaptability within the sales team. Learn from record-breaking sales achievements by persistently pursuing high-value deals and collaborating with experienced mentors or colleagues to leverage existing connections for new opportunities.

Salespeople and business owners aiming to expand their profits and businesses need powerful selling tactics. In this blog post, we will explore various strategies that can help you improve your sales process, engage prospective clients, and ultimately close more deals. We'll start by discussing the importance of unique value propositions in differentiating your product or service from competitors. Next, we'll delve into leveraging behavioral psychology to better understand how emotions influence purchasing decisions and create contrast through effective communication. Furthermore, we will cover building high-value discovery calls using open-ended questions and communicating challenges effectively. We will also discuss mastering early-stage selling conversations by building rapport with prospects while showcasing your product's unique value. Lastly, we'll provide tips on encouraging prospects to connect beyond the initial sales call through social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter as well as sharing valuable resources to keep them engaged throughout the sales cycle. By implementing these effective selling techniques in your approach, you're sure to see improvements in both client relationships and overall success rates. Understanding the Importance of Unique Value Propositions Sales professionals often struggle with effectively communicating their product or service's unique value propositions during early-stage selling conversations. In a commoditized market, it is crucial to identify and emphasize these distinctive aspects that set your offering apart from competitors. This section will discuss the importance of uniqueness in sales messaging and how to discover those key differentiators. Identifying Unique Features in Your Product or Service To stand out among countless similar products, you need to pinpoint what makes yours truly special. Start by conducting a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) on your offerings compared to others in the market. By doing so, you'll uncover elements that differentiate your product from competitors - whether it be an innovative feature or exceptional customer support. Innovative features: Highlight any cutting-edge technology or design elements exclusive to your product. Exceptional customer support: Emphasize how dedicated and responsive your team is when addressing client concerns. The Role of Product Development in Understanding Uniqueness Your product development team plays a significant role in shaping its unique characteristics; after all, they're responsible for bringing ideas into reality. Collaborate closely with them throughout each stage of development - this way, you can ensure everyone understands what sets the final output apart from other options available within today's competitive landscape (research shows this greatly improves overall success rates). Above all, remember that effective selling techniques involve more than just listing features; they require a deep understanding of how those aspects genuinely benefit prospective clients. By mastering the art of conveying your product or service's unique value propositions, you'll be well on your way to transforming sales pitches into powerful purchasing decisions. Understanding the importance of unique value propositions is essential for successful selling; by leveraging behavioral psychology, sales professionals can maximize their success. Next, we will explore how to use psychological principles in order to effectively communicate and create contrast with buyers. "Maximize your sales potential by identifying and emphasizing your unique value propositions. Learn how in our guide to effective selling techniques." #sales #productivityClick to Tweet Leveraging Behavioral Psychology for Effective Selling Research has shown that individuals make decisions based on emotion and justify them with logic and reason. By incorporating principles from behavioral psychology into your sales approach, you can create a contrasting world view for prospects, making it easier for them to perceive the value of your offering. This section will explore techniques derived from studies like Antonio Damasio's work on decision-making processes. How Emotions Influence Buying Decisions Emotions play a significant role in our purchasing decisions. In fact, research shows that people rely more on their feelings than rational thought when making choices about products or services. Understanding this emotional component is crucial for developing effective selling techniques. Fear: Highlighting potential risks or problems associated with not using your product can tap into buyers' fear of missing out (FOMO) or experiencing negative consequences. Happiness: Demonstrating how your solution contributes to increased satisfaction or joy can create positive associations between your brand and the buyer's desired outcome. Pride: Emphasizing achievements unlocked by using your product may appeal to customers who seek recognition and validation through their purchases. Creating Contrast Through Effective Communication To leverage these emotional drivers effectively, it's essential to communicate clear contrasts between life without your product/service versus life with it. Paint vivid pictures illustrating both scenarios so prospective clients understand what they stand to gain - or lose - by choosing one option over another. Showcase Benefits Instead of Features: Focus on the positive outcomes your product or service delivers, rather than simply listing its features. For example, instead of saying "our software has a built-in CRM," explain how this feature helps users save time and improve customer relationships. Use Storytelling: Telling stories that resonate with your target audience can evoke emotions more effectively than presenting facts alone. Share real-life examples of customers who have benefited from using your solution to create an emotional connection with prospects. Acknowledge Objections: Addressing potential concerns head-on demonstrates empathy and understanding while providing opportunities for you to counter these objections with compelling reasons why they should still choose your offering. Incorporating behavioral psychology principles into your sales techniques allows you to tap into powerful emotional drivers that influence purchase decisions. By doing so, you're better equipped to persuade prospective clients and close deals more effectively. By leveraging the power of behavioral psychology, knowledge workers can create more effective selling strategies and increase their chances for success. Building high value discovery calls is an important step in this process; it requires careful communication techniques to ensure that challenges are accurately conveyed and understood.   Key Takeaway:  To be an effective salesperson, it is important to understand that emotions play a significant role in purchasing decisions. By leveraging principles from behavioral psychology such as fear of missing out (FOMO), happiness, and pride, along with effective communication techniques like showcasing benefits instead of features and using storytelling, you can create clear contrasts between life without your product/service versus life with it to persuade prospective clients and close deals more effectively. Building High Value Discovery Calls A successful discovery call requires more than just knowing what questions to ask; it involves painting a picture of a better world with your product or service at its core. To achieve this, focus on identifying elements within your offering that are truly unique and relevant to potential customers' challenges. In this section, we'll provide insights into structuring high-value discovery calls by emphasizing solutions over features. Techniques for Asking Open-Ended Questions The key to unlocking the full potential of any conversation lies in asking open-ended questions that encourage prospects to share their thoughts and feelings freely. Try posing queries such as, "What difficulties are you experiencing at present?" or "How do you see our solution aiding in the accomplishment of your objectives?". These types of queries allow prospective clients to dive deeper into their pain points while giving you valuable insight into how best to tailor your pitch accordingly. Communicating Challenges Effectively To ensure that prospects fully understand the value proposition behind what you're selling, it's crucial not only to present them with facts but also to paint an emotional picture they can easily relate to. One effective technique is utilizing storytelling as a means for illustrating real-life scenarios where others have faced similar issues and found success through using products/services such as yours - ultimately driving home the point about why choosing your company will make all the difference when it comes to overcoming obstacles standing in the way of achieving desired outcomes. In addition, research shows that people tend to retain information much better when presented visually rather than textually alone - so don't be afraid to incorporate visual aids (e.g., slides) during sales presentations in order to reinforce key points being made throughout the discussion. Lastly, always remember to stay focused on addressing the prospect's specific needs rather than simply rattling off a list of features included within your offering - this way, you'll be able to demonstrate genuine understanding of their situation and build the trust necessary to move forward in the sales cycle successfully. Maintaining Momentum Beyond the Call A high-value discovery call is just the beginning of your relationship with a prospective client. To keep that momentum going and increase the likelihood of closing deals, it's essential to follow up promptly after each interaction by sending personalized messages summarizing the main takeaways from the conversation along with any additional resources that might be helpful in making a purchasing decision (e.g., case studies). Moreover, don't forget to leverage the power of social media platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter in order to stay connected with prospects even when not actively engaged in the selling process - doing so will enable you to continue nurturing leads until they're ready to make a purchase decision and ultimately grow your sales pipeline over time. By asking open-ended questions and effectively communicating challenges, you can build high value discovery calls. Moving on to the next step in effective selling techniques, mastering early stage conversations is key for building rapport and trust with prospects while showcasing your product or service's unique value.   Key Takeaway:  To have a successful discovery call, focus on identifying unique elements of your offering that are relevant to potential customers' challenges. Use open-ended questions to encourage prospects to share their thoughts and feelings freely, communicate challenges effectively by utilizing storytelling and visual aids, and maintain momentum beyond the call by promptly following up with personalized messages summarizing key takeaways from the conversation. Mastering Early Stage Selling Conversations Engaging prospects early in the sales process is critical when converting leads into customers. By using strategic questioning techniques combined with an understanding of emotional drivers behind purchasing decisions, you can establish trust while showcasing how your solution addresses their needs directly - ultimately leading towards higher conversion rates overall. Let's delve deeper into mastering these vital initial discussions between sellers and buyers alike. Building rapport and trust with prospects The foundation of any successful sales relationship lies in building rapport and trust with prospective clients. Start by doing your homework - research shows that salespeople who are well-prepared for meetings have a significantly higher success rate. Make sure to understand the prospect's industry, company, role, challenges they face, and recent news or developments related to their business. In addition to being knowledgeable about the prospect's world, focus on active listening during conversations. This means asking open-ended questions that encourage them to share more information about themselves and their needs. Be genuinely interested in what they have to say - this will help build credibility as someone who truly cares about finding solutions for them. Showcasing your product or service's unique value Tailor your pitch: Customize your sales pitch based on the insights gathered from discovery calls and research conducted beforehand. Highlight specific features or benefits that address the pain points shared by the buyer. Create contrast: Emphasize what sets you apart from competitors by demonstrating how your offering provides a unique solution not found elsewhere in the market. Use examples or case studies if possible to illustrate real-world results achieved through utilizing your product or service. Address objections: Anticipate potential concerns and be prepared to address them head-on. By proactively addressing these issues, you can alleviate any doubts the prospect may have about your offering's effectiveness in solving their problems. To truly master early-stage selling conversations, it is essential to combine a genuine interest in helping prospects with a deep understanding of your unique value proposition. This approach will not only help you build trust but also showcase how your solution directly addresses their needs - ultimately increasing conversion rates. Having a solid foundation of early stage selling conversations will set you up for success and help build trust with prospects. With this in mind, it's important to continue the conversation by utilizing social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter to encourage further connection beyond the sales call.   Key Takeaway:  To effectively sell your product or service, it's important to engage prospects early on by building rapport and trust through active listening and tailored pitches. By showcasing the unique value of your offering while addressing potential objections, you can establish credibility as someone who cares about finding solutions for their needs - ultimately leading towards higher conversion rates overall. Encouraging Prospects to Connect Beyond the Sales Call Strengthening relationships with potential customers goes beyond a single discovery call. By providing opportunities for further engagement, such as connecting on social media platforms or sharing relevant content, you can continue nurturing leads until they are ready to make a purchase decision. This section will discuss strategies for maintaining connections after initial sales conversations. Utilizing LinkedIn and Twitter for Follow-up Communication Using LinkedIn and Twitter, salespeople can foster lasting relationships with potential customers by providing updates on their company, industry news, and thought leadership pieces that demonstrate expertise. These platforms allow you to stay connected by sharing updates about your company, industry news, and thought leadership pieces that demonstrate your expertise in the field. Create personalized connection requests on LinkedIn that reference specific points from your conversation during the sales call. Add value by commenting on prospects' posts or engaging them in discussions related to their industry challenges. Tweet insightful articles or share valuable resources that address pain points discussed during the sales meeting - don't forget to tag your prospect. Sharing Valuable Resources to Keep Prospects Engaged Beyond social media interactions, another effective selling technique is offering helpful content tailored specifically towards addressing buyer's attention areas identified throughout the course of earlier conversations. This not only demonstrates genuine interest but also showcases how well-equipped your selling solutions are at tackling those very issues head-on. Here are some ideas: Email newsletters: Send regular updates featuring case studies, whitepapers, blog posts, or other educational materials related directly back towards topics touched upon within previous sales presentations. Webinars: Invite prospects to attend webinars where they can learn more about your product or service, as well as industry trends and best practices. Invite prospects to engage further and ask questions by attending a webinar discussing your product/service, along with industry trends and practices. Personalized content: Create tailored resources that specifically address the challenges faced by each prospect in their unique purchasing decision process - this could be anything from a customized video demonstration of how your solution works, to an infographic highlighting key data points relevant to their situation. Incorporating these effective selling techniques into your sales cycle will not only help you maintain connections with prospective clients but also position you as a trusted resource who understands their needs and is dedicated towards helping them make informed purchase decisions. Research shows that these techniques can help you close more deals and improve your sales pipeline. So go ahead, start selling like never before.   Key Takeaway:  To maintain connections with potential customers, salespeople should utilize social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter to share updates and engage in discussions. Additionally, offering personalized resources such as email newsletters or webinars can showcase the effectiveness of selling solutions while demonstrating genuine interest in addressing buyer's pain points. These techniques can improve a salesperson's pipeline and help close more deals. FAQs in Relation to Effective Selling Techniques What are Effective Selling Techniques? Effective selling techniques include understanding your unique value proposition, leveraging behavioral psychology, building high-value discovery calls, mastering early-stage conversations, and encouraging prospects to connect beyond the sales call. These methods help build rapport with clients and showcase your product or service's distinctive features. What are the 5 Selling Techniques? The five key selling techniques are: Building rapport with prospects through active listening and empathy; Asking open-ended questions to uncover needs; Presenting tailored solutions that address client challenges; Handling objections confidently by addressing concerns; and Closing deals effectively by summarizing benefits and creating a sense of urgency. What are the 4 Basic Selling Techniques? The four basic selling techniques involve: Establishing trust through credibility-building activities like sharing expertise or testimonials; Identifying customer pain points using probing questions; Demonstrating how your solution solves their problems in a compelling manner; and Closing deals effectively by summarizing benefits and creating a sense of urgency. What are the 3 Basic Selling Techniques? Three fundamental selling strategies consist of: Focusing on relationship-building to create long-term connections; Differentiating yourself from competitors by highlighting unique product or service features; and Persuasively presenting solutions that align with prospect's goals or pain points. These approaches ensure a customer-centric sales process that fosters trust and drives results. Conclusion In conclusion, effective selling techniques involve identifying unique value propositions, leveraging behavioral psychology to influence buying decisions, building high-value discovery calls, and mastering early-stage selling conversations. It also includes encouraging prospects to connect beyond the sales call by utilizing social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. By utilizing these approaches in your sales procedure, you can increase the likelihood of catching a purchaser's consideration and at last shutting more arrangements. To learn more about how Vengreso can help you master effective selling techniques for your business or organization, visit our website.

The Modern Selling Podcast Episode #236: Pitching To Investors: Strategies for Success and Growth with Angela Lee Our guest speaker for today is the amazing Angela Lee, who shares her valuable experience on what investors look for in startups.  Hosted by the dynamic Mario Martinez Jr., this episode is packed with useful tips and tricks to ace your investor pitch.  Some key takeaways include the 4 P's of pitching - People, Problem, Progress, and Price - and how to get a meeting with investors through Angel lists, warm vs. cold intros, and more. Angela also sheds light on the common mistakes founders make when pitching, including the importance of clarity, understanding your customers, and avoiding over-smartness.  Learn how to improve your pitch delivery through verbal, vocal, and visual cues and get an inside scoop on starting your journey as an angel investor. Don't miss out on this exciting episode and subscribe to The Modern Selling Podcast now! 

The Modern Selling Podcast Episode #234 featuring Mike Cabot, CRO at Moogsoft. Sales Leadership: Inspiring Teams and Driving Results. Critical leadership success expectations and sales culture best practices for sales or revenue enablement organizations

The Modern Selling Podcast Episode #234: The Evolution of Selling: Buying, AI and the Impact Enablement on Sales with Ketan Karkhanis. In recent years, the world has witnessed a tremendous shift towards an all-digital way of doing things, especially after the Pandemic. From remote work to virtual meetings, the digital age has changed the way we do business. In this new era, web pages have become the main selling point for any company. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), web pages can now be personalized to cater to the specific needs of individual buyers. This personalized approach to selling has proven to be highly effective, and it is revolutionizing the way companies approach sales.

Get ready for an EPIC episode of the Modern Selling Podcast! Host Mario Martinez Jr. sat down with sales expert David Weiss to discuss how early-stage companies can crush it in today's market . With 20 years of experience in the technology and professional services industry, Weiss knows what it takes to build a successful sales team. As the CRO of The Sales Collective and founder of DealDoc, he shared his top tips on hiring your first salesperson and VP of sales, achieving product-market fit, and transitioning from founder-led growth to sales-led growth. This episode is a MUST-LISTEN for any startup or entrepreneur looking to scale their business and achieve sales success. Tune in to the Modern Selling Podcast now!

Vengreso's Modern Selling Podcast Episode: Innovative Tactics for Effective B2B Marketing and Sales with Camela Thompson, #232

Maximizing Your Success Rate: The Art of Selling to Sellers with Tom Rowe #229  

What’s the formula for building a hyper growth organization? This has been a hot topic for debate in many business circles. Because the key to tapping into accelerated growth often starts with understanding your audience, your market, and where you can enable your teams to exploit competitive advantages. All of this is easier said than done, but when done right, building in the key pieces you need to unlock hypergrowth can empower your sales teams to close more deals and transform passive buyers into lifelong superfans. In this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast we explore the concept of hypergrowth enablement, what it is, how leaders can effectively spark it within their organizations, and what specific strategies are needed to build a hypergrowth focused company. Our guest for this episode, Jerry Brooner, is the leading thought leader in this space and has worked with top technology companies to help them tap into incredible, exponential growth – while also serving their customers well. Jerry Brooner is the President of Global Field Operations at Enable, a collaborative rebate management platform that helps manufacturers, distributors, and retailers take control of their rebate programs and turn them into an engine for growth. He has over two decades of experience as a high-growth global enterprise SaaS technology executive. Previously, he was the former Chief Revenue Officer at Scout RFP, and has built high growth teams at Dropbox, SAP, Callidus, and Siebel Systems. Download the full episode to hear firsthand what Jerry believes is the winning formula to spur hypergrowth for any organization. Why is hyper growth enablement important? Enablement is a word that is often thrown around, especially in sales circles. I wanted to hear Jerry’s take on what the real power in enablement is and why he sees it as the core of being able to create hyper growth. His insights are eye-opening, “ I think enablement is very underutilized and often overlooked, especially at startups. Companies are spending tens of millions of dollars to recruit top talent, but once they’re hired they get very little support to be successful. This model is flawed. Enablement is about getting your people excited about their work and equipped with the right tools, resources, and support to be successful on day one – if not before.” And, it’s this concept of what you do before a new hire starts that sheds new light on the onboarding process for me. Jerry follows a simple, yet highly effective onboarding process that goes as follows: Education – he provides his new hires with key information about the company, the industry, competitors – any and everything they may need to get up to speed on who they’re working for and what they’ll be doing. Expectations – even before someone starts, Jerry shares their 30 day calendar with them that outlines all trainings, meetings, and requirements. This is a great tool because it helps new hires coming in the door understand the expectations they will need to meet and enables them to align their personal life to meet their business goals as well. Empowerment – Every new hire has a “shadowing” plan that shows them upfront where and when their hands-on learning opportunities will be. This positions people from the beginning to get excited about learning and aware of where they can go for more support – without trying to figure it all out on their own. This is such an effective strategy – Education, Expectations, and Empowerment – because here at Vengreso we employ a similar model and find that it accelerates onboarding and our reps and SDRs that do this are much more successful – faster. How does diverse hiring drive enablement? We hear it all the time – increase diversity in hiring to produce a more innovative organization. I was curious to get Jerry’s perspective on the role that diverse hiring has for enablement and establishing a hyper growth company. He shares, “Diversity in hiring is super important. But, the key is not just racial, ethnic, or gender diversity. You want to also have diversity in where and what industries you hire from. We recruit people from a much wider industry background than most companies do – by design. For example, if we know we’re going after a lot of manufacturing customers, we’ll go out and hire people who have worked in manufacturing because they understand the industry.” This is such a novel approach to diverse hiring. Jerry makes a powerful point! If you want to better serve or prospect a particular customer or industry, it would make total sense to recruit sales people who may have worked in those industries because they will know that industry, inside and out. Listen into the full conversation to hear what other unique ways Jerry recommends hiring so that your team will be primed for hyper growth. What key metrics and KPIs should you track for hyper growth? In sales, metrics are everything. My motto is: If you’re not tracking it, then you can’t improve it. Jerry agrees and outlines some key metrics he monitors within his organization to ensure that they’re exponentially growing. “The most important part about metrics is that they need to apply to everyone in the organization. Your KPIs need to also make sense for each position or role within your company – all the way up to the VP level as well. Because the power of metrics is it helps you to keep the pulse on what’s working, what’s not and where exactly you need to focus your attention to see improvements.” One thing that Jerry highlighted that I found to be profound was the lack of VP or Director level interactions with customers. He finds (and my experience also validates this) that when more levels of your sales team get involved with a prospect, you’re more likely to close the deal. I mean imagine what it would mean to a prospect to have the company CEO personally reach out to answer their questions. It seems like a simple task – but so many companies don’t do it. In our conversation, Jerry also goes through the six high value activities he focuses on to spark rapid growth. Be sure to listen to the full episode to hear these gems and hear why Jerry says it takes 98 of these high value activities to close a single deal. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry transforms sales teams using their world-class Miller Heiman, methodology, employee assessments, benchmarking and talent advisor capabilities to increase win rates and quota attainment. Korn Ferry offers Korn Ferry Sell, a sales effectiveness app available in App Exchange and app source that helps your sales team develop and replicate powerful sales strategies that help sellers win more deals and crush their quotas.  Learn more at kornferry.com/saleseffectiveness.

What do you do when faced with change? How do you handle conflict? What ways do you nurture the different personalities on your team? All of these are questions that sales leaders must navigate on their journey to inspire and motivate their teams. But, all too often, the focus for sales is on meeting quotas or constantly outperforming the competition, that the “softer” skills of leadership get left by the wayside. And, with trends like Quiet Quitting becoming the norm, how sales leaders manage and lead are quickly becoming a hot topic of conversation to curb employee turnover. In this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast we dive into the importance that sales leadership plays and what sales leaders should be doing to build up their teams for success. Our guest, Sebastian Schieke, is one of the leading experts in understanding the new era of leadership and the best way to engage, motivate, and train teams to not just hit quotas but to excel as sales professionals. Sebastian Schieke is a leadership mentor, entrepreneur, speaker, author, and angel investor. As a digital enthusiast, he has witnessed disruption in businesses in the past twenty-five years, and seen the need for more great leaders in the ever-changing world. Sebastian is dedicated to making a positive impact by empowering motivated individuals and organizations to become exceptional entrepreneurs. Tune into this episode to hear firsthand what Sebastian recommends leaders do today to step up to the new leadership challenge and position their sales teams to thrive.  What Is Resilient Leadership? Sebastian is most known for the concept of “Resilient Leadership”. So, I wanted to better understand what it is and how it can be applied to B2B and B2C organizations. According to Sebastian, resilient leadership involves responding to what he refers to as VUCA: Volatility – we live in a world of constant changes that require us to adapt in new ways. Uncertainty – we have to learn how to expect and accept uncertainty as a permanent way of life. Complexity – we operate in environments that are integrated, interconnected, and highly complex networks of connections and relationships. Ambiguity – we must learn how to get things done when we don’t always have the best data, the right answers, or the needed resources. Bottom line… As leaders, it is our responsibility to remain agile and flexible to adapt to what changes come our way, not only in the world, but also within our businesses and teams. And, it is within this space of needing to accept and be comfortable with change that leaders must develop a strong sense of resilience, so they can adapt while also reaching their goals. Download the full episode to hear how you can elevate your leadership style to be more resilient and aligned to excel even in the face of change. Why Is Resilient Leadership Needed? A recent McKinsey survey found that 86% of employees turn to their leaders more than public officials for guidance on how to navigate times of uncertainty. That means that as a leader, you truly do set the tone for the type of culture you have within your team and larger organization. And, since your teams are looking to you for continual guidance, support, and direction, how you respond is super critical. Sebastian shares his thoughts, “A resilient leader shows that even despite uncertainty, they always know how to find a way to get access to the resources they need. When you set this as the standard or example, it trickles down throughout all the levels within your company – from your executive teams, to your team leads, down to your individual employees.” Another way of looking at this is that resilient leaders are not afraid of change because they recognize that it is change that creates productivity, growth, and innovation. And, it is through this understanding of knowing why uncertainty and change is such a blessing that sets resilient leaders apart. As Sebastian adds, “It's so important to make sure to do things wrong because only through failure can we learn and can we build our muscle of resilience and persistence. Knowing the power of failure and giving your teams the space to make mistakes is how you build high-performing teams.” Listen into the full episode to dive deeper into the key benefits that resilient leaders bring to their teams and the role all of this plays in enhancing your team’s performance. How do you build high performance teams? In my 20+ years as a sales leader, knowing how to lead teams effectively has been one of my strongest assets and skill sets. Sebastian has a unique perspective on high performance teams and what it takes in this resilient leadership model to build teams that are positioned for success.  He shares his insight, “As a resilient leader who wants to create high performance as a standard, you must be a great communicator so you can generate buy-in. Buy-in is critical to all you do as a leader.” In addition, Sebastian outlines three (3) key components to nurture, as a leader, in order to create high performing teams.  They are: Behaviors – Identifying the behaviors and personalities in your team makes it easier for you to know how to navigate team dynamics to meet each person where they are. This is essential so that as the leader, you’re able to bring people together in a synergistic way to reach your goals. Motivators – Understanding what motivates the people within your team is how and why high performing teams are so successful. Motivators can be money, prestige, recognition, community service, etc. The important thing is to get clear on what motivates people within your team to take action and build this into your overall team structure. Critical Thinking – Giving your team members (individually and collectively) the ability to make mistakes and reason through decisions is such a much-needed skill that so many leaders don’t allow their teams to acquire. It is through this that you’re able to build a sense of independence so that your team won’t only be high performing, but also self-governing. Download the full conversation to learn more about resilient leadership and hear the 3-step system Sebastian recommends using to increase your team’s performance.

With research showing that it can cost 5x more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one, learning the art of customer retention should be the top priority of every business. Add that to the statistic that even a 5% increase in customer retention can yield a 75% increase in profitability – there’s no wonder the power that creating superfans can have on B2B and B2C companies. But, the key is to understand how exactly to transform a hesitant prospect, into a confident buyer, and ultimately into a lifelong customer. No one understands this process better than our guest, Brittan Hodak – the mastermind behind the best-selling book, Creating Superfans: How to Turn Your Customers into Lifelong Advocates. If you’ve been struggling with keeping your customers engaged, perfecting your referral strategy, or increasing your customer lifetime value, then this is the episode of the Modern Selling Podcast to download! Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who has delivered keynotes across the globe to organizations including American Express and the United Nations. She has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands and entertainers, including Walmart, Disney, Katy Perry, and Dolly Parton. She founded and scaled an entertainment startup to eight figures before exiting and is the former Chief Experience Officer of Experience.com. In this episode, we dive into all things customer engagement and retention to give you a true competitive advantage on how to give your customers such an incredible experience that they become superfans – for life! How should B2B and B2C companies engage with their customers? I wanted to jump right into the meat of Brittany’s book and understand, from her perspective, what she believes is the “secret sauce” to creating superfans. She shares, “I think one of the biggest mistakes companies are making right now is that everyone is siloed. In other words, we have ‘over-compartmentalized’ employees away from customers. So much so that many times employees are losing track of how their work affects customer retention. I say that it does not matter what department you're in – everybody is in the customer experience department.” Brittany also outlines a powerful “Supermodel Framework” that companies should be following to ensure that their customer experience is building superfans. The framework breaks down as follows: S – Story – It’s important to make it clear to even prospects what your true superpower is and why they should be interested. U – Understand – Sales teams must fully understand their customers’ stories and find that intersectionality between what their customers are looking for and what they can provide. P – Personalization – Prospects and customers alike now expect that all communications and interactions are personalized to their preferences and needs. E – Exceed Expectations – In a world where your customers could easily go to a competitor, you have to be in the business of meeting and exceeding their expectations every time. R – Repeat – Creating Superfans requires consistency in your customer experience. What leads them to stay is the experience and reputation you build. Listen into the full conversation to hear what Brittany says is the best way to nail the SUPER Framework and why she believes it will revolutionize how we approach our customers. How do you understand what your customers need? I was curious to know what Brittany recommends sales teams do to truly connect with prospects and customers in new ways by leveraging “stories.” She walks through a powerful framework – in her famous acronym style – that sheds a lot of light on the right way to engage and resonate with your ideal audience(s) in new ways. S – Struggles – Know what pain points your potential customers have and how you can speak to them in your outreach. T – Transformation – Getting clear on the transformation that your product/service can provide makes it easier for the prospect to envision working with you. O – Options – Understanding that every prospect and customer has multiple options is key so that you can always lead with value and become a trusted source of information for them. R – Reservations – Customers (even when they buy from you) may have reservations about making a repeat purchase. Be sure to make every touch point memorable and address any objections or concerns they have upfront. Y – YOU – Think about if what you offer is the best solution for your customer. All too often salespeople focus on the sale with no regard to if their solution can actually solve their customer’s problem. If you’re not best suited to help your customer achieve the transformation they’re seeking – then be okay with communicating that! Join the full conversation to hear Brittany’s story gems and how sales leaders should be training their teams to tell the right stories at the right times to convert prospects into repeat customers. What’s the best way to ask for referrals? Part of Brittany’s book, Creating Superfans, dives deeply into referrals – when to ask, how to ask, and also how to reward your customers for sharing your business with their network. What she explains was spot on and similar to what we do, here at Vengreso, “People ask me all the time ‘how can I get more referrals?’ And, something that I've found to be true over the years is, if somebody has never worked in sales, referring business to you is not top of mind. So, many times, unless you ask, you won’t get the referral.” This can seem very simple to just ask for the referral, however, I’ve seen it throughout my sales career – so many companies never actually ask their customers for referrals. Brittany details a practical system to follow to not only get referrals but to acknowledge and thank your superfans for giving them. I find her work absolutely fascinating and her quick tips to thank customers is why the people she works with get such incredible results! Jump into this episode and pay particular attention at the 37-minute mark to get her gems on referrals. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry transforms sales teams using their world-class Miller Heiman, methodology, employee assessments, benchmarking and talent advisor capabilities to increase win rates and quota attainment. Korn Ferry offers Korn Ferry Sell, a sales effectiveness app available in App Exchange and app source that helps your sales team develop and replicate powerful sales strategies that help sellers win more deals and crush their quotas. Learn more at kornferry.com/saleseffectiveness.

Efficiency and productivity have become major buzzwords in the business world. From sales teams who are looking to increase the number of outreach messages they can send, to customer service departments seeking to streamline communications, to online pharmacies wanting to quickly address customer FAQs – every industry needs tools to be more productive. Coupled with over 52% of the standard workweek being spent doing repetitive tasks, that distract knowledge workers from strategic work – over $16 billion in productivity is lost every week. That’s why our FlyMSG text expander is on pace to completely revolutionize how teams communicate, how customers are engaged, and how productivity is finally achieved in B2C and B2B businesses. In this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, we dive into the problem that FlyMSG solves, what the market potential looks like, and how eager investors can get access to an incredible investment opportunity. Download the entire episode to hear the ins and outs of how FlyMSG works and what industries are already lining up to use this productivity tool to save time. What is FlyMSG? FlyMSG is a personal writing assistant and text expander platform that helps today's modern knowledge worker replace the copy and paste.  When we started on this journey over two years ago, we had no idea that FlyMSG would evolve into the powerhouse tool that it is today. As you may know, Vengreso, was started as an online sales company, pro But, after working with thousands of sellers, we found that many sellers had sets of scripts that were stored all over the place. Some scripts might be in a Google document, others might be in Notepad, and others might even be stored in a draft email. With all of these different scripts in different places, we saw sellers sinking tons of time just trying to track things down. So we launched FlyMSG to take all those prospecting messages, customer engagement messages, LinkedIn messages – you name it and put them in one cloud-based solution that they could tap into in seconds. Fast forward to today, FlyMSG is far more than a sales productivity tool. It has evolved into a business productivity tool – across nearly every industry! Our now 2,000+ users span sales, customer service, marketing, human resources, education, pharmaceutical, real estate, and even the tech industry! We have Google developers who leverage FlyMSG to call up repetitive code, online customer service teams that use FlyMSG to quickly respond to customer questions, HR Managers who incorporate FlyMSG to send out onboarding emails to new staff members. The number of use cases for FlyMSG has expanded exponentially – and is showing no signs of slowing down. Tune into the full episode to hear why FlyMSG is positioned to take a large share of this $42 billion productivity management software market and how you can be a part of this exciting new venture. What is the growth trajectory of FlyMSG? FlyMSG is positioned to penetrate the Productivity Management Software market, which to date stands at $42 billion but is estimated to balloon to $122 billion in the next six years, at an impressive 14.5% compounded annual growth rate. Since the pandemic, the demand on productivity tools has exploded and has become a growing need for every knowledge worker on the planet. According to our research, the average knowledge worker is spending at least 25 hours a week doing manual repetitive tasks between email and data entry. This topic of how to increase productivity has become a hot topic across all business verticals and industries. Which is why FlyMSG has the potential to attract millions of users, very quickly. Plus, unlike other productivity tools, FlyMSG has 200+ built-in templates that users can immediately use when they download the plugin. From 60 different HR scripts to 40 different sales scripts – you name it, we’re building it out in FlyMSG to make the need for copy and paste to become nonexistent. Join the conversation and hear the exciting stats of the industry and FlyMSG’s growth plan for early stage investors. What is FlyMSG’s competitive advantage? We’ve studied what our initial FlyMSG users are looking for and how they’re using it to build in a host of unique features including the ability to: Categorize content – you can seamlessly sort, label, and categorize your stored FlyMSG Fly Plates, making it easier for you to recall and share key messages and information. Use FlyMSG everywhere online – FlyMSG is not limited to one platform or one website. Instead, you can use FlyMSG – no matter what online platform you use and can easily pull in messages in email, social media, websites, etc. Educational support – unlike other tools, FlyMSG also comes with a robust library of sales and prospecting training that teaches users how to make their messages more effective for their various audiences. Plus, from the investor’s perspective, FlyMSG is the only productivity tool that offers $10+ monthly plans, which puts our Average Revenue Per Unit (ARPU) 3-5x higher than our competitors. By leveraging Vengreso’s previous success as a Sales Training company, we have a solid marketing and influencer foundation to get traction quickly and to tap into a prospective customer audience of more than 5,000,000 that we already have access to. Because of our existing thought leadership position in the market, we can get more traffic to our website just through social posts than other businesses can using Pay Per Click ads. Listen in to the full episode to hear the impressive bios of our leadership team and get an inside scoop into who is on our Board of Advisors. What’s the investment opportunity with FlyMSG? We forecast FlyMSG will have 2 million active users in the next five years and will be valued at $65 million. We’re confident we can hit these user numbers because we have a global team of developers who are actively working to scale FlyMSG and bring in highly unique integrations with AI copywriting, Behavior Analysis, CRM integrations, and much more! For this round, early stage investors can get in with an investment as low as $100. However, if you invest $5,000 or more you’ll receive lifetime access to FlyMSG as well as a host of other benefits. This is an amazing opportunity – and I don't just say this as the Co-Founder. We have been contacted by several large tech giants who are closely watching the growth of FlyMSG and would be interested in an acquisition in the near future. And, for all angel investors – regardless of the investment, we’re offering a 20% discount on all future rounds and a $7 million cap – whichever is greater. If you’re an interested investor, you can learn more about this FlyMSG investment round on our WeFunder page or feel free to email me directly at mario@vengreso.com!

There’s a seismic, yet quiet, shift that’s taking place within the sales industry. Not only are modern buyers becoming more sophisticated and harder to sell to, but the modern seller is also evolving. The demographics of who is entering the sales industry is quickly changing, which is making it clear that a one-size-fits all approach to sales training won’t work. That’s why those B2B organizations that have been able to enhance how their sales leaders show up in the workplace and how they keep their sales teams continually motivated are silently carving out an impressive competitive advantage. Because when you have a highly motivated (and effective) sales team, then the customer experience is often better streamlined and supportive – helping to turn first-time customers into lifetime customers. And, what sales leaders must do to keep their sales teams motivated and improve their customer service experience are exactly what we dive into in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast. Our guest is not only an expert in this field, but her insightful new book is poised to give sales leaders a much-needed new perspective and tangible strategies to use to elevate how they lead and inspire their teams. Dionne Mejer is the Founder & CEO of Inside Sales by Design and author of the highly anticipated book, The Stepped Approach: Onboard Better, Systemize Smarter, and Bring Out the Best in Your Sales Team. Her innovative inside sales training tactics and proven approach gets her clients results every time. As a 20+-year Inside Sales veteran and executive, Dionne specializes in establishing and growing inside sales teams at mid-sized companies. Her intimate work with sales teams of all sizes and experience levels allows each of her clients to thrive as they discover their own voice in leading their Inside Sales team or rep in shepherding clients to a positive outcome. Her global client Rolodex is equally long as it is impressive, with her clients consistently enjoying a 25% uptick in their funnel activities and a 30% increase in deal closings, as a result of working with her. Listen to the full conversation to hear what Dionne recommends sales leaders do today to revamp how they’re onboarding, training and motivating their staff. What should sales leaders be doing today? The pandemic has, in many ways, fundamentally shifted how modern buyers buy. The modern buyer is more informed, harder to reach, and is not easily sold on just features alone. All of these buying complexities make the job of a salesperson even harder. I wanted to hear Dionne’s perspective on what sales leaders can and should be doing right now to combat the high sales rep attrition that’s taking place. She shares, “The challenge is that we have multiple generations of sales people within our organizations. So, the question must become: How do we take this diverse group of folks with different experiences, different perspectives, different mindsets, and different experience levels, and bring everybody together to have a really, really good customer experience?” But, the key here is that to have a great customer experience, requires that every customer touchpoint (even with sales) is strategic, aligned, and productive. I’ve had my fair share of “sales fumbles”, where as a potential customer, my needs were never asked or even remotely acknowledged. So, in many ways, if B2B organizations aren’t careful how their prospecting and sales processes are set up, they could easily (and accidentally) be working against both their sellers and their potential buyers. I asked Dionne to dive deeper into what challenges she’s seeing right now in this space. Her insights were so good, “A lot of what needs to happen now is around how do we, as sales leaders, manage in a remote environment? How do we have a good customer experience? How do we have conversations? How do we set the stage and have expectations for our teams in this new world order, where we have four generations in the workplace and everyone may be working remotely?” Tune into this episode to hear what Dionne says sales leaders can do to answer all of those questions and craft a seamless sales training experience that empowers sales teams to improve how they handle prospects and customers. How should sales leaders train to improve the customer experience? This is a hot topic in many of the sales leadership circles that I’m in, which is why I had to ask Dionne her perspective. In many cases, B2B organizations are leaning in on following sales processes and protocols which often leaves little to no room for actual, valuable conversations that nurture the prospect. Instead, the focus is solely formulaic and too rigidly linear that it leaves many buyers turned off from the sale, with even the first email outreach. I know this space is Dionne’s zone of genius, so I ask her to share what she’s seeing right now: “In order to give a good customer experience, you have to review and often change your internal processes and/or your external ones. Too often sales teams are told to follow a specific sales cadence – without fail. The problem with that is if you start to systematize too much, then you make it harder for your sales teams to have the value-driven conversations they need to provide an exceptional customer experience.” Download this episode and listen in for the powerful example of what not to do during a demo call and why how you handle a sales rep switch is so important for building trust. What can companies do to create a motivating sales environment that benefits customers? It’s one thing to “talk” about what a good customer experience is, but it’s an entirely different story to define what that looks like for your sales leaders and reps. Here at Vengreso, our employees are spread out across the globe, so keeping those authentic touchpoints can be hard. We’re very initial with building a rock solid team atmosphere – even virtually – where everyone feels supported and personally developed toward their individual career goals. But, I know this is not the case with many other B2B and B2C companies. I ask Dionne to walk us through what companies can do to build truly engaging, inspiring, and motivating environments so that their sales teams want to sell and enhance the customer experience. She explains, “This doesn’t have to be complex. Building the right environment to promote positive customer experiences, starts with being clear with expectations. Sales leaders need to have that conversation with their team: What does a good customer experience look like and how do we consistently achieve it?” Dionne teaches sales organizations and leaders to take these three steps: Create a purpose statement – this is your guiding North so that everyone understands why you do what you do and what you are trying to collectively achieve. Put the right tools and systems into place – by having systems, you can automate steps that would free up your sales team’s time to focus on building relationships with your customers.  Give your team responsibility in the process – when you disconnect the team from having a say in the purpose of the team or action, then you open up the opportunity for them to disengage from their work. Listen into the full conversation to hear what other key steps and actions sales leaders need to take to uplevel their team interactions to skyrocket their customer service experience. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry transforms sales teams using their world-class Miller Heiman, methodology, employee assessments, benchmarking and talent advisor capabilities to increase win rates and quota attainment. Korn Ferry offers Korn Ferry Sell, a sales effectiveness app available in App Exchange and app source that helps your sales team develop and replicate powerful sales strategies that help sellers win more deals and crush their quotas. Learn more at kornferry.com/saleseffectiveness.

With the oversaturation of cold calling, messaging, sales emails – the modern buyer is savvy to all the ways that sellers reach out. That’s why, according to our poll of sales professionals, prospecting is THE most time consuming step of the sales cycle. But, there’s a loophole that sales leaders and their teams can use to not only find the ideal prospect, but to make it even easier to engage them in conversations that actually build relationships and lead to sales. It’s Content Based Marketing and when done right it can turn online content into a consistent pipeline of prospects. In this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, we dive into the ins and outs of how this stealth prospecting strategy works, how to get started, and the best way to position your online content to sell. Our guest, Logan Lyles is a pioneer in this field and comes with a wealth of knowledge to share to help sales teams, sales leaders, and sales organizations scale their visibility through Content Based Marketing. Logan Lyles is the Head of Partnerships at Teamwork, a project management platform built for scaling client work. Logan previously served in several leadership roles at Sweet Fish, a B2B podcast agency serving mid-market SaaS companies. Taking over sales from the agency founder in 2018, Logan helped triple the business in his first 6 months.  He also played a key role in landing the agency on the Inc 5,000 List (twice), while helping the company  both 10x headcount & increase ARR by 1,283%.  Logan works from his home office (that’s slowly becoming a mini video studio) alongside his labradoodle, Mack, in Castle Rock, CO. If you’ve been looking for a way to enhance your prospecting effectiveness, this episode is the one to listen to. Download the full conversation now and see how easily you can start posting online to attract your ideal prospects. Does Content Based Marketing Work? The short answer is: absolutely! This podcast is a prime example of that. When you reach out to a cold buyer and ask for a sales meeting, you’re often met with objections – that’s if you can even get through to them. However, if you take a Content Based Marketing approach, you can showcase your expertise through posts, establish yourself as a thought leader in the industry, and have prospects come to you to learn more. I’ve used this strategy for almost seven years now to land some of our biggest accounts, here at Vengreso. I’m going into the fifth season of the Modern Selling Podcast and this strategy has enabled me to connect with hundreds of CEOs and key decision makers from startups through Fortune 500 companies. And, in my case, you could start your Content Based Marketing strategy with podcasting. Logan agrees, “Content Based Marketing or Networking is like a Trojan Horse. If you take the podcast route, it is actually a gift if you do the work to promote the person you’ve interviewed to create the content. Then if they share it on their social media platforms, it helps you, as the interviewer, get more visibility.” Join the conversation now and hear why Content Based Marketing is so effective in lowering the objection barrier and helping you establish key relationships with stakeholders. How do you start with content based marketing? The beauty of Content Based Marketing is, you don’t need expensive equipment or a marketing team to get started. Whether it’s short social media posts, blogs, or videos – the lift and the skills needed to create content is minimal. I was curious to hear Logan’s take on the best way to get started and what he shares is spot on, “After every sales call, there is at least one content creation opportunity. Write down the questions you answered and after the call take a few minutes to either write your response or hit record and make a quick video answering the question.” The way I see it, every sales call should create at least three pieces of content, a written post, a short video, and a possible blog article. Whether you're in sales or partnerships, or running a business, there is a strategy that can be leveraged in Content Based Networking or Account Based Podcasting by creating content with the people you want to know.  You get to highlight their work and they get the recognition – and either way, you’re creating a relationship that could lead to a sale. To make it even easier to capture this content, Logan suggests recording your sales call, getting it transcribed and using the transcription to create the content so you don’t have to spend much time producing content. What equipment should I use for Content Based Marketing? Getting started with Content Based Marketing doesn’t require a lot. The goal is to produce content that your prospect wants to read. Whether it’s common questions, addressing problems, sharing new perspectives, or even highlighting new solutions – you get to decide the type and frequency of content you post. If it’s video content, we walk through the best pieces of equipment to start with like: Logitech C 920 – this inexpensive HD webcam can record high quality content without much editing needed. Ring Light – make sure you have stellar lighting and this setup will help you create content in minutes. Audio Technica 2100 – get crystal clear audio with this affordable mic and have instant radio booth quality. Listen to the conversation and get the inside scoop of the must-have equipment to get to start producing content that will get your prospects to lean in. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry transforms sales teams using their world-class Miller Heiman, methodology, employee assessments, benchmarking and talent advisor capabilities to increase win rates and quota attainment. Korn Ferry offers Korn Ferry Sell, a sales effectiveness app available in App Exchange and app source that helps your sales team develop and replicate powerful sales strategies that help sellers win more deals and crush their quotas. Learn more at kornferry.com/saleseffectiveness.

When it comes to hitting sales quotas, scaling companies, and retaining top sales talent – all of these areas often fall back on one thing: leadership. Without effective leadership, companies don’t grow. But the question often becomes, what makes an ‘good’ leader? In the midst of the Great Resignation and, more recently, the Quiet Quitting trend, the role of leadership cannot be ignored.  In this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast we explore the ins and outs of post-pandemic leadership, what it means for sales organizations, and what strategies leaders should be using to expand their circle. This episode’s guest, Matt Poepsel is one of the leading experts in the field and brings a highly unique perspective that makes this one of my absolute favorite episodes. Matt Poepsel, PhD is a tireless champion of human potential. A shameless self-improvement fanatic, he enjoys sharing his observations, advice, and humor through his writing and workshops. His professional life has been shaped by his business, military, and academic experiences. Dr. Poepsel currently serves as the Vice President of Professional Serves for The Predictive Index where he serves 1,000+ Talent Optimization Consultants around the world, develops highly scalable programs and tools that produce business results, and designs strategic talent optimization solutions for clients. Prior to The Predictive Index, Matt founded Covocative – a next-generation sales development platform and served as the Vice President of Professional Services at Gomez, Inc. – a Boston-based software startup that was later acquired by Compuware Corporation.  If you’re a sales leader or leader of any kind, this is the episode to listen to so you can walk away with the right strategies that work now to inspire, ignite, and explode your team’s performance. What role does leadership play in sales? With any organization, the leader is at the helm of how things operate and the leader is responsible for setting the tone of the workplace culture. I wanted to get Matt’s perspective on what he sees is the role that leaders play in business. Matt shares, “Leaders have the opportunity and I would say a responsibility to make sure that the individuals on their team can see themselves in the company's mission. It’s up to the leader to connect the dots for them and to create alignment between the needles they're moving so that as a sales person they know what their contributions mean to the team and the overall mission.” But, what are the things that leaders “should” be doing to help not just retain their top talent, but to keep everyone inspired and motivated to take action. Matt outlines three key things sales leaders can focus on: Being – sales reps want to feel that they’re treated like a human being. That’s why leaders taking time out to connect with their individual sales people is so important. Because if you don’t know about their life and interests outside of work, it will be easy for them to feel disconnected from the team and just like “another worker”.   Belonging – If the Great Resignation taught us one thing, it’s that people no longer want to just be a number. They want to feel like they belong and their work matters to their leaders, to their team, and to the larger organization. As a leader, you can sow into this sense of belonging by recognizing your sales people, working with them to outline their goals, and by acknowledging their efforts when they go above and beyond. Bigger – Even in sales, understanding the “mission” is an important part of helping people connect to their work. What is it that your company represents? What are the problems your company is helping other businesses or people solve? According to Matt, if you’re not showing your teams how they’re contributing to a larger mission (than just hitting quota), you could be missing out on an opportunity to inspire your teams to reach higher levels of performance. Download the full episode to learn what sales leaders can do to start infusing the 3 “B’s” of leadership into how they lead their teams. What leadership traits are missing in the workplace? We often hear about trends like “Quiet Quitting” and other things that are redefining how people are showing up in their roles. I was curious to hear what Matt’s view of this was and what fundamental leadership traits we need to close the growing gap. Matt explains, “The biggest missing pieces are trust and psychological safety. These things are not just nice to have, they’re a requirement to build work environments where people want to perform at their best. The reality is trust and psychological safety are what drive real business results. When these are present we see higher levels of innovation, higher levels of profitability, higher levels of creativity, and problem solving.” I think this points to a large and very important point – when we build environments on trust and psychological safety, we, as leaders, give our teams the permission to take risks, make mistakes, and try new things. Listen into the full conversation to hear what Matt believes sales leaders should be doing to consistently create highly innovative sales environments. What is Enlightened Leadership? There are dozens of different leadership styles and doctrines – all with their own unique perspective of what they believe makes a “good leader”. This leadership space is Matt’s area of expertise, so I wanted to hear how he differentiates the various leadership styles. Matt outlines, “We've seen leadership in different theories progress over time, which is great. We’ve gone from the authoritarian type, with the ‘do what I say’ style to now what I call the ‘enlightened leader’ who is able to uniquely meet the needs of today's modern worker. Enlightened leaders take a human centric and more business performance approach to leadership. ” According to Matt, an Enlightened Leader knows and communicates their vision and is not only open to giving feedback but requires it for their own leadership development. If you’ve been challenged with keeping your team motivated, then be sure to listen to this episode to hear the exact steps Matt says to become an Enlightened Leader. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry transforms sales teams using their world-class Miller Heiman, methodology, employee assessments, benchmarking and talent advisor capabilities to increase win rates and quota attainment. Korn Ferry offers Korn Ferry Sell, a sales effectiveness app available in App Exchange and app source that helps your sales team develop and replicate powerful sales strategies that help sellers win more deals and crush their quotas. Learn more at kornferry.com/saleseffectiveness.

When prospects stop responding, what do sales reps do? Send even more sales messages. It’s this ‘spray and pray’ approach that is sabotaging the sales success across almost every industry.  But, how can you effectively reach your potential customers in a way that’s scalable without becoming part of the growing “sales noise”? That’s the question that agile selling tackles and the hot topic of this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. We welcome one of the biggest champions of agile selling to learn from him what it is, how it works, and why it is the future of how modern sellers should be selling. Stephen Messer is a serial entrepreneur, inventor, investor, and the co-founder of Collective[i]. Prior to Collective[i], he served as LinkShare's CEO and chairman of the board, helping to create the sector of online marketing commonly referred to as affiliate marketing. Under his leadership, LinkShare expanded its network of websites to become one of the largest of its kind with its global reach extending from the United States to Japan, Canada and Europe. Now, with Collective[i], Stephen has helped to create one of the world’s largest networks capturing data around B2B sales activities. Using artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, Collective[i] merges client CRM and other relevant sources of data into our network to generate intelligence used by the world’s leading sales organization to generate revenue, streamline/automate non-revenue producing activities, and enable enterprises to be customer centric and data driven. Their patent-pending technology and applications designed for sales managers, operators and professionals are essential to the modern sales force.  That’s why this is one episode of the Modern Selling Podcast you do not want to miss. Download the full conversation and hear firsthand how agile selling can transform your sales process and win rates. How has the modern buyer changed? Before we jump into our discussion of agile selling and the power behind this method, I wanted to get clear from Stephen on how he’s seen buyer behavior change through the years.  From his perspective, there are three core shifts that have taken place: More buyers are involved now in the process. With so many companies shifting to a virtual, work from home model – this inevitably introduced more stakeholders into the buying decision. It’s not as easy to get up and walk to your supervisor's office to get approval. Now, emails, Zoom meetings, and a litany of other communication channels have to be involved in a remote environment before a decision is made. Buyers are doing more research. Before buyers would reach out to sellers to gain more information. Now, buyers are doing their own research and being more and more selective with who they reach out to. Buyers are skeptical of working with sellers. How buyers engage with sellers has dramatically changed. Fewer and fewer buyers are giving their real information, for fear of being spammed with endless sales messages. This makes it even harder for sales reps to reach buyers. As so many sales leaders have seen, our modern buyers are going into “hiding” so to speak to get away from the somewhat intrusive sales cadences. But, if sales cadences are largely being ignored and buyers are going underground – what can sales reps do to truly get buyers to be open for a sales call? That’s the very question that agile selling is able to answer. Listen to the full conversation to get access to these sales gems from, Stephen Messer, one of the top data-driven sales gurus in the world. What’s the importance of personalization? Personalization in modern selling is everything! I have a folder in my email that I titled, “Emails that suck” and I can’t tell you how many I get on a daily basis. And, they all have one glaring thing in common – they’re never personalized. In essence, I and so many other prospects have just become a “Dear First Name”. These emails aren’t written to speak to my exact pain points, they’re not conveying value that’s relevant to me, and they’re clearly written in a way that makes me feel just like any other buyer I was curious to hear Stephen’s take on personalization and its impact on engagement rates based on the sales data he sees everyday. Stephen shares, “The question with personalization really is: can we improve productivity in how we reach buyers while at the same time giving them higher value interactions? This is where analyzing the data is so important. Personalization doesn’t have to just be in the messaging. It can be in knowing the best time to send the email, or the right platform to reach out to, or knowing who to send the email to in the organization. Personalization comes back to one thing: research. We have to take the time to research who we’re trying to sell to, if we’re ever going to be effective.” Jump into this episode, and listen to the end, to hear what Stephen says is the best way to personalize your sales messages to stand out. What is agile sales? Agile sales is being offered as an alternative to the traditional approach of people, process, and technology.  According to Stephen, agile sales is all about moving away from making sales decisions based on opinions and “intuition” and, instead, using data to drive substantive changes to the sales process. It’s through agile selling that the modern seller will be better positioned to know how, what, and when to reach out to modern buyers and actually get a response. Stephen shares a powerful point in this episode that reminds us all that we can’t look at our prospects in a vacuum. We must consider the entire landscape of the world around them to understand their buying behavior and it is agile selling that makes this possible. If you’ve been looking for a new approach to sales to help increase your win rates and better engage with your prospects, then this is THE episode to listen to. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry transforms sales teams using their world-class Miller Heiman, methodology, employee assessments, benchmarking and talent advisor capabilities to increase win rates and quota attainment. Korn Ferry offers Korn Ferry Sell, a sales effectiveness app available in App Exchange and app source that helps your sales team develop and replicate powerful sales strategies that help sellers win more deals and crush their quotas. Learn more at kornferry.com.

With the sales enablement industry exploding, why is it that B2B and B2C companies still struggle to hit quota? The answer isn’t at all what we would expect. Because despite all of the sales technologies, improved sales methodologies, advanced sales training – there still seems to be a disconnect between how modern sellers sell and how modern buyers buy. But, how do sales leaders effectively close this gap is quickly becoming a hot button topic in the sales community. And, addressing what this all means, why there is a widening gap, and how to efficiently turn the sales tide are exactly the areas of expertise of this episode’s guest, Dr. Howard Dover. Dr. Howard Dover is the Founder and Director of the Center for Professional Sales at the University of Texas at Dallas, renowned speaker, and the Amazon best-selling author of The Sales Innovation Paradox: Harnessing Modern Methods for Optimal Sales Performance. Over the past decade, he has trained some of the top entry-level sales producers and regularly shares his findings and modern methods via various conferences and publications. Before working in academia, Dr. Dover founded several companies, including a sales contracting company that he operated for a decade. During his start-up years and government work, he developed the ability to harness technology to increase both the efficiency of business processes and the effectiveness of sales efforts. Download this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast to hear Dr. Dover’s impactful insights and recommendations to sales leaders to close the gap. What is the sales innovation paradox? I wanted to kick off our discussion with a term that many aren’t familiar with. Over the past three years, no one will argue that we have seen a radical shift in how selling is done. With the pandemic, pushing modern sellers to embrace more virtual selling options, the number of tools at sales professional’s disposal has dramatically increased. Yet, sales haven’t followed the same trend. Which is why I always say, “a fool with a tool is still a fool.” I wanted to get Dr. Dover’s take and better understand what this sales paradox is, how it started, and the implications it could have on the buying/selling process. His unique perspective is quite telling, “How is it possible that we live in a day where we have technology that was designed to make us better at sales, and yet somehow we find ourselves in a place where we are decidedly worse at selling. That is the Sales Paradox. When we look at the research, buyers overwhelmingly are saying they want a sales rep free experience. But, we keep pushing for more and more sales reps to sell.” I’ve seen the same trend in the industry over the past few years. Like The Sales Paradox asserts, the number of SDRs has increased by 1,300%, but their productivity and success rates are dismal at best. In other words, customers have gotten smarter about buying faster than sellers have gotten smarter at selling. And, this isn’t unique for a particular industry. This is a growing trend that is on pace to continue to worsen, if left unaddressed. Listen to the full conversation to hear what sales leaders could be doing to make matters worse and what they should be doing instead to drive more sales conversations. How can sales reps book more sales calls? If there is a sales paradox at play that isn’t leading to more sales, then how can sales reps truly book more calls with prospects? Here at Vengreso, we have a very specific method that we follow to personalize all of our outreach messages to increase the chances of building an authentic relationship with potential customers. Many sales reps take the ‘spray and pray’ approach and bombard prospects with lots of generic messages that don’t speak to their direct pain points or needs. I wanted to hear Dr. Dover’s insights as they relate to what he believes is the “secret sauce” to move the sales needle. What he shares was very interesting, “We're giving the customer a phenomenal opportunity to go find defensive mechanisms to run and hide because the sales messaging they’re receiving is extremely irrelevant to what they need. What sales reps need to be doing is building relevance into their messages. That’s why doing your research before you reach out is so key. Then you’ll know more about your prospect and can add that into your outreach to increase your chances to get a response back.” Relevance, like Dr. Dover mentions, is a key part that seems to be missing from the sales motion. With prospects receiving thousands of sales and marketing messages, mastering how to stand out is science. And, building in relevance and personalization is critical to landing a sales meeting. What is a sales disrupter? When it comes to excelling in sales, it often takes unconventional ways. Dr. Dover coined the term “sales disrupter” and I was curious to know what traits embody that title. “A sales disrupter is somebody that doesn't follow the classic Sales Machine. They’re willing to break the mold and try new things to personalize and customize the sales experience for potential customers.” This innovative thinking is so important, especially in today’s day and age when prospects are leery of getting put into a sales funnel and being aggressively sold to. Dr. Dover finds that sales disrupters do two things extremely well: They look for new ways to authentically connect with and engage prospects and customers to build lasting relationships. They leverage sales technology to enhance their relationships, after they’ve personally nurtured it. Be sure to download and listen to the full conversation to learn how you can cultivate sales disrupters in your organization to improve sales. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry transforms sales teams using their world-class Miller Heiman, methodology, employee assessments, benchmarking and talent advisor capabilities to increase win rates and quota attainment. Korn Ferry offers Korn Ferry Sell, a sales effectiveness app available in App Exchange and app source that helps your sales team develop and replicate powerful sales strategies that help sellers win more deals and crush their quotas. Learn more at kornferry.com/saleseffectiveness

The number of buying options for the average consumer has exponentially grown over the past decade. Many of the winning sales “formulas” that worked before the pandemic have now had to evolve to better reach and speak to the savvy modern buyer. But, when there are so many options in the market to choose from – especially in the technology space – how you attract, retain, and expand your customer base has become the topic of much debate within the largest sales training circles. And, that is the exact topic we dive into in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. We welcome a leading expert in customer acquisition for technology startups to learn firsthand what works, what doesn’t, and the right way to leverage sales data to build a rockstar sales playbook. Shruti Kapoor is the former CEO and Co-Founder at Wingman (now Wingman by Clari) which is an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. She loves IronMan, and wants every sales team to have their own Jarvis! As the founder of Wingman, Shruti, as Wingman’s official first salesperson, single-handedly sold their first million dollars in revenue. With an eclectic background with expertise in a wide range of industries, including life sciences research, investment banking, technology investing, commercialization, product development, fin-tech, and sales – Shruti brings a breadth of knowledge and unique perspectives to how she approaches startup scaling.  Download the full episode to her the top sales best practices that Shruti has used to transform a technology startup from just an idea into a reputable and highly profitable enterprise. Top Customer Acquisition Best Practices for B2B Startups Acquiring your first 100 customers is not for the faint of heart. Because once you’ve already tapped into your immediate network to leverage those friends and/or family that may support you, then your attention has to shift to more sustainable and scalable customer acquisition strategies. No one knows how to do this better than Shruti, so I picked her brain to hear what approach she took to grow her technology startup in the early stages. Shruti shares, “With a startup, the biggest lesson that we learned was that the first thing we had to do was to gain people’s trust. And, as your business grows and you hit different stages in your company's lifecycle, you have different levers for building trust. When you’re starting out, you may not have testimonials or reviews to lean on, but that’s where you start small and build up over time.” We did this exact thing in our early days with Vengreso. Even though Vengreso was born from the merger of seven companies, we didn’t have any Vengreso-specific customers. But, once we had a few customers, we leveraged their experiences with the company and recorded testimonials that we could use in our sales and marketing efforts to build trust with potential new customers. Listen to the full conversation to hear how Shruti suggests you ask for customer referrals and get an inside scoop into what you can do to quickly acquire new customers with minimal lift. Proven Sales Coaching Best Practices Having a steady stream of prospects is only part of the sales battle. The other component is having a solid sales team that is properly trained. In my 20+ years in sales, I’ve seen it all when it comes to the do’s and don'ts of sales training. And, like I always say, “buyers have gotten smarter at buying faster than reps are at selling.” So, without a proven and consistent way to train sales reps, many companies, especially technology startups could be leaving lots of money on the table. I ask Shruti what her view is on sales coaching – how to do it the right way and what to look out for. Her insights are spot on and shed a valuable lesson for B2B and B2C companies to learn from. She explains, “Sales training often doesn’t happen because of impatience. Sales managers may train their reps once and never revisit upleveling their skills. Or, they’ll try to fit in a large amount of training in a short period of time which doesn’t truly get results. The key is to be consistent with your training and to leverage technology when you can to build in the discipline and repetition it requires to truly teach sales reps.” I couldn’t agree more, which is why, here at Vengreso we follow the OGC approach – on-demand and group coaching. In this model, every sales rep listens to several sales calls each week and provides feedback to one another. In this way, it takes the burden off of the sales manager to be the only one providing coaching or support. Download this episode to learn more about the best way to structure sales training to help boost conversions to hit quota every time. Strategies to Increase Sales Call Conversions With the pandemic and the shift to virtual selling, closing sales has become much more of an art. Finding ways to connect with someone on the other side of a digital screen and move them to buy takes a certain level of skill and craft that many sales professionals have not perfected. Shruti has a wealth of knowledge (and the sales data to back it up) in regards to what truly works to move the sale on an initial sales call. I ask her to share her insights and give us several actionable strategies that we can use to instantly boost sales conversions. She explains, “The most interesting thing the data shows us is that when people set an agenda at the start of the call, the win rate doubles. Yet, despite the data, only 10% of sales reps do this. Setting an agenda gives both parties the opportunity to make sure what they want to be covered is actually discussed.” At Vengreso, our sales reps’ meeting invites always include three key components that we refer to as PAL – purpose, agenda, and length. In this way, all attendees know upfront the expectations and structure of the meeting. Download the conversation to hear a host of other sales call gems that can improve win rates and streamline the entire sales process. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry transforms sales teams using their world-class Miller Heiman, methodology, employee assessments, benchmarking and talent advisor capabilities to increase win rates and quota attainment. Korn Ferry offers Korn Ferry Sell, a sales effectiveness app available in App Exchange and app source that helps your sales team develop and replicate powerful sales strategies that help sellers win more deals and crush their quotas. Learn more at kornferry.com/saleseffectiveness.  

Sales organizations don’t operate in an economic vacuum. Between political uprisings, economic changes, inflation concerns – there are a number of external factors that can influence the buying environment for so many industries. But, how you approach and redefine your selling process when times aren’t ideal is what often separates the companies that survive from those who routinely thrive – no matter the market conditions. With a potential recession on the horizon going into 2023 and beyond, mastering the art of selling in a down market will be a clear strategic advantage. In this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, we dive into the new and very insightful book, Selling Through Tough Times: Grow Your Profits and Mental Resilience Through Any Downturn by Paul Reilly. Paul Reilly is a speaker, sales trainer, co-author of the sales book, Value-Added Selling, and the host of The Q and A Sales Podcast, where he answers the most pressing questions facing sales professionals. Paul works closely with world-class sales organizations to help them compete more profitably, despite the market conditions. Paul is a regular expert contributor and writer for several business publications. Prior to starting his own company, Tom Reilly Training, Paul spent over ten years in professional sales.  Join the conversation to hear what sales strategies are truly helping companies weather the storm and still hit quota even in tough economic times. Why are Tough Times Important in Sales? This may seem counterintuitive, but tough times make for better sellers. Not only does the competition dramatically increase during times of “sales famine”, but with fewer sales to go after, this forces sales teams to get more creative and personalized in their approach. I wanted to hear Paul’s take on this question since this is the core focus of his new book. “One of the things about tough times is that they’re always happening. Whether it’s the pandemic or inflation or a recession – you can’t escape having to sell through these times. Tough times reveal our weak points or those parts of our sales process that need to be improved or changed altogether. And, we create more authentic conversations and relationships with our customers when it becomes critical that we don’t lose them because we don’t know when our next sale may come.” I’ve seen in my own experience, here at Vengreso, the level of innovation that can be created when you have to operate in a space of scarcity. If there are fewer sales to go after, then you have to get really crafty in your sales process, in your marketing messaging, and even in how you position the value you offer. Listen into the full episode to hear exactly why and how the best sales companies in history often emerged out of the hardest economic times. How does the sales conversation need to shift? There are some timeless sales strategies and approaches that are always important to implement in your sales process. However, when times are good, we often start to cut corners and get disconnected from the real mission of selling: to help our customers. In tough economic conditions, sales teams must take the time necessary to build authentic and meaningful conversations with prospects. I was curious to hear Paul’s perspective on what key shifts sales teams have to make to close more sales during hard times. What he shares is spot on, “During tough times, we have to remember that customers are the ones who define the value for what we’re selling. And it’s their definition of value that truly matters. We have to be better at conveying what problem(s) we solve and how we can help customers reach their goals.” Many times in financial straits, companies’ goals shift and as a result the sales conversation has to match. For example, if our target audience is looking to cut costs, then it is our job, as sales professionals, to show them how our product can help them reach that end goal. What I’ve found is that many sales companies never refine their messaging to meet the new goals of their potential customers and as a result their sales conversations feel “tone deaf” in the midst of what’s going on in the market. What sales habits are important to have during tough times? If you’ve been in sales for as long as I have then you know that selling is a largely mental process. You can follow the sales playbooks or methodologies to a “t”, but you have to build a strong sense of mental resilience to be able to do this line of work and show up powerfully (and positively) every day. Paul knows this all too well and dedicated several chapters in his book on how to create the mental resilience or toughness you need to be a highly successful seller even during tough times. In his framework, there are what he calls, “Daily Mental Flexs”, which are a collection of six exercises that are key to add into your everyday life to build mental resilience. Three of the six are: Gratitude – this is such an important component in sales because we often fixate on what’s going wrong, as opposed to taking time to practice gratitude and acknowledge the things we are appreciative of. Pro Tip: Studies have shown that when you thank donors for donating, they tend to donate more the next time. Applying this same logic to sales means that sales leaders could leverage a simple “thank you” to their reps to get them motivated to do more. Self Discipline – we all have what Paul refers to as “Not To Do” lists of things that we tend to avoid because we don’t want to do them. Getting in a habit of doing them anyway is a critical part of building self discipline which will help you thrive in tough times. Positive Reframing – is the glass half empty or half full? With positive reframing, it’s all about retraining your brain to find the positive outcomes from a negative situation. Download and listen to the full episode to get the other three Daily Mental Flex activities and hear the seven characteristics sales leaders need to cultivate to thrive in rough economic environments.

In a B2B sales environment that is oversaturated with sales tools and technology, how sales organizations create and leverage an integrated sales approach is key. What worked pre-pandemic to attract the modern buyer isn’t always working now to turn prospects into buyers. Add to that how sales professionals are trained, there’s no wonder that many B2B and B2C sales organizations are struggling to meet their monthly and quarterly sales goals. That’s why the question that must be answered is: What’s the best approach to not only get sales reps the resources they need to know how to sell, but how can organizations achieve an integrated solution that also provides important sales data? This is the topic up for discussion in this eye-opening episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. Our guest leads one of the most iconic sales training organizations in the world, so you know his insights will be both actionable and proven. Christoffer Ellehuus is the President of Korn Ferry Digital. He has a proven track record as a CEO/business leader of tech-enabled service and subscription-based businesses. He has extensive experience leading large established businesses, scaling new business launches, and turnaround situations. With a core speciality in packaging and scaling tech-enabled service and IP businesses into fast-growing subscription platforms – Christoffer is known for turning a multi-year double digit revenue decline into impressive, growing revenues in key markets within 24 months.  As part of Korn Ferry Digital, he is leading a digital transformation of the traditional advisory business into a more packaged and technology-enabled global service business.  Download the full episode to learn what new sales data is saying is the best way to book more sales calls and increase win rates. What’s the biggest challenge with sales training? If you’ve been listening to the Modern Selling Podcast for awhile, then you know that Vengreso had an amazing partnership for years with the Miller Heiman group (who was acquired by Korn Ferry). In fact, Vengreso was the first outside sales training company in its 40 year history that Miller Heiman ever hired. But, with the pandemic and a rapid shift to online sales, how sales professionals are trained has had to evolve with the times. So, I was curious to her Christoffer’s take on how sales training is changing and what he sees is the greatest obstacle sales leaders are facing. His insights were very insightful, “The biggest challenge in sales across all industries is that training isn’t being done in a way that will get measurable results. Often sales reps are put in a room and given a bunch of strategies and methodologies to use. But the truth is, we know that 87% of people will forget what they were taught, in that type of one-off format.” That’s why integrated technology like Korn Ferry Sell is so important. Now, sales leaders and teams don’t have to manually track sales touch points – across multiple sales technologies. Instead, the data is tracked, in one place, enabling sales professionals to take a more tactical and strategic approach to sales that will result in higher win rates and an overall more efficient sales process. Listen in to the full conversation to hear what Christoffer believes is another key sales obstacle that B2B companies must overcome to truly increase their sales conversions. Why has sales engagement become less effective today? The sales data doesn’t lie! And, at Korn Ferry, Christoffer has millions of sales data points he can use to draw some powerful sales conclusions from. I wanted to pick his brain and understand, from the data, what could be the reason that sales conversations aren’t as effective as they once were in moving a buyer to a sale. What he shares truly puts a new perspective on how sales conversations should be structured. He identifies three core reasons why buyers aren’t buying. Sellers don’t understand the buyer’s objective. Getting clear on the buyer’s pain point or goals and why they should act now are critical elements that sales professionals are missing. Sellers struggle to manage stakeholders. In the past, about six buyer profiles would influence the sale. Now, that number is up to 10. Sales professionals have to become masters at studying a prospect’s buying process and knowing who to speak to and when to drive the sale forward. Sellers don’t communicate value. The sales conversation has to be tailored to the buyer and speak to them. But, when sellers aren’t clear on what a buyer does or how their business works, showcasing your product’s immediate value or creating a sense of urgency to buy that moves the prospect becomes almost impossible. Download the full episode to hear what specific strategies Christoffer recommends that sales reps take to meet their buyers where they are and speak the right language to lead to a sale. How can sales organizations increase win rates? Korn Ferry has such a unique methodology that addresses this very question that I had to make sure it was discussed in this episode. Christoffer breaks down the two most important components all sales organizations should be implementing to powerfully move the sales needle to get immediate and lasting results. The two parts are: Alignment – this is centered around who is on your sales teams. From the skills, personalities, and team dynamics – all of these pieces have to be carefully considered to ensure that who you hire is in alignment with your organizational culture and goals.  Execution – implementing sales playbooks, strategies, and methodologies all comes down to execution. Are processes being followed? Is sales technology being leveraged the right way? Are the right questions being asked during sales conversations? These are all important things to consider to make sure sales teams are going through the most proven motions that will lead to consistent sales. Download the episode and listen in to hear how Christoffer suggests sales teams can revamp their approach to win customers faster – with less effort. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry transforms sales teams using their world-class Miller Heiman, methodology, employee assessments, benchmarking and talent advisor capabilities to increase win rates and quota attainment. Korn Ferry offers Korn Ferry Sell, a sales effectiveness app available in App Exchange and app source that helps your sales team develop and replicate powerful sales strategies that help sellers win more deals and crush their quotas. Learn more at kornferry.com/saleseffectiveness. 

From Loom, to Dropbox, to Grammarly, and even Calendly – there are hundreds, if not thousands, of productivity management software tools on the market to choose from. Although these tools often draw millions of free users every year – the question often becomes how do product led growth companies truly scale and become profitable sales engines? That’s the topic of discussion in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. With our expert guest, we dive deep into the sales side of product led growth, what it means, what metrics sales leaders should be tracking, and the proven strategies to use to not just scale – but to grow efficiently and profitably as an organization. In this episode we welcome Kate Ahlering, the Chief Revenue Officer at Calendly – the modern scheduling platform for high-performing teams and individuals. Kate currently leads sales, partnerships, and revenue operations for one of the fastest growing product led growth companies in the world. Prior to joining Calendly, Kate was the Chief Sales Officer for Glassdoor, one of the world's largest jobs and recruiting sites. She led a team of 600+ globally across new business acquisition, account management, customer success & support, channel sales, and revenue operations. Reporting directly to the CEO, she was responsible for Glassdoor’s go-to-market vision, strategy, and execution. Download the episode to hear the proven sales strategies Calendly and other large product led growth companies are using to drive sales. What are the challenges that sales teams are facing? With such a digital world, sales teams have had to transition rapidly to meet the modern buyer on a host of online platforms. I wanted to get Kate’s perspective on what sales teams are facing right now in the post-pandemic space. Kate shares, “Now, more than 80% of transactions of the B2B buying process have some sort of digital component or online touchpoint. This has made the sales experience and expectations far more complex. I think the challenges that a lot of sales teams face are around how to interact with prospects and customers. How do you engage with your audience and bring value to them as often as you can? That’s a constant question sales teams are trying to answer every day.” I’ve seen this too, with Vengreso, over the past two years. Instead of relying on face to face communication, our sales teams now have to figure out what is the best route to reach out to and engage with prospects. Is it by phone? Video chat? Email? Text message? Social media? These are all avenues now that we have to explore when we reach out to modern buyers. Join in the conversation with Kate to hear what other challenges she sees sales teams facing and how she recommends sales leaders help them move beyond the obstacles. How does Product Led Growth differ from Sales Led Growth? We often throw out these “buzzwords” without truly defining them. So, I wanted to spend time with Kate getting clear on the difference between product led growth (PLG) and sales led growth (SLG).  Product led growth is all about getting more users into your product to rapidly grow your user base. The focus here is on building value to get people into your product. Whereas sales led growth is just that – focused on monetizing your products or services to grow revenue. Once you’ve grown your product to a critical mass of users, now the conversation has to shift to getting these users to pay. At Vengreso, we experienced this transition ourselves when we made the major decision to move away from being a video sales training company to becoming a SaaS company, with the rollout of FlyMSG.io – our innovative, text expander tool for knowledge workers. It’s in this transitional period that we had to focus on how to bring value to our FlyMSG users to both grow our audience base AND to convince them to upgrade to a paid subscription, to ultimately drive sales. I know Kate has had a similar experience with Calendly, so we spent some time diving into the details of how to make this transition from PLG to SLG and what that means exactly. Her insights are spot on, “With PLG, the salesperson’s job has to evolve from solely focusing on outbound, prospecting strategies to instead focusing on looking at the user data for actionable trends. For example, if we see that an organization has 100 free users, then it’s the salesperson’s responsibility to find the key decision maker at that organization, reach out to them, and clearly convey the value in an Enterprise account.” Listen into the full conversation to hear what specific user data points Kate highly recommends that every salesperson tracks to know when and how to drive sales. What are the steps to transition from PLG to SLG? This transition often takes time and a strategic approach. For example, even though Calendly has been around for a decade, their monetization model is still in its infancy. In fact, when Kate joined Calendly, they had not yet monetized their product.  I was curious to know what steps she took to help Calendly make the transition to sales led growth to get a large portion of their free users to upgrade.  According to Kate, there are three key steps to take: Optimize inbound leads. With a robust user base, the key is to enhance their experience. Getting free users to absolutely love your product and see the immediate value in it makes it a lot easier to pitch paid upgrades. Drive value for large target accounts. To accelerate growth, it’s critical to look at the data for user trends and identify those large target accounts that could convert to Enterprise sales. However, to do this well, you have to get clear on the value your product brings to not just the individual users, but to the organization as a whole. Establish a sales structure. When you focus on product growth, other key sales systems may not be in place. That’s why it’s important to get sales methodologies and playbooks established so you can standardize the sales process to easily track sales and success. Want to know more about making this transition? Tune into this episode to get the sales gems that Kate shares related to how she’s scaling sales within Calendly. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry transforms sales teams using their world-class Miller Heiman, methodology, employee assessments, benchmarking and talent advisor capabilities to increase win rates and quota attainment. Korn Ferry offers Korn Ferry Sell, a sales effectiveness app available in App Exchange and app source that helps your sales team develop and replicate powerful sales strategies that help sellers win more deals and crush their quotas. Learn more at kornferry.com/saleseffectiveness.  

How do you 10x your company’s growth in under a year? That’s a hot topic for debate, especially among software and technology companies. But, you won’t have to look far to find the answer. Because whether you explore the business model of leading productivity tool companies such as Slack, Grammarly, Loom, or Calendly – one thing becomes abundantly clear. Product Led Growth is THE way to rapidly scale your company to not only attract users by the hundred thousands but to position your business to secure funding and next-level sales. But, the larger question becomes, what’s the best strategy to implement a product lead growth strategy that truly enables a company to scale and enhances the user experience to create consistent sales. That’s the focus of this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, with a CEO guest who is one of the leading experts in the industry. Jennifer Smith is the cofounder and CEO of Scribe, a modern software solution that helps to capture, document, and streamline processes in minutes. With a background in sales and marketing, having worked with McKinsey, she has helped the largest companies redefine information sharing. With a passion and gift for efficiency and productivity, Jennifer searched for a solution that would make it easier for people to share multi-step processes within teams and organizations. How do you define product led growth? Even though product led growth has been a buzzphrase for over a decade, how it often is defined may change depending on who you ask. I was curious to hear Jennifer’s take on what product lead growth is and why it’s such a powerful strategy to scale. She shares, “With product led growth, you're focused on the end user, which is oftentimes not the buyer. It's not the person who holds the budget, instead it’s the person using the product on a continuous basis who can share it with others which helps to spread the individual user base even faster.” This is such an important distinction that has even powered the rapid growth of our productivity tool, FlyMSG.io. We’ve gone from a few beta users to over 5,000 active users in a little over a year with no marketing. That’s the power that a compelling product can have in driving adoption and quickly positioning a tool as a must-use across a host of different industries. If you have a product and you’re not at least tripling the size of your user base every three to six months, then you’ll want to download this episode and listen carefully to the growth strategies Jennifer outlines. How does product led growth really drive sales? It’s clear that product led growth does just that… leverage your product to grow your user base. However, unless a monetization strategy is used, having a large user base won’t translate into overall sales growth for the organization. With FlyMSG.io, our text expander and personal writing assistant, we’ve been able to offer upgrades for paid users as well as enterprise contracts to generate consistent (and sizable) revenue from those who use our tool. But, I wanted to hear the strategies that Jennifer uses to convert Scribe users into long-term and loyal customers. She shares, “It’s one thing to see your user base grow exponentially, but then the challenge is, you have to shift your focus from user growth to sales growth. In other words, how do you turn an individual user into a bigger contract or get free users to want to swipe their credit card. For us, we looked at our user data. What companies were users coming from? Where were our Scribes being shared? How could we find large groups of individual users that made it worth us reaching out to their companies to pitch an enterprise solution?” This is a brilliant strategy and one we’ve used at Vengreso with great success as well. In fact, in one day alone we saw over 20 free users from a single online pharmacy sign up for FlyMSG.io. That told us immediately that there was a potential sales opportunity there to create a corporate account. Listen into the conversation to see what other “signs” you should be looking out for when trying to monetize a product led growth strategy. What specific strategies turn users into buyers? It’s one thing to build a product, but it’s another to create a product that users want to use and will pay for. Jennifer is the expert in this field and was clear on how she was able to position Scribe to quickly scale users and sales. She outlines three specific strategies: Build a magical product – your product should be magnetic and have instant value to your users. The faster you can get them using your product, the easier it will be to convert them into a paying customer. Create viral sharing loops – the key in product lead growth is to generate immediate sharing of the tool. For Scribe, a user creates a Scribe that is then easily shared with others via a link or through integration. The more sharing that takes place, the more eyes are placed on the tool and its usefulness – compounding the user growth over time. Give value away as often as possible – a product led growth strategy only works if people see value in what you’re offering and want to use it. The best way to do that is to get people into the tool as quickly as possible, with a low barrier to entry, and no user friction. Want more product led growth strategies and how you can use them to drive sales? Tune into the full conversation with Jennifer and get ready to take notes! And, if you want to try Scribe out for free, head over to: https://scribehow.com/home and use promo code: ModernSelling to experience this robust tool. And, while you’re at it, make sure to download FlyMSG.io so you can type less and do more! This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry transforms sales teams using their world-class Miller Heiman, methodology, employee assessments, benchmarking and talent advisor capabilities to increase win rates and quota attainment. Korn Ferry offers Korn Ferry Sell, a sales effectiveness app available in App Exchange and app source that helps your sales team develop and replicate powerful sales strategies that help sellers win more deals and crush their quotas. Learn more at kornferry.com/saleseffectiveness.

Navigating churn has become the topic of discussion for many B2B sales organizations. So, what is a sales leader to do when new sales reps are coming and going faster than ever before?  Knowing the best practices to attract top talent, to train them to be successful and to advance within your organization, and to engage them to continually improve are all discussed in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. Our guest, Tim Strickland, brings with him a wealth of knowledge and strategies that will help all sales leaders – from the CRO to the sales enablement manager – more effectively motivate, communicate, and train their sales teams. Tim Strickland is the Chief Revenue Officer for ZoomInfo – a suite of modern go-to-market software, data, and market intelligence used by thousands of sales and marketing teams worldwide to uncover new opportunities and accomplish their goals by leveraging prospect and customer engagement insights and drivers.  In his role at ZoomInfo, Tim leads their new business sales, new customer sales, emerging product sales, sales development, partnerships and alliances, and sales enablement. Through his stellar 15+ year career, Tim has perfected the formula to help sales reps and sales teams alike to skyrocket their productivity, success, and careers to the next level. Download the full episode to hear the most proven strategies that are working right now to help sales reps – of all experience levels – increase their effectiveness and close more deals. How Can B2B Sales Organizations Motivate the Modern Seller? In today’s post-pandemic business landscape, it’s not uncommon for sales reps to “career hop” from organization to organization within a few months. Whether it is chasing a larger base salary or commission, it’s become harder for sales leaders to keep their sales teams staffed. I wanted to see Tim’s take on this and what he believes sales organizations should be doing to help mitigate this mass exodus that’s happening within the sales industry. He proposes four key elements that every sales organization should have in order to attract and retain top talent from the sales rep level all the way to the CRO. Room for Growth. This isn’t unique to just the sales industry, but most employees want to work within environments that offer professional development, training, and learning opportunities for them to advance their skills and knowledge sets. Opportunities to be Challenged. It is through embracing and overcoming challenges that sales teams can truly grow and evolve to improve their processes and effectiveness over time. Without these built-in opportunities to try new things and find new ways of solving problems, many sales organizations remain stagnant.   Cross-Functional Support. To have a truly effective sales department requires a collaborative approach with and across many departments, including customer service, operations, and marketing. The more cross-functional support sales reps can receive, the higher the likelihood they will feel encouraged to not stay.  Career Growth Trajectory. Are there chances for promotion, advancement, or prominent recognition? If there are limited opportunities to advance beyond their current role, then this can be a red flag for many sales professionals and signal that this may be time to “jump ship”. Listen into the full conversation to hear what other key elements Tim recommends sales organizations build into their culture to keep sales reps and sales leaders well-positioned to thrive (and stay)! How Do B2B Sales Organizations Create a “Modern Sales Playbook”? Having been in sales for over 20+ years, I understand the power of having a sales plan or strategy for your sales teams to follow. I was curious to get Tim’s perspective on what makes a ‘good’ sales playbook, how sales leaders should be using it, and what other considerations are at play to advance the effectiveness of sales teams. His insights are quite interesting, “I look at a sales playbook as a constantly moving target. It’s not something you make and forget. It has to be continuously evolved, added to, refined, etc. What’s important is to create a solid sales foundation that is at the core of your strategy and then from there you might emerge hundreds, if not thousands of sales plays.” Here at Vengreso, we are always looking for ways to improve our prospecting and sales win rates. And, the best way to do this is through the use of metrics. How many prospects make it to a call? How many prospects are we closing? How long is the sales cycle? How has our win rate changed over the last 90 days? All of these data points help us to hone in on what part of our prospecting and sales process has to be refined so that we’re executing the right plays, for the right buyer personas, at the right times. If improving how your sales teams are winning deals is a top priority, then make sure to download this episode to get an inside scoop into what sales plays and strategies you should be running. What Specific Training Strategies Are Working to Increase Sales Productivity? One key thing I’ve found that separates average sales organizations from those that can consistently outpace their competition is… training! Those sales leaders that focus on training their sales reps and build in continual training opportunities are not only able to improve sales success, but they’re also able to retain top talent. Yet, despite this, some 75% sales leaders acknowledge that they’re not spending enough time each week providing coaching and training to their sales teams. Here, at Vengreso we use an “OGC” model that revolves around providing on-demand coaching, group feedback, and sales leader coaching. In this way, every sales rep receives advice, ideas, suggestions, and feedback from both their sales leader and their peers. Tim shares a unique framework that he uses at ZoomInfo to keep the feedback loop open with his sales teams to help them increase MQLs, win rates, and land more key decision makers on sales calls. Join the conversation and listen in to hear what’s working right now to help sales leaders close the coaching gap and significantly boost their sales team’s effectiveness and productivity.

This HUGE Vengreso announcement couldn’t come fast enough for the world’s one billion knowledge workers. Because with stats from a recent study like 49% of knowledge workers doing repetitive tasks that take them away from strategic work, resulting in over 17.3 hours in lost productivity every week – the days of copying and pasting are finally numbered! Imagine a workplace where messages follow you in the cloud and don’t stay stuck in a Google Doc, Word Doc, One Note, Evernote, Notepad, Notebook or a draft email. A “personal writing app” that with a few keystrokes, and in a few seconds, can easily populate a message that would have taken you 3-15 minutes to find and then copy and paste. A productivity workflow that enables you to save not just an hour a day, but empowers you to consistently reclaim your energy to focus on other strategic tasks that actually move the needle in sales, customer engagement, HR, operations, marketing, etc. The great news is… You don’t have to imagine anymore because Vengreso is leading the way with a new business productivity tool called FlyMSG. It’s instantly saving global knowledge workers significant time and boosting their companies’ bottom line. But, how did the world’s largest digital sales training company ‘stumble’ upon what could be the biggest time saver and productivity driver of a generation? Two words: Observation and Luck. What does that mean exactly? The Evolution of Vengreso and Birth of FlyMSG As you know we invested over 10,000 hours in creating best-in-class, digital sales prospecting education to drive more sales calls and help them consistently hit their sales quotas became our core specialty for the past 5 years. We were the first sales training company to launch a virtual sales training and remote selling program for B2B sellers starting in 2018. During this incredible journey in serving the amazing B2B sellers and business owner community, we noticed a common trend in how these sellers were using the sales email templates and messages that were part of our digital sales courses. Whether it was a cold email outreach message to a prospect, a LinkedIn prospecting message, or an email template – sellers were spending countless hours constantly copying and pasting the same messages over and over again. The more we observed how sellers were using our messages, the more it became clear that they needed a highly efficient and automated way to get sales messages out faster and with more consistency. It is through this desire to help B2B sellers become more efficient in their sales prospecting that FlyMSG.io was born! FlyMSG.io is an innovative text expander that stores thousands of message templates (called FlyPlates) that can instantly be retrieved using shortcodes (called FlyCuts) and used anywhere online. From Gmail, Slack, Outlook, LinkedIn, Facebook, HubSpot, or Salesforce – sales reps could pull in their “greatest hits” of messages without ever needing to copy and paste. Well, that’s what we thought. Little did we know that FlyMSG wasn’t just a “sales productivity” tool. What it would become was much bigger than what we forecasted! Want to see the power of FlyMSG.io in action? Check out the quick demo video below. https://youtu.be/tFpyIWWtoLc?t=101 The Growth of FlyMSG.io – The First Productivity Tool of Its Kind Initially when we released FlyMSG, in December 2020, we set out to increase sales productivity to empower sales teams and leaders to free themselves from the incessant copy and paste time drain. Afterall, our focus for half a decade has entirely been on improving sales prospecting. But, it turns out that we didn't have just a sales productivity tool, we actually created a business productivity tool. Not just any business productivity tool either! While FlyMSG had immediate value for sales teams, sales professionals, what the stats showed us was that nearly any professional in every industry in the world could benefit from it and was in fact using it. From sales enablement, to HR teams, to medical professionals, to marketers, to customer service managers, to teachers, to operations specialists, the list is virtually endless. Which is why FlyMSG, in under 18 months, has been able to powerfully save thousands of professionals valuable time – ultimately increasing productivity, efficiency, and sales within their organizations. Whether it is… An HR Manager sending out a standard onboarding message to a new employee… An online pharmacist sending a fulfillment email to a new customer… A customer service rep answering a frequently asked question through online chat… A marketer sending out a standard creative request to their design team… A realtor sending a follow-up message to a homebuyer to book a consultation… FlyMSG is changing how people are connecting with customers, building engagement, and saving time from having to copy and paste templated messages or snippets of messages. That’s why in under two years (with NO marketing at all), FlyMSG has grown from no users to over 3,000 users worldwide. And, as a result, our focus, as a company, has shifted from just enabling sales teams to reclaim their time and teaching how to prospect, to continuing to build out FlyMSG to empower the billions of knowledge workers worldwide. The reality is FlyMSG became a personal writing assistant and auto text expander application to everyone outside of sales. In fact, as of today sales represents only 33% of our total user community! In other words, if there is a repeatable message or snippet being sent anywhere online, FlyMSG is the automated business productivity tool that can help! The Name Vengreso – Past and Future Our company name, Vengreso, comes from the combination of the Spanish words Ventas and Ingreso which translate to Sales and Revenue, respectively. Our focus from the beginning was to help sellers drive more sales and increase revenue for the company – thus the words Ventas and Ingreso. We thought FlyMSG in it’s original form would continue to drive the same for sellers. And… It did in fact do that, but it did more as you know. It began saving 1/hour a day or more for the non-sellers. In fact, 67% of our users are non sellers! So does the name still apply today even though we aren’t just focused on sellers? Yes! It sure does. Because FlyMSG can help a knowledge worker increase their productivity, this in turn boosts their time savings and efficiency, which improves their job satisfaction, and ultimately helps the company hit their financial goals. And, as our name implies, FlyMSG continues to position Vengreso to empower companies to increase their sales and revenue! The Future of Vengreso & FlyMSG.io After 5 years as a digital sales training company, we’ve decided to pivot Vengreso into a SaaS-based, productivity management software company with a focus on providing education to every knowledge worker in the world. Because we don’t focus on the just sales anymore rather every vertical, this puts us into the PLG category. As a result now of focusing on every knowledge worker, across every vertical we are now considered a PLG or product-led-growth company. Our goal with FlyMSG? To save knowledge workers at least an hour every day. And with FlyMSG, as your personal writing assistant and a productivity tool, it’s now part of the rapidly-growing Productivity Management Software space – a space that is expected to grow to $122 billion by 2028. Which puts Vengreso in prime position to capture a significant share of this market. (After all we’ve reached 3,000 active FlyMSG users without spending anything on advertising) Now, you may be wondering… What does this mean for the 10,000+ hours invested into our award-winning, digital sales training? It won’t go anywhere! In fact, we’ve structured FlyMSG’s paid subscription plans to be able to add on for $15.00 extra per month, it can include our entire library of sales prospecting courses. Who would leverage it? If you combine business owners, entreprenuers, with sellers, it represents about 50% of our total user population! So there is plenty of people that still need to know how to prospect. So, whether you want to learn how to master LinkedIn for prospecting or leverage video to get more sales calls booked – FlyMSG users will also have full access to our proven content. Not only does this major pivot give knowledge workers a leg up to save time, but it also opens up an incredible and truly unique opportunity for investors. A Rare Opportunity for The Right Investor Currently the Productivity Management Software space is sitting at $42 billion dollars. But, this market is expected to balloon to over $122 million by 2028. So, with the right financial backing and technology build out of new features and tools for knowledge workers – FlyMSG could be a $65M+ company in just 5 years! To achieve this level of growth, we’re actively seeking investors who are willing to fund the vision we have for FlyMSG. That brings me to the MOST exciting part of this article. We’ve officially opened up a crowdfunding round to any investor who is looking to be a part of FlyMSG.io history. Whether you want to invest $100, $1,000, $10,000 or more – this is just the beginning of what we’ll achieve with FlyMSG over the coming years. In this Modern Selling Podcast episode, I go into a lot more details about what this transition means for Vengreso’s growth trajectory, what we anticipate the return for FlyMSG investors to be (it’s significant!), and why we chose now to go full force with this pivot. Want to skip the line and invest in FlyMSG.io now? Visit https://wefunder.com/vengreso to grab your share of this historic technology deal. If you know an angel investor or venture capitalist who invests in early stage technology, feel free to send them my way at mario@vengreso.com. And, if you haven’t already, download the free version of FlyMSG to give it a try today. Trust me… you’ll be saving at least 5 hours a week! While you’re at it, be sure to schedule a free 30-minute onboarding call with one of our Productivity Specialists so you can maximize all the incredible built-in features of FlyMSG!

From missed quotas to high customer churn, to even lower conversion rates – sales teams have their work cut out for them in this hypercompetitive post-pandemic landscape. This is why, now more than ever, the role of the sales leader cannot be ignored. But, the question often becomes, as a sales leader, what should and can they do to not just motivate their sales teams, but actually drive substantial and consistent growth for their organizations. That is the topic of this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast – which is a must-listen for any sales leader currently struggling to hit quota or keep their sales teams focused on results. In this episode, we welcome Andrew Thompson. He is the VP of Sales, Americas for Agora.io – a leading API platform for real-time engagement for video, audio, and chat communications. Agora’s Real-time Engagement Platform as a Service (RTE PaaS) allows everyone to interact with anyone, in any application, anytime and anywhere. Their platform provides developers with simple, flexible, and powerful APIs to embed real-time video, audio, and chat experiences into their applications. Andrew leads a large group of managers and sales reps worldwide in driving customer growth and international expansion to help grow profitable revenue streams, while also delighting Agora’s customers. What Can Sales Leaders Do To Stimulate Revenue Growth? When it comes to new sales leaders, I wanted to know from Andrew’s perspective what he sees are the most critical things to do to drive sales. Here at Vengreso, all of our sales leaders play an integral role in understanding our buyer personas, and partnering with marketing – really immersing themselves in as many aspects of the business so they’re clear on the entire buyer journey. According to Andrew, studying the buyer is THE most important thing that B2B sales leaders should be doing, but often overlooked, “I think with new sales leaders there tends to be misalignment because they put forth sales strategies without thinking through the buyer personas. I would go to my top five customers and just talk to them. Understand how they’re using the product, and why they selected your company – just get clear on what value it was and what they see in your company. Then use that intel to improve how you sell to other similar-sized companies.” This is such a critical component – understanding your buyer personas – is why personalization throughout the entire sales cycle is so key. When sales leaders and sales reps know who they’re talking to, their specific pain points, and how your company solves them (specific to each buyer persona), that’s when you can really win in prospecting and sales.  Tune into the full conversation to hear what strategies and tools Andrew recommends to use to segment your customers to do a thorough buyer persona analysis. How Should Sales Leaders Be Working With Their Teams? This can be a loaded question, depending on who you ask. In my 20+ years of sales, I’ve found that the most effective sales leaders are those that listen first and always seek to understand. That’s why at Vengreso, we have a very open communication structure. Whether you want to talk to the CEO, COO, sales manager, or a sales rep – everyone is 100% accessible. In this way, we create a transparent culture where communication, ideas, and honest feedback are welcomed. As the VP of Sales for Agora, I was interested in hearing Andrew’s insights as someone who is tasked with not only driving sales, but also getting global teams to work together. Andrew shares three key points for sales leaders to remember: See what’s not working. As a sales leader, especially if you’re a CRO – you’re often far removed from the day-to-day sales grind. That can make it easy to be out of touch with what’s working and what’s not. Andrew makes it a point to reach out to his sales teams to get a pulse on how things are going and where sales gaps need to be closed. Get to know each other. This is a big one here at Vengreso. The most effective sales teams are those who are able to feed off of each other’s strengths. But, that requires getting to know each other and finding out where people thrive and where they could use more support. Be willing to fail. In sales, everything is driven by quotas, and hitting your numbers that this often takes away from the risk-taking mindset. Andrew encourages his sales teams to try new things, explore new strategies, and be willing to learn from their mistakes to elevate their entire sales process. Join the conversation and learn what Andrew says is the most important thing to do to boost your sales culture so your sales teams can consistently hit quota – effortlessly. How Has Sales Team Dynamics Changed Since The Pandemic? We’ve all heard it in the news… “The Great Resignation”. For many B2B sales companies, this is a real challenge as sales reps are being poached (or choosing to leave) for the lure of making more money. Even at Vengreso, an employee was recently offered $48,000 MORE for the same role, if he left our company. But, he chose to stay! (I mean we do have an awesome sales culture here!) The point is, with so many options in the market for sales reps, I wanted to know what Andrew thought were important “must-dos” to get salespeople to stay. He was spot on with my own observations, “Sales have become more competitive in this virtual selling environment which is why training is so key. Without the right training and support, sales reps may feel that pull to go somewhere else, especially if they can make more for the same role.” This is so true. This is why when we onboard a new SDR, we take them through an extensive six-month training process and show them the ins and outs of how to prospect. We leverage tools like Gong to evaluate our sales calls to see how we can improve as a team and as individual sellers, plus we use these recorded calls as a coachable opportunity to give specific feedback to help the SDRs become more effective sellers. If sales training is a critical area that you’re struggling to provide for your sales team, then you’ll want to tune into the conversation and pay particular attention to the discussion that Andrew and I have at the 22-minute mark. 

The past three years have seen radical shifts in the B2B sales landscape. From sales organizations having to go from in-person selling to virtual selling, to shifting how prospecting is done by leveraging online tools – there has been a lot to navigate. As sales leaders and sales teams have been focused on prospecting faster and more efficiently, there has been a quiet epidemic happening in the background. Getting prospective customers into the sales funnel is part of the battle, but converting them and keeping them as customers is a whole other challenge. With so many options on the market and an oversaturation of generic sales and marketing messages, the retention strategies and personalization techniques used to retain customers must also evolve. But, exactly how to prevent what one sales expert calls the “Great Customer Resignation” is the topic of this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. I’m excited to welcome a phenomenal guest who spends quite a bit of time researching the ins and outs of customer satisfaction and retention. Craig Charlton, CEO of SugarCRM has spent over 25 years building and running high-growth businesses. Prior to joining SugarCRM in 2019, he was CEO of Oildex, a provider of financial automation software and services for the oil and gas industry, where he helped the company achieve 150% bookings growth, leading to the company’s acquisition by Drillinginfo. Before joining Oildex, Craig was CEO of Abila, a provider of financial and CRM software and services to associations, nonprofit organizations, and governmental entities. Abila, which was acquired by Community Brands, grew its revenues threefold and transformed its revenue base to a subscription-based (SaaS) model over a three-year period. Prior to that, Charlton was senior vice president and general manager of Asia Pacific at Epicor Software Corporation, an industry-leading ERP solution provider, where he developed and executed the company’s regional strategy, achieving consistent revenue and profit growth. Craig’s insights into what B2B sales organizations should be doing to boost customer retention is why this is a must-listen-to episode! We’ll dive into the recent stats from SugarCRM’s Impact Report and decipher what the data tell us about what customers are looking for and how sales teams should be positioning their prospecting efforts. Download the full episode now and listen until the end to get every customer retention nugget! How Has Customer Churn Changed Since The Pandemic? As most sales leaders have seen, there have been noticeable shifts in how we are approaching and interacting with both prospects and customers. Here at Vengreso, our specialty is in helping B2B sales leaders and teams prospect better. Over the past 18 months, through our own research, we’ve found that 69% of sales professionals agree that prospecting is the hardest and most time-consuming part of their role. I wanted to know what Craig is seeing on the other side, once a prospect becomes a customer, and what’s the current trend with customer churn. The data he shares is truly eye-opening, “Last year, the Global Research survey revealed that customer churn was costing midmarket companies $5.5 million a year. Our research, this year, shows that 58% of sales and marketing leaders say that churn has gotten worse over the last 12 months. This is now likely costing companies even more than $5.5 million a year! For every two customers coming in the door, one of them is leaving.” This is a remarkable number – $5.5 million in lost revenue! Join the conversation to hear what Craig says is really causing churn rates to explode and what sales leaders must do now to stop the bleeding. What Role Can CRMs Play in Reducing Customer Churn? As a sales evangelist by trade, I’m always curious to know what technology can do to help right the tide and get sales teams back on track. At Vengreso, we use a host of automation tools and systems to help us not only streamline how we prospect, but also to leverage key data that tells us how we can personalize each customer touchpoint. I wanted to hear Craig’s perspective on what CRMs can do to mitigate this growing customer churn rate, especially since his company’s findings suggest that 56% of sales organizations don’t have the customer data they need to be effective. He shares three key insights: Increased visibility. CRMs can help sales leaders have a better view of what customers are likely to churn so they can proactively reach out to nurture that relationship. Improved personalization. When sales reps know what a customer needs and can tailor any communication to what’s relevant to that customer – it’s a win-win. A good CRM can be critical in creating highly personalized nurture, onboarding, and engagement campaigns. Better sales tracking. Without a robust CRM, it’s hard to ever truly quantify how effective prospecting and marketing efforts are. According to SugarCRM’s current research, some 54% of all leads are either poorly or underqualified. Having a proven CRM solution can easily identify the gaps in prospecting and sales to help reps and sales leaders figure out a better path forward. What’s Holding Sales Teams Back From Keeping Customers?   This is a rather loaded question, but Craig and I dive deep into what the real solution may be. In my view, there are a host of factors at play. However, I’m a big proponent of the importance of providing world-class training to all sales reps that focuses on how to prospect with intention, personalization, and communicating value in mind. Our PVC Methodology for Prospecting outlines each one of these critical steps to engage with prospects in a way that makes them want to become customers. I have Criag walk through his ideas on the topic, “The biggest drawback to reducing customer churn is CRM adoption. Many sales teams have a CRM of some sort, but they’re usually not properly trained on how to use its automation and are often unaware of the full features their CRM may offer. Sales teams should be leveraging AI as much as possible to know exactly which customers are at risk of leaving and how to best engage with them. Sadly, so many B2B sales teams aren’t doing this.” Automation is a BIG productivity driver for us at Vengreso. This is why we’ve created THE best business productivity tool on the planet – FlyMSG. With it, sales teams (and other teams too) can reduce the time waste copying and pasting messages to customers and free up their time to focus on other strategic tasks. But, FlyMSG is just one tool we talk about. Towards the end of our conversation, Craig shares a host of actionable tools and steps sales leaders can take right now to get the most out of the CRM to instantly boost customer retention. Download the full episode to get in on this valuable insight. Want access to the full 2022 CRM Impact Report: The Great Customer Resignation and the Path Forward? Click here to download your complimentary copy.

The emerging role of the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) has become one of the most talked-about topics in B2B sales this year. But, when it comes to truly knowing how to position and leverage a CRO to help a sales organization scale, this is where many modern sales companies are struggling. The key to the success of a CRO comes from not just the path they took in their career but from their ability to align teams across all departments and tap into technology to enable progress and productivity at all levels. What CROs should be doing and how companies can strategically use this role to scale is the topic of discussion in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. My guest, arguably one of the best CRO experts and consultants in the industry, shares his incredible insights to prove that when done ‘right’ a CRO can be the winning advantage to take your sales organization to the next level. Ed Porter is the Chief Revenue Officer of Blue Chip CRO. His stellar 20+ year career has led him to manage teams of varying sizes from 5 to 1,000+ people with responsibilities for sales, customer experience, revenue operations, and marketing functions. Ed has worked for service, software, and distribution companies learning the foundations of delivering a powerful customer experience while driving value and effectiveness in the sales and development channels. He has participated in, facilitated, and chaired several executive groups centered on sales management, contact center management, and technology innovation. As a keynote speaker and guest speaker focused on several key sales strategies and customer management programs, Ed has been recognized as a two-time Top 25 Most Influential Sales Leader, Executive of the Year, Excellence in Execution, Top 100 Sales Coaches to Watch, and a two-time Chapter of the Year award winner for AA-ISP. Currently, Ed is a fractional chief revenue officer providing coaching and strategic planning services for executives and startups, helping them rethink and refocus revenue strategies to accelerate growth. He helps clients align their revenue teams — marketing, sales, enablement, and customer success — to build accountability at every step of their organization, leading to accelerated and sustainable growth. Download the full conversation to get clear on what and how a CRO should be contributing to the growth of your sales organization. What is the Real Role of a Chief Revenue Officer? We often hear CRO thrown around, but few have truly defined what the role is and, more importantly, what they should be responsible for. I wanted to get Ed’s perspective on what he believes makes a CRO role work and if every B2B sales company needs one, in order to thrive in this post-pandemic environment. His insights are spot on, “The CRO must own everything revenue. Not just one part, but all parts. Because in order to really be the one that owns all parts of revenue, you need to own the full buyer lifecycle. Which means owning marketing, owning sales, and owning everything post-sales too like customer success.” There has always been a growing divide (I’ve seen) between sales, marketing, and customer success. So, it was interesting to hear that Ed believes they must all live under the same C-Suite role in order to drive the customer forward. In my 20+ year career in B2B and B2C sales, I’ve found that even for CROs that may not have robust marketing or sales or customer success background, they’re still able to build amazing synergy within their organizations as long as they know how to leverage the right training, technology, and systems to bring their teams together. And, technology and training are a large part of what Ed shares in the first half of our conversation. Listen in to hear what he suggests every CRO do to ensure that their teams are successful. How Do You Actually Align Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success Teams Together? At Vengreso, we intentionally build in alignment between the teams. We have regular huddles and syncs for the departments to share what’s working respectively, so we can establish a cohesive collaborative approach. Based on Ed’s experience working as a fractional CRO, I wanted to hear his insights on what works to align teams for a CRO to be successful and what skills he believes a CRO must have that they can’t necessarily be taught. Ed explains, “Traditionally, CROs have sales experience and come from that world. But, that often means they’re light on understanding marketing and customer success. And, that’s ok. I would argue that the path someone takes to become a CRO is irrelevant. It has less to do with their area(s) of expertise and everything to do with the person. You don't have to have run sales, marketing, or customer success departments to be a highly effective CRO. But, you DO have to be a great leader.” I found this point to be quite interesting. Here at Vengreso, we often cross-train our sales teams to be involved in not just one department, but in several. We’ve found that this enables our sales reps to approach the sales process very differently. They’re able to think about the impact that marketing has on sales, or that sales have on customer success. This is such a powerful alignment (when done right), that would enable any sales organization to work as a seamless machine, rather than a bunch of separated silos. Join the conversation and get even more insight on how Ed recommends sales, marketing, and customer success teams work together. How Does Technology Empower the CRO?  This is always an area of interest, especially for sales leaders. As I always say, “a fool with a tool, is still a fool.” I’ve found that all too often, B2B sales organizations implement a host of different pieces of technology across each functional area. So, what the sales and marketing teams may be using may not be integrated. And, the customer success teams could be using something entirely different. It’s this disconnect between teams (further exacerbated by the technology stack they’re using), which makes it hard for anyone to truly talk to one another and gain key insights. That’s why with our FlyMSG text expander plugin, we’ve seen users achieve tremendous growth and synergy. Now, they’re able to have a way to send consistent messaging across departments and be in better alignment to attract prospects and convert them into customers. FlyMSG is just one tool Ed and I discuss in this conversation that can catapult sales teams to a new level. Listen in to the entire episode to see what other technology and tools we see working to bring teams together.

The B2B sales landscape has shifted from the phone to the email inbox. With the average consumer being bombarded with over 5,000 sales and marketing messages every day – knowing how to stand out in the inbox is what most sellers are struggling with. But, the key to getting your cold outreach messages read and responded to comes down to nailing a few important email strategies. And, those specific (and winning) email marketing strategies are exactly the topic of discussion in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. My guest, William Ballance is not just the expert in everything email marketing, but his company is leading the way in how B2B sellers are crafting sales messages and engaging with prospects in new and innovative ways. William Ballance is the CEO of Lavender.ai, a psychology-driven tool designed to help sellers write better emails faster by leveraging cutting-edge AI insights on individuals’ personalities. So, if you’ve ever wondered how to get in the inbox and stay there – this is the episode to download and listen to all the way to the end! In our in-depth discussion we dive deep into what’s working now to draw in the distracted, post-pandemic buyer, what sales teams should be saying in their email outreach, and the “sales formula” to get a response – every time! Be sure you download this episode and pay particular attention to what William says is really driving response rates! How has email marketing changed since the pandemic? The B2B selling environment today is very different than it was three years ago. I wanted to pick William’s brain and get a better understanding of what he’s seeing in the market and why it’s becoming harder to get sales meetings via email. What he shares gave me a whole new perspective on the topic, “Many sales teams did a lot of selling by phone. But with COVID and the world immediately going online or working remotely, office numbers suddenly didn’t work. So, if you didn’t have mobile numbers, you had no choice but to shift to email. Data shows that there has been a 16% immediate increase in outbound sales emails and an 8% decline in response rates. Why? Because overnight there was immediately more noise.” This is spot-on as researchers have found that the number of emails being sent is at an all-time high. Microsoft found that between 2021 and 2022, some 40 billion more emails have been sent.  With this astronomical increase in what I call “digital pollution” there’s no wonder that so many sales outreach messages go unread. Listen to the full conversation to hear what William suggests sales teams do to break through the email noise and land in front of prospects at the right time with the right messages. Should B2B sellers send more emails to get more responses? This is a common question we hear a lot in B2B sales circles. Does sending more email outreach messages actually equate to better response rates? I wanted to see what William’s data shows, “Even though we're using email more, it's not necessarily increasing our results. Where it normally took 8 to 12 touches to get a response. It's now taking anywhere between 12 to 16 touches to get a response by a buyer. So, we are sending more emails but with fewer results. Why not shift how we do things and send the right messages that get immediate responses?” This sales mindset shift is exactly what we teach at Vengreso in our PVC Methodology. The goal is not to arbitrarily send emails to eventually get a response, but, instead to send messages that are hyper-personalized and designed to pull prospects in – even with the first outreach. When B2B buyers get hundreds, if not thousands of sales messages every week, it’s easy to get lost in the flood of emails in their inbox. What modern sellers do well is they know how to draw prospects in with their subject lines, what to say in the email opener, and how to make their messages so succinct and compelling that prospects want to read them and take action. I ask William to explain the process he teaches sales teams to take to craft winning and (highly readable) emails. His approach involves what he calls a “one scroll” method. That is you want to include your entire outreach message in no more than one scroll so that prospects get the information they need without having to read for more than 15 seconds. To hear other must-dos when it comes to your email marketing, listen to the entire episode and pay close attention to the “new” word count William suggests you hit with every email. What are B2B sales emails best practices? Depending on who you ask, this could be a loaded question. The important thing to note when crafting a sales email is to think first about who you’re sending it to. I find that so often sales professionals send generic, copy-and-paste sales emails that lack personality or any form of personalization. This makes it easy for them to go unread because they’re like the hundreds of other emails vying for attention in your buyers’ inbox. I wanted to see what unique strategies or best practices William uses and sees that work thanks to his innovative email AI technology. He highly recommends that B2B sellers do the following: Go with short emails. And when William says short, he means no more than 50-75 words short. In his research, he’s found that the average reading attention span is now 15-30 seconds max. Don’t overcomplicate your email. Many times sellers include everything under the sun in their emails. Williams suggests making your email short and easy enough to read that a fifth grader would understand it. Make your email highly relevant. Personalization is important, but make sure how you personalize your email is relevant to the reader. Mentioning that you share an alma mater or have a similar interest can miss the mark if it has nothing to do with why you are reaching out. William shares even more tips and tricks that are moving the sales email needle in the episode. Download the full conversation to get all of his psychology-based principles and proven email strategies. Should you include your Calendly link in your sales emails? Listen in to find out what it could really be doing to your response rate!

Selling, especially in this post-pandemic space is just as much of a science as it is an art. There’s no surprise that some sellers rise to the top, while others find it increasingly difficult to prospect. With so many sales tools, prospecting methodologies, and B2B sales strategies to navigate, knowing just what you should be doing to generate higher quality leads that convert to sales can be complicated. But, mastering how to sell without being pushy or aggressive is exactly the area of expertise that my guest on this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is known for. Andy Paul is one of the Top 50 Global Sales Experts and award-winning author of Zero-Time Selling, Amp Up Your Sales, and his recent bestseller, Sell Without Selling Out. His popular and long-running sales podcast, Sales Enablement with Andy Paul, was acquired by Revenue.io in 2020 and continues to inspire thousands of sales professionals every week. His client list is as long as it is impressive and includes some of the biggest businesses in the world including Square, Philips, and Grubhub – making Andy one of the leading voices in the sales industry today. Download this entire conversation to get the inside scoop on what sales strategies are really working to get prospects to lean in with interest and actually stay engaged through the entire buying process. What Are Most B2B Sellers Getting Wrong? We jumped right into the conversation to identify where and how Andy believes sellers are missing the mark. His insights were spot on with my own observations. Andy explains, “The biggest thing that is flawed with so many sales professionals is their mindset. It’s this idea that their job is to persuade somebody to buy their product. When this becomes the sole focus, then we lose the human element of truly understanding the needs, wants, and desires of the prospect.” That’s why I always say, “Sales is the art of helping.”  It’s our goal as sales professionals to first seek to understand our prospects, so we can determine the right solution for their needs. Otherwise, as Andy asserts, we’re more focused on closing the deal rather than truly helping the customer. It’s that subtle shift in a seller’s mindset that can make the world of a difference. That means sellers can go from blindly selling, to getting prospects to lean in and want to know more about the solution they have to offer. If you’ve been struggling on how to make this transition – from selling to helping – listen to this episode and be sure to pay particular attention to the strategies Andy recommends using to make this mindset shift. In B2B Sales, What Does It Mean to Sell Out?   In Andy’s book, he introduces this idea of “selling out” in sales. I was curious to know what he meant by that and, more importantly, how modern sellers can identify if they’re selling out in the prospecting process. He provides some invaluable advice, “Selling out starts when you put your interest (as the seller) ahead of the buyer. We often call this ‘commission breath’ because it becomes very clear to the buyer that you’re only there to sell them your product. In this space, their needs become secondary. So many sellers automatically jump straight to their pitch, rather than asking questions to understand what the buyer really needs.” In my 20+ years of experience in sales, I find that this ‘commission breath’ Andy talks about often comes from how sales professionals are trained. Here at Vengreso, we follow the PVC Methodology for prospecting and as part of this multi-step process, we teach our sales reps to always lead with thought-provoking questions to get the prospect talking about their needs and goals. With this structure, our sales reps can quickly identify if and specifically how they can bring value to the prospect. Then the entire sales conversation is shaped around helping them achieve their goals, not just pitching our product. Join the conversation and hear other ways that Andy differentiates “selling out” from “selling in” and what sales leaders should be doing today to train their teams to build curiosity from the first outreach message. What’s The Right Way to Engage a Prospect During a Sales Call?   When it comes to the ‘how’ of sales calls, there seem to be dozens of methods out there. Based on Andy’s extensive research, I wanted to know what he finds works to draw the B2B buyer into the conversation. His answer was something I hadn’t heard of before. Andy explains that there are four human attributes that we all evolutionarily seek. They are: Connection – feeling bonded to someone based on similar interests or desires. Curiosity – seeking something that piques our interest or helps to solve a problem. Understanding – knowing that our needs and wants are being listened to. Generosity – being aware that someone is willing to help us get to the desired outcome. The goal, according to Andy, is to align these human attributes with how we approach and conduct the sales call. If done right, this will help to build positive sales experiences that make B2B buyers want to buy. These four attributes were spot on with the types of prospecting questions we teach sales reps to ask in our PVC methodology. In our discussion, Andy outlines six types of questions B2B sellers must ask now if they want to truly engage their buyers and get prospects to lower their guard and lean into the sales conversation. Make sure to download the full episode and get a pen and paper ready because the sales gems that Andy drops are worth writing down (and implementing) immediately!

When it comes to making prospecting easier, the temptation can be to turn to sales automation to reach more prospects. But, modern sellers beware – sales automation has to be implemented the right way to increase the effectiveness of prospecting. From the sales automation best practices to automation tools to use, to the mistakes to avoid – we cover them all in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast.  And, our expert guest, knows firsthand what goes into making sales automation work to expand sales pipelines and lead to more booked meetings. Rashmi Viswanath, is the Director of Growth and Sales at Apollo.io where she is responsible for expanding the reach of the 150-person company. Rashmi has 10+ years of extensive sales and growth experience, generating rapid and consistent pipeline growth within mid-market and enterprise target areas. She has quickly risen through the ranks in various roles in sales automation and development, strategic sales, retention and SDR management. Download the full conversation to hear what sales leaders need to do today to implement the most proven sales automation tools and strategies to help their sales teams hit quota – every month! What Are Sales Automation Best Practices?  With so many sales enablement tools flooding the market every week – it can be challenging to know what to use and what really moves the needle to find and engage with higher quality leads. I wanted to hear Rashmi’s thoughts on what she saw as the best practices B2B sellers should be following to maximize the success of any sales automation tool or strategy they deploy. She shares, “The goal with any sales automation tool you use is to take what you’re already doing that’s working and scale it faster and more efficiently. The problem usually is that sales leaders don’t know what’s working and they inadvertently scale a broken prospecting system.” The key to sales automation is not to make the sales rep obsolete. Instead, sales automation is designed to simply make sellers more productive at doing the same work. If there are repetitive steps that are done, then this is where sales automation can shine. But, the important thing to consider is that you must first understand your prospecting process and then look for ways to get more done, faster.  That’s where tools like FlyMSG can be really useful in scaling how you communicate with prospects to book more meetings, with less time and energy spent. Listen into the conversation and hear how exactly sales leaders should use sales automation to enhance their outreach cadences. What Are the Drawbacks of Sales Automation? As I always say, “a fool with a tool, is still a fool.” And, the same thing rings true for sales automation.  Sales reps must be well trained in prospecting and then add in sales automation as a way to empower them to do their work more efficiently. But, all too often, sales enablement leaders looking to implement sales automation in an effort to compensate for lackluster sales results. That’s why at Vengreso we follow the PVC methodology and use sales automation strategically to not cut steps out, but to make the steps flow faster. I wanted to get Rashmi’s take on the good, the bad, and the ugly of sales automation. Her insights are quite telling, “Automation shouldn’t replace using what we know works to get prospects to respond. When we pull in data from automation software, it’s so important to vet it before you use that data in sales outreach. Missing and misspelled names are always a dead giveaway that sales teams haven’t reviewed the data beforehand.” Jump into this episode and listen carefully about 8 minutes in to hear the “must-avoid” mistakes of sales automation that could derail your prospecting efforts. What Role Does Personalization Play with Sales Automation? The short answer is: EVERYTHING! Sales automation is a tool to help you be more efficient, but it should never replace using your brain. At Vengreso, we leverage sales automation to help us find prospects, but our sales teams still do their due diligence and find ways to personalize every interaction we make with potential customers. Rashmi shares her view on this, “At Apollo.io we do a host of hyper-personalization techniques that help to boost our prospecting success. It comes down to knowing your buyer persona and honing in on specific things that make them unique that you can mention in your initial outreach messages.”  And, with personalization – the proof is in the data! Over the past two years of our prospecting research, we’ve found that: 1-2 word subject lines including your prospect’s name perform best Incorporating a specific personal event or interest in the copy of your sales messages improves response rates by 61% Using an omnichannel approach to prospecting gets better results than sticking to only one prospecting method Inserting a short, 30-45 second welcome video in your first sales outreach message can dramatically increase responses The power of personalization is that you can never do ‘too much’ of it.  If your sales teams are not already investing time in looking on LinkedIn at prospect and buyer profiles before reaching out, then you could be sabotaging your results. At Vengreso, we follow a “3x3” rule of prospecting. Our SDRs spend three minutes online, looking for three specific things unique about the prospect.  Then those items are woven into the sales message that is super personalized and speaks directly to the prospect. We go much deeper into this and how to use sales automation and personalization to prospect and sell more! Download the episode now and listen until the end to hear exactly what’s working to move the sales needle.

Over the past two years, the business landscape has dramatically shifted. The days of taking a ‘spray and pray’ approach are long gone and have been replaced with much more targeted sales tactics to attract an eager and ready-to-buy B2B audience.  There are a host of unique account-based selling techniques that leading organizations are using to bring in millions of dollars in new sales. From how to identify the best target accounts, to pinpointing the buyer personas to engage, to the highly personalized strategies to use to book more meetings – we cover it all (and more) in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. And, my guest is one of THE industry leaders in helping companies redefine how they prospect to keep their pipelines full and their calendars booked. In this episode, I welcome Jaakko Paalanen, the Chief Sales Officer of Leadfeeder. Under his guidance, Jaakko has grown his global team across 9 different countries and propelled the company from $0 - $2M ARR within 2 years. The sales insights he shares in this conversation are equivalent to an elite MBA in sales! Be sure to download the episode, grab a pen and paper, and get ready to learn some of the industry’s best kept sales and prospecting secrets. What is Account-Based Selling? Many people have often heard of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) as a function of driving new leads to sales teams. However, Account-Based Selling (ABS) goes beyond just the marketing arm and focuses on who to target. Rather than looking for individual seller profiles, ABS relies on identifying those target accounts or companies that are most interested in your offering.  At Vengreso, we leverage Leadfeeder to get insights on what companies are visiting our website. From there, we narrow down the list to zero in on specific companies that fit our audience parameters. That way we know exactly where to focus our attention, so we can dig deeper into the buyer personas within those companies to prospect on.  I wanted to get Jaakko’s take on ABS and the importance he saw in using this as one of your prospecting strategies. Listen into the full conversation to hear how Jaakko recommends sales teams implement a robust account-based sales approach. Is Account-Based Selling For Every Sales Organization? Like with other prospecting strategies, when it comes to sales – it is not a one-size-fits-all model. The same thing is true for account-based sales. I was curious to hear Jaakko’s perspective on what it takes to do account-based sales effectively and what organizations he thought were best suited for this sales strategy. He shares an interesting set of criteria: B2B companies that sell to large-sized companies. Account-based selling works well when you’re looking for corporate customers. If you’re selling to individuals or small businesses, more traditional prospecting methods will likely be more effective. Longer sales cycles. How long does it take to close a deal? If it’s longer than three months, then account-based selling could be the best approach to shorten the sales cycle and help sales teams close the right deals – faster. Complex buyer profiles. Is there one or many stakeholders that influence the buying decision? If there is only one, then account-based selling won’t be the best avenue to pursue. However, if there are multiple buyer personas within a single organization to navigate, then account-based selling is the way to go. Join the episode now to hear his fourth criteria or “rule” and what you should do first to get your winning account-based sales strategy off the ground. What Are the Best Practices for Account-Based Selling? When it comes to kicking off an account-based sales strategy, it’s important to consider the best practices to put your sales organization on a path toward success. I ask Jaakko what best practices he recommends based on his extensive experience with Leadfeeder. He outlines four specific steps: Get internal alignment. For an account-based sales model to work, you need to have buy-in at all levels, from the executive team down to the individual SDRs. Create an ideal customer profile. This will be essential to know what customers you want to attract, what requirements accounts need to meet to pursue, and what specific pain points you can address for your ideal customer. Establish a personalization strategy. Knowing what accounts or companies to target is only part of the sales equation. Sales teams must also personalize their outreach messages to truly speak to the individual buyer persona within the account. Track metrics and reiterate. As with anything in sales, the truth is in the numbers. Monitoring the success of your account-based sales process will be key in knowing what’s working, what’s not, and how to elevate your approach to be even more effective. Jump in the episode now to hear how Jaakko implements these steps with his team to close more deals using their highly unique account-based sales strategy. What’s the importance of personalization with account-based selling? I always say that in order for sales reps to be ‘interesting’ to a prospect, they must first be ‘interested.’ Because the difference between an account-based sales process that gets minimal results and one that helps your sales team consistently hit their quota comes down to the level of personalization done. At Vengreso, our PVC prospecting model is centered around the need to customize our sales messages to fit the person we are reaching out to. There are a number of automated tools that can quickly scale your prospecting efforts, but it is through personalization that will get you more booked sales calls. Here, we leverage a host of sales enablement tools such as Leadfeeder, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Seamless.ai, and HubSpot – but our secret sauce is in how we tailor our prospecting to our prospects. I go into this in more detail as well as our 18-step prospecting process in this episode. Make sure you listen in today to also get the inside scoop on the one prospecting strategy we use to close millions in NEW sales revenue like clockwork. (It’s not at all what you think… be sure to listen to the end to get this sales gem!)

What if you knew the exact companies or individuals who are actively looking for the products or services you offer? Imagine how much more targeted your outbound marketing or prospecting could be.  That’s the exact topic we dive into in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast with my expert guest, who is leading the way in leveraging intent-based data to revolutionize the sales game. We welcome Mike Farrell, CEO of Green leads, to the show. Mike is a proven high-growth leader with over 30+ years in the IT Channel and BPO-service industries with both start-up and public companies. He has direct leadership experience with seven M&A events and has expertise in leading integration teams. With Green Leads, Mike leads business growth by focusing on strategic differentiation, customer acquisition, and providing a high-touch, high-quality client experience. Prior to Green Leads, Mike did sales consulting work, helping B2B companies optimize their digital marketing and build internal SDR teams. In addition, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of BAO and was the driving force behind their growth to become a category-leading, 200+ employee, $20M+ Outsourced SDR firm (BPO). Listen to this cutting-edge conversation as we explore intent-based data, how to leverage its predictive power and what SDRs can do today to use it to improve their prospecting results. Download the full episode now and jump in to hear what’s really working to give sales organizations a competitive edge on the market. What really is intent data? Before we discussed specific intent-based data strategies, it was important to understand what intent data is. I wanted to hear Mike’s perspective on the topic and what he sees is the growing trend in the area. He shares, “Intent-based data is a type of digital forensics. It helps you zone in on the companies and people who are actively looking for your offering on the web. We get all sorts of buyer intent signals that let us know who is searching our keywords, reading our content, etc. From there, we can study to help us perfect our prospecting and hone in on the best time to reach out to get buyers right when they’re ready to buy.” At Vengreso, we use a host of intent-based data tools to help us pinpoint target accounts to focus on with our prospecting efforts. But, like I always say, “a fool with a tool is still a fool,” meaning if SDRs aren’t equipped with the right training, they still may not maximize the full prospecting power of intent signals. Using intent-based data is still a relatively new strategy among B2B sellers, but when put to use in the right way, SDRs can get more prospects on the phone – faster. Mike explains the prospecting process they use at Green Leads that is getting their client's impressive results (it’s not at all what I even thought was possible.) Join in the conversation and listen to the specific ways that Mike recommends sales leaders analyze and use intent data to determine how to reach out to increase prospecting response rates. How does that intent data impact conversion rates into meetings? In my experience, intent-based data can be helpful to help you identify target companies. However, most intent-based tools don’t give you great insight into the individuals who are within those companies who control the buying decisions. So, the question ultimately becomes: How do you leverage intent-based data to actually increase your prospecting efforts? Mike had some important insights to share, “Finding companies who may be searching for what you offer is just one small part of the puzzle. Intent-based data gets us a powerful head start, so you’re not prospecting from scratch. But, that’s where you must have a robust sales process in place, once you’ve identified these target accounts. We teach our clients how to create specific content based on intent signals to draw those prospects in to book a call. In other words, we look for triggers or entry points and nurture the prospect from there.” It’s also important for sales leaders and sales organizations to consider all of the data privacy regulations and how using intent-based data sources could play into this. Mike has a very unique perspective on this, so be sure to listen in right around the 24-minute mark. Although intent-based data is one part of the prospecting toolkit, at Vengreso, we teach the importance of taking an omnichannel approach to prospecting, using LinkedIn, email, text messages, and videos to get your prospect to lean in. So, once intent-based data is collected, the goal is to put your prospecting process into play – reaching your B2B buyer in as many channels as possible – always with highly personalized messages. Download this episode and get the inside scoop on the best intent-based tools to use and what important steps you should be taking to maximize various B2B buyer intent signals. What are the best intent-based data tools? There are a host of sales technologies that not only help SDRs improve their productivity, but also change how we can find and engage with B2B prospects. The key is to find tools that can easily be integrated into the prospecting process to increase prospect engagement (ideally across a host of channels). We created FlyMSG, a text expander to help sales teams type less, so they can prospect more. A tool like this could help SDRs take the intent-based data they receive from other platforms and start to reach out and engage with prospects. To get the full scope of how we should be getting the most out of intent-based signals, I wanted to get Mike’s rundown of the must-try tools to win the intent signal game. I won’t spill the beans here, so be sure to download and listen to the full episode to get his Top 3 Intent-Based Data Tools to use.

It’s no secret that the B2B sales game has become harder and harder. With more informed buyers, the same old sales techniques aren’t working at the same success rate to convert prospects to customers. But, what should sales reps and leaders do to really move the sales needle? The answer is simple: better prospecting! Yet, the key to doing this successfully often comes down to your sales cadence and the specific actions you’re taking and when. This is the topic we cover in a special episode of the Modern Selling Podcast with one of the greatest minds in sales. Priya Sachdev is the Chief Customer Officer, here at Vengreso. She is responsible for Vengreso’s Customer Success and Support team as well as all implementation, training, coaching, and delivery of the entire LaaS (Learning as a Service) and SaaS technology suite to the 1,100+ companies that Vengreso has served. Priya has been in the sales training industry for over 20 years and has overseen sales enablement for a leading global provider of digital transformation services as well as serving for 13 years at Miller Heiman Group, where she was the Enterprise Sales Transformation Leader, responsible for consulting with clients globally in sales transformation. In addition, she served as the Vice President of APAC where she was instrumental in overseeing, accelerating, and delivering sales training, methodology, and consulting to the APAC region. If that wasn’t enough, Priya has been named as one of the top 25 Most Influential Women in India by CEO Magazine and recognized as one of the 10 Successful Women to Watch by Insights Success. Make sure to tune in to the full conversation to see the specific sales cadence and prospecting strategies are working now to book more meetings, fill pipelines, and get to a sale even faster! How Do You Get to the First Sales Conversation? Going from a cold outreach message to a sales call is often the hardest part of the entire sales cycle. That’s why when we polled almost 1,300 sales professionals, 69% of them acknowledged that the most challenging part of their work was getting the first conversation. At Vengreso, we created a full prospecting guide with our unique PVC methodology that walks through the secret formula we’ve found that works to engage prospects with EVERY message. So, I was curious to hear Priya’s perspective on what sales reps can do to lower the barrier to entry and get to a sales call faster. She shares, “we’re in a sales pandemic and the biggest problem with prospecting is that sales reps are not following through. The sales cadence and the sales channels used are not right for the target audience.” I’ve seen in my 20+ years of sales that follow-through is everything if you want to close big deals. But, all too often, sales leaders overemphasize quantity over quality, which leaves lots of money left on the table. Join the conversation and download this episode to learn more about what’s working to get prospects to lean in with the first message. What Are the Best Channels for Prospecting? In today’s hyperconnected world, there are so many ways that we can reach and engage with prospects. From social media to email, to SMS, to phone calls – we’re not short on channels to choose from. However, so many sales reps focus on one channel and never diversify their approach. Studies have found that when you use one channel you can expect about 10% engagement. If you add a second, third, or fourth channel to reach prospects, then you can increase your engagement by 400%! That’s why at Vengreso, we take a multi-channel strategy that includes four key parts of our sales cadence: Connecting on LinkedIn Sending a personalized text message Following up with email Using video to engage In my conversation with Priya, we dive deeper into how to implement each of these channel strategies to increase prospecting success. This part of the conversation alone can be game-changing if you’ve been struggling to get higher prospect engagement with your current sales cadence. Get a pen and paper ready and listen to the episode now. Pay particular attention to the first 15 minutes for actionable insights that you can apply today to your sales cadence to produce better results – without adding extra work. How Should You Use Sales Automation Tools? This can be a tricky question to answer. Because although automation can help to streamline processes and increase your sales productivity, it can also be the reason sales reps aren’t closing deals. Modern B2B buyers are savvy enough to know a personalized message from an automated response. Personalized messages get responses back. Automated, generic messages do not. It’s really that simple. But, automation does still have its place in the sales process. Using powerful tools like FlyMSG can be great to make it easier for you to quickly personalize your sales messages. In addition, leveraging LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator can give your sales teams incredible insights into which connections to make, who to engage to get to a sales call, and what personalized bits of information you can insert into your messages. Modern seller beware! Sales tools are only effective when you know how to use them properly. As I always say, “a fool with a tool, is still a fool.” This is why having the right sales training and using sales tools in the right parts of your sales cycle are so critical. Make sure to listen to this episode to hear what unique strategies we’re using at Vengreso to land bigger deals, increase our prospecting success, and make the B2B selling process seamless! 

As we have embarked on the Great Resignation with droves of people leaving or switching jobs and careers, how to find qualified salespeople and getting them to stay has become a hot topic. Since it can take upwards of a year for a new sales rep to truly be competent enough to close deals on their own, the time, energy, and money invested in training is not something most sales organizations take lightly. But, the question becomes: What are the best sales recruitment and training practices that top sales organizations are using to retain their top talent? That’s the question we answer in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, with my guest, Priya Sachdev.  Priya Sachdev is the Chief Customer Officer, here at Vengreso. She is responsible for Vengreso’s Customer Success and Support team as well as all implementation, training, coaching, and delivery of the entire LaaS (Learning as a Service) and SaaS technology suite to the 1,100+ companies that Vengreso has served. Priya has been in the sales training industry for over 20 years and has overseen sales enablement for a leading global provider of digital transformation services as well as serving for 13 years at Miller Heiman Group, where she was the Enterprise Sales Transformation Leader, responsible for consulting with clients globally in sales transformation.  In addition, she served as the Vice President of APAC where she was instrumental in overseeing, accelerating, and delivering sales training, methodology, and consulting to the APAC region. If that wasn’t enough, Priya has been named as one of the top 25 Most Influential Women in India by CEO Magazine and recognized as one of the 10 Successful Women to Watch by Insights Success. Be sure to download my full conversation with Priya to learn what sales leaders can do to attract the right talent and get them to stay. What are the major challenges with hiring sales staff? I think most sales leaders of sales organizations would agree – it has become increasingly difficult to find sales reps that will stand the test of time. As the CEO of Vengreso, I’ve experienced the high churn rate among new sales reps – with some of our new BDRs staying for under 9 months, before being recruited by larger sales organizations. To properly train a BDR requires a minimum of six months for them to be at a place where they can start to independently prospect in a way that actually benefits the company. And, the same is true for an SDR. That’s why, we easily pour over $50,000 in sales training and coaching in each of our sales reps within their first year. And, we do this because we believe in them having the right tools, the right systems, and the right strategies to perform – and to perform well. However, you can imagine the toll this takes, when that talent you trained leaves your organization shortly after that year of training. I wanted to get Priya’s insight on the topic and see what she thought could be done to help slow (or ideally stop) the sales ‘brain drain’ that’s happening. She shares, “The challenge is there are more people looking to hire salespeople, than there are people looking for sales jobs. So, many sales organizations are being forced into a place where they will hire whoever they can find with the hopes that they will train them to be an ‘okay’ salesperson. The problem with this is that you have people in high-paying roles that were never groomed (or qualified) to be there. And, in some cases, companies aren’t figuring this out until months have passed and thousands in training have been invested.” If you’re finding it difficult to find qualified salespeople, make sure to listen to our conversation and hear what Priya shares should be done to better vet applicants. How does the sales hiring process need to change? I’ve been in sales for 25+ years and I’ve had my fair share of star employees leave, even after I invested in their professional development. This isn’t to say you aren’t ‘allowed’ to transition to other companies or new roles. But, the struggle for sales leaders today is in how to properly assess if an applicant is a right fit for your open sales position(s). At Vengreso, we have a very extensive and thorough hiring process. We take all new applicants, regardless of their previous sales experience and require them to go through our multi-step hiring protocol. Not only does this weed out those who are not fully committed, but it helps us to also see how well they can learn and implement parts of our prospecting model. Since Priya has seen firsthand what goes into grooming an excellent SDR, during her time as a sales enablement leader for one of the largest sales organizations in the world, and now with Vengreso – I wanted to hear her thoughts on what the sales hiring process should include. Priya’s insights were spot on, “We have a very different generation of workers. Many times people come into a role with an exit strategy already in mind, if things don’t work out. We really need to be hiring for people that are willing to invest as much time and effort in developing their career as we are in training them to be successful.” Tune into this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast to learn what red flags you should be looking out for, before you hire your next BDR or SDR. What are the characteristics of a great sales rep? I always champion the saying that “selling is the art of helping”. If we’re not helping our customers solve a problem, then they’re not going to buy. We train our sales reps to get to know their prospect as much as they can before they even attempt a single sales message. Whether that’s looking at their LinkedIn profile, reading their posts, researching their company or their specific role within the organization – we train them to find a human touchpoint to use. That way when they do reach out, they can do so with a highly personalized message. And, as we know, personalized messaging in prospecting is a must. We teach this in our proven PVC methodology. I ask Priya what her take was on what makes an exceptional sales rep. She shares, “We’ve become so immersed in sales technologies and automation to make the sales reps job easier. But, these tools are only effective when sales reps know how to use them to improve their prospecting. It’s not enough to send an automated message. We need personalization, we need sales reps that know how to engage with a prospect. And, we need sales reps that will do the work to make each outreach successful.” Be sure to download this episode to hear the major shift that Priya believes must happen if sales organizations are going to find and train top talent to stay.

As modern sellers have adapted to this new virtual selling environment, getting in front of and staying in front of buyers has become harder to do. From email sequences to LinkedIn messages, to video sales techniques – there’s no shortage of ways to reach the modern buyer. However, the traditional ‘spray and pray’ sales methods of the past have to be rapidly replaced with more strategic, more personalized, and more unique ways to break through the crowded B2B sales space. And, exactly how sales organizations and sales teams can truly differentiate themselves to get a “hello” and to close a sale is what my guest, Jennifer Colosimo, knows inside and out. Jennifer Colosimo is the President of FranklinCovey’s enterprise division, where she is accountable for generating profitable growth globally by building leaders, teams, and cultures that get results in 160+ countries. With a storied sales career, Jennifer served previously as FranklinCovey’s Senior Vice President of Sales & Operations in the United States, Canada, and Australia. She has also led IT, learning and development, and corporate social responsibility teams while working for Accenture, DaVita, and several private equity-backed organizations. Her sales training and innovative strategies have been featured on a number of stages worldwide and reached over 50,000 people across 45 states and 12 countries. It is her recent book, Strikingly Different Selling, that she co-authored that is set to change the way we look at and approach modern selling. This book, through six years of focused research involving more than 2,800 sales professionals from 135 countries reveals the 6 vital skills that separate top sales performers from the herd.  Download our full conversation to get a front-row seat to Jennifer’s insights to learn what skills and techniques are really moving the sales needle. What are sales reps missing during prospecting? Having been in sales now for over 20+ years, I know firsthand that prospecting is often the most time-consuming and challenging part of the B2B sales cycle. I was curious to get Jennifer’s take on what she believes is missing and why prospecting seems to be yielding such low results. Here’s Jennifer’s take, “I’ve done a lot of research around what’s really working with sales. What I’ve found so often is that there is a major disconnect. The salesperson generally leaves the conversation believing that things went well. However, on the other hand, the buyer feels that they didn’t get what they needed or wanted out of the conversation. Buyers want to buy based on differentiation.” This is exactly what we teach, here at Vengreso. Selling is the art of helping. And, if your sales teams are not clearly communicating what problems they solve for prospects, then they could be leaving lots of lost deals on the table.   Listen in to the 10-minute mark to hear the ‘interesting’ research Jennifer uncovered that points to some specific strategies sales teams should be using to differentiate their services with the very first outreach message. How can sales reps win in an online selling environment? In early 2020, we saw a radical shift in not just sales, but in how we all did business. As the world’s largest digital sales training company, we were able to quickly pivot our processes to favor the new virtual environment. But, for many sales organizations that relied heavily on building in-person relationships with their B2B buyers, this seemingly dramatic shift has left many sales teams reeling. Strikingly Different Selling details six vital skills that today’s seller must master, so I wanted to get Jennifer’s ideas around how sales teams can better connect with prospects across a digital screen. She shares, “A lot of the same rules of selling still apply, in this new virtual space. You still need to connect with people, but rather than getting a business card at a tradeshow, you need to pay attention to your social media profiles. Sellers must consider how and where they show up online and what prospects will see when they research them and their companies. In the same way you want to catch someone’s attention in person, sellers have to think about how to do this online.” Listen into the conversation to hear what strategies Jennifer sees are working right now to build relationships with B2B prospects.  What are must-dos during a sales call?  We teach the PVC methodology for prospecting that leads with the importance to personalize every touchpoint you have with a prospect. From the initial outreach conversation to the sales call and any subsequent follow-ups, you want to show your prospect that you understand what they need and want.  I know Jennifer has done extensive research in this space and she teaches her teams and clients the most successful strategies that work to get buyers to lean in. The three-part sales call framework she shares is quite simple – yet very profound. She calls it the “Why-What-Why” approach. And, when done right this approach not only helps to shape the conversation around the prospect, (making the discussion highly relevant to them), but it also enables you – as the sales rep – to convey your genuine interest in helping your prospect solve their problem. Here’s how it works: According to Jennifer, sales call should be entirely focused on answering these three questions for the prospect: Why are we different? Or, why do we have a differentiator?  What are we going to do to solve your problem?  Why does this matter to you?  This is just the tip of the sales iceberg, be sure to download and listen to our entire conversation to learn more about the six vital skills every salesperson must master to win the new digital selling game.

There’s no wonder that prospecting is still considered the most time-consuming part of the sales cycle by nearly 70% of sellers. From trying to find ideal prospects, to engaging with them through sales messages or social media, to following up to get a booked call – prospecting has become a science. And, those modern B2B sales professionals that know the right prospecting formula and have created a unique set of prospecting strategies are in a prime position to ultimately win the sales game. How to prospect in today’s post-pandemic business environment is the topic of today’s episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. I share a recent in-depth conversation I had with Jose {last name}, host of the {name} podcast where I detail some rarely used prospecting strategies that work for us to get more “hellos” and close more deals. Whether you’re an up and coming sales rep, a seasoned sales leader, or leading your organization’s sales enablement team – this episode is jam-packed with new things for you to implement to get in front of your target buyer more often. Download the full conversation to hear the ins and outs of how and why these prospecting strategies work. A New Approach to Prospecting in 2022 The world has changed drastically over the past two years. The sudden shift to online has not only given buyers more access to information, but it has actually given the modern seller more opportunities to reach their target audiences. Fifteen years ago the number of people on social media was a mere fraction of what it is today. Even video platforms like YouTube were still in their infancy. Today, whether it’s LinkedIn, email, paid ads, SMS messages – there are many more ways that the modern seller can engage with buyers. But, this also introduces the challenge of how to do it the right way. With more channels to find buyers, the amount of what I call “digital pollution” has also exponentially increased. Buyers are more skeptical and are willing to do their due diligence before ever reaching out to a sales rep. Sales teams are no longer the “gatekeeper of information”. Buyers generally know what 3-5 companies they want to buy from by the time they reach out to book a sales call. That’s why what’s really working in this post-pandemic environment is to prospect through thought leadership. Consider your buyer persona – what problem are they trying to solve? How do you solve this problem? What articles, posts, or videos can you share online that showcase how you solve this problem? The goal with 21st century prospecting is to be at the beginning of the buyer’s information journey so that they come to you for recommendations on what best next step to take (ideally it’s buying your product/service!) Listen to this episode to hear how I suggest every sales organization leverage LinkedIn to rapidly increase their sales pipeline with customers who are ready to buy. The Importance of Mastering the Art of Video Selling Here at Vengreso, we work with small business owners, entrepreneurs, individual sellers, all the way up to large Fortune 100 sales organizations – with one goal: to help sales leaders create more sales conversations and grow their sales pipeline by teaching them how to prospect better and sell more. Although there are lots of sales channels to choose from, our channels of choice are: LinkedIn and video. Our digital training teaches sales leaders and individuals how to create engagement with prospects at every stage of the sales cycle. That way, when your buyer is looking for a solution, you stay top of mind (and top of timeline) and are their first destination. Over the past 6 years of Vengreso, we have amassed a significant amount of thought leadership, whether it be blogs, podcasts, free video courses, etc. So when someone is searching for sales training online, we have a pretty good chance to be ranked very high on Google.  (In fact, our Prospecting Guide is currently ranked #3 in search). Of course, this strategy took time, but I highly recommend that all sales organizations invest in creating video content. Post it on YouTube, on your website, use it in sales email nurtures, and share it on LinkedIn. Video is one of THE top five global marketing tactics being used to capture people’s attention and lure them in for a sale, especially in this digital sales space. Most other forms of outreach – whether it’s email, text message, direct message, or phone call only engage one of the senses. Video messages are multi-sensory experiences for your prospect to hear, see, and experience your personality, your sincerity and start to build immediate rapport and trust with you.  If you’re not maximizing your use of video in your prospecting process, then download this episode to get some actionable ideas to follow.  How to Prospect on LinkedIn With the average buyer being bombarded with over 5,000 marketing and sales messages every day – it makes it even harder for yours to stand out from the crowd. That’s why I always say that in order to be interesting you must be interested. In other words, prospects are not usually going to instantly want to book a sales meeting with you just because you reach out to them. They need to know that there is something in it for them to even give a sales rep the time of day. So, whether you’re leading with value by sending them a free resource, sharing something that could help them solve a problem, or even crafting a personalized sales message – you have to make it more about your prospect and less about you. At Vengreso, we teach the PVC Sales Methodology for prospecting and it is how we have been able to become the largest digital sales training company in the world. Everything we do is personalized to our prospect, from how we research leads using LinkedIn Sales Navigator, to how we write the initial sales messages we send, to the sequence of our email campaigns that nurture our pipeline.  We also use a “3 by 3” approach, whereby each sales rep spends 3 minutes on a prospect’s LinkedIn profile to find 3 unique or interesting things to bring up in conversation to get them to lean in (and at least respond to our initial message). If used right, LinkedIn can easily become your digital rolodex and your way to attract, engage, and sell to millions of modern buyers. The challenge, however, is how to maximize your prospecting efforts using LinkedIn, without coming across as selling. Join the conversation I have with Jose and you’ll learn how you can tap into the networking (and sales power) of LinkedIn to streamline your prospecting and get more booked calls.

In this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, I share an insightful conversation with business powerhouse and my dear friend, Alice Heiman, the host of Sales Talk for CEOs. We go deep into the ins and outs of how I built Vengreso to become the largest digital sales training company in the world and the unique remote selling strategies I’ve used to leverage top talent from around the globe. If you’re a sales leader looking for creative ways to grow your sales team, to expand your digital sales reach, or to empower your sales reps with new strategies to book more meetings – then this episode is for you. Download the full conversation to learn how I recruit, onboard, and train the best sales professionals for a fraction of the cost. Laying the Foundation for Remote Selling I’ve been in sales for over 20+ years now and when people ask how I got into sales, they’re usually amused by the story. But, the same key principle I learned as a college student new to sales is the same key principle I instill in my sales team, now at Vengreso. My sales career started accidentally, when I was working as a photo finisher for Ritz Camera Center. Paying my way through college, I asked my Regional Manager at the time for a transfer to a store closer to campus. Although he did transfer me, he didn’t grant my transfer as a photo finisher – he transferred me as a salesperson.  For the two years I worked as a photo finisher, I consistently placed in the top 3 for sales for my entire region. It was because early on I realized that sales was the art of helping. As I helped my customers get the best quality photos, I was able to upsell them to services that were not just meeting their needs, but were solving their problems. That is why, some 20+ years later, I teach all of my remote sellers that to master sales you need to focus on helping (not selling). When everyone in your organization understands this point then it makes it easier to get your whole company involved in sales and engaged with the customer. And, when sales leaders have the understanding and the vision that sales is helping and that is how sales organizations can rapidly grow by helping their customers grow. It’s important to ask questions like: What's the business problem that we're solving? How are we helping our customers? How are we going to prove that we're helping them?  If you can focus everything around these core questions, then you’ll position your sales organization for success. Tune into the full conversation with Alice to hear the full story of how Vengreso was started and what three questions catapulted my career as a sales entrepreneur. The 3 Keys to Remote Selling In today’s virtual selling era, most sales organizations have pivoted to offer some form of digital or remote selling. However, what separates those organizations who do it “okay” from those who do it well comes down to three key components. I share with Alice my take on what you really need to win the digital sales game, in this new post-pandemic environment. Selling is not just for the sales team. As the CEO of Vengreso, I still have a huge role in sales. Whether I am training new sales reps, coming up with the sales strategy for the quarter, or facilitating client calls – I am immersed in the sales process of my organization. As I mentioned, sales is the art of helping – so why would I not help out as often as I can? When senior leaders can embrace this perspective, then sales teams won’t feel siloed and, instead, can feel supported in their efforts. Invest in training at every level. We have an extensive 6-month onboarding process for our sales reps that ensures they are ready to handle any type of sales conversation or sales objection that comes their way. Our Modern Sales Mastery training program is also designed to equip our sales reps with both the sales tools, the sales skills, and the coaching they need to perform a hybrid SDR/AE role. Find the right tools to generate sales. I always say, “a fool with a tool, is still a fool.” At Vengreso, we are creating a host of sales enablement tools such as our text expander plugin, FlyMSG. For any remote selling organization, you want to capitalize on building efficiency and increasing your sales team’s productivity. After all, you’re not in a physical office and you need your sales reps to be able to maximize the use of their time to get in front of more prospects, to book more sales meetings. Listen to the entire conversation I had with Alice because I dropped some ‘interesting’ sales gems that could help your sales team increase their conversions. How to Hire Remote Sellers Finding qualified salespeople, in general, can be challenging. But, once you add the complexity of needing that sales rep to work (and sell) remotely – this can introduce a new layer of challenges. That’s why when I started Vengreso, I knew I needed a unique model to help me both attract and retain top talent as a fast-growing startup. Being able to afford the salary of US-based sales reps would put a strain on the company’s finances, but I needed a pool of talent that I could pull from that could master the remote selling process we teach. So, I looked overseas to find highly qualified sales professionals who could learn the sales skills, the strategies, and the sales methodology needed to not just excel as a SDR, but to even advance to become AEs. That’s how Vengreso’s remote selling culture was born. For nearly a decade, we have leveraged the outsourced market to get top-performing sales reps from South America, Europe, and Asia. Hiring remotely is different and requires a different recruiting and vetting approach. We’ve created an entire remote selling playbook for sales leaders to follow to replicate our model with great success. Make sure to download the full episode to hear how we source our sales reps and the exact process we follow before bringing on a new remote sales rep.

In today’s overly saturated B2B sales market, standing out from the crowd and getting a “yes” from your prospect is not achieved by using traditional selling techniques. Because when modern B2B sellers understand how to leverage the intersection between human behavior and psychology, then they can evoke the emotion necessary to drive the sale. That topic – how to get prospects to lean all the way in, without selling – is exactly the focal point of this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast as I dive deep into neuro-emotional persuasion with one of the world’s leading sales trainers. Jeremy Miner is the Founder of 7th Level Communications and is an internationally recognized sales guru who has taught thousands of people how to go from just getting average results in selling to becoming a high 6-figure and even 7-figure sales earner and be viewed as the “Trusted Authority” in their market. Over the years, Jeremy has been asked by thousands of salespeople to train them on how to eliminate rejection, how to connect with their prospects, how to cold call, how to overcome their prospects objections/concerns, and finally how to close more sales without being a pushy, sleazy, disrespected salesperson.  His company, 7th Level Communications was created to take any salesperson, no matter their experience, from wherever they’re at in selling to getting them to a high 6-figure and 7-figure annual income in sales. Be sure to download my full conversation with Jeremy to get an equivalent to an MBA in sales that will undoubtedly help you book more meetings and close more sales. What is the biggest mistake salespeople make? Jeremy has worked with thousands of sales teams and organizations, so I was curious to know from his perspective where he thinks the industry is falling short. His response was spot on with what I tell my sales teams, here at Vengreso, “A lot of entrepreneurs and salespeople are so excited about what they do and truly believe that their offering is the latest and greatest. And, somehow, they believe that this excitement alone will persuade prospects to want to buy what they’re selling. But, the reality is, many times without even realizing it, we’re giving off subconscious nonverbal and verbal cues that are creating more sales resistance in the conversation – not less.” That’s why it’s so important, as sales professionals, to come across in our sales conversations with prospects as being neutral. Of course, we want to make the sale. But, I always say that in order to sell, you must be interested – not interesting.  So sales reps must seek to first understand the prospect’s problem in a way that’s not interrogative and triggers a fight or flight response.  For example, Jeremy recommends not going into the sales call assuming that your B2B offering is what the prospect needs. Rather, be open and honest with the prospect upfront as a way to disarm their initial sales resistance, so you can gather the information you need. Here’s a script Jeremy uses: “I’m not sure if we are the right fit yet for you. In order to determine that, I need to understand a little bit more about…” In this way, Jeremy is not looking to close the sale immediately by claiming to have the right product for his prospect. Instead, he’s finding a way to probe for more information without setting off red flags. Jeremy and I do an entire sales conversation role play that can help your sales team nail their sales conversations. Using just one technique Jeremy explains in the first 15 minutes of this episode is worth trying on your next sales call. Tune into the full conversation to get all of the proven sales strategies Jeremy uses to help even the most inexperienced sales teams crush their quotas. The NEPQ Sales Methodology  When it comes to mastering the art of selling, I’m always interested in learning new methodologies and frameworks. Here, at Vengreso, we teach the PVC Sales Methodology for prospecting which is rooted in personalizing every sales interaction and leading with value in every prospect touchpoint. Jeremy uses a slightly different approach that has been widely successful for the sales teams that he works with. It’s called NEPQ which stands for Neuro-Emotional Persuasion Questioning. This unique method moves the sales rep from the boiler room type selling approach (think Wolf of Wall Street) where urgency is forced into the prospect’s face to an approach that focuses more on building dialogue. In this way, prospects won’t feel like they’re being sold to and will have less sales resistance. This in turn enables sales reps to build immediate rapport and trust. Jeremy explains, “What many sales reps don’t realize is, we're the most persuasive when we allow others to persuade themselves through dialogue. The key here is we have to think about what questions we need to ask, when we ask them, how we ask them, with what tone will we ask them, and with what pauses will we include to make the conversation feel natural? If you can nail this, then you will pull the prospect in, rather than push them away.” Listen to the full conversation, particularly at the 28-minute mark to see exactly how Jeremy puts his NEPQ sales methodology into action. Why do buying decisions stall? I’ve been in sales for over 20+ years, but even I have had some large sales opportunities stall unexpectedly. I wanted to pick Jeremy’s brain to see what he thought is driving this trend, especially within digital sales. I found his response to be quite interesting, “Buying decisions only stall because sales teams are using sales techniques that work against human behavior and trigger sales resistance. I’m a big proponent that sales is about change. It’s about how good you are at helping your prospect view in their own mind – not by telling them – but by the questions you ask that they’re ready to change their situation.” I always say that selling is the art of helping. If we’re not helping our prospects solve a problem or achieve a desired outcome, then getting to a sale will be impossible.  Jeremy shared what he calls “consequence questions” which are a powerful framing tool that he teaches sales teams to help prospects get to that critical point in the conversation where they’re ready to say “yes” to change and to buying from you. Download the episode to hear how these incredibly simple questions work to help sales teams book more meetings and close more sales. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Leadfeeder. Imagine if you could identify companies and decision makers that are already engaging with your website and send them to your CRM for your sales team to follow up with? That's exactly what Leadfeeder does to help you capture high intent prospects that are already browsing your website right now. Visit www.leadfeeder.com to claim your 14-day free trial of Leadfeeder today and see what prospects are visiting your website, how they found you, and what they're interested in.

The science of getting to the first “hello” has become a must-know skill for today’s modern seller. With so many marketing and sales distractions, coupled with the plethora of options the modern buyer has at their fingertips – the “spray and pray” method of prospecting is quickly becoming obsolete. In this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, we switch things up and share a recent conversation I had with Greg Reffner in his podcast, The Abstrakt Podcast. We dive deep into the state of prospecting to explore what’s working, what’s not, and how modern sellers can leverage innovative new techniques to reach more prospects on the platforms they use. Make sure to download and listen to the full episode to get a front row seat to the winning prospecting strategies we use, here at Vegrenso, to get more hellos. What’s the current state of prospecting? In this new digital world, selling has become harder than ever before. To better understand the current challenges facing today’s sales leaders, we asked 1,295 sales professionals a simple, yet powerful question: What is the hardest part of the sales cycle?  Over the past 2 years that we have asked this question, the hardest part of the sales cycle has consistently been: prospecting. In fact, according to our October 2021 survey, 69% of sellers say that getting the first sales conversation is the most time-consuming part of the entire sales cycle. This reveals that we have a major problem when it comes to sellers being able to earn the right to even get a response back from a prospect. Join the conversation to hear what new sales enablement tools that I recommend sales leaders use to improve the prospecting of their sales teams. Why is prospecting so hard? With prospecting being the most challenging part of the sales cycle, the question then becomes: why is this the case? In my 25 years in B2B sales, I’ve found that there are a few reasons why prospecting is so challenging for today’s modern seller: More tech does not mean more success. Sales enablement leaders are very quick to invest in more sales tools to help increase prospecting success. However, without the right sales training and support, sales teams will still struggle to make quota. The key isn’t in getting the latest sales tool, it is in how sales leaders and sales reps are trained to use that tool effectively. Prospects are increasingly more distracted. With the average person receiving 5,000 marketing messages a day, our prospects have become numb to what I refer to as “digital pollution”. From the many emails, text messages, social media DMs, and phone calls, it’s hard to stand out from the growing sales crowd that is vying for your prospect’s attention. Lack of personalization. With information coming at our prospect from all directions, they’re able to spot a sales pitch a mile away. That’s why personalization has become so important to break through the white noise in their inbox. The days of using generic, impersonal cold outreach messages are gone, and sales leaders must train their teams to know exactly how to craft personalized messages to get people to want to open and read them. Listen in to the conversation to hear the specific personalization strategy I share that could be an absolute game-changer for your sales team. How to Master the Art of Prospecting Even just two years ago, how we prospected was almost completely different. The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a whole new virtual selling environment that so many companies have been slow to adapt to. Many people are working remotely, so getting someone on the phone has become even more challenging. Even the level of technology your prospect has access to, to prevent calls and sales emails, has exploded. People can re-route unknown phone numbers to voicemail or block them altogether and SPAM filters have become sophisticated enough to prevent your outreach messages from reaching your prospect’s inbox. That’s why to sell to today’s modern buyer, you need to master a very different approach. Sales reps have to be willing to meet their B2B buyers where they are, on the platforms they choose to interact on. For example, some buyers may be more responsive via email, others may prefer to communicate through LinkedIn messenger (or even leaving LinkedIn voice messages), and others may be easier to reach by phone. The point is that sales organizations have to understand this new cluttered sales space we’re in and be flexible to accommodate the modern buyer’s communication preferences. Tune into the full discussion and listen for the eight different connection points sales teams need to be focusing on to reach prospects. The Three Steps of Effective Prospecting To reach and engage with the modern B2B buyer, sales teams must follow a proven prospecting formula. It’s not about sending out more emails or more messages because what really moves the needle is to send the right messages, written in the right way, that will speak to your prospect’s pain points in a new way. At Vengreso, we teach the PVC Sales Methodology for Prospecting that shows sales teams how to master the art of cold outreach. We emphasize the importance of quality over quantity, so that sales organizations can get the most out of their prospecting efforts. The strategy of sending out hundreds of generic messages or making hundreds of cold calls won’t help you get traction with today’s modern buyer. Instead, to attract and engage with B2B buyers effectively, I strongly advocate using the PVC Method of: personalization, value, and call-to-action in every sales message that is sent to all of your prospects.  When your sales team knows how to personalize messages and include value-driven content in not just what they send to prospects, but also in what they post on social media, then you will be able to attract prospects that want and need what you have to offer. So, no matter if you focus on sales calls, emails, or social selling – using the PVC approach will help to increase the level of engagement and responses from your prospects.  Listen to the conversation and hear the highly tailored prospecting methods Vengreso’s sales team uses to increase our sales pipeline and prospect better (and faster)!

If the past 18 months have taught us anything, it’s that virtual selling is here to stay. And, in order to master the new art of modern selling, sales leaders must tap into the prospecting power of the social selling tools at their disposal.  Because those sales reps that know how to personalize their outreach, engage prospects in meaningful conversations, and quickly identify the most pressing pain points, will have an unfair advantage well into the future. No one knows how to leverage social media to close deals better than my guest on this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast.  Alyssa Merwin is the global Vice President of LinkedIn Sales Solutions, one of the company’s fastest-growing lines of business. In her role, Alyssa leads the global sales organization to help companies around the world engage with LinkedIn’s community of nearly 800 million members, connecting buyers and sellers to support organizations’ business objectives.   With more than 20 years of experience in the sales industry, Alyssa has a proven track record of achieving strong business results and managing high-performing teams. Since joining LinkedIn in 2011, she has held numerous leadership positions, and most recently served as Vice President of Sales Solutions for North America, during which time the business experienced tremendous growth.   Outside of LinkedIn, Alyssa is a member of the Sales Impact Academy's Advisory Board, an investor and advisor to Black Star Fund, and an investor in Stage 2 Capital. Prior to joining LinkedIn, Alyssa spent nine years at CEB, now Gartner, and held various sales positions during her tenure. When it comes to keeping the pulse on sales – what works and what trends to look out for – Alyssa’s genius is truly unmatched. If you’ve been looking for proven strategies to get more “hellos” and make your prospecting more efficient and effective, then tune into this strategy-rich conversation with Alyssa. You’ll walk away with at least 5 actionable LinkedIn prospecting strategies to use by the end of this episode – guaranteed! How has prospecting changed in a post-COVID world? Since early 2020, I’ve personally witnessed radical shifts in how sales organizations are both reaching out to their prospects AND how they’re training their sales teams.  When you study the effectiveness of strategies like cold email outreach, it starts to paint a very different sales picture that all sales leaders must be aware of. In my research, I’ve found that the number of sales emails sent has increased by 60% since 2020, however, the response rates have plummeted over 30%. So, it’s not just about having more touchpoints with your prospects. Selling in this new virtual environment is all about having the right touchpoints, that convey the right value and that address the right pain points. I asked Alyssa to share what she’s seen as the sales leader of LinkedIn in terms of how the pandemic has reshaped the sales industry: “Virtual selling will be core to how we all go to market from here on out. We’ve found that 70% of people go through the entire sales process without ever talking to a salesperson. They’re able to find the information they need, make the decisions that work best for them, and feel more productive as a result – all in this virtual space. Like many organizations have, we will continue to need to adapt and evolve in this particular environment. At best we are looking at a hybrid approach, but we have to recognize and accept the importance of virtual selling.” I couldn’t agree more with Alyssa! As the world’s largest digital sales training company, we're constantly reading the market to see how we can better position our courses, find new topics to offer, and ways to better engage our prospects and customers. Many sales organizations have tried to shift to this virtual selling space by sending more emails or making more cold calls. As Alyssa suggests in our conversation, the shift that’s needed has to go well beyond just doing more of the same tactical sales strategies and really get at the heart of buyer intent. Join the full conversation to hear specifically what unique prospecting strategy Alyssa recommends using to get a response back on the first outreach. How can sales organizations take a buyer first approach? Today’s modern buyer is well informed. They’re well researched and they know what options are available to them even before they ever get on a sales call. That’s why tailoring your sales process to your prospect is so important. From how you write your outreach messages, to identifying their pain points, to the way you speak about your offering – everything has to feel personalized. I was curious to get Alyssa’s take on this “buyer first” approach and how she would recommend a sales organization go about implementing this model. Her insights are spot on, “We know that our buyers are getting further through the sales decision or the buying decision before we even walk in the door. There's just so much more information available – we can easily hop onto a website, we can look at a demo, we can reach out on LinkedIn. As sales leaders, we have to recognize this new playing field and truly get clear on how we have to show up differently. Part of that is getting smart about the industry, the company, the individual you're meeting with and do it in a very detailed way that puts them at the center of the conversation.” Taking this time to do the research is such a critical step that so many sales reps overlook.  That’s why at Vengreso our sales team follows the “Three by Three” method before we ever reach out to a prospect. Want to hear what it is and how we use it to 10x our response rates?  Download the episode and pay particular attention around the 20-minute mark. What are the most important sales trends to watch? We have to move away from the “smile and dial” prospecting strategies of the past and start to build a new level of buyer engagement. I wanted to get Alyssa’s expert opinion on the state of the sales industry and where she saw the focus shifting in 2022. The way she sees it, there are three emerging trends that sales leaders need to keep a pulse on: Data privacy and compliance. The level of sophistication of online sales tools is rapidly increasing, but so too is the need to protect consumer data and private information. Alyssa strongly recommends taking inventory of the sales enablement tools you’re using now and making sure they’re compliant with GDPR and other data privacy standards.  Buyer intent data. We have to move beyond just focusing on who to contact and how to contact them and fully understand the science of buyer intent. Knowing when and how best to engage your prospect, what buyer signals to look for, and where your buyer is in the process will make sellers much more effective going forward.  Digital referrals. With platforms like LinkedIn that give you incredible visibility into the connections in your network – mastering how to ask for a digital referral will continue to be an important skill to develop. It’s by breaking through the sales noise with a personal touchpoint that will separate average sales reps from those who consistently exceed quota without having to send hundreds of cold emails to do it. This is just the tip of the sales iceberg that Alyssa shares in this episode.  Make sure you listen all the way until the end to hear the best digital referral process to follow. [Hint: We use it and it works wonders!]

With the pace of how we sell rapidly changing, the modern seller must perfect a host of strategies to meet the modern buyer on the platforms they frequent, with the right messages. Using unique sales strategies like value-based selling is quickly becoming a hot topic among the top sales leaders. The art of value-based B2B selling revolves around getting your prospect to understand the value of what you’re offering – which takes a very different approach than traditional selling. But, how should sales teams navigate the world of value-based selling when there are multiple personas? That is the topic of discussion in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. My special guest for this episode is one of the world’s leading sales practitioners who has spent decades studying what works to attract, nurture, and close global deals – even in the most complex selling environments. That’s why this episode is a must-listen for all sales leaders looking for a competitive edge in selling in 2022. Sumit Mahajan, Chief Sales Officer of Datamatics, brings more than 25 years of industry experience in successfully leading global sales organizations to rapid levels of growth. His eclectic background, starting his career as an engineer, gives him a unique view of sales that has enabled him to lead Datamatics Business Solutions to continue to expand and deepen their industry offerings. Sumit’s passion for client success, together with his pragmatic and strategic perspective, has driven his global sales teams to focus on how to personalize their sales techniques to master the art of value-based selling. Join in the full hour-long conversation to get what could be equivalent to an accelerated MBA in sales by one of the most brilliant minds in the sales industry. What are the Steps of Value-based Selling? To set the context for our discussion, I wanted to hear from Sumit how he defines value-based selling and what keys to success he teaches his sales teams to attract and engage with today’s modern buyers. His insights are spot on when he says, “On the services side, especially, when you’re not selling a tangible thing, value-based pricing and selling is all about making sure that you’re able to get the client to understand the value of your offering. To do this requires sellers to take a very different approach. You must change the way you pitch and the way you land sales.” With our PVC Sales Methodology for prospecting, at Vengreso, we teach the importance of personalizing your sales outreach for every buyer interaction. This is critical if you have very different buyer personas that you engage with and at different times in the sales cycle.  Sumit agrees and with his work at Datamatics, they often have to navigate up to four different buyer personas with different buying needs, ranging from the lead generation side, to interfacing with accounting executives, all the way up to the Chief Operating Officer. To navigate this process, by driving value for each persona, Sumit recommends using a three-step approach that involves: Generating product and brand awareness through email marketing  Leveraging thought leadership or gated content to nurture leads Using proven sales and relationship building strategies to book the sales call Jump in the conversation to hear exactly how Sumit teaches his sales teams to implement these strategies to attract all of their modern B2B buyer personas. How do you Train Sellers to Succeed With Value-based Selling? In my 25+ years in sales, I’ve had my fair share of deals that fell through because the prospect couldn’t see the value in what we were offering.  That’s where doing your research before reaching out to a prospect is so important. The more you know about their specific pain points or business goals, the better positioned you will be to craft sales outreach messages that speak their language. You can read some of our best tips for cold emails!  I wanted to get Sumit’s unique perspective to see how he trains his sales teams to convey value in their sales conversations. He shares, “If you’re selling a service, then the buyer has to have a very high level of trust in the seller to feel comfortable taking that risk. They’re not buying something they can easily compare to a competitor. So, they have to believe that the seller can deliver on their promise. This is where storytelling can be so important. If you can tell a compelling story that is tailored to your buyer persona, to show them how you can change their world, then that gives you the upper hand.” Download the full discussion to hear what other specific strategies and resources Sumit shares that are a must for sales leaders in 2022. How Should Your Sales Team be Organized for Value-based Selling? At Vengreso, we invest heavily in the development and training of our sales team. And, we study the structure of our department to ensure that we have the right incentives in place to drive performance. As we enter into Q1 of 2022, I was curious to know what Sumit’s top value-based selling principles were for the year. From his perspective, he sees four key things being critical to enhancing how sales organizations master value-based selling: Define the value chain clearly so there is a single point of contact for each vertical Account managers should always think strategically and remain agile  All sales leaders and sales enablement staff must stay on the cutting edge of technology Sales teams need to remain focused on their objectives and analyze their results Listen to the full episode to hear the stealth value-based selling strategy I used to land a $50M deal with one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world! It’s a story you don’t want to miss.  Plus, Sumit shares more key insights regarding what sales metrics you need to track to see if you’re really using value-based selling the right way. This episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is brought to you by Leadfeeder, the leader in website visitor identification. Leadfeeder helps grow your sales pipeline by identifying and qualifying anonymous prospects visiting your website so you can spend less time prospecting and more time selling. 

The global pandemic that has stretched into its third year has seen not just a boom in digital sales but has ushered with it a change in how modern sellers can attract and engage with modern buyers. Traditional “spray and pray” methods that once worked, no longer have the same success rate, which has forced sales leaders to employ a new set of selling techniques. What exactly will work in 2022 for prospecting and building sales pipeline is the main topic of discussion I had with sales genius, Dan Tyre, in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. Dan Tyre, Director at HubSpot is one of the leading inbound marketing and sales experts on the planet. As a member of the original team in May of 2007, Dan has led the recruiting, training, and growth of HubSpot's sales team with vigor. Before HubSpot, Dan worked at four other startups of note: Businessland, as Area Director; ALI Technologies, as Founder & CEO; CelebraTech, as Co-Founder and VP of Sales; and Groove Networks, as Regional Manager. At HubSpot, Dan has pioneered the concept of alignment between sales and marketing known as "Smarketing," a core tenet of inbound marketing now followed by thousands of companies around the world. He's been instrumental in the creation and growth of several sales teams that are now thriving hives of activity at HubSpot. Dan continues to inspire and teach HubSpotters as a sales trainer, as a creator of the HubSpot Leadership program, as a blogger on the HubSpot blog. Dan’s infectious high energy, especially when he talks about ‘marketing’ is why I am so excited to welcome him as a guest on the Modern Selling Podcast. Download the full episode and get a taste of Dan’s genius as he discusses the top sales strategies to use in 2022 to crush prospecting and better convert leads into loyal customers. How has Sales changed since 2020? I’ve seen a rapid evolution, here at Vengreso, with more and more companies seeking out our digital sales training courses such as Modern Sales Mastery for Teams. However, I wanted to hear Dan’s insights and better understand the shifts he’s seen happening and what he anticipates to come next in the world of sales. Dan shares, “I’ve read that over 1M sales jobs will disappear in the next 18 months. With the Great Resignation, the way that companies do business will have to change. Sales are no exception to this either. So, it’s a must now than ever before to know how to be a better salesperson in 2022.” With my own sales teams, I’ve placed a heavy emphasis on making our sales calls, even if they are through Zoom, as interactive and engaging as possible. Modern buyers are much more sophisticated and skeptical than before, so finding ways to connect digitally with leads is critical to the success of the modern seller. Dan agrees, “Today we have to contend with the empowered buyer. This is someone who has done their research before they ever talk to a salesperson. They're going to know more about the basics of what they're looking to buy than they've ever had before and salespeople have to be ready to field in-depth questions.” Listen in to the conversation to hear what free sales resources Dan suggests that sales leaders have their teams complete to be successful in 2022. How to Win with Inbound Sales When it comes to finding data-driven ways to improve the sales process, Dan is the leading expert on what works and what will work well into the future. So, I asked him to share his expertise and insights on how sales teams can master the inbound sales process. Dan’s unique six characteristics of a winning sales process is something we all should study and look to implement as soon as possible: Treat people like human beings. According to Dan, the emphasis has to be on connecting with your prospect, instead of looking to pitch them to buy. Build rapport, to establish trust first and foremost. Look to help, not sell. As I always say, selling is the art of helping – and Dan agrees. As sales professionals, we have to look to provide a solution as opposed to selling a product or service. Focus beats bandwidth. Traditionally, sales teams would take a ‘spray and pray’ approach – going after volume in leads, instead of the quality of leads. Dan suggests honing in on one particular buyer persona and mastering selling to them first. Solve a problem. As with #2, when sales teams can offer solutions to their customers’ problems, then they’ll get much farther in their sales outreach attempts. Customer experience is the only sustainable advantage. Dan explains that the average company has 47 competitors in the marketplace. So chances are very good that someone offers the exact same service or product that you do. The difference for leads often comes down to the customer experience.  Manage sales data. This is where the role of Revenue Operations is so important. To learn more about this and AI-driven sales enablement, check out my podcast with Howard Brown. Dan provides a host of other tips and strategies you won’t want to miss. Tune into the full episode to hear his sales advice and what you should be doing now to stand out in your sales conversations. Strategies for Prospecting in 2022 While we were on the discussion of what’s likely to work in the future, I wanted Dan to share his perspective on prospecting. I know at Vengreso, over the past four years when we surveyed sales professionals, prospecting has continually been ranked as the hardest part of the sales cycle. In fact, out of 1,295 sales reps polled in November 2021, 69% of them said that prospecting was the most time-consuming step. So, I was curious to hear Dan’s advice based on his 40+ years of sales experience. The guidance he shared is very similar to what I teach our new sales reps in their onboarding training. Dan suggests that when prospecting, especially during cold calling to: Always stand up and smile – this helps you bring high energy and engagement to the call. Thank the prospect for answering the phone – how often are we thanked for picking up the phone? Dan says that this alone is a game-changer for sales reps. Introduce yourself and pause to hear their response – prospecting is your first chance to have a conversation with the hopes of building a relationship with your lead. There’s no better way to do this than to give your prospect plenty of opportunities to speak (without you launching into a full-blown sales pitch). Be sure to download this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast to learn more about the Sales Flywheel and why it can be a key differentiator for your sales teams in 2022.

The rise of sales enablement technology is fundamentally reshaping what sales leaders thought was possible. From providing real-time sales coaching insights to help reps improve their sales skills on the spot, to empowering sales organizations to use large volumes of data to elevate their sales processes – the sales game is changing! And, with the emergence of proven AI-powered sales tools like Revenue.io that make mastering the art of selling even easier, today’s modern seller is being equipped with more customized sales solutions than ever before. Exactly how innovative sales enablement technology can be leveraged to shift the capabilities of sales teams is the topic of discussion in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast. My guest, Howard Brown isn’t just a sales visionary, but his company is truly redefining how we collect, process, and analyze sales data to generate higher customer engagement and ultimately sales revenue. If you’re a sales enablement leader who is looking for ‘that’ next level tool or strategy to accelerate the development of your sales team, then this is not an episode to miss! Howard Brown is the founder and CEO of Revenue.io, a technology solution that powers sales, customer success and marketing teams, to deliver better performance with real time guidance and intelligence. As a three-time entrepreneur and former clinical psychologist, Howard's thought leadership on sales, entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence has been featured on Bloomberg TV, FOX Business, Forbes, Cheddar and elsewhere. Howard is also a faculty member of the Revenue Enablement Institute and was named one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs. That’s why I couldn’t be more excited to bring his incredible sales genius to the Modern Selling Podcast. Listen in to the full conversation to see how AI-powered tools like Revenue.io are giving sales teams an unshakable advantage to not just sell better, but to also be more effective with their sales training. How to Create The Exceptional Customer Experience In previous episodes of the Modern Selling Podcast, we covered the importance of creating an exceptional customer experience. But, I was curious to hear Howard’s perspective as it relates to the data that his company sees everyday. Howard explains, “I think that companies have lost focus on putting the buyer at the center of the sales conversation. After all, they have unlimited choices, so everything usually comes down to an exceptional customer experience. But, the challenge becomes how do you provide your sellers, your support team, your marketing team, and your employees with the tools and insights they need to make an exceptional customer experience possible – every time?” That’s the precise question that at Vengreso we strive to answer with our Modern Sales Mastery Course for Teams. It’s our view that by honing in on your customer personas that you can craft highly personalized customer interactions that not just convert prospects into customers, but that also nurtures and builds amazing customer relationships. The key, like Howard alludes to, is in building a robust and shared sales enablement strategy to coordinate all the pieces of data, insights, tools, and resources across all of your customer-facing departments. Jump into the episode and pay close attention to the 13-minute mark in the conversation to hear how Revenue.io meets the unique new challenges facing today’s modern seller. The Emerging Role of Revenue Operations  As the selling landscape has changed over the past 18 months during the pandemic, it has been interesting to see how sales organizations have tried to adapt. Here at Vengreso, as a digital sales training company, we were able to easily expand our video trainings, like our Video Sales Mastery, to help companies make the pivot from in-person to virtual sales training. However, there is still a growing challenge for so many organizations related to translating new training into new selling behaviors that move the needle and get results. This is no different as we go up the sales hierarchy to the C-level teams. So, I wanted to get Howard’s perspective on the growing importance of the Chief Revenue Officer and where he sees this role going in the near future.  “To be successful, a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) must have a strong grasp of sales, marketing, operations, and customer success and how they all work together,” Howard shares. “Too often, companies promote someone to CRO without ever considering if they fully understand all of the components that drive and can influence revenue.” That’s why in my perspective, the best CROs are those that have been VPs of sales and have an intimate understanding of the customer, the sales and marketing process, and how precisely to enhance everyone in the process to perform. Download and listen to the full episode to hear the three things Howard says every CRO must do to remove siloed reporting and analytics to scale their sales growth.  The Biggest Sales Enablement Challenge & How to Solve It It’s always difficult to find qualified sales professionals that have the skills they need coming in the door to dominate in a virtual selling environment. Add to that the extensive onboarding and training process that goes into getting a new sales rep ready to sell – there’s never enough time for sales coaching. I’ve seen here, at Vengreso, even with the extensive amount of coaching and on-the-job training we provide with our Modern Sales Mastery program, it still takes us 4-6 months to get a sales rep ready to handle the entire sales cycle from prospecting to deal close, on their own.  But, with new AI-powered technology like Revenue.io, I wanted to hear Howard’s insights into what sales enablement leaders and sales managers can do to lower the sales learning curve. Howard shares, “In order to do this ‘right’, you can’t just have anyone coach your sales reps. You want to look at ALL of the engagement data, the supervisory data, the coaching data, and take the outcome data to truly optimize and figure out what’s working and what’s not working. With Revenue.io, we get so granular with our data that we can tell you which coaches or sales managers are actually making their sales reps better and which ones are doing more harm.” This is such an incredible level of visibility that hasn’t been available before! And, by tracking coaching effectiveness across your organization, this becomes a much-needed resource that sales enablement leaders can use to maximize their team’s success. Join the full conversation and hear the unique coaching strategy we use at Vengreso to get our sales reps onboarded faster and ready to book more meetings and close more deals.

Prospecting has become one of the most difficult steps in the sales cycle. But, what can modern sellers do to turn the tide and get disinterested prospects to lean in and want to explore new solutions to their problems? That’s the question we set out to answer in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast with my special guest and prospecting guru, Tom Stanfill, as we explore the invaluable sales strategies he outlines in his new book, unReceptive: A Better Way to Sell, Lead, and Influence. Tom Stanfill is the CEO and Co-Founder of ASLAN Training, a global sales enablement company that provides sales training to a wide range of Fortune 500 clients including household names such as HP, Aflac, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and FedEx. ASLAN has served more than 100,000 sales professionals in over 35 countries.  For eight years in a row, Selling Power magazine, the premier industry publication for sales professionals, has named ASLAN as one of the nation’s top sales training companies. Mastering the art of sales conversations in an age when prospects are constantly experiencing information overload is why many tout Tom’s book, unReceptive: A Better Way to Sell, Lead, and Influence, as being the must-read in this post-pandemic marketplace. Be sure to listen in to the full conversation as we dive deeper into Tom’s sales methodologies that work to help modern sellers book more sales meetings, close more deals, and better engage modern buyers. Whether you’re a sales leader, a sales enablement manager, or an individual seller, there are lots of sales gems in this episode. Download it now to start listening. Why Is Traditional Selling Not Working? How we sell to modern buyers has drastically changed over the past two years. From in-person meetings having to quickly pivot to online Zoom calls, getting your prospect to open your sales emails or respond to your cold outreach attempts has become even more difficult. That’s why nearly 70% of sales reps acknowledge that prospecting is the most time-consuming part of the sales cycle. With buyers having so many options to choose from and the growing presence of what I call, digital pollution, bombarding B2B prospects with an endless drip of sales messages simply won’t work to more book sales meetings. So, to get to the heart of why traditional sales techniques are obsolete, I asked Tom to share some of his insights on the topic. “The research is really eye-opening because a customer’s willingness to work with a seller to evaluate their solution has declined 120% in the last three years. When a customer is emotionally closed, the traditional approach to selling and influencing doesn't work – it actually backfires. Because of the explosion of information, people are more isolated and they’re less receptive to any type of sales message,” Tom explains. Also, according to Tom, just 8% of sales reps have consistently met their quota over the last 24 months. So, the question then becomes: what should modern sellers be doing to move the sales needle to get the attention of the unreceptive prospect? His detailed answer is quite telling, so be sure to tune for the full conversation to hear his response and the strategy he says works to 2x the number of booked sales meetings. How Do You Win Over Unreceptive Prospects? I wanted to get to the heart of what’s working to get the disengaged prospect to at least be open to an initial conversation. At Vengreso, with our Modern Sales Mastery program, we teach sales leaders and reps to lead with personalization and value – not hardcore selling, if they want to authentically engage and build relationships with their prospects and customers. However, what’s equally important is to leverage the art of social selling to reach prospects where they are with messages that speak to what they are trying to achieve or what problem they are looking to solve. Tom adds to this methodology, with an insightful piece of sales advice, “There’s a natural amount of tension in a sales conversation, just by the nature that you are trying to sell them something. But, when you ‘drop the rope’ as I call it and acknowledge that maybe your solution isn’t the best fit for them, now you’ll start to see them open up because they don’t feel like you’re selling them anymore.” We take a similar approach in our PVC sales methodology, where we teach sellers that the goal isn’t to pitch your product and to convince the prospect to buy. Rather, the real goal of a sales conversation is to listen, gather information about their pain points, and equip the prospect with the key information they need to see that your offering can address their needs. Download and listen to the entire episode to hear how Tom applies his ‘drop the rope’ method to a real-world selling scenario. Even this part of the conversation alone can help sales teams get better results. How Should Modern Sellers Approach the Sales Conversation? I wanted to get Tom’s point of view on what sales reps really should be saying and doing to book more sales meetings, if prospects are more unreceptive now than ever before. “Here's a simple thing that makes it super easy to get a meeting. If you want to get a meeting, you get somebody's attention, you lead with what's on their whiteboard... It’s either something they want or a problem they have in getting what they want that will always get their attention. But here's the hard part, you may not know what's on their whiteboard. So, that’s where the real work starts.” Tom’s insights were music to my sales ears! With our digital sales methodology, we teach that effective prospecting is all about doing good research. Modern sellers must know what keeps their prospects up at night and what pressing problems are they looking to solve right now. The more tuned in you are to your prospect’s needs, the more equipped you’ll be to craft sales messages that get replies and have sales conversations that turn into closed deals. Tom also shares his unique “Because You” strategy that works to reposition the sales conversation away from selling and more toward solution providing. According to Tom, implementing this one technique has resulted in sales reps doubling their number of closed deals. Want to get in on the sales action? Be sure to pay close attention around the 35-minute mark to hear how Tom’s “Because You” sales strategy works. Click here to download the full episode and join the conversation now. This episode of The Modern Selling Podcast was brought to you by OrgChartHub. The B2B purchasing process can be quite complex. OrgChartHub seamlessly integrates into your existing HubSpot account, giving your sales team the ability to immediately map out the key decision makers, so you can get to a “Yes!” – even faster. It takes just two clicks to get set up – try out OrgChartHub today!

I’m doing things a little differently with this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast. Because instead of me interviewing a guest, I want to share an interview I did with Ethan Beute and Steven Pacinelli of BombBomb as part of their The Customer Experience Podcast. We had a great in-depth discussion on customer success, prospecting, and how to master the art (and science) of modern sales. Plus, I shared more insights from the book I co-authored with this dynamic duo called Human-Centered Communication: A Business Case Against Digital Pollution. Be sure to listen in to the full conversation to hear some actionable strategies that work to elevate your customer experience and even some tips on how to find results-driven salespeople.  Why is the customer experience so important? Here at Vengreso, we go above and beyond to make sure our customers are taken care of. For one simple reason: sales isn’t just about closing a deal. The art of modern selling is about understanding the feelings, the experiences, and the perceptions that your customers have about your brand. And, customer experience doesn’t start when they reach out to ask a question. Every touchpoint you have with your customer and every opportunity you have to engage with them is a chance to build a relationship. I always say that customer experience is the sum of all interactions that a customer has, with an organization and its people over the life of that relationship – starting from the first time they visit your website, all the way through to becoming an actual customer.  But, it gets even deeper than that.  In this episode, I explain one commonly overlooked component of the customer experience and why it’s so critical not to ignore it, if you want to have customers come back again and again. Download this episode and listen until the end so you don’t miss a single important insight. Where is customer experience headed in the future? Ethan and Steven asked me to share my thoughts on the future of customer service, what it is now, and what it will likely evolve into over the next decade. Here at Vengreso we recently hired a new Chief Customer Officer who oversees the entire customer journey and looks for ways to enhance every single touchpoint we have with our customers. When I break down the structure of most sales organizations, the sales teams focus on finding prospects, while the customer service teams often are tasked to oversee all of the post-sales activities and onboarding. In most structures, the customer service department is not required to sell but rather just nurture and maintain the customer relationship. I see this changing where the Chief Customer Officer will be involved in account management and to be successful they’ll need to know how to sell to either get customers to renew or upgrade. Check out the conversation, particularly around 21:30 to hear a rather unique perspective I share on the difference between the art and the science of selling. Plus, I walk through an example to illustrate why customer service will need to become a hybrid support and selling position. What is a prosumer? If you haven’t heard this term before, then welcome to the new age of the prosumer. A prosumer is a professional consumer.  That means they will do their due diligence, read reviews, ask for personal recommendations, scour through your website – all before they ever reach out for a sales call. In essence, the prosumer has already carefully vetted and narrowed down their options, so they know who can help them and exactly what they’re looking for. The prosumer has quickly become the new norm. Information sharing and fact-checking is how people shop now and it won’t change anytime in the near future. But, it’s also how sales teams and sales organizations will need to adapt. We’re living in a world that’s heavily driven by data, so we know when people click, where they click – now we just need to perfect our understanding of how to pitch them based on what they may already know about us. The key here will always be in bringing value to the sales conversation, especially with prosumers. If they’ve reached out then you’ve likely made their shortlist. Now, it’s the salesperson’s chance to wow them with personalization and follow up. About halfway through this episode, I share a key strategy I have my sales reps do right before they get on a call to talk with an inbound lead that makes sure they position the conversation to close the deal. How do you identify good sales reps in the hiring process? What should sales managers be looking for? These are probably THE most important questions a sales leader can ask, especially now as you consider expanding your sales teams. When we hire a new salesperson, we take them through a detailed group panel style interview that I like to refer to as “reverse selling”. This is a critical part of our recruiting process that allows us to determine if, in fact, the sales candidate has the sales skills, the acumen, and the proactive attitude we need on our team. Here’s how it works… Before the group interview, we send the candidate a detailed 4-5 paragraph write up of what to expect and what they will be required to do. Essentially, we aren’t asking them questions, they have to present themselves to us answering the single most important question: “Why should we hire you?” We often pull between 10-20 people from our companies, across all departments, to have them sit in and rate the candidate because they have a vested interest in who we hire as well. It’s always fascinating to me how poorly people perform in this step of the interviewing process. Especially because there’s a clear way to ‘hack’ our panel interview and know exactly what criteria or parts of their presentation to hit to do well.  I won’t share the details here, but you can find how a candidate could (and should) follow the digital bread crumbs we put out to beat us at our own reverse selling game. You can find that cool tip right around the 27-minute mark.  But, don’t skip any of the conversation because Ethan, Steven, and I go deep into this much-needed discussion so you can have what you need to enhance your customers’ experience.

When it comes to selling to the modern buyer, there are so many new and intricate complexities to navigate. From how to leverage social selling techniques, to how to craft an email that gets you a booked sales call, to the best way to handle a sales conversation without selling – modern sellers have their work cut out for them. But, in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, we’re throwing in emotional dynamics into the mix and exploring how sales leaders must use emotional intelligence (EQ) to better engage buyers. This conversation will go deeper than just reading body language. Because my expert guest, Dan Hill, will review all of the incredible distinctions you need to know to not miss a single emotional cue in your next sales conversation. Dan Hill, is the Founder of Sensory Logic, market researcher, podcast host of the New Books Network (NBN), and the world’s leading emotional dynamics expert. Dan pioneered the use of facial coding in business which has become a game-changer for sales organizations worldwide. For the past 20+ years, Sensory Logic has used facial coding to capture and quantify emotional responses in conducting market research for the world’s largest B2C companies. Dan’s industry-changing insights have been routinely featured in annual conferences, spanning now 25 different countries, where he has provided expert guidance to everyone from leading politicians, athletes, and cultural figures, to analyzing England's royal family. So, when it comes to knowing the emotional language of selling – Dan’s genius is truly unmatched! Download the full episode and tune in because the strategies Dan shares in the first 15 minutes alone will change how you approach your next sales call. How Does Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Apply to Sales?    With so much to cover this episode, I jumped right in to get Dan’s thoughts on emotional intelligence and if it really played an important role in how we sell to the modern buyer. Dan breaks down emotional intelligence – or aptly termed ‘EQ’ – into three crucial questions: Are you able to perceive emotions around you? (Yes, even in a Zoom call!) What is the significance of the emotions you perceive? How can you manage your own emotions and adapt them accordingly?  The key is to master #3 so you can carve out an unshakable advantage over your competition. Because when the emotions around you are intense (i.e. an angry customer), you’re able to read the room, know what the emotions mean, and respond in a way that de-escalates the situation to achieve a faster resolution. The important thing to note here is that EQ is equally important even in completely digital environments where you may be meeting someone for the first time across a computer screen. To illustrate how enhancing your EQ skills can help you navigate a tense customer situation, listen in around the 10-minute mark for a story I share about a recent (and unexpected) customer interaction and how I used EQ principle #3 to keep my cool. How Does the EQ Approach Apply to Interacting with Customers?  I wanted to get clearer on how Emotional Intelligence can (and should) shape how we interact with customers, especially in a digital environment. At Vengreso, we often teach a lot about setting the right tone early on in a sales conversation and giving prospects numerous touchpoints to get to know who we are. That’s why leveraging videos in your sales emails can be such an effective sales tool. Videos enable the buyer to see who you are and to create an instant connection with you. But, what Dan shared in regards to EQ and its role in the sales call was so important, “People have observable patterns that we can look out for. If I’m a salesperson on a call, I’m immediately looking for any patterns that tell me who I might be dealing with. I might pick up on cues that tell me about who they are or I could be picking up on cues that tell me how they’re feeling at that moment. That way I can narrow down my emotional playbook to know how to respond and to adjust my emotional cues in the conversation.” As a sales leader, it’s so critical to be able to take that emotional temperature really quickly and pivot however you need to, to meet your prospect where they are.  Make sure to tune into the full conversation to hear the specific visual cues to look out for that could quickly indicate that your prospect is uncertain or questioning moving forward. Plus, at 23:50, I share an easy way to instantly build trust in a Zoom conversation. It literally takes just 3 seconds to do, but many sales professionals aren’t doing it – and missing out on converting skeptical prospects into trusted customers. Does EQ Change How We Write Sales Emails? At Vengreso, we’re advocates of short emails that drive value for the prospect. In fact, our research has found that subject lines with fewer than six words and emails no longer than 111 words perform consistently better than longer sales emails.    In our prospecting article, we dive into a host of other important nuisances to consider when writing sales emails to engage prospects to set up an initial sales call.    It was refreshing to hear Dan’s guidance from an emotional dynamics perspective, “I’m always surprised at how many people misread emails. They’re likely in a hurry or don’t read the entire email, which can be very problematic because there are no other emotional cues for them to pick up on in an email. The average person looks at a printed ad for 1.7 seconds, which is why I always tell my clients don't assume that people read past the first 4 words of an email.”   That’s why we’re big champions of personalization at every communication touchpoint. Even adding the prospect’s name to the subject line of an email is a highly effective way to grab their attention and get them to open and read what you’ve sent. To learn more personalization tips and strategies, be sure to check out our The PVC Sales Methodology.   And, don’t miss out on the full discussion with Dan Hill as we dive even deeper into what sales organizations can do to incorporate more emotional intelligence into the sales prospecting process to book more calls and to close more deals.   This episode of The Modern Selling Podcast was brought to you by OrgChartHub. The B2B purchasing process can be quite complex. OrgChartHub seamlessly integrates into your existing HubSpot account, giving your sales team the ability to immediately map out the key decision makers, so you can get to a “Yes!” – even faster. It takes just two clicks to get set up – try out OrgChartHub today!

What separates a good customer experience from a great one that instantly attracts repeat business? That’s the question we’re diving into in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast. My guest, Shep Hyken, is nothing short of the Godfather of Customer Experience – having authored eight books on the subject and working with hundreds of thousands of clients to elevate their service to turn repeat customers into lifelong brand fans. Listen in to the in-depth conversation, to hear the actionable advice and strategies Shep shares that can keep your customers wanting to come back for more. Shep Hyken, is a Hall of Fame speaker, New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, and the CAO (Chief Amazement Officer) of Shepard Presentations. As a customer service and experience expert and keynote speaker, Shep works with companies that want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. His focus is on delivering amazing customer service, customer engagement, managing the customer experience and creating customer loyalty. In his newest book, I’ll Be Back: How to Get Customers to Come Back Again and Again Shep outlines the must-have tools, tactics, and strategies companies need to recession-proof their business by providing unmatched customer experiences. Make sure to download this episode to get the inside scoop on what you should be doing to build a raving tribe of extremely loyal customers. The New Era of Customer Service In sales we’ve experienced a shift in how we reach and engage with prospects in this new modern buyer’s market. But, I wanted to get clear on what Shep saw as the transition that’s happening (or needs to happen) in order to nurture customers along their buying journey. He shares, “Things haven't changed the customers that we service, they still want to be taken care of. And, when they're finished with whatever the interaction is, they want to be happy.” At Vengreso, we teach the art of modern selling and how these sales principles can cut across all departments within your organization. Because when you are “selling with service” many of the ideas and techniques that work in prospecting and sales can (and should) be translated to the customer service teams. For example, if your prospects have a stellar experience with the sales team and then commit to buy from you. But, then experience lackluster customer service and decide to never buy from you again, then your teams are in essence working against each other. That’s why Shep says, “Sales leaders need to recognize that no matter what business they’re in, customers are always benchmarking their experiences based on the best service or experience they've had from other businesses in the marketplace.” So, if they’re accustomed to fast, overnight delivery (thanks to Amazon) or superior flight experiences (à la Southwest), then these become the new standards by which your business is judged on in terms of customer service. Tune into the entire conversation to hear what Shep says differentiates a mediocre customer experience from one that will instantly turn customers into brand champions. And, why videos are a great strategy to connect with your customers on an intimate level. What’s the Most Important Customer Service Metric? For sales leaders, key metrics and data reign supreme! Which is why, here at Vengreso, our prospecting process is rooted in knowing our sales numbers and looking at what is really driving more booked calls and more sales conversions. But, I wanted to get Shep’s take on what data is the most important for customer service to track and analyze. His answer wasn’t what most people think, “So many customer service people focus on Net Promoter Scores by asking the question: On a scale from 1 to 10, are you likely to recommend us? However, the key metric to track is rather customer behavior – did they actually recommend you?” Studying customer behavior is such a critical component, not just for customer service but also for sales. I always champion that it’s important to know who your best customers are, what they are buying from you, and why they choose you over your competitors. That way you can infuse those key differentiators into your prospecting scripts on the front end and on the back end, when they’re customers, you can keep giving them more of what they love about you. Shep agrees,“When you look at it, typically 80% of business comes from 20% of your customers. So, study their behavior and get clear on what you need to do to move as many customers into that top 20% because that's where you’ll get repeat customers that become loyal customers.” Make sure to listen in to the full conversation – especially around the 17 minute mark – to hear the perfect way to handle a customer complaint. What Really Shapes The Customer Service Experience? How you treat your customers is often what can propel a company to become an industry leader. However, so many organizations fail to do what it takes to deliver an exceptional customer experience. I wanted to see what Shep thought separates those who struggle to keep customers from those who can instantly attract them and keep them coming back for more. “Amazement in terms of customer experience is within reach for every company – big and small. It’s not about being over the top, it's about providing consistent and predictable experiences that customers can depend on.” It’s what Shep calls knowing how to master the “moments of magic” that wins customers over again and again. But, how you handle the “moments of misery” will also define your ability to retain those top 20% of customers. Tackling those “moments of misery” is what Shep has studied for years and why he recommends using this easy 5-step approach: Apologize – saying “I’m sorry” goes a long way in the customer’s mind. Acknowledge – recognize that an error or miscommunication has occurred. Fix it – work to find a resolution for the customer and keep them informed. Own it – take ownership of what has happened and seek to fix – not to blame. Act with urgency – customers want swift action, so give it to them every time.  This is such a great example of a framework that may require actions from various departments. Which is why I say the customer journey must be owned by not just sales, or the customer service team – but by all levels of the organization. Download the episode to hear the “train wreck” customer service story I share and what Shep recommends should have been done. This episode of The Modern Selling Podcast was brought to you by OrgChartHub, a sales tool that integrates into HubSpot, giving your sales team the ability to be more strategic, map out buyers, reporting structures, and identify the role of each buying influencer within an account.

In the very one-dimensional sales world that many sales teams currently operate in, it’s becoming harder to increase the number of high-quality leads, book more sales calls, and boost conversion rates. That’s why the sales conversation must shift from “spray and pray” methods to sales strategies that leverage the art of human-centered communication. In this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, I tackle this interesting topic of how to humanize the sales journey with two of the leading experts in the field, Ethan Beute and Steven Pacinelli. Listen in to the full conversation, so you don’t miss a single sales insight from this powerhouse duo’s new book, Human-Centered Communication: A Business Case Against Digital Pollution. I recently had the privilege to be included in their book and contribute my unique perspectives on the topic of video sales strategies (see page 133!). Here’s a little more about this episode’s expert guests: Ethan Beute is the Chief Evangelist at the video messaging company, BombBomb, host of The Customer Experience Podcast, and co-author of the books, Rehumanize Your Business and Human-Centered Communication. For the past decade, Ethan has helped business professionals cultivate “video relationships” with their prospects to rapidly grow sales and build loyal customer followings. If Ethan’s insights weren’t already more than enough, he was joined by Steven Pacinelli, BombBomb’s Chief Marketing Officer. Steven Pacinelli has a very diverse background where he’s served as a Sales Manager, a Vice President of Events, and the National Speaker for Realtor.com, delivering presentations to more than 1,000 audiences. Known for his innovative sales and marketing strategies, Steven has consistently been named a Top 20 Social Influencer, according to the Swanpoel Report. Make sure to download this episode to catch the innovative personalization and human-centered strategies that Ethan and Steven recommend to move the sales needle. What Are Sales Teams Getting Wrong? Video messaging platforms, like BombBomb, are on the forefront of revolutionizing how sales teams accelerate prospecting and get more ‘hellos’. In fact, a Vengreso survey found that 69% of sellers reported that prospecting was the hardest part of sales. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. I asked Ethan and Steven, “what’s the biggest issue with prospecting that you see?” Their answer was exactly what I detailed in my chapter of Human-Centered Communication. Ethan believes that, “Most prospects don’t know who you are or if they can trust you. Salespeople are asking them to book an appointment, but there’s instant resistance because they don’t know anything about you, your product, or your service. So, it really becomes, how do you break through this increasingly noisy and polluted digital environment?” This is why part of our Vengreso prospecting method is to intentionally build trust first to foster engagement before shifting to focus on building the relationship and then generating revenue. The only challenge I’ve found is that many sales teams are not intentional or conscious about what they're doing and as a result they inevitably frustrate, confuse, or annoy their prospects.  Instead, we teach our sales leaders to start with empathy and consider what the prospect’s major pain points are, so they can deploy a host of personalization strategies to better engage and drive more value-driven sales conversations. Steven has a lot to share on this topic of prospecting, “The goal in sales should be to answer the question: How can we approach our work in such a way that we put our prospects’ wants and needs on a level playing field as our desires, as the sellers?” To hear Steven’s detailed answer, join the conversation to hear what he says are THE best tactical, mindset, and sales strategies to produce better outcomes, forge stronger relationships, and produce more sales revenue. What Is Digital Pollution? This is a unique concept introduced in the first chapter of Human-Centered Communication. So, I had to ask Ethan and Steven to clarify what is and how sales teams can avoid polluting their prospect pools. According to Ethan, “digital pollution” is something we all have experienced, as consumers. Digital pollution is the onslaught of irrelevant, unsolicited, and impersonal sales messages from a company you likely have never heard from, trying to convince you to buy a ‘thing’ you’re not even sure you have a need for. I asked Ethan to explain more about the impact that digital pollution is having on buyer behavior.  He shares, “All of this digital pollution leaves consumers in a place of constant distrust. Can they really click on the link in the email without their data being compromised? So, they live with their guards up all the time. As sales professionals, we don’t want to intentionally pollute this digital sales space. Instead, we want to drive value during every sales touchpoint.” This points back to the importance of knowing how to personalize your sales communications. We go deep into the topic of hyper-personalization in my interview with Michael Labate.  To tune into this episode with Ethan and Steven to hear firsthand what they recommend sales professionals do to not be digital polluters. Is Video Communication Critical in Sales & Marketing?  I’m a big proponent of sales enablement technology, especially tools like our auto text expander FlyMSG. However, unless proper sales training is conducted, many sales teams lack the understanding to effectively use the tools and technology at their fingertips. And, one of those sales strategies that is being severely underutilized is video. This is why we created an entire suite of training to help sales teams build Video Sales Mastery that drives more sales conversations. Because according to Cisco, 80% of the world’s web traffic is driven by video consumption. However, although marketers identify video-based messaging as being a top marketing initiative, sales leaders aren’t dedicating time or resources to using this medium. I was curious to get the duo’s perspective on what may be causing the marketing and sales disconnect and why video was such an important part of prospecting that every modern seller could use. Steven explains, “Video puts a face in front of your prospects, which gives your message a more human feel. And, if you have a solid message, that's welcomed by the recipient, that's valuable to them, and you do it through video with passion and conviction – then video can easily move the sales conversation forward.” Make sure to listen to the full episode to hear Steven’s unique example of how sales teams can use personalized videos to get prospects to lean in and ready to book a sales call.

To sell to the new digital consumer, sales leaders must shift the sales conversations from being focused on what they’re selling to understanding the prospect’s unique story. But, knowing how to make this transition can be challenging for sales organizations. In this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, sales strategist, John Smibert and I explore this topic and cover the right strategies to use to drive this new (and more powerful) sales conversation.  Make sure to listen to the full episode to get all of the important ‘storytelling’ recommendations John shares that can help sales organizations get better sales results. John Smibert is the Founder of Sales Leader Forum, Sales Masterminds APAC, and the author of The Wentworth Prospect, a page-turning sales novel written to help organizations achieve B2B sales mastery. As a global sales leader for almost 40 years, and the creator of the Authentic Selling program and the EDVANCE sales model – John is passionate about enhancing the professionalism of salespeople and sales teams. His peer-to-peer network, Sales Leader Forum, hosts a variety of online events designed to bring together sales leaders to share ideas, collaborate, and to get expert mentorship. In our conversation, we dive into his book, get John’s insights on the world of complex B2B selling, and learn more about what he believes sales leaders must do to get prospects leaning in and ready to buy. Download this episode to hear what actionable strategies you can implement today to generate big wins for your sales team.  What’s Complex B2B Selling? Getting to the key decision maker is as much about research as it is about crafting the right sales strategy. In our Modern Sales Mastery course, we teach how to do prospecting, the power of video selling, and what modern B2B sales really looks like. Although B2B sales is a popular sales training topic, the idea of “complex B2B” was a brand new concept that John shared in our conversation. I was curious to know what makes ‘complex B2B’ different and what specific implications it has on how modern sales teams should be trained.  John’s perspective is quite interesting, “Complex B2B is selling business-to-business, where the buyer has 4+ decision makers and as a result, the seller has to bring together different components to create a multifaceted solution.” Sounds tricky? It absolutely is! This is why sales leaders are flocking to John’s book, The Wentworth Prospect, to learn the unique approaches to mastering complex B2B sales.  Make sure to join the conversation to hear how John’s unique approach to sales conversations and what most salespeople accidentally do that often sabotages the sale. How Do You Really Master the B2B Sales Game? Knowing the ins and outs of sales is what we do here at Vengreso. We offer a wide range of digital sales training programs to help individuals and sales teams have more conversations, increase sales engagement, and get higher conversions. But, I wanted to get John’s take on what he sees working in B2B sales right now. “Customers do not want to hear about your product until the time is right. Sales leaders must develop the skills and capability to have the right conversation with prospects. A conversation that doesn’t make their product the focal point.” Which is why one of the biggest struggles I see is that sales professionals often don’t know how to shape the sales conversations without pitching what they’re selling. However, if the sales conversation is restructured in a way to lead the prospect toward the solution on their own, the sales outcome can and will be very different. So, I asked John how he suggested the initial conversation be handled. “Salespeople must take the customer through a discovery process to think through their problem and their issues first. Then lead the customer to consider a new way of thinking that later will spark the miraculous ‘AHA’ moment and make the seller’s product the hero of the story.” That’s just the beginning of our in-depth conversation on this topic, be sure to tune in to hear the 3 key steps salespeople must take to do discovery the right way. How do you structure a ‘good’ sales conversation? In my experience, especially during the pandemic, sales organizations have struggled to implement modern selling techniques that meet their buyers’ demands. Rather than using hyper-personalization strategies, many sales leaders continue to fall back on outdated sales methods that are making it even easier for prospects to say “NO!” So, to get to the heart of what really works to move prospects along the buyer’s journey, I ask John to share his EDVANCE sales framework. His sales conversation process has three main ‘phases’: E – Engage. Sales reps must fully understand the prospects' problems or challenges. This can be pulled out through open-ended questions designed to get at the core of the prospect’s story. D – Disrupt. The goal of sales conversations is to weaponize the sales rep with information to help them move the prospect closer to considering a new way of thinking.  VA – Value. Up until this stage of the sales conversation, the product has not been discussed. If the other steps of the sales process have been executed correctly, then the prospect will naturally see the value that the seller’s solution can offer. This portion of our conversation is a must-listen because John breaks down exactly what modern sales teams need to do to move the needle. [HINT: It’s not talking about their product!] Pay particular attention to what I share at 27:33 so you can get the inside scoop on Vengreso’s sales conversation questions that get our prospects to lean all the way in.  Make sure to download the full episode and start listening right now. This episode of The Modern Selling Podcast was brought to you by OrgChartHub, a sales tool that integrates into HubSpot, giving your sales team the ability to be more strategic, map out buyers, reporting structures, and identify the role of each buying influencer within an account. 

Sinking time and money into outdated sales techniques is why so many organizations are struggling to increase their results.  That’s why the question should shift to focus on how to implement the most cutting-edge sales tools to identify prospects faster and nurture deeper relationships. My guest in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast is a tech-savvy sales leader who has his finger on the pulse of modern sales in the digital age. Make sure to tune into my in-depth conversation with the one and only Michael Labate to get a digital front row seat to the incredible social selling tools, strategies, and insights he’s using to 3x the sales conversations of his team. Michael Labate, North American President of Intellias has a remarkable career spanning over two decades in various industries including Technology, Banking, and Sales & Marketing, serving midsize and large enterprise clients.  Combining his extensive business background with his Executive MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Michael was instrumental at SAP, and, now Intellias, in establishing profitable revenue-enabling and revenue-generating business activities across regions with a focus on digital sales strategy, innovation, go-to-market, and operational excellence. The incredible insights Michael shares in this episode are exactly what sales leaders need to quickly gain an insider's advantage to master the art of social selling. Download this episode so you can hear how mastering social selling can land sales teams 100% better leads for 50% of the cost. How to adapt to remote selling the right way. The pandemic has changed how sales leaders are approaching customer touchpoints, for the first time in some organizations.  So, I was curious to know what Michael has seen emerging in this space and what Intellias, a global enterprise, has done to adapt to remote selling. Michael shares, “If the pandemic did anything, it accelerated what I call social selling – it's broader than just social – it also includes the social tools and technologies behind doing this… For Intellias, it was a major adaptation we had to make. There was some of this in place, but never implemented in the North American market.” Even for sales teams with large technology budgets, it can be challenging to make that shift to more social-driven outreach in the current virtual selling world. Plus, without the right digital transformation training, many sales leaders have a host of remote sales tools and strategies but lack the clear vision to know how to execute. Michael encountered a similar challenge with moving Intellias into leveraging social selling. He solved that with mandatory sales leadership training, like the courses we offer here at Vengreso, for example, our Modern Sales Mastery program. “We had to establish baselines to see how well we were actually doing. We noticed very quickly, with doing online engagement, that being proactive and moving the conversation from email or phone call to social platforms that we started seeing a significant uplift in our results. But, we had to invest in training first.” Tune into the full episode to hear what Michael recommends that sales leaders and executives do before making the remote selling leap. Does remote selling work for every customer segment? At Vengreso, we always promote hyper-personalization in sales – no matter the client, like we do following our PVC sales methodology. And, I was curious to hear Michael’s approach and if he saw Intellias moving back toward using more traditional sales methods, at some point in the future. His answer is exactly why selecting the right sales strategy for your customer segments is so important. “We have both SMB and enterprise clients. On the SMB side, social selling drives these important interactions, especially since we are doing a lot of cross-border outreach. But, on the enterprise side, the initial outreach is not happening on LinkedIn, it's happening very differently…” Listen to the episode (particularly around the 15-minute mark) to hear Michael’s actionable advice on how to approach enterprise prospects in the digital age to consistently nail sales meetings. What are sales leaders really missing? Sales data proves that the fastest way to get into someone’s office is not through a cold call or a cold email, but rather through a referral. Yet, despite 60% of referrals resulting in a sales conversation, it always amazes me how many sales leaders don't start an outbound cadence with the referral. This is such an important sales tool that so many teams aren’t using that could powerfully move the needle on their company’s growth. At Vengreso, our longest article is about prospecting and it outlines why the first step of any outbound cadence must be securing a digital referral.  After all, why go after new business with cold outreach, when you can easily tap into the network you have at your fingertips? I wanted to pick Michael’s brain and see what he believed was holding sales leaders back from using the power of referral. His insight was very telling, “When I ask sales leaders this same question, I often hear that it takes time to try to find that referral… sales executives are up against quota, so they’d rather ‘spray and pray’ because they think it’s easier or faster.” That’s why Michael highly recommends that sales leaders take a very unique approach to get better sales referrals.  Check out the episode to hear the strategy Michael uses to get more quality referrals – in less time. How do you win the cold outreach game? I knew if anyone could answer this question, it would be Michael. In our conversation, I asked him to share some of the data he’s collected within a global sales engine that points to what’s really working in cold outreach. Because I’m always surprised when I speak to experienced sales leadershow much emphasis they place on the number of dials they can make in a day. That’s not what we consider modern selling at Vengreso.  Instead, we focus on targeting specific accounts, with varied buyer personas and using that to make hyper-personalized outreach to a highly selective group. The data Michael shares validates that point too, “We tracked the likelihood that an outreach method would produce a strong lead over an entire year. The data says it all. Our cold calls had a 0.15% success rate, generic automated emails bumped up to 0.3%, highly personalized emails jumped up to 1% success rate, but LinkedIn was closer to 2.5-3%!” This new discussion around social selling is so powerful and immediately relevant for ALL sales leaders. We dive deeper into conquering cold outreach on LinkedIn throughout this entire episode. So, make sure to tune in to hear Michael’s approach to social selling and how you can use it to consistently book more sales meetings. What’s the modern selling wave of the future? Almost by accident, Michael shared this powerful statistic, “This method was 50% cheaper but it  produced 100% more inbound responses.” So, naturally, I had to know what he was referencing. Michael calls it intent- or signal-based outreach and according to his results, it is THE best way to win the remote selling game. His approach to intent-based outreach follows five key steps: Identify a source to provide intent-based data. Look for trends in who is searching on key parameters. Based on the data, put these contacts into an immediate outreach sequence. Leverage integration tools to target these audiences with specific sales messaging. Follow-up with personalized messages that speak to the pain points (that you know they have). In today’s technology-driven world, it seems like a straightforward framework to follow, especially when you deploy tools like Bombora and Zoominfo. When you look closely at the sales data – intent-based outreach becomes even more of a no-brainer approach to at least try.  According to Michael, “When you use this targeted approach and reach out with messages that are hyper-personalized to people that you know have a problem that you can solve, then I’ve seen response rates shoot up another 1-2%.”  But, this is just the tip of the social selling iceberg. Listen to the entire episode to hear Michael’s top 10 must-have sales tools that he’s used to quickly expand Intelllias into North America and beyond – using powerful social selling.  If you get anything out of this episode, the 10 minutes on this topic alone is well worth the listen!

Automation is the path of the future, especially for sales companies. But, knowing how to automate sales outreach the right way is where so many companies are falling short. My guest on this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast is an avid technologist and sales futurist who has mastered the science of fully automating fast-growing sales. Make sure to listen to the entire conversation with Justin ‘TQ’ Michael as he walks us through the most proven automation strategies that no one else in the industry is talking about (or even using). Justin Michael, Co-founder of HYPCCCYCL & Salesborgs, is the automation consultant companies call for highly-targeted RevOps and GTM strategies that work. Having coined the term ‘Technology Quotient’, his ingenious approaches have helped Fortune 100 companies like Salesforce and LinkedIn crack the top funnel with tech stack optimization. His 20+ years of experience revolutionizing sales development itself, has exploded the growth of hundreds of cutting-edge technology startups.  That’s why I’m so excited to bring his Technology Quotient brilliance to The Modern Selling Podcast and have him share the incredible insights from his new book, Tech Powered Sales. Listen to this episode to get an inside scoop into what’s really working in automation and what key principles you should be applying right now to put your sales results on autopilot. Where’s the Gap in Sales Automation Right Now? What I love about Justin is that he’s a practitioner, not just a theorist. So, the automation strategies he shared in this episode come backed with vetted research and real B2B market testing. That’s important because one of the biggest challenges that sales organizations are having today is that they buy technology, but they struggle in leveraging and implementing it.  Or, they blindly rely on tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator to make superficial connections that don’t lead to sales meetings or better prospect engagement. That’s why I always say, “a fool with a tool is still a fool.” Because it’s not always about what high tech system you have for automation, if you’re not maximizing how you use it. So, I asked Justin what trend he sees emerging in the market and why Tech Powered Sales is such a timely read for sales companies looking to win the automation game.  “Automation is getting very elaborate. I do a lot of hyper-customizing, but I realized that there weren’t many resources out there available to companies that provided real examples of sequences and cadences that worked. Tech Powered Sales has everything you need to know what to do and how.” Listen to the full conversation to hear where Justin recommends getting free tech stack resources and what sales companies should be putting in automation sequences to get better results. How Do You Nail a Cold Outreach Email? At Vengreso, we have an innovative omnichannel strategy, we call it the PVC Sales Methodology, to how we approach cold outreach and prospecting. I was curious to hear Justin’s thoughts on our process and what he found that works to drive higher sales engagement. Justin says, “The problem with automation is that you're telling your prospect that they’re getting a sequence from a machine, when all you need to do is hyper-personalize… then people will believe that you're a human and be more willing to take the meeting.” I think that’s such an important point! Today’s modern buyer expects to receive computer generated responses and emails. So, when we can break through the ‘robotic white noise’ with a message that feels “human”, the results can be incredible. But, what really surprised me was Justin’s recommendation on the length of a cold email.  In our sales training and virtual sales programs, we teach students that 111 words or less, for an email, is the optimal length to shoot for. That’s because it takes 40 seconds to read, which is the average time span spent on a digital task. However, Justin found that the sweet spot for his automation systems is under 100 words and no more than three sentences! Now that’s hard.  Join in the eye-opening conversation to see what other key insights Justin shares that will help sales teams land more meetings even with the coldest audiences.  How Do You Nail the Right Email Sequence? Getting through SPAM filters and into your prospects inbox is just one small part of the sales outreach battle. Because driving clicks and booking meetings is a much harder science to master. Justin shares, “The human brain, the neuroscience, the persuasion, the social proof, the relationship building, and the personalization elements haven’t changed. You need to understand these components to know what to put into automations.” That’s why we teach sales psychology specifically in our LinkedIn training programs because sales teams need to know and appreciate the science behind why certain tactics work. I wanted to dive deeper into Justin’s approach to see what sales-generating gems he uses to transform sales emails into powerful sales tools for his clients.  He’s studied a lot of different sequence and cadence techniques over the years that he has this down to a science. For cold outreach sequences, Justin uses a highly-targeted email sequence structure that involves five key principles: Hyper-personalize every touchpoint to build real and authentic human relationships. Every communication must be relevant, specific, and relatable to the prospect. Emotional triggers have to be craftily and carefully woven in to spur action. Short, concise text-based messages should be sent in the first few emails.  Compelling visuals must be compressed to under 100 kilobytes and used later in the sequence. His insights around the use of Venn Diagrams is particularly interesting as well (he gets into the details of what he calls, ‘Venn Selling” about halfway in the episode). Be sure to listen to the entire conversation to learn how sales teams should be using email templates or LinkedIn message templates and what Justin suggests is the best way to quickly automate sequences. Plus, if you’re ever looking to connect with Justin on anything AI or sales automation related, then be sure to check out his Salesborgs platform. He shares a host of free tips and strategies there that are designed to trigger hypergrowth.

As the world enters into a new and ever-evolving post-pandemic landscape, sales leaders are hyper-focused now more than ever on mastering the art of selling. My guest in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast is a Harvard Business School professor, market researcher, and best-selling author who has spent decades studying the data behind what really drives sales. Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation with Frank Cespedes, as he dispels the biggest sales myths and explains the must-use strategies to consistently get sales results. Frank Cespedes is one of Harvard Business School’s best-kept secrets. He spent 12 years as a Managing Partner of a professional services firm, where he helped countless companies navigate go-to-market and strategy issues. He has written for numerous publications, and is the author of six books, including, Aligning Strategy and Sales, which was cited as “The Best Sales Book of the Year” by Strategy & Business, “A Must Read” by Gartner, and “Perhaps the Best Sales Book Ever” by Forbes. Listen to this episode to hear the most important sales lessons from Frank’s newest book, Sales Management That Works: How to Sell in a World That Never Stops Changing.  Grab your copy here on Amazon. Did the Pandemic Change How We Sell? The short and very surprising answer is: NO. With so many B2B and B2C companies shifting to expand their digital offerings (Vengreso included!), most sales leaders rushed to invest in growing their online infrastructure – making the role of the traditional salesperson obsolete. Well, so we thought. However, when you examine the data as closely as Frank has, it reveals that many sales leaders are misallocating sales resources based on unsubstantiated assumptions. So, I asked Frank to share some of his findings. “The percentage of total retail sales that were done via e-commerce at the beginning of 2020, when the pandemic hit, was 11.4%. But, when I ask executives, I typically get estimates from 30% to 60%. In other words, people are not just a little bit off, they’re orders of magnitude off!” What’s even more startling is the small impact on online retail sales that the pandemic restrictions actually had. Frank says, “During those maximum lockdown conditions, e-commerce as a percentage of total retail sales only went up to 15.1% – and it’s been trending down since then.” Listen to the episode to hear his unique B2B insights and the major ‘allocation’ mistake Frank found that’s sinking B2B sales. What is Affecting Sales Right Now? The buying journey is much more complex, as customers can navigate seamlessly between offline and online channels to buy a single product.  And, these buying behaviors must inform and influence the tasks of the sales team. But, are companies really adapting to this shift Frank doesn’t think so. “The most important thing about selling is the buyer who buys – why they buy, and how they buy. This is where technology online has had its biggest impact.” In his new book, Sales Management That Works, he outlines the three most important questions that sales teams need to be asking right now to position themselves for growth:   When is the right time and the wrong time to interact with buyers? What is the best channel approach to sales – offline or online? How do we shift from an ‘individual contributor’ model to an ecosystem of sales managers? Join in to hear what Frank believes are the right answers to these pressing sales questions. How to Hire The Right Sales Staff in Today’s Market Sales hiring comes with a host of inherent challenges that aren’t present in other industries. Unlike other positions, Frank found that less than 300 out of the 5,000 colleges and universities in the country even offer a sales course. “This is an occupation, where the vast majority of people start out knowing very, very little about what they're going to get paid for.”  Frank shares an interesting perspective of how the hiring process should be approached. I was happy to hear that Vengreso’s ‘hiring template’ is checking all of his boxes. According to his research, sales hiring must include: Multiple interviews that allow candidates to be screened by both sales leaders and their sales peers. Skills and behavioral testing via real world selling scenarios. Mandatory probationary periods even after hiring to assess the candidate’s fit. This can seem like a lot of time invested to hire one sales rep, however, as Frank points out, “If you add up the amount of money that is spent on hiring and the opportunity costs inherent to training, that number annually, is bigger than the biggest CapEx decisions.” So, with this amount of money at stake, nailing the sales hiring process is key to every company's success. Be sure to listen to the entire episode to hear the ‘bizarre’ sales hiring story I share that illustrates the power of having the right hiring process in place. How Sales Leaders Can Improve Sales Training I wasn’t surprised when Frank shared that, “most sales reps forget about 80% of what they learn in sales training seminars within 60 to 70 days.” In fact, this is what we have been preaching for the last 3.5 years even before the pandemic and what became the cornerstone of our evangelizing a virtual sales program.  This is why highly-targeted sales training that is designed for adult learners and that will continually reinforce the right selling behaviors is so important. We predicted this at Vengreso, in 2018, when we began to move our sales training from in-person to online. We figured out early on that online sales training would only be effective if it was focused on how to change our client’s sales team’s behavior(s), so they could become better modern sellers. But, is sales training the only way to improve your sales team’s performance? That’s a question I asked Frank and his answer wasn’t what I expected. Join the conversation to hear what Frank’s data suggests is the most powerful tool to explode your sales team's potential.

Sales coaching is critical to your organization’s success. These days, businesses are focused more and more on learning and developing frameworks for sales enablement to support coaching. So, what’s all the hype about sales coaching anyway – and why is it getting so much attention? I asked Nicholas Gregory, a seasoned, globally recognized sales enablement leader with 13 years of sales and sales enablement strategy development experience, about his thoughts. Nick is currently the Vice President of Global Sales Enablement at Korbyt, a workplace experience technology company. He has held global and regional sales enablement roles at technology organizations such as Veritas, Symantec, Sabre, and Automation Anywhere. Check out today’s show, where Nicholas gives his unique perspective, drawing from years of deploying enablement on an international scale to help you coach your sellers to the next level. More Organizations Are Giving Attention to Sales Coaching My success in sales is directly attributed to coaching that I received when starting in the position of what we now call a sales development representative (formerly known as Telemarketer). As a result of a dedicated coaching plan I earned the opportunity to move to an account executive role in just 1.5 years. I asked Nicholas why he thinks sales coaching is necessary and why more organizations are giving it more attention these days. The first is data, which highlights the “why” behind the importance of coaching. With so much information available at our sellers fingertips and the proliferation of sales tools, a huge spotlight has been put on gaps in the coaching process, to help sellers weed through both data and tech. Nicholas stresses one point in particular, “One data point highlights why we should coach, and it shows that implementing a consistent coaching framework can increase rates on the sales forecast opportunities by nearly 13%.” Secondly, sales is an ever-changing profession. With the rapid change in the B2B sales environment (almost daily), expectations for sales professionals are continually changing. There are more distractions now and the pandemic has exposed those gaps. Nick states, “We concentrate investment on the sales side, not on the leader side.” What is Sales Coaching? What hasn’t changed is the fact that we still buy and sell. Prospecting has, however, changed quite a bit in recent years. Ask any sales leader over 45, and their knowledge on how to engage the modern buyer through modern selling techniques is lacking. The problem here isn’t that they aren’t doing it so much that they didn’t know how - they weren’t trained or retrained to address modern-day prospecting. “Coaching improves both sales behaviors and results through constructive feedback and recognition,” Nicholas says.  “One of the key objectives,” he explains, “is to improve morale and sales skills rather than behaviors, and to build sales rep trust.” The Barriers to Sales Coaching One of the most significant barriers we face in the pandemic is that our people are still remote. Nicholas agrees that the current remote office atmosphere is the tip of the spear when it comes to barriers in coaching. “If you weren’t successful in leading into the pandemic, it’s going to be hard to fill that gap and advance quickly,” he says. “It’s about adapting to and setting the expectations for coaching via the current remote sales tools available to coach in the remote environment.” Coaching is not about “calling people out.” It’s about having good intentions and empathy. Technology and Methodology that Supports Healthy Coaching It’s essential to provide a platform and methodology to allow coaching to permeate across the organization.  He specifies that it’s still crucial to establish coaching methodology as part of your sales culture in the virtual environment. The coaching sales methodology of choice for Nick?  Miller Heiman's professional sales coaching. My personal choice for sales coaching technology? Gong.io is the one we know, love, and trust! Tune in to the show and hear how I put myself on the hot seat when it comes to creating a sales coaching culture with Nicholas. How To Deploy a Sales Coaching Strategy Nicholas gives me two ways of how an organization can bring coaching into their organizations. “One is if your organization and your team are fortunate enough to have the budget and time to go out and purchase coaching framework, IP, training, and consulting… then that would be the ideal state,” Nick explains. Conversely, Nick says that you can start small. You can use tried and trustworthy consulting firms that bring proven methodologies and focus on the imperative and build the framework up, then continue to build out from your small pilot group.  Be sure to listen to the entire episode of Nick’s tips on deploying coaching in an organization successfully and how critical it is to succeed in the modern sales world. 

As you’re aware, the speed of innovation is only getting faster in today’s dynamic market. Understanding the trends, and quickly responding to them, is the key to success. Are you paying attention? New data-driven sales technologies help sellers who are wanting to stay ahead of the curve, make the right decision at the right time Today, I’m joined by my friend and mentor, Amit Bendov. the co-founder and CEO of Gong.io. Amit’s company has created a software solution in the category of Revenue Intelligence. Gong, helps sellers gain critical insights into what’s happening with leaders' remote sales team, their deals, and market. Thus, transforming the way they go to market. With over 20 years’ experience in hyper-growth software startups, Amit previously held the CMO role at Panaya. His outstanding track record of taking tech companies from unknown to market leaders has led him to being featured in such publications as Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and others.  In this episode, Amit and I discuss how developments in sales technology has not only helped companies overcome the immediate challenges of COVID-19, but how they’ll shape selling into the future. Selling in a Post-Covid World Riding the tailwind of new trends in business brought about by the global pandemic, Gong has emerged as a key player in helping companies accommodate distributed workplaces. Even as workers are heading back to more traditional office settings, shifting workflows appear to be outlasting the challenges of 2020. Speaking of how selling has changed, Amit explains, “I think this started pre-Covid. Covid just accelerated things that were going to happen anyway.” One thing is clear, sellers are working on learning digital selling skills. In the past, “wining and dining” customers was an integral part of their interactions with customers. We’ve learned over the past year that remote selling through digital media is viable, even with fewer in-person meetings. Amit talks about the changes to on-the-job learning for remote sellers. For many, the days of learning through osmosis, by being in an office, are gone. Remote sales tools like Gong have filled in the gap. We’ve learned that teams can still share experiences and promote an amazing sales culture through remote interactions. Workplace changes will reverberate for years to come, and firms will likely adopt a hybrid approach to remote and office work. Listen to Amit and I talk about our thoughts on how Covid has influenced selling. The Role of Sales Tools in Coaching Gong has been one of my favorite workplace tools. Call and email histories can be quickly reviewed, and the software lets me track when opportunities are at risk or advancing. I can also listen to my reps' calls in order to hear exactly what they’re saying to customers. One cool feature, the whisper function, allows me to provide live feedback and coaching. Amit told me that sales coaching is even more critical in the sales post-Covid. Staff shortages abound and attracting top talent is paramount. Creating a positive, coachable team helps firms build a reputation for success. Digital sales technologies like Gong have dramatically improved remote coaching for managers. “If you get with someone shoulder to shoulder, you don’t know what you might be getting. The call might not have interesting moments in it at all,” said Amit. Sifting through hours of data takes time, while recording calls, isn’t new. What’s new is that software, like Gong, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to catalog calls and pinpoint moments of interest. Gong even allows supervisors to add written feedback to calls. Imagine this, libraries of winning plays and good case studies can also be indexed for training. Listen to our conversation to hear more about how Gong’s data evaluation has guided improvements for me and my team. Sales Technology Built for Reps Digital tools like conversation intelligence are a necessary asset in any virtual selling environment. For just about any niche, there’s a digital sales tool that can help sellers become better prospectors, enabling them to be more productive and build better relationships. Amit said that sales managers will be the ones who develop new technologies for their sales reps going forward. Companies like Gong are rep first engagement platforms. Gone are the days when these programs were designed exclusively for leadership to make forecasts and track performance. Before the pandemic, engineers struggled to secure funding for rep-centered sales technologies. Some say there are too many sales tools, but Amit disagrees. There are tens of thousands more marketing tools than sales tools. The disparity leaves plenty of room for innovation. “As a CEO and a leader, I would like almost anything that can shave work from people. Everything that you can automate I like to invest in,” said Amit. Tune in to the whole episode for more of Amit’s insight into the trajectory of modern selling technologies. Sales Technologies and Future Workplaces Some leaders were concerned that reps would resent remote sales and/or sales prospecting tools. There was worry that the technology would seem invasive and would meet much resistance. When I recall my time working in the corporate world, I can only imagine how much easier my job would be with the tools that we have available today. The move to digital sales drives productivity for businesses. Artificial intelligence won’t replace salespeople but it will streamline and automate clerical functions. Amit says sales leaders will be able to concentrate more on building relationships and relating to buyers as a result. “The non-productive time, the traditional ways that don’t work anymore... Everything you hate will go away,” he said. Hyper-personalization of sales strategies is the way to win in today’s environment. The data analysis gleaned from artificial intelligence can help us understand what to say to a potential modern buyer. Knowing what to send buyers provides valuable information so they can spend less time researching solutions to their problems. Listen to the show for more insights into how these new sales tools can help sellers engage with their clients and efficiently close more deals. 

The digitization of the world’s economy has accelerated in recent years. The changes brought about by the information age have revolutionized marketing and advertising. A crucial aspect of the sophisticated pipeline structures used by modern businesses is sales development. Pipelines are instrumental to a company’s growth, and my guest today has a record of building SDR teams that maximize pipeline potential. With over 25 years of sales and operations experience in the technology sector, Lars Nilsson is a global leader in enterprise software and selling solutions. Currently, he is VP of Global Sales Development at Snowflake and CEO of Sales Source, a premier consulting firm specializing in industry-leading best practices and advisory for optimizing sales teams.  Before his time at Snowflake, Lars was VP of Global Inside Sales at Cloudera. Together with his team, they developed the sales methodology known as Account-Based Sales Development (ABSD). It has transformed how many businesses approach their high-value targets. Lars has also worked in sales executive roles at ArcSight/Hewlett Packard, Riverbed Technology, and Portal Software. Listen to today’s show, where I spoke with Lars about his successful building sales development teams. Sales Development Versus Business Development Sales and business development sometimes seem like they can mean the same thing. I asked Lars whether he distinguishes the two. He told me that some companies would choose to have hybrid teams, but more mature teams will segment them.  “If you're just starting, the odds are your SDR is doing both inbound and outbound,” he said. Lars pointed to Salesforce.com as an example of a company that has segmented business development and sales development. Their sales development team are newer hires and handle inbound leads from internal channels. They can later graduate into business development. There, they take outbound cold prospecting. As a minor operation, our reps get market development by mixing in some closing experience as part of their daily routine. When sales development reps have two roles to fill, they can naturally lean toward one or the other and need to be managed more closely. Lars mentioned that he thinks sales development positions should have a clear progression path into carrying a quota.  Listen to our entire episode to hear all of his thoughts on balancing the two functions. Optimizing Density Coverage Sales development’s role is to find opportunities for their quota-carrying counterparts. They want meetings with the right people at the right time.  But how do you find the correct ratio of SDRs to AEs? Lars recalled his time working with Portal Software. His manager, Bernie Scomra, realized that his reps would need to prospect and close to support the pipeline they had started. He asked Lars to design a team so that his salespeople would not have to prospect. That was in 1997, and at the time, the ratio was one sales development rep to every five account executives. “Imagine one SDR managing the personalities and the schedules of five AEs. You don’t get the efficiency,” he said. There are now 20 years of data and studies on different companies’ SDR. Lars says one SDR per three AEs is a good standard for mid-market enterprises. A one-to-one ratio is generous, but the payoff is more pipeline than you would ever imagine at one-to-three. Procore is an example of a company that turned its pipeline growth around by going even further. For a time, they had two sales development representatives for every one account executive. Tune in to the podcast to hear more about our experiences fine-tuning SDR to AE density within our teams. The Role of SDR Managers What kind of coaching and training should the frontline manager focus on? The onboarding programs that sales development reps have to absorb at the entry-level are denser than in the past. SDR managers often bear responsibility for supporting the process.  Lars said there needs to be support networks outside of the SDR manager for efficient frontline operations. “In my opinion, you need a lot more dedicated ops for SDRs than you do for account execs.” The frontline SDR manager shouldn’t need to serve as much of a training and onboarding function. More room for them to work together on the line with new hires is more efficient. They need time to lean in and give some over-the-shoulder coaching.  SDR teams supported by reliable operations are what Lars calls the most lethal pipeline generators. Hear what Lars had to say about what he looks for as the best predictor for future success in a new hire by listening to the whole discussion. SDR Marketing Integration I was surprised to learn that at Snowflake, Lars’ SDR team also works closely on the company’s marketing model. The company uses what is called Account Based Marketing. That means that they focus and segment their salesforce into groups that target specific accounts as a company. A dedicated function works to develop innovative campaigns that reach out to targeted personas and companies globally.  By tying sales and marketing together more closely, their campaigns are more efficient and avoid common mistakes that are simply the result of sales and marketing teams adopting principles independently of one another. “I think that’s probably one of the bigger disconnects. When I look back at my career at all the dysfunction that happened... teams didn’t spend a lot of time together,” he said. I asked Lars if the new approach had led to any change in compensation design at Snowflake. He said there were no compensation changes for the sales development team but that the marketing organization had pipeline generation goals.  Check out the complete audio and hear more about how Snowflake uses a shared CRO to tie its sales and market teams together. Performance Targets for SDR Teams In April of this year, my company did a study asking our reps what the most challenging part of selling was and 69% answered prospecting. We’ve been evaluating who we assign the prospecting role to and are closely watching how our compensation plan ties our MDMs’ performance to a revenue number for their region. Lars and I spoke about what model Snowflake uses to set performance targets. They primarily look at the number of meetings and how many wind up as qualified opportunities in the pipeline.  While their metrics are weighted toward the number of meetings, it’s better to base them on meeting alone supplemented by spiffs for opportunities and closed deals.  “Tying comp and reaching quota to something that you have very little control over or no control over is a pain point,” he said.  “It’s still at the end of the day up to the account executives whether or not they’re going to put it into their pipeline.”  I asked him what the compensation is per meeting at Snowflake. He estimates that their plan yields sales development reps approximately $150 to $200 and is based on a monthly quota with a range between 12 and 22 meetings. Play the entire episode to hear everything Lars says about Snowflake’s growth strategy and what strategies he’s employing to grow his global sales development team.

Negotiation isn’t just a tool that turns potential buyers into customers. The best negotiators create an ongoing partnership. My returning guest on this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast is a good friend of mine, Petek Hawkins. She says that you’ve already begun negotiations before you first reach out to a potential buyer. Petek is Head of Enablement at Melio, where she works to keep small businesses going. In this role, she ensures customer success by delivering tools, skills, knowledge, process, and content to handle each customer interaction with efficacy and value. Listen in on our conversation to find out how she’s found success in negotiations throughout the buying process. When Do Negotiations Begin? When I talk about negotiation with my kids, I like to get them to think about what they can give in exchange for what they’ll get. Sometimes, negotiations don’t go exactly as we expect. One side or the other may walk away from the table without everything they wanted from a deal. Often, it can be hard to gauge where we should push and where we need to respect a boundary. Petek says that starting negotiations before contacting a potential buyer can help you navigate the conversation and come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. I asked her for more insights on when negotiations begin. “Negotiations really begin even before your first ‘hello,’” she says. “The moment that you go to somebody's social LinkedIn page, or their company, or just find any information about the company that you're targeting - the negotiations begin there.” Instead of deciding right away whether a client fits as a potential buyer, Petek says we should use our discovery process to learn what value we can offer them. Then, after we identify their specific needs, we can come to the table from a position of strength. In our full conversation, she explains why this stage is crucial in convincing your potential buyer to listen to you immediately, instead of everything else fighting for their attention. Continuing Negotiations Into the Buying Process Petek says that understanding a client’s goals and their values will help you align the story that will follow. By familiarizing yourself with the company’s situation before you reach out, you’re setting the tone for the coming negotiation; you’re trying to set up an ongoing relationship. You’ll also establish context for your conversation in hopes of helping move the buying process forward. "The conversation that we’re having right now - the purpose of that is for us to align on x, y, z, and take the next steps. Are we aligned?” says Petek. She says that, sometimes, the fundamentals of negotiation are neglected because salespeople feel like they’re pushing too hard. You’ll start to lose if you don’t begin to uncover clear goals for both parties and set expectations. The Benefits of a Good Discovery In short, a properly executed discovery and greeting will keep you from leaving too much money on the table. Petek explained how building a relationship can put you in a better position to handle potential objections as you move forward. “This is creating a way for both parties to agree or disagree. You have to understand how far each party's supposed to go for what.” Within the episode, she goes into depth about how good discovery helps you understand the company’s goals and create a common vision for both of you. Best Practices During a Negotiation I asked what the best practices are to keep the buyer interested in continuing negotiations after you’ve set the stage. She said you’ll need to ask the right questions to understand “what’s the present situation and what are some of the pain points from being in the current situation, and what does good look like.” She says that a mutual action plan provides a reason for a company to move forward. Taking the time to put this plan together also helps to ensure that the buyer will commit to a previously discussed budget. An excellent mutual action plan serves as a way to drive your value when determining price. If the potential buyer asks about a discount or brings up budget restrictions, you can return to the MAP to discuss what issues you’re solving together. By referring to what you’ve already aligned on, you have a better chance to uncover the reason for any objections. Later in our conversation, she described several alternatives to providing a discount. These include offering a better price if they commit to a multi-year plan or offering to delay billing after signing until the company has resources. Tune in to the podcast and hear her thoughts on how her former employer, Cbeyond, anticipated objections with their mutual action plan. What Should a MAP Look Like? I love speaking with people like Petek, who can formalize all of these sales concepts clearly. I often feel like they shine a spotlight on negotiation tactics that come naturally to me. I wanted to know more about how a mutual action plan works, so I asked her whether it was primarily a verbal agreement or if it involved any documentation. She told me that a “Mutual action plan is very much a document... you are aligning, and you're holding each other accountable on both sides.” She says that a good mutual action plan should contain the following elements: Methodology Targeted metrics Discretion process Budget Key stakeholders Timeline Initial use Possible expansion Getting a “yes” from the buyer on these topics will condition them to follow through with the plan and hold both sides accountable. Petek says that these shouldn’t feel like a sales interrogation. It shouldn’t be about how much a client is willing to spend, for example, because they may not be able to answer at this stage. Listen to the podcast to find out how you can use questions, about the costs of a company’s goals versus the cost of doing nothing, to determine a budget at this stage. Who Should Be On Our Team During Negotiations? Sometimes, sellers can feel limited in their ability to negotiate by their perception of their level of support. Petek says it’s important to understand that salespeople shouldn’t try to be lone wolves. By leveraging your team, you can help communicate genuine concern for a potential buyer. You also level up the negotiating space by ensuring that any expert perspectives on both of your teams come to the table. Connecting leadership will also help to boost your client’s confidence in you so they don’t dictate terms due to perceiving that they have more experience and knowledge than your team. Petak said you should “Make sure you are aligning that leadership internally with that external leader through LinkedIn as fast as you can.” You can hear how to make potential buyers feel special and establish a more robust network between firms in the complete audio. The Best Venue for Negotiation My closing question for Petek was about the best place to meet for a negotiation. Not surprisingly, she said that in-person is best whenever possible. "When you're across the table from someone, it’s hard for them to hang up on you because they can't... They really have to get all of the objections out of the way.” She had strong opinions about Zoom meetings without the use of a camera. She said that negotiations about pricing and return on investment should never be done through email. The best practice is to use email as a follow-up for your meetings. You can outline the mutual action plan and keep essential stakeholders, who may have been absent from the meeting, informed and up to date.

Sales and Customer Success are essential to the growth and expansion of any organization. So, how you think about them and how well they work together will shape the future of your company. How can you improve your client’s customer experience so there are no gaps between sales and customer success? That is the topic of this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast with my guest, Dan Burkland, President of Five9.  As President of Five9, Dan manages the entire customer lifecycle from sales to implementation to ongoing support – all critical to customer success for a cloud software company. He heads global sales, including all direct sales, channels, System Integrators, and ISV partnerships. By leading implementation, professional services, and customer support organizations, Dan has elevated the exceptional, industry-recognized customer service that Five9 provides to its clients. Join our conversation to discover how to integrate sales and customer success for a better customer experience. Why Sales and Customer Success Must Work Together The pandemic has brought many changes, from a shift to remote selling to a focus on digital sales. It has also forced sales, customer success and customer experience strategies to evolve rapidly. Dan says the first reaction to the pandemic was negative, even panic, especially from brick and mortar businesses and retailers who had to move quickly online to an e-commerce set up. In this scenario, the contact center became the new front door of the business for those retailers, their only conduit to their customers and prospective customers. These companies have realized that it is critical for them to take care of customers in a personalized fashion throughout that whole life cycle. “Companies that tend to elevate the strategic nature of customer experience and spend the investment necessary to deliver a great experience are finding their brands are evolving and becoming more prominent. Their retention rates are becoming greater and they create a reputation that builds upon itself and attracts more and more customers.” To accomplish this, there must be an alignment between Sales and Customer Success. And that is what Dan accomplished at Five9, bringing those two departments together under his leadership. “If you operate in silos, you end up with the sales organization tending to lean on or point fingers to a support organization, because they want the support to be delivered a certain way. And you end up with tension between the two. When I brought them under my organization together, it created teamwork, like we hadn't seen before.” That teamwork is reflected when both sales and customer success understand the buyer’s needs and pain points and deliver a consistent experience based on those needs.  Listen to the whole episode to learn what sales reps should be doing to better understand their customers (HINT: listen more and talk less). The Customer Lifecycle Process Dan says he doesn’t like the word “selling” because it comes across as taking the customer’s money and leaving. In a subscription model, however, you have to nurture and take care of the customer for a long time. At Five9 they break their process into four phases: Landing: How do you effectively land new accounts and new customers?  Adoption: How do you adopt them or get them onto the platform? Maximize Value: How can customers achieve all they can from the solution? Expanding: How do you allow your customers to expand to the fullest with your product? Both sales and customer success have a role to play in this process, where the sellers under promise but CS over delivers, turning customers into raving fans. Listen to the full episode to learn more about how this process works and some great tips (illustrated with real life examples) you can implement in your organization. Advice for Sales Leaders Dan has some great advice for sales leaders who need to work closely with customer success teams. 1. Product Updates In product companies, sales and customer success teams sometimes need to discuss new product updates, or enhancements with their clients, but it’s not always easy. “One of the things we do is we assign customer success managers to every single account that we have in the company,” Dan says. “They have a very close relationship with the customer, having quarterly business reviews, or in some cases, even weekly touch-based calls with the customer to see how things are going, looking at ways to optimize and improve what's already there and introduce new capabilities.” 2. Business outcomes As sales leaders, we need to bridge the gap between sales and customer success to drive good, solid business outcomes. Dan says we need to shift our mindset from “handing off” a client to CS, to a partnership, where there are team members always involved throughout the journey. “We've got personnel, whether it’s sales or customer success, involved throughout the entire life cycle, so that they can manage and be listening for cues. It's a little more costly, but it is worth it.” Listen for Dan’s advice on how to handle the transition from the seller to the CSM and how much overlap they should have (HINT: introduce the CSM early, so they can build trust over a period of months before the seller exits and goes back to prospecting).

The sales profession is evolving at a fast pace because of the changes in consumer behavior. B2B sales are becoming more and more like B2C sales in many aspects. That is why modern sellers need to level up their sales skills and adapt to the modern buyer. One of those skills is the ability to find latent problems that prospects are unaware of. How?  Well, you have to listen to this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast to learn what my guest, Greg Alexander, has to say. Greg is the Chief Investment Officer for Capital 54, where he decides which entrepreneurs to bet on, and which firms to invest in. He helps them scale and exit their firms by sharing how he scaled and exited his. Listen to Greg tell the amazing story of how he started SBI, a sales consulting firm, from scratch and how he sold it for 165 million without recurring revenue. Greg is also the author of The Boutique: How To Start, Scale, And Sell A Professional Services Firm. Listen now to hear his predictions about the future of sales and how your team can provide a better experience for your customers. The Future of Sales I’ve always said that sales is 51% science and 49% art. So, I was surprised when Greg said he disagreed with me. “Right now, it's 90% science, 10% art,” he says. “In five years from now, it'll be 100% science and no art.” Greg predicts that with the advent of artificial intelligence, B2B sales will become like e-commerce and inside sales teams will be replaced by robots. “If your product is easy to understand, easy to buy, people are going to buy it through a shopping cart. And when that happens, it's going to be all sites. It's going to be things like literally changing the wording on a landing page to get somebody to a shopping cart, and analyzing abandonment rates of shopping carts to improve sales conversions. Now, that's going to push the overwhelming majority of the B2B salesforce towards the science.” For years, salespeople have been experts at solving problems for their customers, like a lack of sales pipeline or prospecting problems. But machines that can process tons of data per second are becoming better than humans at solving problems.  What humans can do that machines can’t, though, is finding problems. That’s where the art of selling will remain. “Machines can't find the problem. They can just analyze it. The human being, which has human judgment, has the ability to locate the problem. And that, in my opinion, will be the distinguishing characteristics of great salespeople going forward.” A fantastic seller will help a client discover a latent need or become aware of a problem they didn’t know they had. “The second part of the equation is not only finding the problem, but it's finding the solution and thinking as a whole product, not a piece of the product. I think that's the next frontier.” Greg advises sellers to think about who they're reaching out to, and make sure that their problem plus the solution is targeted at the right person and not the tactical budget holder. Listen to the whole episode to discover why, according to Greg, the culprits of the failure in sales quota achievement and lost revenue are not sales leaders but CEOs. It’s certainly a very interesting point of view!

  This episode of The Modern Selling Podcast is a little bit different. Instead of me interviewing a guest, I want to share an interview I did with Rob Jeppsen on the Sales Leadership Podcast, where we talked about creating more sales conversations and how to prospect. Our own research at Vengreso has shown that the hardest part of the sales cycle, according to both sales leaders and sellers, is getting the first conversation. The longest part of the sales cycle is that from “hello” to close and, in fact, most of the 200 sales training companies out there focus on teaching all the skills needed in that part of the cycle. But very few focus on the pre-hello. And that's where we spend a lot of our time at Vengreso, teaching prospecting skills that will actually build the sales pipeline. Because the fact is that without the first conversation, nothing else happens. Creating Sales Conversations 1. Mindset Sales leaders who want a strong pipeline must begin by changing their mindset. Those of us 45 years of age and older are used to using mostly email and phone calls for prospecting. But data shows that although the number of emails sent in 2020 increased exponentially, email engagement dropped, as well. Phone calls have gone down also. So, we have to ask ourselves, what are we going to do differently and how are we going to do it? We must apply the omnichannel approach to prospecting. That means including all these channels in your sales cadence: Phone Email Text messages Video Social media Direct mail and gift marketing Digital referrals You have to engage the buyer in the way the buyer wants to be engaged.  Sales leaders have to think differently about every one of these channels and how their sellers are using them throughout every step of the Cadence process. Otherwise, they will be obsolete in less than six months from now. Listen to the podcast to learn how to coach your salespeople to succeed in this new digital environment and what you must do as a sales leader to level up your game. It’s not enough to give your sellers access to new channels like LinkedIn and video if you don’t train them on how to leverage them correctly. The question for you as a sales leader is, do you yourself know how to use them? If you have the word “sales” in your title, like sales manager, director of sales, VP of sales, or Chief Sales Officer, that means you're in sales. So produce a lead, prospect, engage, get out there on the front lines. Don't tell your sellers, “Hey. go take the hill,” but say, “Let's take the hill. And I'll do it with you because we're all in this together.” 2. Execution Once you have the mindset, you must execute. And the first thing you must do is build a program that will change the behavior of your team. However, you cannot change behavior nor accomplish a long-term impact in your sales organization with a 2-hour webinar. You must implement a training program that enhances your team’s digital selling skills over time. There are seven aspects of a successful virtual sales program that you must take into account, including chunking content, spacing instruction over time, using repetition, testing knowledge, and more. Listen to the whole episode to discover how to implement an omnichannel prospecting cadence and how to discover what works for every customer through trial and error.

Are you coaching your sales team or are you just making sure they hit quota?  According to my guest in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, sales leaders today have moved from providing sales coaching to reporting on numbers. And that is not helping sellers grow. Listen to this interview with Charles Forsgard, the Vice President of Global Sales for Honeywell’s Advanced Sensors Technology business. In this role, he leads 300 salespeople, applications engineers, and managers delivering $850M in revenue. Prior to working at Honeywell, Charles spent three years at GE leading the Controls and Software sales team and twenty-six years at Schneider Electric in a variety of sales, marketing, and business management roles. Charles is an avid customer advocate and is passionate about the evolution of the selling profession. He is a frequent speaker at events and on podcasts about selling and sales management. Charles was named as one of The Modern Sale Magazine’s Top 100 Global Sales Leaders in 2020 and is the author of the book, Stop Kidding Yourself: The way that you are managing your salespeople is not helping them.    Don’t miss this episode to learn how to become a better sales manager. Reporting vs Coaching Charles says he wrote his book after realizing that he, as well as his friends and fellow sales managers, were spending too much time reporting up instead of enabling their salespeople. “We've gone from the manager’s role as coach to the manager's role as a reporter,” Charles says. “The salesperson’s view of their boss is, ‘Well I just got to make sure he gets the right numbers and he writes reports and he'll go away and stop bothering me.’ You know, I used to be just so excited when I got time with my boss, because that time was always incredibly valuable coaching time.” Instead of just yelling at sellers for not hitting their numbers, sales leaders should sit with them and walk backward to figure out why they are not reaching their quota and helping them overcome any obstacles. Unfortunately, many sales managers are often forced to focus on the wrong things. Charles says that one of those things is revenue. “There's a whole series of things that come before revenue,” he says, “so as a sales manager, if you're worried about revenue, depending on what your sales cycle is, you're way too late, because you are so far beyond the actions that the salesperson is taking.” Sales managers should focus instead on sales activities that move deals forward. For instance, if there is not enough sales pipeline, perhaps the sellers are not doing enough prospecting. No matter the length of your sales cycle, you should be focusing on things like account plans, having enough customer meetings, deals created, pipeline and deal wins. “If I want to get into what makes an effective sales organization, look at the ratio of how much time people are being proactive versus how much time they are being reactive. Salespeople always have to react to what the customer is saying, but the more proactive you are, you're in control of what's going on, not the environment, or your competition, or the customer. Make it about your planning, not about telling me what happened after the fact.” Another mistake sales managers make is to use the CRM as a reporting tool and not a planning tool. Instead of encouraging their team to just log information into the CRM, they should use the CRM as a planning tool that will enable proactive selling by the sellers. Listen to the entire episode to learn how they use the CRM for account planning at Honeywell and how you can do the same. Selling: Art and Science I like to say that selling is 49% art and 51% science. While the science has to do with the metrics and the numbers, the art is more about what sellers do every day. So how do you combine those two as a sales leader? “If you focus too much on the science, too much on the numbers,” Charles says, “coaching is going to feel like inspection. And I don't know anybody that likes that weekly colonoscopy from their boss, right? That's not what the intention is. But if you're doing structured coaching right, they will know what you are going to be talking about because it’s consistent from week to week, and they feel like what they're going to get in there is coaching, not going to get beat up because of something they're doing wrong. They're going to get good Socratic coaching, really drawing the answer out of them by the questions. That's really where the art of the sales leader’s role is.” To help your salespeople, you can ask really good questions after a sales call or visit: What worked well? What didn't work so well?  Did we accomplish the goal that you wanted? Did you have multiple options? Will there be another way we could have done it? And why do you think that might be a good way? Now with remote selling, sellers have more meetings than ever before. But they can’t be just back-to-back meetings -- there needs to be time for debriefing and feedback.  Your sellers need validation, affirmation or simply they need to talk about the deals and get feedback, bounce ideas. Make time for coaching your sellers. Thanks to tools like Gong, sales leaders can listen or read a transcript of sales calls and provide feedback to their sellers. Listen to our conversation to learn the importance of planning visits and sales calls in a virtual environment, and much more, so you can become a better sales manager.

For those of us in the trenches, it is obvious that buying and selling has changed significantly due to Covid and the shift to virtual selling. But what does the research say about these changes and what can we do to overcome the new challenges? To answer this question, I have an amazing guest in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, Andee Harris. Andee is the CEO of Challenger, a global leader in training, technology, and consulting, and the creators of the Challenger sales methodology. She has more than two decades of experience in growing and scaling service and technology businesses and previously led multiple companies, both as CEO and Senior Vice President. Don’t miss our conversation to learn how you and your team can succeed in the new sales landscape. What is different about buying and selling today? Andee says it's a buyer’s market right now. That means that companies have had to reprioritize their spending across categories. “Every purchase,” she says, “every function is now under a lot of scrutiny because a lot of companies are in survival mode.” According to Challenger’s research, a third of companies have implemented a purchasing freeze. Additionally, procurement is now playing a bigger role in approving purchases than before. Andee says their data shows that 54% of companies require prior approval before even being able to submit requests for software and services, even at the 5k level. “We see in our research that 38% of companies are requiring an RFP, so it’s a formal submission process. There's just a lot more hoops and a lot more stages of the sales process that you have to get through; more stakeholders that lead to a really complex sales process. You need to be able to address the skills of your sellers, what technologies you're using, what advice, and what consulting you're using to get through this market.” In the digital sales era, buyers do their own research and already have tons of information when they start speaking to a seller. So sales leaders must teach their teams to adapt to this new environment, coaching sellers to adjust to the buyer and provide them a customized sales experience. Listen to the whole episode to discover why remote selling is not an excuse to spend less time building relationships with customers and what your sellers can do to succeed in a buyer’s market. Gaining Market Access In the past year, the number of emails has increased to 40.6 billion, while the response rate has gone down to 1%. What can sellers do to stand out? Andee says sellers should send emails that are very unique and different. “We're all getting bombarded with messages and, honestly, they all look the same to me. I'm not going to respond unless it's someone I actually know or it's an introduction from somebody I know, but also really is someone insightful that teaches me something new about my business, something revolutionary that I haven't thought about.” Sellers should become more creative when engaging with prospects and follow a sequence of prospecting messages or sales cadence without giving up prematurely. “At Challenger, we teach about mobilizers. Being on remote meetings you can't get all the stakeholders together in one room. So really having that mobilizer, that person that's going to drive your business case within the organization, is even more critical.” Closing Deals Another problem in today’s buying and selling environment is that many opportunities are not closing. Despite sellers having multiple meetings and calls with buyers, there is no decision because of lack of funding or other reasons. What can sellers do to protect against an opportunity ending in a no-decision? Andee mentions the need to develop the Challenger skills, which are different from just being passionate or being a hard worker and doing all your chores as a seller. “You really want to focus on those skills like brainpower and creativity. If you're relying on just gifts and graces, it's not going to move the needle. The strategy is really to help people do well the hard things that differentiate them.” Listen to the full episode for some examples of creative strategies we use at Vengreso (hint: use video for sales). Plus, Andee reveals the most important skills needed to facilitate a high level of growth (hint: it has to do with understanding the big picture and negotiating).

What can sales leaders learn from cybersecurity awareness? A lot! My guest in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is Perry Carpenter, author of Transformational Security Awareness: What Neuroscientists, Storytellers, and Marketers Can Teach Us About Driving Secure Behaviors, and he brings some great insights for sales leaders and marketers. He currently serves as Chief Evangelist and Strategy Officer for KnowBe4, the world's most popular security awareness and simulated phishing platform. Previously, Perry led security awareness, security culture management, and anti-phishing behavior management research at Gartner Research, in addition to covering areas of IAM strategy, CISO Program Management mentoring, and Technology Service Provider success strategies. With a long career as a security professional and researcher, Perry has broad experience in North America and Europe, providing security consulting and advisory services for many of the best-known global brands. Listen to our conversation to learn three things your sellers should do to prospect more effectively. 1. Sellers Must Become Storytellers Any time your sellers are prospecting, they have to: Tell a story about a gap or need within the prospect’s life, reminding them of something that is not optimal in their lives Tell the story about what the prospect’s life looks like without the solution you offer and then paint a picture of the hope, the joy, the risk reduction or whatever happens anytime the seller comes in and fills that gap. “In the security space,” Perry says, “it's all around, so if you do this or if you don't do this you're putting organization at risk, you're putting your family at risk. You've got identity theft or something like that that may happen. And, therefore, you need to either plug this product in, or change this behavior, or adopt this mindset or so on.” Perry says that understanding the customer journey is very important for sales leaders looking to grow their sales pipeline. “On the security side,” Perry says, I want to understand what is the equivalent of that for somebody just walking through their daily life. What is the journey map of a person as they move in and out of their daily life and make decisions that are related to security. And then what I want to find out is where are the intersection points that I can come in and meet that person so I do end up standing in their path, telling a story and then moving them where I want them to be.” 2. Sellers Must Use the Right Terminology Perry and I also talked about understanding the optimal terminology to use when speaking to clients and prospects. “When it comes to describing security things, or products, I've learned that I need to understand the terminology that my prospect is already using and I need to reinforce that.  I might need to change the frame later on, but I need to start with the frame that they are already in, and that gets into a whole psychological principle: framing and reframing.” Listen to the whole episode to find out how Perry learned about the importance of terminology when he was hypnotizing people in the streets of Las Vegas (hint: he used what is known as a neuro handle!). 3. Sellers Must Understand the Basic Principles of Human Nature  Perry says that everything comes back to the behavior and the psychology of the prospect. The prevalent spray and pray approach of most sales messaging lacks segmentation, personalization, and it’s overall a lazy sales methodology. If you want real sales engagement, your sellers must show they’ve done their research about what makes the person and company unique. Perry cites the research by Stanford researcher BJ Fogg, who created the Fogg Behavior Model, which is the basis of most apps and social media platforms.  Fogg says that humans are lazy, social, and they're creatures of habit. And salespeople should take into account those characteristics. “So on the laziness front,” Perry says. “As a sales person, if you can make my life easier somehow, if you can reduce my research, and you can give me trusted sources for things, if you can help with the scheduling of an appointment, if you can give me some kind of sample so that I have less to invest in, then you get my attention.” Sellers must also include social proof in their messaging and position their product as the norm (or better than the norm), as something they must have.  Lastly, remember that humans are creatures of habit. “People like to do things the way that they've always been doing them. And so, if we're expecting to disrupt their lives with something that is different than what they've done in the past,we have to help them so they can codify a new behavior and a new habit or we're always going to be coming up against a wall.”  If we try to work against human nature, we will fail. Listen to the whole episode to learn about how to grab a prospect's attention in a crowded environment, and some sales email best practices, including what Perry calls Trojan horses for the mind. Finally, Perry recommends two books, Pre-suasion by Robert Cialdini and Contagious by Jonah Berger, for strategies and tactics to get executive buy-in.

With so many sales methodologies available, sales leaders ask themselves how they can pick one and how they can actually implement it and drive adoption among their sales team. My guest in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast is a sales strategy and methodology enthusiast who has great insights about this topic. Paul Curto is the Head of Global Sales Methodologies at Juniper Networks. He is focused on accelerating the performance of Juniper Networks’ sellers, both direct and indirect. Paul develops and delivers a holistic framework for consistently improving the experience and capabilities of all of Juniper’s customer-facing roles from onboarding through ongoing development and seller excellence and skills.  Paul has a special passion for sales methodologies as applied in a consistent way to improving sales outcomes, as well as maximizing employee productivity, health, and impact. Listen to this episode to learn from Paul about implementing a winning sales methodology in your organization. Aren’t All Methodologies Similar? The short answer is that they all have similarities but also differences. Paul was trained in the Miller Heiman methodology, but when he came to Juniper he had to learn the MEDDICC methodology. What he found is that they had many similarities. “One example of the alignment I found,” Paul says, “was that the economic buyer in both methodologies has exactly the same definition: the ultimate authority to buy in a particular sale.” Another example is the champion, which is the first C in MEDDICC, and who is basically the same as the coach in Miller Heiman, a person who you have credibility with and who has a lot of influence and control. They can even be the decision-maker that the economic buyer puts in charge of making the decision or the recommendation.  Listen to the whole episode for Paul’s insights about the alignment between these two sales methodologies. What about the differences? “One thing I found that Miller Heiman does very well that I don't see really called out in MEDDICC is the use of the red flags,” Paul says. “Most sales professionals like feeling good about the deal. They prefer to ignore these red flags or just brush them under the carpet. But that is not conducive to strong strategies. We're trying to bring out the real vulnerabilities that we have that could actually kill us in this deal. Let's highlight those and let's come up with very strong actions that help us counter those. But we've got to be open, honest and transparent with ourselves with regard to our true position with the customer.” The minimization or elimination of a red flag by means of strong smart actions is how you want to play the game of sales to win. Choosing the Right Sales Methodology As a sales leader, you might be thinking about picking a sales methodology for your organization to really focus on. How do you decide which one is the right methodology? Paul thinks you can make almost any methodology work. “I think familiarity and leadership support is one of the first keys to selecting the right methodology. And once it's selected, you've got to be able to stick with it and reinforce it at every level.” When you're selecting a methodology, think about the accountability you need to that process. It’s very important to have a common language and a repeatable sales process in a sales system that you can rely on to improve your odds of winning deals. “Once it becomes pervasive, once it becomes the common language throughout the sales organization, it really helps us get together and strategize together on how to win important deals and it also becomes the glue between different types of seller personas across the organization.” Listen to learn how they applied a common language across Juniper Networks for the various seller personas who engage at different stages of the sales cycle. Implementing the Methodology What does a successful sales methodology implementation look like? Paul says it's always a work in progress. “In my experience, it's like you're aiming for perfection, but you'll never really get there.” A successful implementation occurs when you have widespread adoption, not because you're forcing everyone to be compliant, but because the leadership team believes it leads to better results. This means that frontline and top leadership are managing the right sales activities that are going to drive the sales outcomes and objectives. “I think we need to start with the managers,” Paul says. “The managers need to feel confident and capable with any new methodology that you're trying to roll out. They have to see the value in doing it because they don't want to feel like it's a complete waste of their time or it's just paperwork to fill out, like a form.” Sales managers also need to be better coaches, teaching the methodology to their reps. “Practice makes perfect. So for better performance, you've got to be practicing all the time. If the sales takes training but their manager is not going to use it for forecasting, for deal inspection, for coaching, then the training just becomes an event and it's unlikely to be used ever again.” Managers must make sales coaching part of their DNA as an organization, analyzing deals with data, and walking reps through what they have done well and what they are missing.  For example, one tactic we have implemented at Vengreso to make sure reps implement their training is adding a few required fields to the CRM, as described in our sales tools ROI blog post. Listen to our conversation to learn how Juniper has implemented their sales methodology so it becomes part of their DNA (hint: it involves their playbooks and a cultural and mindset shift). Finally, Paul mentions that although they use MEDDICC at Juniper, they are also looking at other methodologies for prospecting, negotiation, virtual selling, and social selling. 

How do you get a traditional sales team to embrace modern selling techniques and engage with prospects digitally? That is the topic of conversation in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast with my guest Kyle Healy. Kyle is the SVP of Sales Enablement and Strategy for NFP. A dynamic leader with nearly 15 years of experience in the insurance consulting and sales space, Kyle is a core member of the leadership team at NFP tasked with driving transformation inside the functions connected to the organization’s revenue growth. Kyle is a regular public speaker on progressive sales strategies for complex B2B buyers, as well as total rewards and human capital trends as a result of his background in benefits consulting. Listen to this episode to discover how NFP has transformed its traditional sales force into a modern sales organization. Focusing on Outcomes We started our conversation by talking about some commonly held beliefs about selling that he disagrees with. One of those beliefs is that as a seller you need to talk about yourself at some point early on.  “We have a lot of our sellers sort of really vehemently believe that if they don't get something about them or us or their product early, it's a waste, that we need to convey value right up front,” Kyle says. “I don't believe I need to talk about me or us until maybe meeting two or meeting three. We've got a pretty long sales cycle.” His advice is to avoid the product dump or pitch, to avoid talking about yourself as the largest, greatest, baddest in the world. You can talk, though, about your journey, your culture, and the process you have gone through helping others. “Do not go in presuming you know exactly what their big problem is. Try to understand them and what's kind of keeping them awake at night. Let them lead based on what's important and unique to them.” The magic word is outcomes. Especially that first conversation that a seller has with the customer. What is the outcome that they are desiring and does that align with what we do?  When the desired outcomes match with what you deliver, you've got an opportunity.  But what about when they don't have a really clear sense of what the outcome they want is? Kyle thinks sellers have a great opportunity there. “The discovery meeting is really about learning about them and helping them discover things about themselves for their business that they weren't even really thinking about yet. That's the fun stuff.” The New Digital Selling Environment Kyle says that the insurance industry went through a lot of prospecting challenges because of COVID. “It’s an old school industry and the average age of the typical insurance sales person is 58.” Once they realized they couldn’t visit people in person, they went to emails, but that wasn’t enough. They need an omnichannel approach to build their sales pipeline. “We are trying to get our sellers more comfortable with creating content through social, using video, going back to the phones. Something that we're continuing to hammer and coach and one of our big focuses is, okay, if you're only sending emails you're in trouble.” The modern buyer has changed and sellers must use every available channel to reach their prospects in the channels they prefer. “I don't love high-volume. I don't love Mass automation. There's a time and place for some of that stuff to create some efficiencies to just make business run better. But especially in the early sales motion, the early funnel when I'm trying to really establish that relationship, I think it's got to be hyper-informed, hyper-personalized, super-specific to the person you're reaching out to.” This is at the heart of our own PVC Sales Methodology, which calls for personalization in your sales messaging. Listen as Kyle explains their strategy to customize benefits to each buyer and the success they have experienced with hyper-personalization.  Discover how NFP has modernized their sales process and the tension between automation and personalization, and how to use sales cadence tools effectively (hint: it’s not about speed but about quality control). Finally, Kyle has some great advice for sales enablement leaders and sales leaders out there, to be successful in this remote selling environment.: “Make your sales people really effective marketers. I know that sounds really silly or maybe pretty basic but for us, it's hyper-specialization. Make sure you've got something of value to give and then upscale those traditional marketing skills like demand generation and content creation. I want my sellers to be thinking more like marketers and less like sellers, that we get into this digital environment where email becomes questionable as the primary means by which you get somebody's attention. I want people to focus on being fantastic. If everyone of my sellers could be a really successful social influencer, we'd be doing okay.”

Sales and marketing have evolved significantly in the past few decades, especially in the SaaS space.  In the 90s, for example, we had sales-led growth, with sellers doing cold calling and hitting the phones. In the 2000s, it was about marketing-led sales or marketing-led growth, with events, inbound leads and SDRs doing outbound prospecting. Now, according to my guest in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, we are moving into a new era of product-led sales. Doug Landis is a Growth Partner at Emergence Capital. In this role, he is responsible for capturing, creating and sharing go-to-market strategies and ideas with the Emergence Capital portfolio companies and the greater SaaS community. Join us in this conversation about the future of the sales force and how to better qualify your leads. What is Product-Led Growth? “I would argue in this generation and especially over the next three to five years,” says Doug, “you're going to see a tectonic shift to product-led growth, meaning the product is leading every single interaction. Instead of us doing outbound prospecting to a brand new client cold, we're actually reaching out to people who are deeply already involved and getting value out of our product.” He gives the example of Slack, Dropbox or Twillio, where people just go to their websites, enter some information and can start using the product right away, getting full value. In this scenario, people have a need and instead of having a sales conversation with a rep or requesting a demo, they can try a product for free and immediately know and understand whether it is the right fit for them, the solution they were looking for. After customers try the product, an SDR would call them and help them get more value out of it. “So now an SDR’s role is different,” Doug says, “because I'm no longer cold calling people who I think are a good fit. I'm actually looking for signals in the product based on how you're using it to call you and help you learn how to get more value out of the product and in doing so you will then become a paying customer.”  This scenario implies we are moving from a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) or a Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) to a Product Qualified Lead (PQL). And when working with PQLs, both sellers and marketers have a different role in the buying process. SDRs become Product Specialists, now having conversations with prospects who have tried the product, and marketers focus on leading people to a product trial, not a web form. Listen to the whole episode to learn Doug’s predictions about the future of SDRs and how their role will dramatically change. From SDRs to Product Specialists Here are some ways Doug sees the SDR and AE roles shifting: Sales conversations will focus on discovering why a free user should turn into a paying customer. It’s all about upselling opportunities and how the product could be used more broadly across the client’s organization. Using data on product usage to create more sales opportunities. Although many SaaS companies are already doing this, Doug predicts it will be more common in the next two years, as companies ask themselves, how do we get people into our product with the least amount of friction with the most amount of value? This is the future of the sales force and as sales leaders, we must think differently about the characteristics of our sellers and the metrics we use to measure sales success. “What we're looking for is more product signals versus the prototypical marketing signals, like the MQL and the SQL,” Doug says. Listen to the episode to hear how the PQL is more valuable than the MQL, and why Doug thinks the MQL actually doesn’t exist (Hint: they are just contacts until someone talks to them and validates they are a good fit). Also learn why modern sales organizations must change the way they qualify leads and the real job of an account executive.

Whether you are a sales leader looking for a new role or an aspiring sales rep looking for your first sales job, you will want to listen closely to what my guest has to say. My guest in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is Richard Harris, a seasoned SaaS leader and consultant. Richard has 20 years of sales and sales training experience with companies like Google, Visa, SiriusXM, Pager Duty, Gainsight, Salesloft. He is also the author of Owning Your Job Search: Your step by step guide from application, to salary. The goal of the book is to teach people that they have way more control in the interview process than they think they do. It's all about the mindset. “When you go to a job interview,” Richard says, “you're interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.” Listen to the episode to learn some tips on how to land your dream sales job. How to Get a Sales Job These are the basic steps to apply for a sales position, according to Richard. 1. You have to update your resume -- that means LinkedIn Although you may still need a resume, your LinkedIn profile is your most up-to-date resume. And in Sales, people will surely find sellers on LinkedIn. “Nobody wants to look at a four-page resume, but they'll scroll till the end of the Earth on LinkedIn,” Richard says. “So LinkedIn is my most optimized page.” Listen to the episode to discover the type of information you should put on top of your LinkedIn profile as a sales professional. 2. Contact the hiring manager The second step is to go to LinkedIn, find the highest person in HR you can or find two or three people in HR and send them a message that says, “Hey, I just applied online. I'd love to know who I should follow up with directly.”  Whether they tell you or not, you should try to figure out who the hiring manager is and contact them. If you are connected to them you may see their email and phone number.  Richard says you should call them or leave a message. “So when I apply to a job, I'm not applying to a job. I'm applying to the whole company. I'm taking this much larger approach because I already know it's going to be a six-step process, anyway, so I need to put my name in front of as many people as I can. And the beautiful thing about us in sales is that this will be seen as the right thing. It will show that we are tenacious, that we don't take “no” for an answer. When you hire me, this is what you get.” We need to run a sales campaign about us as the product as much as if we were actually selling an individual product for a company. 3. Ask the right questions during the interview One piece of advice I give to people looking for a sales job is, “You get to choose who you work for and you get to choose the company that you work for. So choose wisely.” Richard agrees and says you should be asking some key questions to the interviewer so you can actually choose wisely. “I want to be able to ask politely, when it's my turn, what are the things that you see here that make someone successful and what you know about me so far, what do you think I have and what do you think I don't have?” You want to ask that question to show that you can ask tough questions and you can handle the answers. Another question is: If you could snap your fingers right now and three things in the sales world, in your sales environment can change, what would they be? “They come back and they give me three things and I say, great, so what's preventing it from happening? Because that gives me insight into the culture of the organization and it gives me insight into this person's ability to push for it.” A third question is: Aside from me hitting my number, what do you need someone in this role to do to help you be successful? This is a good question to ask a potential boss because now they are thinking what those things are and now they know you got their back. And another great question is: How many people have been promoted from underneath you? That's a big indication of how good a leader they are right because your job is assuming you want to be promoted. “The whole purpose of the first interview is to get shortlisted to the second, to the third, to the fourth. And what you need to do is you go back to your personal board of directors and you say hey, what do you think they're going to ask? What do you think I should be prepared for?” “And if for some reason you don't get the job you now at least go back and go.Okay, where do I think I missed right where you know,I thought I did this. I thought I did that.”  Compensation: Base Salary vs Options A lot of sales reps interviewing for a job may have to decide between a higher base salary, options and commissions. Should you take the higher base salary or more options?  Richard says it depends on the career goal and where you are.  “If you're an SDR, the options are never going to cash out. So I would take the higher base salary at that role and once I start to hit the manager roles, maybe, but I have to see what it's worth. Options are worthless and a tax liability.” Listen to the episode to learn more about how options work and whether to take the salary or not.

Most sales professionals operate without a strategy, which results in a reduction in sales productivity. How can we fix this? That is the topic of discussion in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, with my guest, Brain Margolis. Brian is a former environmental/fisheries scientist turned entrepreneur. He is the founder of ProductivityGiant.com and author of the book The Index Card Business Plan for Sales Pros and Entrepreneurs. His client list ranges from individual sales reps to Shark Tank entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies. Brian's Pillar System helps sales pros and entrepreneurs create a strategy so simple, it fits on an index card, but so powerful it’s helped create 7 figure earners and has been licensed by some of the largest companies in the world to train their sales teams. The Need for a Sales Strategy Brian says that sellers can grind their way with their skills and work ethic, but at a certain point they will hit an upper limit, because there are just so many hours they can put into their work every day. What most sales professionals never stick with consistently is having an actual strategy. A strategy is a predetermined place to focus those skills and work ethic. That way, they get the biggest return on investment instead of winging it and being reactive. “When it comes to sales professionals,” Brian says. “I think there are two versions of everybody's business. One is the reactive version, where she just reacts all day, flying by the seat of her pants. And the problem with the reactive version of the business is most of the output doesn't give you anything back. The other one is the intentional version, where she determines ahead of time-based on good criteria, good thinking, where to put her skills, effort, talent, and work ethic so that she gets the biggest return.”  And the difference between those two versions of the exact same business, is the difference between failure and success. The challenge that we have is salespeople don't know how to develop a strategy and how to focus on the right areas. Building an Intentional Plan So, how do you build a strategic plan to be intentional? Brian says there are three components or pillars of an intentional plan. 1. Consistency Pillar What are those things that you need to do consistently? What do you already know how to do effectively, that if you just did more of it, you would have the biggest impact on your business? 2. Effectiveness Pillar Many sellers are working hard but they are not getting better at their jobs. They don't become more effective at the skill. “A lot of salespeople consider making 25 cold calls productive,” Brain says. “But yet if I said, would you be willing to spend an hour a week getting better at something, working on your messaging, working on your direct response copywriting, most of them don't see that as work. And so you have to intentionally put time and effort into getting better at those skills so that when you do send the email you get a higher response.”  3. Strategic Pillar Make sure you're doing the things upfront that make everything else more effective. For example, a seller can just make 50 dials, but taking an hour each week to do research on the clients would make those same dials more effective. Brian calls this the pillar system. A pillar is an activity that you control whether it gets done or not. As long as you hit your pillars every week, everything else takes care of itself. Sellers should start every week with a plan of who they are going to call and what they are going to do every day according to those three pillars. Planning their week in advance will revolutionize their results. Be sure to listen to this podcast for more tips and strategies to help your sellers become more productive and successful at their work. Plus, Brian talks about the Index Card Business Plan, where sellers can use index cards to plan out their sales activities.

9iu Pipeline generation is one of the biggest challenges to the sales force today. No matter where you go or whatever the organization is, whether it's consulting services or SaaS, pipeline generation is the Achilles heel for most organizations. So how do we solve that problem? That is the topic of this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast with my guest, Scott Walston. Scott is the President of North American Sales at Micro Focus. In this role, he works with Senior Executives to make sure they are receiving incredible value from Micro Focus’ digital transformation solutions, helping them identify solutions that deliver essential business insights, operational efficiencies, and process automation. Don’t miss this great conversation about building and managing the sales pipeline. Why is a Sales Pipeline so Important? For sales leaders, the sales pipeline is the headlights of the business, allowing them to do sales forecasting based on their amount of pipeline and their close ratios. “Now when you're thinking about it from a rep’s perspective,” Scott says, “the pipeline is what allows them to make life-changing money. It's what creates wealth for them.” For example, if a sales rep knows they have a two million dollar quota and they only have four million dollars in the pipeline, they are not going to hit the goal ― not too many sellers have a 50% close-ratio. Scott says that sales leaders should coach reps on interpreting the numbers, knowing the statistics of their industry and understanding the volume of the pipelines they need to be able to achieve their sales goals. Now, how much should you have in your sales pipeline? “That's a data-driven exercise,” Scott says. “I have multiple product groups that roll up to me and each one has a different data set. One of them actually needs 2.7 coverage from pipeline. So if it's a million-dollar quota, they need 3.7 million dollars in pipeline if you do the math. Another group needs 6x coverage. So if they have a million, they need six million dollars. So it really goes back to your Operations and Finance teams to inform the sales leaders on really what historically has been closed because once you understand those historical metrics, you can apply those with some rigor and some certainty.” These numbers can change over time, so sales leaders should look at their pipeline ratios every six months to see if they need to make adjustments. Listen to the episode to learn how Micro Focus reinforces the pipeline ratios in their sales organization. Pipeline Generation Best Practices Scott uses a couple of practices that help his team generate more pipeline. First, he says you should make pipeline generation easy. Provide your sellers with the right sales prospecting tools so they can easily get a message out to multiple customers. “If you give them the content and you give them the tool to disseminate the content, that makes it very easy for the reps to send out thought leadership pieces.” A second practice is what he calls pipeline generation days, which are 2 or 3 days where all they do is attack the pipeline itself in a fun way (with costumes and awards, for example). Listen to find out the fun activities they do at Micro Focus during pipeline generation days. Another best practice is for sales leaders to lead from the front when they have a pipeline generation problem, reaching out to their network, making phone calls and asking for and giving referrals. “There's no better way to build trust with a sales team than getting in the foxhole with them,” Scott says, “making some calls, talking to some customers. That is a show of your commitment to them to be successful.” When Should an Opportunity be Entered into the Pipeline? Scott says there are three areas you need to look at before an opportunity enters the pipeline. Metrics - what metrics is the customer giving you? Indication - is there an indication of pain and a time to resolve that pain? Champion - is there someone inside the organization that will shepherd the deal through? “Oftentimes that takes three or four discovery calls to get there,” Scott says. That's not one and done. It's usually multiple calls to understand if you have an opportunity.” The Role of Content in Pipeline Generation What is the role of content in building a pipeline in a remote selling environment? “If you don't have good content, you’re just not going to reach your customers,” Scott says. There are three types of content: Content that comes from the sellers that shows to the buyer that they understand their business and can add value to the conversation. Thought leadership content created by marketing to help sellers reach their buyer personas. Social media content to develop relationships when prospecting on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Our jobs as sellers is complex because we need to figure out what is the channel each prospect prefers to engage with (email, video, text, phone) and we must stand out from the crowd in a world where buyers are bombarded with tons of information. That’s why we need a sales methodology that works with the modern buyer, who is digitally savvy and video hungry. Managing the Sales Pipeline So how do we as leaders successfully manage the sales pipeline? Scott says it must be done through data and inspection. “Make sure you inspect the ingest, that you actually understand if this a real opportunity or not. And then, you know, pipeline gets stale. It just happens and it's very difficult. So you have to clean up your pipeline and kill stale opportunities.” Finally, you need to train your frontline managers to identify good opportunities and to look at the data constantly. Only then, you can start building the sale pipeline and creating more sales conversations. Learn more about this fascinating topic in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast.

On May 6, 2017, Robert Paylor broke his neck. On national television. During the Rugby collegiate championship game. Doctors said he would never walk again and would actually be lucky if he could regain any movement below his neck. Yet, almost four years later, Robert is telling an amazing story of recovery, hope, and forgiveness. I’m super excited about having Robert Paylor as my guest in this episode of The Modern Selling podcast. Robert is an international public speaker and, in his own words, a “quadriplegic on a journey to walk again and inspire others.” Don’t miss this episode to hear Rob’s story, some amazing life lessons, as well as valuable keys to sales success for leaders and sellers alike. 1. Mindset Rob was a rising star in UC Berkeley's Rugby team, with a bright future in front of him. But it all changed in an instant. The medical prognosis was that he would be paralyzed for the rest of his life. Rob, however, refused to accept that. Rob’s attitude and mindset after his injury helped him get through the pain and the grueling recovery process. “Don’t take negativity in,” Rob says. “Don’t listen to hopelessness. You have control of your mindset.” One of his secrets is to go on a mental diet. Just as with a food diet where you avoid foods that are bad for your body, a mental diet will avoid bad information into your brain. “Audit your thoughts,” he says. “Decide what is good for you and look for inspiring stories.” I love how Rob’s advice can be applied to the mindset of a seller. Salespeople hear “no” all the time. Rejection is a constant in their work. So, as a sales leader, how do you help your team deal with rejection? Through a mental diet where sellers are inspired by the wins of others and negativity is filtered out. 2. Perspective Another one of Rob’s secrets to stay positive is perspective.  “Perspective is a powerful tool. You can compare yourself to others up or down, to what you’ve accomplished or to what you have failed at.” Rob recommends that when you are going through a struggle, you ask yourself, “compared to what?” That will allow you to put your problems into perspective and feel empathy for others. Rob keeps a gratitude journal where he writes down three things he is grateful for every day.  Perspective in selling takes many forms.  “When pursuing a sale, always keep the buyer's situation in perspective,” says Kurt Shaver, Vengreso’s CSO and Co-Founder. “They may not be on the same timeline as you. They may even be having personal challenges outside of work. Slow or no response from a prospect doesn't always mean there's no interest. Sometimes it just means other priorities are more important right now. Don't risk future business by pushing too hard.” 3. Give It Everything You’ve Got Compared to Rob’s physical trauma, many of our problems in the sales profession pale in comparison. Still, selling can be hard, especially during these times when remote selling is the new normal and we can’t keep doing business as usual. Rob’s advice is to give everything we’ve got, no matter the circumstances. “We have one life,” he says. “Don’t live it as a quitter. Fight and get everything you want.” 4. Find Vision and Purpose His recovery process involves doing physical therapy for three hours every day. But remember that for him, even doing simple things is hard work. The way he motivates himself to keep going is by turning it around and finding purpose in his recovery journey.  “I don’t do it for myself, but to inspire others. Find the ‘why’ to keep going forward. You must have a vision.” 'Vision yourself where you want to be in 6 months' time, 1 year time, and 5 years' time in your sales career,” says Diego Garcia, Market Development Manager at Vengreso. “Once you find your purpose and 'the why' of your goals, you can then reverse engineer your plan into daily, weekly, and monthly habits to get where you want to be!” 5. Accountability  Accountability has also been an important part of Rob’s journey. He works with a mentor (one of the coaches at UC Berkeley) who helps him set goals and is there to support him. This is an important lesson for us as sales leaders. Our words and coaching are not for our sake, but to help our sellers succeed.  Inspiring, moving, and brilliant. Those are just three of the words used to describe this episode with Rob Paylor, that actually moved me to tears. Listen to the whole episode to learn about the power of forgiveness, gratitude, and resiliency.

Organizations don't partner, people do. As sales leaders in a remote selling environment, we must teach our sellers how to create successful partnerships that will ultimately increase your sales pipeline. This is the topic of conversation with my guest in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, Fred Copestake. Fred is a sales consultant, trainer, and author of Selling Through Partnering Skills, a book that looks at the evolving world of sales and sets out what people need to do to refine their approach. It explores how they can take it to the next level through understanding partnering intelligence (PQ) and using what Fred calls the VALUE Framework.  Put simply, it helps individuals and businesses improve how they sell in the modern sales environment so they will achieve better results. The Partnering Quotient PQ or Partnering Quotient refers to the skills that people who are good at partnering have. PQ has the following six elements. 1. Ability to trust Trust is the foundation of relationships and good communication. The trust equation includes credibility, reliability and intimacy. Fred says sellers earn trust when they do what they said they were going to do, when they are knowledgeable and keep their buyer’s information safe. 2. Win-Win Focus Salespeople must understand what value means to their customers, they must listen to what they want, which may be different from what the sellers offer. Both parties have to be happy with what they're aspiring towards. A win-win focus can also help sellers negotiate and resolve a conflict. It can help them make better decisions because they're always focusing on trying to get that mutual benefit, that balance. 3. Comfort with Interdependence Fred says sellers must be willing to give up a bit of control to other people because they're going to have an impact on their success. “I am going to have to give an element of this up,” Fred says. “As an account manager, I would say, I can't do every single thing. I'm going to have to get my team members involved. If the customer says they're going to do something, I have to trust them to do that.” 4. Self-Disclosure and Feedback  Self-disclosure is about the sellers giving a little bit about themselves to help clients know what their expectations are.   “You might be quite good at getting the customer to talk about what they want,” Fred says. “But we don't always say what we want. So for this to be a good deal for us, this is how it's got to be. Now, feedback is about getting people to tell us whether we're doing a good job or not and whether the partnership is working. Sellers should be looking for it, they should be doing quarterly value reviews.” 5. Comfort with Change Salespeople are change agents. They are always trying to move customers from the status quo to take risks and see the benefits of the solution being presented. Sales leaders should train sellers to understand change and how to move clients faster through the sales process.  6. Future Orientation Salespeople should always be looking forward, making decisions based on where they're going rather than what they've always done and what might have worked in the past. The VALUE Framework So, how do you bring these PQ elements into a modern sales approach?  Fred says he uses the PQ elements along with traditional selling techniques and applies them using the VALUE framework. Validate - Is this an actual opportunity? Align - How can I bring some value to the relationship? Leverage - How do I create a good sales conversation? Underpin - How can I prove that this is the right way ahead and that we can work on it together? Evolve - How do we turn this relationship into a partnership?   Listen to this episode to learn more about the VALUE framework and how to apply it to your existing sales activities.

Every sales leader has a story of what they've learned and what they've gone through in their sales careers. From times when they thought they should have gotten a promotion but didn't get it, to times when they finally got it and then felt they were the worst managers in the world, or realized they were better reps than managers. How can salespeople advance in their careers and become better at their jobs? That is the topic of conversation of this episode of the Modern Selling podcast with my guest, Scott Leese. Scott is a 6x Sales Leader, 3x Author, 3x Entrepreneur and 1x Unicorn builder, who serves as a strategic advisor and consultant to dozens of companies around the world. He specializes in building sales processes and salespeople, maximizing new customer growth, increased average contract value, and upselling and retaining customers. Scott and his coauthor, Ryan Walker, wrote From Rep to Manager for anybody who wants to improve as a sales leader.  “There's a lot of books about leadership in general,” Scott says. “There's actually not that many books about how to be a good sales manager or how to become or get a sales manager job.” There's also a gap in the sales training world. There are a lot of virtual sales training courses, but where is the training for sales managers?  “One of the reasons that so many reps complain about their bosses is because there's people who are in sales leadership who got no training whatsoever. Nobody taught me how to be a sales manager. I just figured it out along the way, and having done it for nearly 20 years now, I just felt like I got something to give back.” Listen to this episode to learn how to advance your sales career and some great tips on sales management. How do you go from Rep to Manager? If you want to lead, you need a specific mindset and a plan to get into management. Here are four questions you must ask yourself. Am I very good at my job? You don't have to be the number one sales person in the company, but you must be good, building your sales pipeline and hitting quota consistently. Do I really want to move into leadership? If you get more satisfaction out of helping your neighbor close the deal than you actually closing one yourself, even if you're really good at it, that might be an indication that you have the right kind of DNA to be a sales leader. Do you want to make less money? It’s very important to set the right expectations when going into leadership. Do you like helping people in mass quantity? Whether managing a remote selling team or in-house SDRs, you will be helping others become better at their jobs. How do you Go from Good to Great as a Sales Manager? Very few companies have sales management training that teaches how to be a great sales manager, sales director, or VP of sales. So, how do you become a great sales manager? Here are Scotts’s top five tips: 1. Become an apprentice The best way to learn is to align yourself with a mentor, like an apprentice. Find a great VP of Sales or Director that you can learn from. 2. Simplify “You have to understand that your job is to simplify, simplify, simplify,” Scott says. “That means simplify the pitch, simplify the rebuttals for your reps, simplify your feedback to them. So if they do ten things wrong at the same time, don't tell them all ten things. Start with just one thing. Just simplify their lives in general by removing blockers.” Ask your team members, “What can I do to help you today?” Then follow through and deliver, because the moment you stop delivering on that, the trust is broken and it just sounds hollow.  “But if you deliver on that consistently for your people, they'll ask you more, which will force you to work a little bit harder and get a little bit better and get a little bit faster at identifying blockers, noticing trends that are blocking more than one rep.” 3. Collaborate with others Sales managers must interact and have good relationships with other departments in the company. They will need the help of Product, Marketing or Customer Success at some point, so they must nurture those relationships. 4. Teach your sellers what they need to know As a sales leader, you must train your reps on the best sales messaging techniques, how to use video for sales and other information that they usually are not aware of. For example, sellers need to understand the financial metrics that will help them sell, such as how much they can discount before losing money. “Reps usually just hear, ‘no, you can't have that discount’, so taking the time to not only explain why they can't have that discount but walking them through how that metric impacts the whole business, will help them understand and trust that you are not only just looking out for them, but you're looking out for the business’ best interest as well.” 5. Make it known that you have a desire to go into leadership Many reps or managers don’t get promoted because they never tell their bosses they want to have a new leadership role. “There's nothing wrong with making your ambitions known,” Scott says. “Say, look I'm interested in moving into leadership. Here are the reasons. Why what do I need to do? What do I need to show you? How can I improve? What are the things I need to work on? Tell me what I need to do. Give me a list and I'm going to go do all of those things and if I do all of those things, I hope to be considered for this particular role.” Don’t miss this episode for more great tips on sales management and don’t forget to grab your copy of Scott’s book From Rep to Manager. Outline of this Sales Managers Episode [10:00] The need for a book for sales managers [14:50] How do you go from rep to manager? [24:42] How do you go from good to great as a sales manager?

The average tenure of a sales leader is 18 months. And while there are many reasons why VPs of Sales don’t last long in their jobs, one strong reason (according to my guest) is the lack of a model for success. My guest in this episode is Phil Harrell, VP, Group Director Sales Research at Forrester. He has spoken to many sales organizations around the world and has gathered valuable insights for sales leaders that he shared with me during the podcast.  Phil is an industry thought leader in sales and marketing with more than 20 years of experience building and leading high-performance B2B sales teams worldwide. He has held executive-level sales and marketing positions at well-established companies and hyper-growth technology startups and has proven success in growing revenue in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Phil joined Forrester through the acquisition of SiriusDecisions. Prior to SiriusDecisions, he was vice president of sales at HubSpot, where he was responsible for building the mid-market and enterprise businesses. Listen to this episode to learn how you can build a model for success in your sales organization. B2B Buyers Expect B2B Companies to be as Efficient as B2C Companies Phil says that their research at Forrester has shown what buyers expect from sellers and organizations: To be transparent and open, being straightforward with their pricing. To understand them at a very deep level, using the information they gather to personalize every interaction. To be immediate, answering right away when they ask for something. B2C companies have created an expectation of efficiency in the consumer’s mindset, who now wants the same experience in the B2B world. “So as a sales leader,” Phil says, “when you're thinking about your sales organization, you have to think about how to design and optimize the experience your buyers are having to be almost like a consumer experience. Remove friction and make it really easy for your sellers to engage with buyers.”  The pandemic has only accelerated this trend. Buyers now are much more comfortable interacting in the virtual world and interacting with salespeople digitally. Remote selling is here to stay. Even after the pandemic, buyers are going to prefer digital engagements (perhaps not all the time), so sellers have to get comfortable helping buyers virtually.  Phil says that instead of pushing for a close, the new role of the seller is to help buyers through their journey, help them get the information they need to make a decision. Typically, sellers withhold information to get that 15-minute meeting, but consumers are pushing back for more transparency. Three things that sellers can do to be more transparent are: Publish pricing upfront Ungate content Educate and provide information instead of pushing for the sale Buyers want sellers to anticipate their needs and be hyper responsive, so they can have a great experience. That’s when customer loyalty and advocacy happens. Four Things Sales Leaders Need to Build a Model for Success Phil says that sales leaders need to think about how to build a model for success instead of relying on last-minute deals to hit quota. Most sales leaders don't have a system to make their results repeatable, scalable and predictable. But Phil says that sales leaders should be able to explain the processes they have installed for acquiring and managing talent, managing leads, and managing the execution against opportunity management and against their sales pipeline. If leaders have a really good handle on the productivity and the health of their organization, they’re going to stand out and keep their jobs. Here are the four things you need to build a model for success: A process, from lead generation to onboarding. Infrastructure, including sales prospecting tools and technology to help sellers do their job faster and better, automating processes. Insights about buyer engagement and the buyer’s journey coming from the CRM or AI software, so they can hyper personalize the interactions. Talent with the right competencies, trained in remote and virtual selling. Sales is 51% science and 49%. And the science part has to do with CRM hygiene, gathering and entering the right data (touchpoints, for example) into the system. Sales leaders must use data to help their reps be successful at selling. The Importance of Sales Planning How can sales leaders ensure that they're going to get off to the right start at the beginning of the year?  Phil says you got to make sure you've done a really good job on sales planning, from territories to quotas. “One of the critical things you have to do is make sure that you have your sales plan ready early in January and when you get to the kickoff, you roll out the quotas, you roll out the comp plans and you tell the marching orders of exactly what the expectations are from a product perspective and how they're going to get to their number.” Another thing sales leaders must do is prioritize the processes and the technology tools they need to start the year strong. Sales Productivity One of the biggest challenges that is burdening sales organizations is sales productivity.  At many companies, only 30% or 40% are hitting their numbers, mainly because of quota over assignment. Phil says he recommends no more than 10% quota over assignment from the VP of sales down to the rep level. Another problem with sales productivity that Phil mentioned has to do with organizations getting bigger and the processes that are put into place affect productivity. “In a startup, it's simple,” Phil says. “Everything is about the buyer and so processes get designed from the buyer into the organization. As you scale, invariably you put in more processes and it gets designed by headquarters and pushed out to the field. And before you know it, you look around and you see all these processes that are designed to actually help the organization, not the customer, and salespeople say it's really hard to get deals done here. Everything takes too long.” Phil recommends doing a survey of your reps to understand what's keeping them from being productive. What are their top challenges? Then you can prioritize the top two or three things that are really in their way.  “If you're making it hard on your sellers to do business with the companies that you're trying to do business with, you're making it hard on the buyer. All buyers want immediacy. And if you can't turn something around quickly, if you can't respond within 24 hours from the very start, that's a signal to them that you're not an organization they want to do business with.” That is one of the reasons why here at Vengreso we develop a free sales productivity tool, to help sellers respond to messages on the fly, with well-crafted templates that can be used in any web-based messaging platform with just a few keystrokes. Listen to my conversation with Phil for more tips on how to build a success model for your sales organization and how to make your reps more productive. Outline of this Episode [6:25] B2B Buyers Expect B2B Companies to be as Efficient as B2C Companies  [14:30] Four Things Sales Leaders Need to Build a Model for Success [30:25] The Importance of Sales Planning [36:09] Sales Productivity

Large and small companies alike must adapt to the reality of remote selling. The sales landscape won’t fully be what it used to be, so to thrive, sales leaders must push for sales transformation in their organizations. My guest in this episode of the Modern Selling podcast is an experienced leader from a 16-billion dollar company, who has a lot to say about digital sales transformation. Don’t miss this conversation with Chris O'Brien, Chief Commercial Officer at C.H. Robinson, a global company in the services and transportation industry. Chris has global enterprise wide responsibility for all customer related strategy and functions including overseeing sales, account management, and marketing. In addition to corporate support for these functions, his teams oversee the Global Account Centers and lead the company’s integrated relationships through the Collaborative Outsource® solutions portfolio. At work Chris is passionate about developing the careers of others and driving change for improvements. His areas of expertise are in the fields of sales, customer management, European supply chain management, leadership, mergers and acquisitions, retail supply chains, inbound transportation, transportation outsourcing and Transportation Management Systems (TMS). The Tenure of a Sales Leader Chris has been at CH Robinson for 28 years, an incredibly rare tenure. The typical tenure of a sales leader today is 18 to 24 months, as people move around companies all the time. So, I asked Chris if he thinks his experience can be seen as an advantage or a disadvantage. “I've always tried to make it an advantage,” Chris says. “I've been in a lot of different roles. I've been in three different countries and I think for all of us in the sales and customer-facing world, that it becomes an advantage because you're in front of customers, you're talking to customers, you’re learning their language, you get a bit of exposure to everyone.” Another advantage of growing in a company, according to Chris, is that you would be leading a job you had done before, so you would understand better those who report to you and you can lead by example. Personally, one of the best pieces of advice I can give to the selling community is that before you take a jump from one position to another or from one company to another, make sure you've proven that you've been successful in that particular role. You must build a track record to prove that you can actually succeed in another company or position. The Impact of COVID-19 in the Salesforce The pandemic not only affected C.H. Robinson’s industry but also their salesforce. They had to make decisions and adapt quickly. One thing that they did was to treat this change as permanent in order to really maximize what was going on in the world. “We would act as if part of this was going to continue,” Chris says.  First, they adjusted their sales messaging to resonate with what was going on in the Covid environment. For example, during the pandemic companies were trying to cut costs, so C.H. Robinson began to promote their outsourcing services even more. Chris says that their sellers had to adapt and embrace video for sales. “So we jumped right away on training do's and don'ts, the good, bad and the ugly of showing up on video. We tested new technology. We really made sure that we were doing anything that we could to make this fun to keep the world connected.” How Sales Leaders can Drive Sales Transformation A lot of leaders are still not getting the support that they need from senior leadership to leverage the tech tools required for remote sales. For example, we know that video is the hottest thing out there right now, both face-to-face synchronous and asynchronous communications. But it is an area that many sellers have not leveraged fully. So, how do you get the senior leadership team to drive the change and invest in the sales organization?  Chris says it starts with company culture. More than just having leaders willing to implement changes, you need a culture that is “just ready to go.” “I think the first component is owning it and living it,” he says. “It is your own personal commitment to say, ‘I see this as a challenge, I will personally commit to coming up with the solution’ versus ‘This is a problem, what am I going to do about this?’ And I think that's too common of an approach. To me, the most important component is leadership commitment.” I totally agree with Chris on this. As leaders, we cannot be in an Ivory Tower. We've got to be in the field, whether it's emotionally or tactically. This is especially true in a remote selling environment, where many sellers feel isolated and even depressed. Sales leaders must offer coaching and support to them. “I believe that sales leadership and sales leaders will need to become much more of individuals who can talk on an emotional level,” Chris says, “not just work through specific items to get the deal closed. We've got to be able to relate to our people. If you needed to do it in person, how much more do we need to be doing it now in a virtual environment?” Career Advice for People Starting in Sales Chris has some great advice for new sellers. Given his position and authority in the marketplace, as well as his years of experience, you should listen carefully to what he says. Think like your customer: “I think that the first step for me is walking in their footsteps and understanding what they really want out of the engagement.” Be curious, always learning: “Your education doesn’t stop when you get a job. Keep reading books, listen to podcasts, be curious.” Do not worry about your career: “Don’t worry about that next promotion. Take care of your customers and your teammates and your career will take care of itself. As I reflect on my career path, I don't recall ever putting together a plan for a promotion. I had plans for customers and developing others and I think people just notice if you're in it for them or if you're in it for yourself.”  Listen to this episode to learn more about Chris’s exciting career and how you can drive sales transformation in your own organization. Outline of this sales transformation episode [11:25] Advantages and Disadvantages of settling in a company for a long period of time [23:00] How Sales Leaders can Drive Sales Transformation [36:50] The importance of video in remote selling [43:20] Career Advice for People Starting in Sales

One of the biggest challenges for companies in the new normal is serving B2B and B2C customers working from home. Priorities and needs have changed, so sales leaders must also change their sales strategy to match the new commercial landscape. I’m very excited to have a leader in the trenches in this episode of the Modern Selling podcast, who has the experience and the insights to help you navigate through these shifting times. So don’t miss my conversation with Christoph Schell, Chief Commercial Officer at HP Inc. and a member of the HP Executive Leadership Team. The HP commercial team is accountable for all aspects of go-to-market, category and 4P management and manages revenue, margin and Go-to-market OP globally. Listen now and keep reading! The New Commercial Landscape One of the most significant changes across the commercial landscape since the pandemic began is the move of thousands of workers to work and learn virtually. Christoph says that because of the new work-from-home and learn-from-home reality, we have created a new customer segment. It’s not just a consumer, family entertainment segment or a commercial (SMB and Enterprise) segment, but a mix of both, called the prosumer. This has become an opportunity for companies like HP, who serve the business needs of those working from home, but now also have a “foot on the door” to serve the entertainment needs of the worker’s family. This shift to remote selling has impacted the sales strategy at many companies in an interesting way, creating new business opportunities. Organizations are moving very rapidly into outcome-based value propositions across all segments, which, of course, presents new challenges.  For instance, with subscription-based models, consumers are not locked into long-term agreements but can cancel at any time, so companies have the pressure to make their services relevant all the time, focusing on workflow and design, and not just hardware.  Chistoph says that at HP they are very excited about the subscription model in their printing business. They had planned this change would happen in the next 4 to 5 years but it happened in 5 months because of COVID. Upselling opportunities “I define prosumer as you leave it up to the prosumer to design their own products,” Christoph says.  He cites HP’s 3D printing service, which allows consumers to design their own products to obtain their desired outcomes, printing components when and where they are required. The same happened at Vengreso. As a sales training company we used to have one-day in-person events but now have pivoted to a subscription-based model, becoming an exclusively virtual sales training company. The recurring question we ask ourselves and our customers is, what is the recurring value of our products and services? That is a question all salespeople must ask in this new commercial landscape, so we can create new offers that bring upselling revenue. Personalized Offers HP has a subscription service called Instant Ink, where customers pay a fee based on the number of pages they print and not the amount of ink they use. In the backend, the printer is communicating with the HP cloud and as soon as the cartridges are at a 25% fill level, HP sends new cartridges to the customer. This service was available before COVID but it became more popular when people couldn’t go out. It became more convenient. Subscription services are personalized to the needs of the individuals but also allow for adjacency business models, where new services or products can be offered, connecting the different value propositions of the company to particular customers. Christoph provided a great example of how to move from a transactional business into a subscription-based business while personalizing it to the customer. In his example, he says that instead of buying a laptop, people could rent one and pay a subscription. The subscription plan could be personalized to the usage patterns of the machine, such as one rate for weekdays when the CPU usage is normal (work-related tasks) and another rate for the weekends when the CPU usage is high (gaming and entertainment) and the customer may need to connect to certain cloud services. The bottom line here is to find relevance within your customer base, create solutions that drive subscription-based revenue and make it easy to upsell features. Shifting the Sales Conversation How do you bring that relevancy and personalization discussion to the sales conversation? “First, you need to have a value proposition that is relevant,” Christoph says. “Then you need to change the pitch and the engagement approach because you are moving from a transactional sale to an outcome-based sale.” For example, in B2B, transactional sales occur with a procurement team, but an outcome-based sale occurs with the C-level executives or the heads of the departments that need that outcome. That kind of sale requires daily or weekly interactions. It’s not just dropping off the hardware after the sale, but providing continuous service once the sale is awarded. In today’s virtual engagements, where video calls are ubiquitous, people sometimes turn the camera off and sellers can’t see their prospect’s face, so it’s harder to pitch. That’s why sellers have to stand out using social media, engaging with the prospect way before the call, knowing who they are and what is important in their lives. They must connect, engage and build rapport with prospects through social networks, so when they get to the pitch, prospects already know who they are. The Future of Social Selling “Social selling is very important,” Christoph says. “You are now mixing the brand with your own brand, representing your company, their values. Sellers need to be consistent with their personal brands and align them to the company’s brand.” Christoph says he builds his brand on LinkedIn and teaches his team to do the same. He spends 90 minutes every day on LinkedIn, finding leads and opportunities, and engaging in conversations. “The future of social selling is that you will have a direct touch through social selling channels with every single customer, so the value propositions will have to be hyper-personalized.”  Today, modern sellers must be digitally connected, socially engaged, mobile-attached, and video hungry, because that is the description of the modern buyer. Listen to the whole episode to learn more about shifting your sales strategy to an outcome-based model and how HP is innovating with subscriptions and annuities, so you can implement similar strategies in your organization. Outline of this Sales Strategy Podcast Episode [2:00] About Christoph Schell [8:15] How has the commercial landscape changed since the pandemic began? [13:20] How has the shift to remote working affected sales strategy? [18:52] Personalized offers [31:20] How do you bring relevancy and personalization to sales conversations? [47:47] The future of social selling

One of the most common struggles for sales leaders is forecasting, understanding what is going on with the business and how to get predictable revenue.  In this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, my guest, Kevin Knieriem, CRO at Clari, talks about using Artificial Intelligence for sales forecasting. Clari’s Revenue Operations Platform automatically gathers data from across your emails, meetings, marketing campaigns and CRM data, and then uses its AI to create dashboards and execution insights. Kevin brings more than 20 years of experience driving revenue growth and building successful sales teams for leading enterprise giants and high-growth startups. Most recently, he spent more than four years at Oracle where he held several leadership positions, including CRO at DataScience.com (acquired by Oracle in June 2018).  In this role, Kevin led DataScience.com’s demand generation, field marketing, sales and customer success initiatives from pre-revenue through acquisition by Oracle. During this time, DataScience.com helped define and then lead the Forrester Wave for Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Platforms. Prior to that, he spent over a decade at SAP where he led regional and national organizations. Don’t miss this exciting conversation to learn how to use AI to predict revenue. This podcast is brought to you by Postal.io. A Sales and marketing engagement platform that generates leads increases sales and improves customer retention. Request a demo to learn how to integrate direct mail and gift into your existing strategy by visiting Postal.io. Why is predicting revenue a challenge for sales leaders? The market has changed significantly in the last few years, where buyers don’t engage with reps at the top of the funnel, but later in the sales cycle.  Modern buyers are consuming content and finding information on their own about the solutions they are seeking. And although there are many touchpoints in this process, CRMs don’t gather data from them, but only from those interactions between the buyer and the sales rep. The customer journey is not linear, anymore, especially in B2B enterprise sales, where sellers deal with multiple buyer personas within the same company in long sales cycles.  Furthermore, most sales reps are not trained to gather and interpret prospects’ buying signals correctly. That’s why sales leaders need data to understand everything that is happening in the sales process to identify risks and opportunities. Traditional B2B sales forecasting are often inaccurate and lead to missing sales targets, but many sales AI-based predictive analytics tools are now available to help sales organizations obtain predictive revenue. AI-based forecasting methods are the most accurate, such as Clari’s technology. The Impact of Missing your Sales Forecasts Kevin says that the single most important number to any company is their ability to forecast. The forecast is a direct input into the operating plan of the company. If you know what you are able to overachieve, you can make investments to accelerate the business; and if you can predict where you will underachieve, you can forego some investments and figure out how to close that gap so you can hit the numbers. Data Needed to Forecast Revenue Every seller is different and every manager is different. That is why sales don’t have a consistent way to be measured or a consistent process. In traditional forecasting, the sales manager interrogates every sales rep in the team, enters some data into a spreadsheet and forecasts future sales from that data. Kevins says that sellers should be savvier when analyzing data to get a clear view of their opportunities. For example, they should ask themselves if the customer is actually engaging with them, replying to emails and opening documents. By the way, the best way to achieve engagement is with the right sales methodology. “All that is a signal of where you’re going,” Kevin says. “With that data available, both the manager and the rep will know where they are and what to do to change the narrative and assess whether it is worth pursuing a deal or not. We need a process to tell us what a healthy opportunity looks like as it goes through the funnel. With years worth of history, AI can make predictions of what a good opportunity is.” Instead of relying on intuition or the sales pipeline stages, sellers need to focus on engagement and activities that show that the deal is moving forward. For example, are they engaged with the executive buyer? Do they know where the budget is coming from? Where are they in the paperwork process? In the security process? Kevin says that companies need to establish what a good deal looks like, what a bad deal looks like and what one in between looks like. Data is vital in a sales forecast. The right data can help sellers know where they are and what they need to do to close the deal.  “You need the ability to look forward,” Kevin says, “to look at the pipeline and know if you are building the right kind of pipeline with the right persona moving through the sales stages the way they should. In other words, having visibility up the funnel, see how it moves and use that information to predict if you have enough pipeline to hit your target for the quarter.” Good sellers will know how to use this data to their advantage, to figure out where they are; and managers and leaders will lead differently, knowing where to invest their time. According to Kevin, a sales forecast must have these three inputs: Current quarter opportunities: What does a healthy opportunity look like? Collect the data in your CRM and non-CRM systems to get a view of healthy opportunities. Renewals business: Most SaaS companies have renewals as part of their business model. Collect data for healthy customers, customers impacted by COVID or customers booming and categorize them. Activity across the board: Review if sellers are building the pipeline they need to reach the forecast.  “If you have the data in real-time,” Kevin says, “you can know which deals are going to slip and not wait until the end of the quarter to find out. Then you can take action immediately.” Predicting revenue is an art and you must get good at it and have consistent wins. Forecasting well starts the quarter before.  You should be able to forecast the quota of Q4 while still in Q3. The earlier and more accurate the forecast, the more valuable it is to the company to make decisions.

With digital selling taking over traditional sales methodologies, there has never been a more exciting time to be in sales. Leveraging technology, social selling and sales prospecting tools has ushered in a new era for anyone pursuing a career in sales.  For the first time ever, buyers and sellers are completely aligned. Buyer behavior and selling motion are completely in sync and it is through correct B2B prospecting that we can succeed in this always-evolving field.  However, with so many sales prospecting tools out there, how do you know which ones are worth your time and money?  To help you out, I’ve put together a compendium of my favorite B2B sales prospecting tools: a list of both free and paid tools that will surely turn heads and help you get the best out of your sales team. But before we start, let’s define what sales prospecting is. What is Sales Prospecting? Sales prospecting is the art of searching for customers, buyers, and potential long term clients to help you grow your team’s sales pipeline. It is the art of finding those who most resemble your target buyer and initiate conversations or engage with them. When scouting for a sales prospect it is important to identify those who are the best fit for your offerings. Traditional sales methodologies were heavily focused on closing deals and not much on identifying whether or not, both the buyer and the organization, were a good fit between them in the long run. That’s why we created the PVC Method, a sales methodology that focuses on prospecting. Prospecting is not to be confused with lead generation and prospecting tools aren’t lead generation software.  What is the difference between a lead and prospect? This is one of the most common misconceptions among those just entering the sales field. I’ll quickly elaborate on both.  A lead is someone who expresses interest in your product or service, visits your website, watches your videos or even fills out a form. It is often associated with the inbound sales process.  A prospect is someone potentially qualified, aligned with your target persona, that has engaged with you in some way, shape or form. It is more outbound related.  Both leads and prospects need to be nurtured and driven down your sales funnel in order to ultimately become buyers. Now let’s dive into sales prospecting tools. Listen to Episode #161 of the Modern Selling Podcast where I talk with Vengreso’s CBO and Co-Founder, Kurt Shaver, about my favorite sales prospecting tools. What are Sales Prospecting Tools? In any industry, the competition is high when it comes to finding potential buyers and convincing them to buy your product or service. This is a challenging task, and in order to achieve your sales goals, it is critical to be open and knowledgeable about new strategies, tools, and technologies that can level up your team’s prospecting game.  A sales prospecting tool is any software that helps you automate small, repetitive tasks, so your sales reps can save time and deliver the right messaging to your prospects.  These tools will give your sales reps all the necessary information, as well as help you make the best decision to determine whether a person is a good fit or not for your organization. It helps with sales productivity and efficiency that will leverage the engagement with your buyer persona.  Prospecting tools will essentially help you gather more information, move faster, target the right people and engage prospects in a more meaningful way in order to close more deals.  Sales Prospecting Tools to Find Contact Details Within the realm of sales prospecting tools, there are a myriad of use cases, designed for specific tasks. Here are a few of tools that allow sellers find contact details: Seamless and Zoominfo - Often called the Google of contact searching, these tools allow sellers to not only search for prospects’ email, website, and contact info, but also export these newly found prospects into a CSV.  Prospect.io - By using their Chrome extension, sellers are able to instantly search for decision makers within a domain name. Using AI, Prospect.io pulls up a list of emails, phone numbers and other relevant information within any organization. Additionally, with Prospect.io you can save a contact or, within seconds, send them an email. If you’ve sent an email, prospect’s tracking tool allows you to see if they’ve opened it, replied, and even converted on your website.  LinkedHub - Instead of spending time on data entry from LinkedIn to Hubspot, this B2B prospecting tool allows users to synchronize all info and messages directly into HubSpot. This beats the hassle of copying and pasting with the possibility of skipping valuable information. It tracks and synchronizes sales messaging from LinkedIn.  Tools to Qualify Prospects A second category of sales prospecting tools I’d like to dive into are those tools that help B2B sales teams qualify prospects. These tools help sellers assess how likely it is that a person will eventually buy from their organization.  LinkedIn Sales Navigator or LinkedIn - LinkedIn and LinkedIn Sales Navigator are two separate tools. The later features a more powerful set of search capabilities and personalized algorithms to help your sellers reach the right decision maker. Learn more about the difference between the free LinkedIn and LinkedIn Premium, including Sales Navigator. Crystal Knows - This is an AI sales tool that allows your sellers to get an inside scoop on any prospect before they reach out. This somewhat eerie tool reads all the information on the prospect that is available in the web and summarizes anything —from latest news to the kind of tone a prospect prefers to be reached out. For example, should the seller greet “Hey Mario” or “Dear Mario;” should they use a “best friend voice” or sound casual. Crystal Knows allows sellers to decipher how to reach out before they actually do. It’s like having their own crystal ball before they contact a prospect.   Tools for Booking Meetings Once sellers have the contact information and have qualified these prospects, they need to book a meeting because, let’s face it, the end result of successful prospecting is starting a conversation and eventually booking a meeting.  Nevertheless, there are often instances where there are more than two people involved in a sales meeting. In order to successfully schedule the availability of several parties, here are a few of my favorite tools to complete this task:  Calendly Time Trade Hubspot Meeting Links Doodle Many sales professionals will incorrectly send their info and expect a prospect to instantly engage and book a meeting with them. Instead, I recommend using one of these tools, sending a link and have the prospects choose the best time for them.  Tools for engaging your sales prospect  There are over 700 tools in the sales tech stack in the market today and many specialize in the function of engaging prospects. Which is why I’d like to further divide this category into sub-categories.  Sales Engagement, Sales Productivity and Sales Efficiency FlyMSG - This is one of my favorite sales tools as it falls not only under the sales engagement platform category but is also in the realm of sales productivity and sales efficiency.  FlyMSG is the first text expander tool that was thought of and built for the modern seller. The tool was developed by us, here at Vengreso, and it allows sales pros (as well as marketers) to quickly pull up their favorite sales messages, emails and scripts using a few simple keystrokes. With these abbreviations (known as flycuts) users won’t have to look through old emails and notepads to find their favorite content.  The tool is a Chrome Extension that will instantly increase your team’s sales productivity and uniformity across your sales messaging.  Here’s a use case example. Say someone offered me the opportunity to guest blog for Vengreso’s blog. Instead of looking through the last email I sent a former guest blogger, I created a flycut where I've already copied and pasted the desired content. This email’s content can be instantly pulled up using an abbreviation. This tool is great not just for sellers but also sales leaders and marketers who wish to increase productivity, especially during the remote selling era where every minute working from home counts.  Sales Cadence Within the sales cadence realm there are four main tools: Xant Outreach  SalesLoft VanillaSoft While a sales productivity tool like FlyMSG will help with 1 to 1 messaging, sales cadence tools will grab these individual messages they’ve created and throw them all together in a sequence, thus improving their chances of sending prospects directly down their sales pipeline. By harnessing the power of both types of tools, you’ll not only save time and create uniformity, but you’ll also become more organized in your sales prospecting techniques. Sales/Content Engagement Platforms These tools help sellers look at the different pieces of content they have available from marketing and help them create 1 to 1 level engagement in prospecting. A great hub to save all of your content in one place and know what to use and when.  Seismic  HighSpot Big tin can Showpad Postal.io  Sendoso The last two are known as gift and direct level marketing tools. These are used by sellers to engage with their buyers offline through sales gifts.  Sales Video  Still within the realm of sales engagement, but worthy of its own category, video for sales prospecting has been huge in 2020 in the world of virtual selling. We offer a selling with video training program specifically for this type of engagement platform. With in-person events postponed until who knows when, video (both synchronous and asynchronous) is the next best thing to have prospects see and build trust with sellers.  A few of my favorite video selling engagement platforms are:  OneMob HippoVideo  BombBomb  Vidyard Videolicious CoVideo These tools allow sellers to not only create and send videos but also add various filters to make them more engaging, as well as allowing sellers to see how many times their videos have been viewed.  Tools for sales prospect meetings Now that your sellers have a date for the actual sales meeting, they’re going to want to know what tools to use to host the meeting, what to do during and what to do after said meeting has finalized.  Zoom Video Communications - The preferred tool to host virtual sales meetings.  OrgChartHub - A tool that lets sellers build an org chart directly within HubSpot. Not necessarily a tool that is used with the prospect directly, but a tool that I use in every meeting. This helps bridge the gap between customer success, support and sales.  Gong.io - Gong will both record meetings as well as take notes for you. A sales intelligence tool to both prospect and revisit meetings with your sellers thus improving their confidence and cold calling abilities. Tools for social content sharing, inbound prospecting, and social selling  A few sections ago I spoke about the difference between a lead and a prospect and how they relate to inbound and outbound sales respectively. One of the ways to generate inbound traffic is by teaching your sellers how to share content on social networks thus, build credibility and visibility. It isn’t necessarily part of a social media strategy but it will help keep buyers engaged.  There are two types of content sharing platforms sellers can use. It can either be 1 to 1 sharing or one to many. On the one to many, we have tools that are also known as employee advocacy programs but are most commonly known as content sharing platforms. The content can be filtered by a plethora of categories to share both personal and business-related information. A few of our favorites are:  EveryoneSocial GaggleAmp DynamicSignals  GrapeVine6 On the 1 to 1 content sharing, I’d like to highlight the benefits of FlyMSG. Sellers who notice a new view on their profile can instantly send a pre-created, tailored message to the prospect who has viewed their profile. In this case, I have created a message for this particular scenario where someone has viewed my profile and, by using the flycut /thxview, within a blink I can send them an elaborate 289 character message thanking them for viewing my profile.  The Best Sales Prospecting Tools to Use in 2021 if you’re a Sales Leader  I’ve gone over quite a few sales prospecting tools over the course of this article, but to wrap this up, I’d like to summarize the best sales prospecting tools to use in 2021.  If you have a limited budget or would like to narrow down the tools to only the ones that you can’t do without. Here is a list of my favorites.  FlyMSG - For an all-in-one sales productivity, engagement and effectiveness tool, look no further than FlyMSG. Save time on tedious tasks and standardize your sales messaging and personalized emails. LinkedIn Sales Navigator - For sales qualification and sales engagement. This platform isn’t a requirement, in fact, most of our current clients aren’t LinkedIn Sales Navigator users. But if you have the budget, we recommend you use this tool.  LinkedHub - The best tool to find prospects and sync them directly on to HubSpot.  Seamless.ai - For looking up contact details this is my favorite tool.  Seismic - For sales engagement and content platform, Seismic. One of the 800-pound gorillas in this segment.  Postal.io - For gift marketing and direct mail.  OneMob - For video for sales, OneMob’s salesforce integration makes them my choice for top video for sales platforms.  HippoVideo - Similar to OneMob but their integration to HubSpot makes them a sales leader’s favorite. Both HippoVideo and OneMob allow sellers to create custom, content landing pages which ensures your prospects engage with sellers directly.  Gong.io - For meetings, I would leverage this tool as it not only records every call, but its ability to also take notes makes it well worth the investment. Calendly - My favorite tool for booking meetings.   EveryoneSocial - For social selling and content sharing.  With virtual selling potentially setting the stage for a new line of sales prospecting methods, in just 6 months time, we might just be adding to this list of tools, so stay tuned.

A sales plan or sales strategy can be the difference between an organization merely surviving and a company exceeding all sales objectives.  With so many ups and downs this year, as well as company pivots and new long-term strategies, sales planning is more important than ever.   Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a born leader to devise a master marketing plan or hit your sales objectives. The best sales manager isn't measured by how many degrees they have or accolades received. They are molded through their years of experience.  As the host of The Modern Selling Podcast, I relish the opportunity to speak to successful sales leaders from all sides of the spectrum. This week is no exception, as I speak to Remy Piazza, Chief Sales Officer of Bureau Veritas of North America. Bureau Veritas is a global testing inspection and certification company. They test everything from the food we eat and the water we drink to airplanes that we’ll eventually go back to when we travel.  The 4 Pillars for a Successful Sales Plan In this episode, Remy and I discuss the four pillars for a strategic sales plan. These pillars have been Remy’s mantra through his years at the helm of various sales departments of world-renowned organizations. They cover everything from go-to-market strategies, sales prospecting, and even having the right team for the job. There’s a notion that, as sales leaders transfer from one company to another, they tend to stay within the same industry. While most leaders vertically align themselves with the industries they know, Remy has found joy in being in a leadership position and hitting a sales goal in a variety of industries. For this reason, business leaders can apply Remy’s four pillars to any industry.  Note: Before we go through the pillars, you need to understand that Remy’s sales plan template needs to be carried out in order. You must go chronologically from Step one through four. Those who begin in the middle - and/or go out of order - are unlikely to achieve success. If you feel you’ve got all four pillars covered, I highly recommend a more granular sales methodology called the PVC Sales Methodology. #1 - Define and Document your Segmentation Let’s face it. A sales leader doesn’t get hired when things are prosperous in an organization. Leaders are hired to either put out fires or to devise a pivoting strategy.  Remy recommends, before starting the blueprint, to look at all addressable markets. For instance, which industries do you sell to or want to sell to? Once this is done, you zero-in on the accounts you want to serve. Then, it’s about buyer segmentation and analysis.  Learn about who your ideal customer is, what they look like, and why they are looking for what you offer. Once you understand your target audience, you can understand the buyer journey; what they’re looking to receive from your sellers at every stage.  Next, you need someone to extrapolate and analyze the data. If you don’t have this, in the words of Tony Robbins, “You’re running east looking for a sunset and no matter how fast you run, you’re never going to catch it.” Data without analysis is just simple Xs and O’s. A marketing strategy is crucial to speak directly to your potential customers.   According to Remy, you need to have a wartime plan to have a successful sales strategy. Prior to COVID, businesses could just continue to target those who had purchased from them in the past. Today, the buyer persona might have changed. For this reason, sales management must be more aligned than ever with their sellers and marketing. You come up with the tactics, but it is the individual sellers who will execute.  Which brings us to the second pillar.  #2 - Set a Go-to-Market Strategy   Once you have your segmentation, you can hit the ground running and implement a strategy.  We’re living in a time where buyer behavior is completely aligned with selling motion. Since we’re all digitally connected, socially engaged, mobile attached, and video hungry, sales leaders have no choice but to embrace digital sales and social media. But now comes another decision: Within digital sales, in which direction will you strategize? Direct models? Partnerships. Major or small markets?  Now we have reached the third pillar: a key element. #3 - Successful Sales Leadership Depends on Having the Right Players on your Team Many NFL fans would agree that without Tom Brady, Bill Belichick likely would not have had the support of his cast. It takes a great leader to run a team of successful sellers. However, the sales rep not only has to execute the strategies. They also have to buy into the leader’s vision.  Underperforming sales managers will skip pillars one and two, and head straight to hiring the right people. Yet, unless you know the first two pillars, you will not know who you need to hire. But how does a great sales leader know when they have the right people on their teams? According to Remy, you need to get in the field and ride with them in addition to digital sales coaching. Interact with your salespeople and experience what it's like to be with them in front of prospects or customers. Do your team members understand your company’s value proposition and sales pipeline? When sales leaders understand what their team members do well - and where they struggle - it’s easier to determine who can meet expectations moving forward. Back when I was an SDR, my company used Predictive Index to evaluate my performance. This tool provides great insight and information on how - and where - your team needs coaching. It will not determine whether or not someone would be a good hire, but it can reinforce a hunch.  #4 - Importance of Sales Enablement in Every Sales Plan This relatively new field is all about leveraging data and supporting your sales team. Sales enablement is the beautiful orchestration point between sales and marketing.  You can: Create a Value Proposition Research buyers and markets Learn where they digitally hang out Discover what kind of content will resonate with them Learn how and where they’ll consume the content Successful sales leadership is 50% talent and 50% sales-team support. Sales enablement is an instrumental component in helping your sellers.  Back in the day, the role of a salesperson was different than it is now. To engage with potential and existing customers, all you had to do was give them a brochure with all of your information. Now, prospects can get all that info and more just by visiting a website. Modern-day sellers are consultants. And sales enablement teams feed your sellers the right data to fulfill that role.  Achieving Successful Sales Leadership Successful sales leadership requires defining and documenting segmentation, having the right people, and eventually embracing sales enablement. Once you’ve gone through every one of these pillars - in order - you will have a starting point for your current sales leadership role, as well as future leadership positions.

If you're a sales leader of a 21st-century business, you will not be successful unless your sellers understand how to use sales tools and engagement strategies and their impact on relationship selling.  Virtual selling engagement strategies have no doubt trumped what we commonly refer to as traditional relationship selling methods, and it's not even a close second place.  The art of selling and your individual "net worth" to a business used to be solely focused on how good you were at building relationships that converted into building trust with your customers, which in-turn created closed-won revenue.  Though this is still extremely important, my guest on this podcast episode says, "you can't have relationship-building be your seller's home run swing."  Gone are the days where in-person sales meetings would last hours on a golf course, and deals were closed over a few bottles of wine. Those were the good ole days of relationship selling.  The market demands a new breed of salesperson, a Modern Seller. Someone who is not just a relationship builder and sales closer, the market has molded the ideal seller to be a data manipulator and analyst. Capable of building strong relationships virtually, agile enough to leverage data to help determine key actions, and can quickly identify the purchasing stage a prospect is at, all the while he/she can come up with concepts that can help their buyers' business.  This salesperson is not just your smooth taking relationship builder, no. Rather, this seller is a modern seller capable of building a personal connection through the digital selling process.  Our guest in this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast is Marcus Jewell, Juniper Networks CSO and E.V.P., and race car driving aficionado. Marcus brings more than three decades of experience working for organizations such as Xerox prior to being at the helm of Juniper as their Chief Sales Officer and EVP.  Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice! This podcast is brought to you by Postal.io. A Sales and marketing engagement platform that generates leads increases sales and improves customer retention. Request a demo to learn how to integrate direct mail and gift into your existing strategy by visiting Postal.io. What Happened to Relationship Selling According to Marcus Jewell, COVID killed off what was left of relationship selling making it very difficult for B2B sales professionals to build a personal relationship with a prospective customer. This slow death began during the early days of the internet when lack-of-time hindered frequent lunch meetings with buyers thereby hindering building a relationship. The gradual digitalization of sales processes continued this downward spiral. Finally, COVID19 in 2020 solidified the transition, as sales became more about data analytics and customer value than conversation-skills and building relationships.  [bctt tweet="Even before COVID changed the relationship in selling, #sellers began using data analytics to generate successful sales conversations by knowing the buyer. Thank you, @JewellMH from @JuniperNetworks and @M_3jr from @GoVengreso for sharing this in the @GoModernSelling " username="GoVengreso"] While salespeople still need to be inherently good at building a business relationship, they can't rely on just business selling face to face trust-building skills. Today's business buyer is more knowledgeable and has access to more information than ever before making them a business customer that is harder to reach, engage, and build a relationship with. Frankly, with knowledge comes power and a more informed possible customer makes it harder to build a trusting relationship as fast as we used to be able to do. The psychology of previous sales motions was more about building empathy and trust whilst asking a series of open-ended questions. These questions, coupled with a personable seller, would allow an organization's salesperson to build a rapport and familiarity with its customers. In fact, it wasn't uncommon for buyers and sellers to go on vacation and spend time with families. The rise of the internet took time away from everyone.  The recent effects of COVID have not only put a stop to travel but have also generated safety concerns among us all in terms of gatherings. Thus, making it very difficult to create customer loyalty, a strong relationship, and building trust through a handshake. How Do You Build Relationships with Clients  These days, sales relationships are built not by how much a buyer likes what you have to say, but more by how a salesperson approaches buyers with concepts that can help their businesses. Today's digitally connected, socially engaged, mobile attached, and video hungry buyer will build trust with their salesperson. This eventually leads to building a relationship if the seller's consultative selling skills bring value to solving a valid business problem.  However, as Marcus identifies, buyers are looking first for value by the seller not a transactional selling sales pitch.  Once the value has been established, trust and a long term relationship can be built, thus the start of relationship sales.  The world has become very outcome-based as Marcus states. Therefore, a salesperson with analytical skills is more likely to succeed than the seller solely focused on being personable or trying to book that face to face.  Social skills are still required for today's modern seller. Yet, they are now only part of your sellers' makeup. Processing and analyzing data, then interpreting that to a buyer is what my guest discusses as the key to being a relationship builder with customers.  [bctt tweet="Knowing that the world has become so outcome-based, I want to improve my analytical skills to increase my sales results and be more prepared for the buyer. Excellent insights from @JewellMH from @JuniperNetworks and @M_3jr from @GoVengreso in the @GoModernSelling " username="GoVengreso"] The Modern B2B Buyer Journey Traditional selling methodologies dictated that on every cold call or discovery call, both the buyer and seller are trying to figure out if they're good fits for each other. Today's buyer has done ample research, so by the time they speak to your sellers, the buyer often wants to go straight to the demo and pricing making the potential customer relationship difficult to establish. This forces the professional salesperson to rethink their sales strategy and ultimately their relationship selling skills.  Time is much more precious now than it was back during the early days of the internet. To build a lasting relationship it used to take a lot of meetings and eventually successful salespeople would close a sale. Today, buyers want to avoid as many meetings as they can, and they only want to streamline the buying process.  A sales and B2B buyer journey used to begin at the same time. Both the buyer and sales rep would use an initial call to discover and qualify each other. If the seller was personable and could articulate ideas well, the buyer would accept a second and third call. This was all part of the sales technique to become that trusted advisor and the beginning to build a good relationship with a potential customer. Today, the seller also has to be able to identify (using data, analytics) where in the buying journey the customer is.  Analytics tools such as the sellers CRM inform sales teams how many pages users search and where they spend most of their time on their website. There are even tools that tell you which competitors they've searched allowing sellers to get ahead of the customer possibly. Analyzing and developing a professional selling sales strategy plan with data requires sellers to be influencers and a marketer not the "pushy salesperson" gunning for their own agenda. In other words, today's relationship selling skills require modern marketing acumen.  Successful relationship selling and analytics-based reps are those who can understand what their possible customers are saying (as well as what they're not saying). They can disseminate, grab data to identify what the buyer needs, and close the sale.  According to Marcus, "Too many sellers talk about what their organizations do. And sadly, most customers don't care." They're only interested in what your business does that will help their organizations and teams grow. Social Selling Skills in a Virtual Selling Environment A client of Juniper, running a six billion dollar organization, asked, "Why do I need to be on social media or possess social selling skills?" To which CSO Marcus replied, "If you're the leader of a 21st-century business, you will not be successful unless you understand how to use 21st-century tools." I consider an "old school" seller someone who is 45 or older (my age) and made their way up the ranks leveraging relationship selling the traditional way. Whether their style was out-in-the-trenches cold-calling, showing up to events to shake hands and/or face-to-face meetings, that breed of seller possessed different skills than those required by the market today.  According to Marcus, many organizations are providing early retirement plans to their "old school" sales teams. It's not that they think that breed of seller is incapable of adapting. However, most organizations know it's harder to teach modern skills to traditional sellers. It is becoming more affordable to train someone younger than it is to create a social seller out of a traditional salesperson.  [bctt tweet="Thank you, @JewellMH from @JuniperNetworks and @M_3jr from @GoVengreso for this @GoModernSelling episode. Organizations need #ModernSellers that are updated with the modern skills to understand the #ModernBuyer" username="GoVengreso"] Modern sales demands workforces adapt to today's buyer. They need sellers who are not just tech savvy, but socially engaged and video hungry. They need modern relationship selling skills delivered through the sharing of content, understanding of data and analytics, and modern day omnichannel engagement.  So much more is asked of the modern seller, which is not in line with what sellers 45 or older were taught. Determination, hunger, gregariousness - all of these intangible skills are still important. However, what the sales workforce now needs are those sellers who can also analyze data, possess non-verbal reasoning skills, and read pattern information.  But contrary to what some organizations think, remote selling is here to stay. That eventual transition back to face-to-face selling will happen but not in the way things used to be. There will continue to be more virtual selling. The good news is, a recent study by Mckinsey says, sellers are now better than they were pre-COVID.  From Relationship Selling to Virtual Selling  Sales has always been known as a numbers game. The more people you reach out to, the higher the probability of speaking to someone, and the more conversations you have leads to the more opportunities you create and the bigger the chances you have at closing a prospect into a customer. Though this was the notion of traditional sales, Marcus says sales isn't solely a numbers game.  Sales is about making sure each interaction comes at the right time and delivers the right message. It's about not targeting for the sake of hitting. It's about being specific and sending messages that are so on point and hyper-personalized that prospects have no choice but to engage.  According to Marcus, virtual selling will eventually evolve into something of a hybrid where it used to be and where we are at now. Even if things go back to what we knew as normal (pre-COVID), virtual selling has made too much of an impact to go away.  Outline of this Relationship Selling Episode [1:40] About Marcus Jewell: From Engineer to Sales Leader [7:25] The Death of the Sales Leader [11:20] Balance relationship building with relationship selling [13:00] How trust is built today [23:50] The importance of research [25:20] What skills are needed in today’s selling environment [39:15] How are you digitizing your sales force?

A successful face-to-face seller doesn’t always translate to a virtual selling superstar. In fact, virtual selling requires a particular set of skills that will keep your customer engaged and eager to continue to connect with you. Today’s buyer is tech-savvy, digitally connected, and socially engaged. Additionally, with most buyers and sellers working from home, keeping a customer engaged in a virtual sales call can be difficult. My guest in this week’s episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, Andy Springer is the Chief Client Officer of RAIN Group and co-author of the Amazon Best Seller, Virtual Selling: How to Build Relationships, Differentiate and Win Sales Remotely. Andy is an “old school” salesperson with a keen interest in how the modern buyer digitally behaves. He and his RAIN Group colleagues, Mike Schultz and Dave Shaby like many of us prior to the pandemic hitting, were out in the trenches looking to provide virtual sales training. Like most organizations, Andy and RAIN Group were not prepared for such a catastrophic event and in just a few weeks realized they needed to change their value proposition and sales process in order to continue to really help their clients. They realized their old way of doing things wasn’t enough and they began to gather all of the information they had from buyers and sellers about virtual and social selling. Their research and knowledge gathered, served as the foundation for the book that was never intended to sell a lot of copies, says Andy. Instead, RAIN Group executives, Andy, Dave, and Mike were looking to build a solution that a lot of people could leverage to successfully adopt virtual selling. Andy joined me on this week’s edition of The Modern Selling Podcast and shared with me 3 Virtual Selling Tips that Ensure Powerful Sales Presentations. Virtual Selling Tips that Ensure Instant Customer Engagement It’s no longer a matter of expecting the very best from your top sellers in this new digitally connected selling world. Success in virtual sales requires a new set of skills. Customers will likely continue to have the same problems as they did working from an office, but how we identify these problems has drastically changed. According to research conducted by Andy and RAIN Group, the number one thing in this new virtual buying environment from a buyer (that was going to influence their purchase decision), was knowing the seller had made a thorough discovery of their wants, needs, and concerns. A second study showed that only 26% of sellers were effectively performing needs discoveries in a virtual selling environment. Younger sales professionals don't have adequate sales hygiene. They ask prospects for a lot of the information that can be found online and/or on social media. But in addition to this, what else can we do to be successful in virtual selling? Create the Right Buyer Engagement in your Virtual Sales Meeting One of the many discoveries found in virtual selling is that it is hard to keep customers engaged during long sales meetings. Back before the pandemic (seems like ages ago now), you could have a group of buyers and sellers in your conference room, networking and building relationships prior to the actual meeting. The meeting would begin and you would share slides and resources that everyone could engage with in person. Today’s modern seller doesn’t have the luxury of face to face meetings and must make their virtual meetings more interactive. Andy states that studies are finding that the max attention span in one particular topic for virtual selling is 20 minutes. The adult concentration span today is about 20 minutes. If your meetings are lasting an hour, maybe an hour and a half, find a way to make the meeting into a 20-minute highly engaging discussion and then do more of those. The Ringelmann Effect in a Virtual Sales Environment Secondly, Andy references the Ringelmann Effect when he highlights that there is no need to have so many people in a virtual meeting. As a quick reminder, this effect is the tendency for individual members of a group to become increasingly less productive as the size of their group increases. Previously in a salesroom, you can have the buying and selling team together engaging but in virtual sales, Andy discovered that in the sales world, the more people in a meeting, the greater the chance for disengagement. Similar to the old game of tug of war, instead of adding more people and each side being more productive, each newly added team member would make the group actually work less hard to pull. “The more people you add to virtual meetings, the higher the chance of people hiding.” Organizations think that because they put a whiteboard or 30 slides on a virtual call will make people engage in the same way as they would in face to face. Instead of yielding success, that will only yield failure. As sales leaders, “we’ve got to think differently with how you show up on this screen. Those who are realizing that and thinking of how to drive sales engagement and building relationships and those who are figuring out virtual ways to collaborate are starting to win really well.” Helping your Customers feel Comfortable with Video Calls During the early days of the pandemic, one of the biggest challenges by sellers was "how do I get my buyer to turn their video on?" A lot of buyers aren't used to or ready or wanting to engage in this. They’ll go off on a tangent and say things like “my hair isn't good, I’m wearing my PJs” truth be told, people think they're even invading their space. There has to be a really good reason as to why I need to turn my video on. It’s different, you're dealing with people that have transitioned to working in a completely different environment and we're expecting them to behave the same as they were in the office. It’s like newer generations being baffled by the notion of parents wanting to call vs. just texting. We can’t expect modern buyers to immediately buy-in. Those sellers who are thinking about all of this, step by step, are thriving. But you need to be deliberate. Buyers need to get warmed up to turning on their videos, look for creative ways to engage with people. I have a very interesting approach to this and it’s worked quite well for us here at Vengreso. I send a calendar invite to a prospective buyer or client and ask on that invite if they will have access to a camera. I don’t ask them to turn on the camera but I ask them if the camera option is available to them. This not only lets the buyer know that it can be a video call, but it also warms them up to the idea. As sellers, we should always use video for sales, it sets an example and encourages others to get comfortable. Tips for Working from Home Effectively as a Virtual Seller According to Andy, a workstation isn’t sitting on the couch with your laptop on your knees. Not only is this extremely uncomfortable, but it can also do more harm than good to your body. Instead, create a separate space and stick to it. It can be a part of a bedroom, somewhere quiet. You don’t need to break the bank in setting up an at-home office but do make sure it’s comfortable and quiet for you to feel at ease. Remember, you will be presenting yourself on camera more often than not and you’ll present as professionally as you feel. You never want to turn up too casual as buyers will think you’re not taking them seriously or that they’re not important enough. Setting up the right office at home is pivotal for improving your on-screen performance and the way your customers perceive you. Regardless of whether or not you’ll be seeing them in person, a sloppy appearance and questionable surroundings will not have your buyers feel at ease. If you feel uncomfortable with your current set up at home, be sure to change your backgrounds with green screens. Andy and I have both interviewed a ton of people during the pandemic and sadly, they don’t dress the part. Many think that because visiting an officer is no longer necessary, that they don’t have to look their best, that results and results only will be the game-changer. Though this is partially true, as a sales leader interviewing for an SDR position, can you really trust a seller to look their best for your prospects if they didn’t look their best interviewing for the job? The Present and Future of Virtual Selling Sellers who weren’t hitting their quotas and upon entering a virtual selling position were nervous, have no fear. It is now a level playing field and the opportunity for you and top sellers to learn new strategies. If you can find a way to identify customer needs, wants and concerns, convert random social selling activities into digital selling, and leverage correct use of video, you will come out on top in this changing virtual selling world. Remember, we’re still scratching the surface of what this digitally evolved sales world will look like and it’s a great opportunity to start fresh or pick up where you left off as a top seller. Outline of This Virtual Selling Episode [3:00] About Andy: Chief Client Officer of the RAIN Group. co-author of (amazon best seller) virtual selling: how to build relationships, differentiate and win sales remotely [7:55] Why was the book written? [13:00] What is the #1 thing buyers look for out of sellers in this virtual selling environment? [20:46] What should virtual sellers do to ensure their customers stay engaged in sales meetings? [23:30] The Ringelmann Effect. [24:30] What is the right number of people and perfect amount of time for a sales meeting? [30:00] Helping customers feel comfortable with turning their video on. [42:30] Home offices and avoiding distractions.

One of the most important qualities a sales rep must possess is knowing how to prospect.  Many argue that due to the number of tools available to sales professionals, prospecting is as easy as ever. But sadly, many still continue to call their prospect list and ask questions that could have easily been avoided had you performed proper sales prospecting.  In this article, I will go through expert tips on how every salesperson should approach their ideal prospect and how by using personalization and storytelling, your sellers will be able to create sales engagement.  The Importance of Knowing How to Prospect  If this COVID addled 2020 has taught us anything, it's that experts' predictions of the world going completely virtual, happened way before any of us expected.  Countless organizations have had to adopt virtual selling and improve their sales prospecting skills to reap the benefits of all of the readily available information.  Old school sellers prior to the internet didn't have the luxury of locating anything from company size down to a trigger event and even competitors. On the contrary, a sales person from the pre-web era had to rely on good old' fashioned phone books to get most of their information. It surely is a wonderful time to be in sales.  With prospecting and other sales tools being introduced left and right, sales leaders have a plethora of options to ramp up their sales team. But can these tools be overwhelming? Of course.  Sales Automation Tools When it Comes to Prospecting In this episode of Modern Selling Podcast, I speak to Ed Calnan. Ed is the co-founder and CRO of Seismic, where he leads the company’s go-to-market efforts. Ed brings more than 20 years of sales leadership experience from ADP, Thomson Financial, S&P, and EMC to Seismic. In 2016, he was named a Top Boston Startup Founders Over 40 by Tech.co. This episode highlights the tools that are part of every sales team’s arsenal as well as how incorrect usage can do more harm than good.  That’s right, we receive countless emails and phone calls where it appears that proper prospecting wasn’t done. This in turn, instead of being beneficial, it leaves the sales team looking lazy by not using all of the readily available information.  Lazy Reps Yield Poor Sales Engagement Results It’s an interesting time to be in sales. Those who have been in the game for 15+ years are excited to see that new age reps have access to so much information prior to any call. Before picking up the phone, previous research is pivotal to create a real conversation with your leads.  If your sellers call a lead asking what problems they’re facing, they’re likely going to waste both parties’ time. Instead, if they leverage the information found on social platforms, even if it’s just flattery, they’ll spark the interest of  prospects.  They should use what I like to refer to as, “show me that you know me.” This is at the very minimum what prospects expect out of any call they take.  A correct prospecting plan is all about using the tools at your disposal but not relying on them entirely.  Ed says that “automated tools get reps headed in the right direction but there is a point where the system ends and people need to take over.”  In layman’s terms, tools like Xant are fantastic sales engagement platforms but it’s up to sales leaders to ensure their team is humanizing them.  The Concept of Personalization In the B2C world, some of the world’s biggest brands are already where they need to be. Brands like Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon grab what they know about you and people like you (thanks to similar interactions within their platforms), and provide their users with recommendations.  For example, Netflix knows what shows you watch and grab similar titles that other people have watched, and provide you with a list of suggestions. The same goes for Spotify with their weekly playlist for every year. And Amazon knows that you have an infant at home and tells you when you need diapers and or formula.  Sales automation will eventually get to that level of intuition but we’re not there yet, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done manually. Here’s a great example of a conversation Ed proposes.  “I understand you, I think I know what your organization is going through and I’ve helped organizations and people very similar to you. Here’s what I’ve done and here’s how their problems were resolved.” It’s not quite as intuitive as Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon but it does create real conversations that will let your prospects know you understand them. It will also ensure you’re talking to the right people because let’s face it, you don’t want to be speaking to a leader whose problem you can’t solve.  What Does it Take to Book a Sales Meeting with a Top CIO? I wanted to share an interesting anecdote about a business relationship I had once upon a time with Mckesson Corp., one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical and medical supplies companies and current fortune 6 company.  My relationship was with the then CIO, Randy Sprad. I decided to open up a can of worms and ask why out of all of the calls he received on a daily basis, being prospected by just about everyone, did he decide to take my call? What did it take to have him become a potential customer? Randy succinctly answered, “everyone seems to be in a hurry to explain product specs and how they can save me money. Sure, these are things that are important, but those who go out of their way to explain to me what my competitors are doing and what they can do to give me the competitive advantage, that’s what I’m looking for.” But how is this done? Through the art of storytelling.  Storytelling: The Key to Personalization Storytelling is fundamentally important, it’s a skill that can be honed but can’t be left out of any sales process. A sales raconteur is someone who is skilled at telling stories and it is these individuals who can spark up immediate interest.  Tenured reps have a barrage of stories in their repertoire and some don’t even know it. From past experiences, stories and memories will inform your ideal customer of the experience you have in similar situations.  Buyer personas might not all be created equally, but letting qualified prospects in on what has happened in their peer group will create genuine interest.  The best reps will work with their marketing teams to leverage these stories to create compelling content. It isn’t just about sharing these stories with their prospects. It’s about creating content that will be used as resources on your company’s website to send new prospects to. It will also help your training team to teach incoming reps about what information attracts new buyers.   Here’s some great sales prospecting advice: decision-makers want to feel like they’re part of a movement. If you can show these companies (through stories and real-life examples) that you know what they’re going through, they’ll listen. Show a decision maker that other companies in their peer groups are going through a similar predicament and they’ll surely want to be part of your solution.  Using video and social media to improve your prospecting strategy The modern buyer is as knowledgeable as they ever have been. With so much information available to them as well, a personalized email or text might not even be enough.  Adopting omnichannel is fundamental to getting ahead with today’s buyer. Social media, text messages, cold outreach, calls, they need to all be interwoven with your business strategy.  The best sales reps are masters at the social game. They have also mastered the art of video prospecting. Failing to recognize the importance of these as part of your current strategy will have you looking ancient.  Sales leaders need to learn what’s available and coach their teams to use every arrow in their quiver. If you don’t and continue to think the sales world hasn’t evolved, you and your business will become obsolete. Become socially engaged, adopt omnichannel and video-centric and you’ll pave the way for your team’s success. Both your potential client and existing customers will appreciate the extra effort. How to train your team on sales engagement tools With new sales engagement tools being released periodically, the sales world is looking bright for those high-performing sales professionals.  Organizations are forced to digitally engage, which makes training for this virtual world a lot different than it was 10 years ago.  I predicted 3 years ago that in 2022, the world would go completely virtual. Unfortunately for many, the COVID era has expedited this process and many are struggling to keep the lights on.  Every sales leader has a list of their favorite tools, but these tools aren’t as important if your team isn’t using them correctly. Along with training them on how to best use these tools, as a leader you need to hone your team’s digital sales training skills. Social skills aren’t inherent to all millennials and before approaching any prospect they’ll likely have the following questions.  How do I engage well on social media? What do I say? What’s the right way to say it? Who am I looking for? If you’re going to be using cold calling, or cold emails it’s important to look for as much information about your sales prospect as possible. Make it a habit to find out 3 important things about each prospect before you call.  When using video, don’t overdo it. You have 7-15 seconds to capture the attention of your prospects, make it count.  Lastly, we’ve seen countless individuals reach out to us on LinkedIn and even via emails with abysmal spelling skills. Ask your organization to invest in Grammarly, it might not close deals but it can break deals if your spelling isn’t on point.  Wrapping up There’s an interesting idea Ed shared with me on this episode that I think is a great practice to consider.  Once a week, Ed likes to take a B2B sales call and listen to a rep's sales pitch. Not only is it good sales karma for the universe but he also stresses the importance of rewarding creative young people. Of course, this is all predicated on correct prospecting but those who have done their homework and know where they want the call to go, deserve to be heard.  Content, storytelling, and personalization require a three-headed team. This team is marketing, sales leaders/reps, and sales enablement. Without these three teams in sync, it’s impossible to be effective in today’s sales world.  Think of these teams as an NFL roster. If offense, defense, and special teams aren’t working together, they can have the best players, but they’ll lose every game.  Outline of this Episode [1:04] About Ed: From Student of the Game to Founder and CRO. [9:12] What is Prospecting? What do we consider prospecting to be? [18:33] Why aren’t more sales leaders helping reps focus on bringing content that serves me up as a buyer.  [22:32] Learning to leverage sales content for storytelling [23:53] Your prospects will react better to stories if they feel they’re part of a movement.  [32:02] What role does video play within social media for sales reps? [42:06] Early predictions of a completely virtual world.  Resources Mentioned in this Episode Connect with Ed on LinkedIn  Follow Ed and Seismic on Twitter: Ed & Seismic  Seismic’s Website  Ed’s favorite movie: Empire Strikes Back  Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!

Any modern sales strategy must include offline engagement with sales gifts. In the COVID era, prospects, customers and even employees are craving something that will break the pattern of their daily activities — and nothing beats a physical gift delivered to their home to do just that. This is the topic of this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast with my guest Erik Kostelnik, the co-founder and CEO of Postal.,io, a sales and marketing engagement platform that generates leads, increases sales, and improves customer retention.  Prior to Postal.io, Erik founded TextRecruit, one of the fastest-growing HR technology companies in the world, leading it to acquisition in 2018 by iCIMS, Inc. He also served as the Head of Sales at Wrike from 2014 to 2016 helping it reach #116 in 2015 Deloitte Fastest 500. Erik was named an Upstart 50 Top Inventor by the Silicon Valley Business Journal in 2017. Listen to this episode to learn more about using sales gifts in your account-based marketing strategy. The Ever-Evolving Selling Environment In this new virtual world, sellers need to think differently about how they approach their business and, more importantly, sales leaders who grew up selling in a very different way in a completely different environment. Years ago it was all about the phone and cold calling. Sellers came up with different strategies on how to use the phone, how to make people engage during a cold call. “How to cold call was a big thing in the late 2000s,” Erik says. “And books were written on how to cold call but then you realize everybody got that book. Everybody got that memo of how to cold call, so then the impact of cold calling got suppressed and ultimately we had to change the way we do things.” Then in the 2010s, came along platforms for sales cadences that allowed a salesperson to schedule emails and call sequences. But as it happened with the cold calling playbook, now everybody knows about that. According to Erik, the new trend today centers around social selling, video for sales, and sales gifts sent through direct mail. “You're starting to see this differentiation happening,” Erik says. “And by the way, 10 years from now everyone's going to have this Playbook. So don't think that this is going to be where it stops. You always gotta be learning. You always got to be figuring out, what are competitors not doing? What can I do more effectively and how can I scale that?” Sales leaders need a scalable system where they can dedicate technical and human resources to increase pipeline and revenue. Such a system is Account-Based Marketing (ABM) or Account-Based Selling (ABS). According to HubSpot, account-based selling is a multi-touch, multi-channel strategy coordinated across the entire company to pursue a target number of high-value accounts. An ABS strategy is a hyper-personalized approach to go after strategic accounts. Erik says you must ask yourself several questions, such as: How do you attack these strategic accounts? How much do you want to spend on each target account per lead? What do you need to do for that opportunity (what is the cost per opportunity)? What channels will you use in your omnichannel approach? Using Sales Gifts in your Account-Based Marketing Strategy A successful account-based strategy will seek sales engagement through a variety of channels, both online and offline. Erik’s company, Postal.io specializes in helping companies engage prospects and customers offline, with physical corporate gifts sent by mail and tracking them within the CRM’s workflows. These gifts may include a gift certificate or gift card, a gift basket or any kind of personalized gift, like a mug or a holiday season card with their names and interests. He says he is educating people on how to leverage and how to scale the offline in direct correlation to how they scale the digital. Unfortunately, not every company has even scaled the usage of their digital sequences (like email automation, for example). Today, however, it’s imperative that every sales leader understands what sequences his or her team must use, what works and what doesn’t. “You got to look at what it is in your opportunities,” Erik says. “So how many calls did it take to get an opportunity? How many emails did it take to get an opportunity? And then with Postal what we're able to do is, because everything is tracked inside any CRM that you use, you can then see how many offline pieces that I've had in this account for in this opportunity. How much did I spend on this gift? If that cost for that lead or that opportunity to that meeting was $80, you got to make sure that that's in the account record. That is the key.” Sales leaders in mid-market and enterprise companies are very familiar with account-based selling or account-based marketing. Instead of focusing on lead volume, they define well their target buyer personas and industries and go after specific clients or accounts. According to Erik account-based marketing has everything to do with blueprinting, appointment dialing, sequencing, and running demos. You need a strategy or policy per account, knowing how much you are willing to spend on them, through advertising, social media, or direct mail. “Define the dollar amount that you want to spend per account,” Erik says, “and then develop your sequences for your sales reps on those blueprints that you’ve created within that account. And that really for me is scalable.”  Offline Engagement with Sales Gifts Anytime a sales gift is sent, the salesperson must include a personalized message. That message must be aligned with the overall branding of the company and follow marketing guidelines and policies for product promotion. For example, there might be a policy against sending alcohol to a client and your sales reps must be aware of that. There must be a process within your company to approve sales gifts, budget, design and messaging. Listen to this episode as Erik explains why sales and marketing alignment is necessary for a successful account-based strategy. Erik states that Direct Mail today is more relevant than ever and should be part of the new normal of selling. “We got a lot of folks saying I'm just not sure about sending Direct Mail pieces or things to people at their homes,” he says. “Believe it or not, people are extremely receptive to receiving anything at home, anything that takes them away from the daily norms that they're facing: Zoom calls, phone calls, putting data into whatever system they have. People want a break. So, break up the day and give someone something that they can physically engage with.” Offline engagement is about engaging with people where they are, but your sales team must do it through the right message with the right branding, at the right timing and must be relevant in the sales process. “You create a different brand experience when you actually engage with someone offline,” Erik says. “The data that supports why you need to be using offline engagement and why you should be sending things to people's homes. I have not heard yet anybody tell me that they are not happy to see the UPS man.” Offline engagement is not only a great prospecting strategy but also a way to engage with employees. Listen to our conversation to find out how gifts are a valuable strategy to motivate and engage remote employees, prospects and existing customers. As a sales leader, you must have an omni-channel approach to touching every sales prospect. You already have email and phone, but you must also add social selling, video for sales and offline engagement with platforms like Postal.io. Outline of this Episode [2:00] About Erik: From Seller to Entrepreneur and CEO [10:00] What sellers need to be doing differently to reach today’s modern buyer  [17:30] How to effectively engage your audience with online and offline efforts [21:54] Account-Based Selling or Account-Based Marketing? [29:30] Offline engagement with the perfect gift [31:10] Is direct mail still relevant? Resources Mentioned in this Episode Connect with Erik on LinkedIn Follow Erik and Postal.io on Twitter: @erikkostelnik and @postalinc Postal’s website Erik’s favorite movie: Braveheart Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!

In 2020, video for sales became more than a trend. It’s now a vital tool for remote sellers, who need to prospect digitally and maintain relationships with customers. We all know about the amazing growth of video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom and Google Meet for synchronous virtual meetings. But there are other asynchronous sales video platforms that are changing the way remote selling teams interact with customers. But, as I like to say, a fool with a tool is still a fool. Even after you provide tools to your sellers, you still need to train them, so they can use them effectively. That is why for this episode of the Modern Selling podcast, I invited an expert on video for sales, Steve Pacinelli.  Steve is the Chief Marketing Officer at BombBomb, a video messaging platform that makes it easy to record, send, and track videos. Steve is the co-author of the best-selling book to better business communication, Rehumanize Your Business: How Personal Videos Accelerate Sales and Improve Customer Experience. Prior to leading the charge of the "relationships through video" movement, he was a Sales Manager, Vice President of Events, and the National Speaker for Realtor.com. He has presented to more than 1,000 audiences throughout his career. Thematically these presentations focus on online marketing, video communication, lead conversion, consumer psychology, and sales automation. Listen to this episode to discover how to leverage sales video for your sellers. The Difference between Video Marketing and Video for Sales People often confuse video for sales (or “relationship videos,” as Steve calls them) with video marketing, but they’re not the same. Video marketing is usually professionally produced with green screens, drones, editing, and fancy tools. However, video for sales is recorded directly by salespeople at their desks, using a webcam or a phone. Video marketing involves one video intended for thousands of people, while video for sales is thousands of videos, one for each person. In other words, video for sales is intended to replace the simple text messages that lack the emotion and personality of the seller. “We removed the messenger from the message 25 years ago, when we decided to move most business communications into text,” Steve says. “So we removed the most important part of the message.” Since inboxes are filled with messages that are devoid of the messenger, it’s impossible to know which ones are actually written for you and which ones are just generic marketing messages. Relationship videos can convey that they are personal messages just for the receiver. Steve says that he sends out video messages by email all the time. His response rate is 80%, because he breaks through the noise and stands out from the rest, who just send text-based messages. That is the power of video for sales -- they are short and sweet. And they are about the prospect, not about the sales rep. Although sales leaders should be teaching their sales teams how to leverage video for prospecting, many are still relying on email or the phone to reach out to potential customers. Steve explains there is a disconnect between how sales leaders behave in the real world and how they do sales prospecting. For instance, when sales leaders hire salespeople, they don’t just do it through text messaging. They have face-to-face conversations with them, either in person or through video-conferencing in the COVID era.  Why? Because they want to read their body language; they want to see their reactions and expressions. This also applies to prospects and customers. And although synchronous video conferencing would be ideal, people are not always available at the same time. That’s where asynchronous personalized video messages come in. There are different use-cases for sales video messages that your sellers can use to stand out from the crowd, either to fill their pipeline with video or for internal communications or training purposes. Why Sales Video is Better than Text Steve says that an asynchronous sales video message is better than text, because the seller can deliver a message with a precise intention; it will be understood without the risk of misinterpretation. A text message, on the other hand, has no emotion and the reader can inject whatever emotion they want to the text. Video allows sellers to have control of the emotions of their sales pitch. They can deliver their message with the undertone that they want. “When you are selling something,” Steve explains, “you want people to stay on the emotional side of the brain. You don’t want them evaluating every feature. When they read, they will switch to the rational side.” For example, if the reader is upset because of something that just happened at home or at the office, and they receive a written email, they will interpret whatever the seller wrote with that negative state of mind, even though that was not the intention. Another important advantage of video: the ability to earn trust. When a prospect sees the seller’s face - through both verbal and nonverbal cues – they are more likely to trust them. “People want to connect with other people,” Steve says. “And now more than ever, they want to see your face.” Steve shares how, when he worked with Remax LLC, selling Remax franchises, the results were incredible. They saw an increase from 58% to 72% of people showing up to appointments when they received a video before the meeting. Listen to Steve explain what goes into an effective video message (30:08). This includes showing excitement, explaining the work you have already done for the prospect or client, and teasing something they can look forward to during the meeting. What if your sellers don’t like to be on camera? Here are some of the tips Steve provides for sellers who do not feel comfortable in front of a camera: Don’t think about video for sales as a marketing video. Think of it as a normal means of communication (like a voicemail). Don’t memorize a script. Write your main points on a whiteboard, so you can look at it while you record. Think about something you are grateful for before recording the video. This will enable you to enter a positive state of mind and reduce anxiety. Frame of mind is very important. Remember, the way you look on camera is the same look you have when you meet in person. Just be yourself. “Video is not about you,” Steve says. “It’s about how you make the person on the other side feel.” Listen to the episode for more tips on how to make sales videos more effective. Identifying Opportunities when Sales Video is Most Effective Steve describes three use cases for sales video. You can use video any place along the process where the seller needs to build trust or rapport, whenever emotion is involved, or in a complex situation. For example, during a cold outreach where the seller needs to build trust, video is a great way to start. Just make sure it is personalized, the right message is used, and it adds value. Also when delivering good or bad news, since both are emotionally charged, video is fantastic. A third example: If part of the team missed a complex meeting, recording and sending a three-minute video with the executive summary of the meeting would add a lot of value. This is especially effective if the information is conveyed with excitement. Here are some other tips from Steve: Text is the best delivery method only when there is no emotion involved, the relationship is already built, and you only need to provide information If both emotion and information are involved, video is a great option If there is emotion involved, as well as several dependencies on the response to that message, asynchronous video meeting is the best option Advanced Strategies for Video Engagement How can your sellers make people click on their videos and get more views? Steve says you should use the curiosity gap, both in the text that drives the video play (on LinkedIn or email) and the thumbnail (image or animated gif). If you say the same thing in the text as in the video, you will train people to skip the video the next time, since they can just read the shorter text. You don’t want that to happen. The message will be conveyed better on video.  Instead, write something different that piques their curiosity. Ask a question or leave part of the story out, so they have to watch the video to find the answer. Listen to Steve explain how he uses a whiteboard in his animated previews to make people want to click: he does something unexpected, writes the person’s name, creates ambiguity, or adds details. Outline of this Episode [3:40] About Steve: From Real Estate to B2B Sales [11:05] Why he wrote a book about video for sales [14:15] Video marketing vs video for sales [20:00] Why are sales leaders not teaching sellers to leverage video for sales [23:50] Why video is better than text [30:08] A successful use case of sales video messaging  [33:33] How to make it easy to be on camera [42:55] Identifying the right opportunities to use video [47:20] Strategies to get engagement Resources Mentioned in this Episode Connect with Steve on LinkedIn Follow Steve and BombBomb on Twitter: @stevepacinelli and @BombBomb BombBomb’s website Steve’s book Steve’s favorite movie: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Many of today’s sales leaders developed their careers before the digital era and therefore lead their teams with traditional methods that are not relevant to the modern buyer.  In this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, my guest, Tony Morris, shares three prospecting tips that sales leaders can teach their salespeople to engage with today's tech-savvy buyer. Tony Morris is an International sales speaker, best-selling author of 5 books and MD of an International sales training company. Tony and his team have helped develop over 30,000 sales professionals across 62 industries to perform at the top of their game. On his podcast, Confessions of a Serial Seller, Tony has interviewed the top 100 sales performers from around the world, to learn what they do differently to give themselves an unfair advantage over their competitors. Listen to this episode to discover the importance of researching prospects, using technology, and building rapport. Here are Tony’s top three sales prospecting tips. 1. Research Each Sales Prospect Before Reaching Out According to Tony, the number one challenge for today’s sellers is that they are not well trained and fall into the trap of believing sales is a numbers game. They dial as many numbers as they can hoping to find gold someday. Instead, sales leaders should teach their sales reps the right sales prospecting process, which includes conducting research before the outreach. "That way, it turns into a quality game and not a numbers game," Tony says. "Conversions and sales will increase." If your sellers take a step back and make fewer calls to the right people with the right message at the right time, they’ll be more likely to get the right outcome. It takes seconds to look up people on LinkedIn. Find something in common and get a hook. When a sales rep does his homework and knows who the customer is and the company they represent, they can know the pain or the goals they might have. Your solution should help solve that pain or reach that business goal, so the rep must be prepared to tell a success story during the call of who you have helped. “Your message should not be what you do,” Tony says, “but what you've done successfully with people like them, how you solve a problem they might have or how you helped a similar company with a goal they might be striving for.”  Research may show they are in the market for your product or service, or that they have a challenge you can solve. Or perhaps you know their industry so well that the sales rep can speak to their goals. Tony says sellers should always do their homework about the decision-makers before interrupting them, so they can have a sensible conversation. At Vengreso, we call this the 3 by 3, three things in three minutes. Sellers just need to look at the prospect’s LinkedIn Profile and see their activity to find out three things about them: interests, places they’ve worked at, or mutual connections. Even if they have nothing on social media, sellers can look at information about the company and mention their findings during the prospecting call. Another quick sales prospecting tip from Tony: Set up Google Alerts with your prospect’s company names to be in the know of what happens with them in the news. That way you'll have something to talk about that is recent and relevant, like a merger or acquisition, or changes in leadership. Unfortunately, most BDRs today are measured by how many calls they made and not the actual result, which is how many sales conversations they had. The real problem is that they have not been trained to figure out who their buyer is. They may have many sales tools available but lack the sales training to use those tools efficiently. 2. Focus on One Industry per Day Many leaders think doing research is not scalable and prefer to have their reps do a hundred prospecting calls so they can make three appointments. Tony says that it is in fact scalable, even though it takes time and effort. Here’s what he recommends: Focus on the same industry for a day, so the pitch or message is the same for the same people in the same type of companies. Ask your sellers to find the decision-makers at those companies using LinkedIn and get their contact info with data intelligence tools. That way they'll only need to make 30 calls and not 100, because they'll be targeting the decision-makers and not just calling random people at the companies. Knowing the industry well allows your team to craft an appropriate message that will result in sales conversations and appointments. As a result, the call activity will go down but the output will be better. Tony also suggests that every sales leader should create the A to Z of Success and provide it to each member of the sales team. Every letter of the alphabet should be an industry your company has helped. Here’s an example from Tony’s company: Column A (Industry): Banking  Column B (Clients): Merryl Lynch Column C (Service Offered): Training Programs Column D (Success): Increased conversion rates Every time a seller contacts a prospect in the banking industry, he or she has a relevant success story to share. Still, they need to do their prep about the person they will be talking to. That previous research also serves to warm up the call, by interacting with the prospect’s LinkedIn posts (liking and commenting), so they are aware of the seller even before the call. 3. Use Video to Prospect in Seconds Tony’s team sends personalized videos to everyone they reach out to. These are 30-second videos with an elevator pitch, sent by email (they use BombBomb) and finish up with “I’ll be in touch in a couple of days to see where we might be aligned and where we can best serve you.” They would send 30 of those videos and then do the 30 follow-up calls two days later. If it’s a big opportunity or prospect, Tony says, he would send a video business card with the company’s information before the phone call, with a personalized letter. “I like to warm up the prospect because I think that’s the best way to prospect in today’s world,” Tony says. “Cold calling is dead, smart calling is much alive.” Tony also uses what he calls the GAP during his sales prospecting calls. G stands for Goal. What is the goal of the call? A stands for Approach. For example, talk about a success story. P stands for Prep Work. Have I done the research? How to Build Rapport with a Prospect Whether cold calling, sending prospecting emails or engaging on social media, every sales professional must build rapport with the potential customer. Here are Tony’s three golden rules for building rapport: 1. Don’t be interesting, be interested Turn the Always Be Closing into Always Be Curious and make prospects feel that they could be your biggest customer ever. 2. Treat people how they would like to be treated.  We are all different, so speak their language, not yours. If you see the world through their eyes, they’ll be more likely to buy from you. 3. People buy from people like them  The job of a professional salesperson is to mirror their prospects, to be a chameleon, and adapt very quickly to the person they are talking to. The objective is to identify their behavior quickly, how do they respond and react to you, and what questions they ask.  Listen to this episode to learn more about prospecting from Tony Morris.  As a gift to our listeners, Tony will send you a free e-copy of his book, Coffee’s for Closers if you email him at tony@tonymorrisinternational.com. Outline of this Episode [3:00] About Tony Morris: From Selling Encyclopedias and Software to Sales Trainer [15:45] The number one challenge sellers face  [21:30] Scaling quality calls [28:30] How to prospect in seconds [35:00] How to build rapport with a prospect Resources Mentioned in this Episode Follow Tony on LinkedIn Follow Tony on Twitter: @Tony_Talks_Int Tony’s website Tony’s book Coffee’s for Closers  Favorite movies: Goonies and Glengarry Glen Ross Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!

I started my sales career cold calling, but in my mind, doing cold calls is not modern selling. It's just basic selling. However, I've decided to bring in some experts to share some cold calling tips with the listeners of the Modern Selling Podcast. Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice! Recently, I had Joe Pici talk about how to write a successful cold calling script, and in this episode, my guest is none other than David Walter. David's claim to fame is setting 15 appointments every day for six months while working at a call center. He ran his own call center for 13 years and has now written a # 1 Best Selling book, The Million Dollar Rebuttal: Cold Calling is Not a Numbers Game! Listen to this episode to learn how your sales team can start making more successful cold calls. 3 Cold Calling Tips to Make 15 Appointments a Day David told me about a time when he had a lot of financial pressure. He got a sales job cold calling B2B companies and he needed to make 10 or more appointments to earn commissions.  The problem was that not one sales rep in the company was making more than two appointments per day. He realized he needed to make 15 appointments to earn the kind of money he needed. So, inspired by Zig Ziglar’s book See you at the Top, David began telling his reflection in the mirror every day, “I’m going to set 15 appointments.” Eventually, that started to happen and he set over 1,800 appointments in six months. Here are David’s top cold calling tips. 1. Cold Call with a Winning Mindset According to David, it all starts with your mindset. “When I set that goal, my subconscious mind started figuring out all the steps I would have to go through,” David says. “Anything's possible. That was my attitude. I started with the end in mind, and the idea that if I start with a ‘yes’ at the end, what would I have to say to get every person back to that ‘yes’?” 2. Eliminate objections with the right questions One of the obstacles David encountered was that although he was getting through the gatekeepers and talking to the right people, most calls would end up with the same answer: “send me more information.” But as every sales professional knows, “send me more information” is just a way for buyers to brush you off. David got frustrated by that response and realized he needed a rebuttal to that objection. Instead of arguing with them, he would aggressively agree. The million dollar rebuttal starts with agreeing with the prospect. Contrary to what most sales reps are taught to do, David would answer excitedly, “I would love to send you some information.” Such a response would throw people off. He would then ask, “What kind of information do you want? Customer testimonials, a brochure? Do you want the price?” “It's like throwing that red meat bait, they go for it.” David says. “What prospect wouldn’t want to hear the price before they ever have to deal with the salesman?” The psychological principle here is to get them to agree with what the sellers are saying, to get a “yes.” But then David would try to talk them out of it and say, “I don’t really think you want the price. Do you really want it?” This cold calling tip helped David disarm prospects who didn’t want to talk to him, and actually start a conversation about their needs. Listen to the episode to discover the questions David asks during his cold calls. 3. Create a need for your potential client Conventional sales wisdom says you need to find a prospect with a real problem or need to be able to sell your solution to them. But the first thing most prospects say after hearing a sales pitch from a salesperson is, “I’m happy with what I have at the moment.” According to David, if your sellers are going to make 15 appointments a day, they can’t wait to find the people that actually think they have a need or who are not happy with their current vendor.  “I realized that most businesses don't know they have a need,” David says. “They can't smell their needs because they get used to them. The issues with the slow computer, you know, all the different things that happen. That becomes their normal. Cold calling is easy. But it's hard if you're trying to find a need.” Again, the secret here is to agree with people, agree with their perspective. “If I were in your shoes, I would agree with you.” A subset of people who say they are happy with what they have are actually open-minded. That’s who your sellers should identify and say, “ I'm sure you are happy but there might be something better out there, things might change in the future, right?”  People will end up agreeing with the sales rep and would like to hear more about the product or service. In other words, the salesperson’s job is to become an effective listener and acknowledge someone when they say, “I don't. I won't. I can't. It's not the right time,” and then turn that into a sales conversation. Make sure to listen to this episode as David tells some real-life cold calling stories where he used these tips to set more appointments and close deals. Outline of this Episode [3:15] About David: From Selling Encyclopedias to Best-Selling Author [7:20] 3 Cold calling tips to set 15 appointments a day Resources Mentioned Follow David on LinkedIn David’s website David’s book: The Million Dollar Rebuttal: Cold Calling is Not a Numbers Game! David’s Favorite Movie: Back to the Future Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn   Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!

If you want to start a business or just take your existing sales tech company to the next level, you may be wondering, should I seek venture capital funding or just do it on my own? In this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, I talk with venture capitalist and sales and marketing expert, Mark Roberge about how entrepreneurs can get money for their businesses, with a specific focus on tech companies. Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice! Mark Roberge is Managing Director at Stage 2 Capital, the first venture capital firm run and backed by heads of sales and marketing. He is also a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Business School where he teaches courses on sales, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Prior to these roles, Mark served as SVP of Global Sales and Services at HubSpot where he scaled annualized revenue from $0 to $100 million and expanded his team from 1 to 450 employees. Mark was ranked #19 in Forbes' Top 30 Social Sellers in the World. He was also awarded the 2010 Salesperson of the Year at the MIT Sales Conference. Mark received his MBA from MIT. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Boston Globe, TechCrunch, Harvard Business Review, and other major publications for his entrepreneurial ventures. Mark is the author of the bestselling book The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million. Join our conversation to learn how tech leaders can get capital funding for their companies. How Leaders Can Get Venture Capital for a Business There are many ways to finance a sales tech company or any business for that matter. You can seek venture capital, go to a private equity fund, raise funds for yourself, or just bootstrap your business. Mark has some great tips for entrepreneurs and sales and marketing technology leaders wanting to know more about funding. 1. Understand the lens of the investor A big mistake entrepreneurs make at the startup stage is the lack of appreciation for the lens of the investor.  “Just because they are an investor doesn’t mean they can invest in you,” Mark says. “Just because they have money, doesn’t mean they want to give it away.” For example, many investors will not invest in a pre-revenue state, but only after a company has reached a million dollars in revenue (that is the case for Mark’s firm, Stage 2 Capital). In fact, investors will do a discovery process of the companies that seek funding, and many times find problems that end up disqualifying them. So, understand well what the venture capitalists are looking for before asking for money. 2. Understand all the sources of financing available and what is best for you Mark says that people in the tech industry tend to think that the only way to do a startup is to raise seed capital and then go through funding series A, B, and C, and then double revenue every year until the IPO.  But that’s a minor part of how entrepreneurship is done in America. There are other ways to do business, like franchising or private equity. Entrepreneurs must understand what is best for them - and it’s not always venture capital. For example, a niche sales software may not be attractive to venture capitalists, but may still be a good business idea. In this case, the sales tech company may have to be bootstrapped to profitability and then sold to a private equity firm or strategic buyer once they cross $10 or $20 million.  “In this scenario, you could make as much money as with an IPO,” Mark says. 3. Match your strategy and your opportunity with funding Mark advises entrepreneurs not to talk to venture capitalists too early in the ideation stage. “They are not interested unless you are a serial entrepreneur like Elon Musk.” Your best bet is to network with wealthy people who make money in your space to see if they are willing to invest in your company. And even if you don’t get money, at least you can get their advice. Mark says the journey for a typical high-growth software product is something like this:  They have an idea, then network with people who made money in that area and raise half a million dollars to build the product and run some tests (perhaps even generate revenue). Once the product has been tested, they talk to professional seed funds that invest in a lot of companies at the same time. Here they can get $1 million or more. The next step is Series A Funding, which has a higher bar, because the company must have $2 or $3 million in revenue. This is where many businesses fail because there is a capital gap. Stage 2 Capital accelerates companies at this stage.  What are investors looking for at each stage? For seed funding, investors look more at the leader than the product itself. They want to see a leader who has the ability to pivot and change, work 80 hours a week under a very stressful environment, that can run agile, has vision for the big opportunity, and can lead an engineering team. Series A investors look at the leader but also at the customers, the economics, the revenue, the product, the competition, any barriers of entry, and also at customer retention. “Here you need to think about a big enough TAM (Total Addressable Market),” Mark says. “Show VCs a billion-dollar market, or they may not be interested. Even if you are not there today, tell a good story to show that you will be able to expand, get more revenue and how the product could be applicable to other markets. A big mistake for new entrepreneurs is they don’t get that, they don’t think big enough in terms of the size of the market.” Another important factor VCs look for is the durable ability for a business to increasingly dominate a market without losing profits to competition. This is known as MOAT. In other words, if your competition can build your unique features in 6 months, then you don't have a MOAT. Listen to the episode as Mark shares some examples of great MOATS that sales and marketing technology leaders can leverage in their organizations. Mark says that at Stage 2 Capital, they do between 30 and 50 hours of due diligence before an investment, spending time with the CEO and the team. He gives them advice and sees if they adopt it and how fast. He also looks at how they lead and how they pitch their story. The Pitch Deck What should you include in your pitch deck when presenting in front of an investor? “You have to be very careful with the first slide to differentiate from the other 100 pitches VCs get,” Mark says. “Tell a story that will get the VC on the edge of his seat, like a patent, special partnerships, the number of downloads you’ve had so far. Don’t spend time talking about your Ivy League school background. Talk about the most important success so far.” Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of making the presentation just about the product and its features. According to Mark, the product itself and the user interface are not as interesting as the churn rate, how often the product is adopted or even the capabilities of the engineering team. Another mistake is to make wild long term revenue projections.  “Most VCs don’t care about the five year financials. They want to know if you have hired a sales rep before, if you have ramped a sales team, if you have a content marketing program for the next year, if you have evidence that your business will scale.” The following are some slides you can include in your pitch deck: Problem and opportunity (where do you fit and what is the problem that you solve) Value proposition (how does the product fill that need) Your secret sauce (your biggest success so far) Market opportunity  Customer base and churn rate Competition What is your sustainable defensibility Business Model (insights on your CAC or Customer Acquisition Cost)  Marketing strategy and channels Sales strategy Leadership (if you have some superstar in your team) Financials (what you are doing in the next year, how many reps are you hiring) The Ask   Regarding the ask, Mark advises to never ask too little. “Research your VCs, as they may only invest $10 million minimum. So, tell a good story of how you are going to use that amount.” How Sales and Marketing Leaders can Become Investors Stage 2 Capital’s mission is to be the first VC fund run by sales and marketing leaders.  “We need investors with a background in sales to help entrepreneurs because most come from finance and product.” Two years ago Stage 2 got 97 sales and marketing leaders to join them as investors to help young entrepreneurs. “So far it’s going well, we are raising money from different investors and are now trying to groom the next round of emerging leaders.” If you are a sales or marketing leader interested in becoming an angel investor, you can request more information by submitting the form here. Stage 2 does not only match investors with entrepreneurs but also runs an Investment School to teach investors all they need to know about venture capital. Listen to the episode to learn more about starting your own investment fund. Outline of this Episode [2:50] About Mark: From Sales Leader to Venture Capitalist [7:00] Going big [10:00] Mental Health and entrepreneurs [17:00] The different types of funding when starting a business [27:00] What Venture capitalists look for [33:45] What are investors looking for in a leader? [35:32] What to include in the pitch deck [46:48] How sales leaders can become investors Resources Mentioned Connect with Mark on LinkedIn Follow Mark and Stage 2 on Twitter: @markroberge @Stage2Capital Stage 2 website Mark’s book: The Sales Acceleration Formula Mark’s favorite movie: Forrest Gump Modern Marketing Engine Podcast – Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!

It is estimated that today millennials (those born between about 1980 and 2000) comprise half of the American workforce, and by 2025, will be 75% of the global workforce. For sales leaders, that means working with sales reps who have particular interests and values, sometimes different to the leader’s own generation. My guest in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast is Rakhi Voria, Director, IBM Global Digital Sales Development. Rakhi has a strong passion for advancing women in sales and millennials in business and regularly shares her thoughts on these topics by speaking at conferences and writing publications in Forbes as a member of the Forbes Business Development Council. At IBM, Rakhi Voria manages the team responsible for the strategy, implementation, and revenue of the Digital Sales Development (DSD) function globally. Within the DSD sales force, there are ~350 Digital Development Representatives and Business Development Representatives responsible for driving client engagement, deal progression, and closure of select deals. Rakhi previously worked at Microsoft and most recently served as the Chief of Staff to the Corporate Vice President of WW Inside Sales, where she played a key role in building a new digital sales force for Microsoft, growing the team to 2,000 digital sellers globally and the business to over $5B in under 3 years. She currently serves as Executive Co-Chair of Women@IBM NYC, which is focused on attracting, retaining, and advancing women. Join our conversation as Rakhi shares some advice for sales leaders and executives who want to attract and work with millennials, especially in the current remote selling environment. How to Attract Millennials to your Sales Organization Many companies are trying to attract millennial talent based on some preconceived notions such as they like environments with free snacks and nap pods. But many studies show that is very low in their list of priorities. According to Rakhi, the top three things millennials value most in the workplace are: 1. Diversity in the workplace Millennials care a lot about people, even more than the work itself. An IBM report showed that what they look for in a job is the opportunity to work with a diverse group of people, from backgrounds, age, perspectives, industry hires, interns. 2. Variety and experiences in their careers Millennials are called “the job-hopping generation” for a reason. They want to differentiate their experiences and take on horizontal challenges, while still growing vertically. For example, they like to work in marketing, sales, finance and not necessarily follow a linear career path. For millennials, new experiences are very important, as is the ability to travel. Companies that can provide those experiences will attract many millennials. How can sales leaders invest in rotational programs or opportunities to give millennials the chance to build different skill sets across different functions? Variety in experience doesn’t mean you have to give employees a different job, just added responsibilities according to their skills or interests. For example, at Vengreso, our Sales Coordinator is also an accomplished YouTuber, who uses his video production skills to create sales enablement content and training videos for the sales team. 3. Flexibility  The Deloitte Millennial Survey shows that 75% of millennials actually want the ability to work from home or somewhere other than their office. In fact, they care more about workplace flexibility than getting promoted. Millennials feel they are more productive when they work from home and a place that is more comfortable than an office cubicle. However, flexibility goes beyond the where you work and includes the how and the when. For instance, the ability to take a couple of hours off during the afternoon and not having to be tied to a desk is very important. In our experience at Vengreso, sales leaders can successfully manage a remote selling team if they create the right culture and leverage the available tools. A study by ManPower Group on Millennial Careers discovered that flexibility is in the top five priorities of millennials when looking for a job. Here are the top five: Career Advice for Millennials Rakhi offers two tips for millennials who are trying to navigate the career journey.  1. Be open to possibilities The first tip is to expand their vision and not narrowly focus on one career path. “I see so many people who are thinking this is the next job that I want and they choose a specific job and they put all of their sights on it,” Rakhi says. “And it closes them off to so many other possibilities. When you're that early in your career, you probably don't know what you really want to do.” Instead, it is better to set goals not on a particular job but on the skills they want to have. As a sales leader with millennials in your team, you can coach them to gain experience in sales while keeping an open mind about their future. 2. Leverage your unique skills Being young and sometimes inexperienced can be hard when starting a career in sales or in any industry. Selling to clients that are older and more experienced than them, can feel intimidating for millennial sales reps. Rakhi says that early in her career she had imposter syndrome. “I was sitting at tables with people who had far more experience than me, many of which were men. I was young, I was female, I was diverse. And I basically said, ‘I am a millennial so maybe I can push some of these people to think a little bit differently to invent new processes to innovate, to push the needle.’ I've been doing that here at IBM as well as a newbie.” Young sales professionals should have the courage to challenge their sales manager, sales leader and even the CEO of the company to innovate and think differently, as well as their peers. Listen to the episode as Rakhi shares her formula for networking within IBM to make herself known within the company at different levels. How to Train Millennial Sellers Millennials are also known as the technology generation, and because of that, their attention span is much shorter than the span of previous generations. That’s why as a sales leader, anytime you're coaching millennials, you must tell them what they need to know up front, including how they're going to be measured. Sales leadership must communicate: What are the top X number of things they need to take away from the training. What are the outcomes expected from them. How they are going to be evaluated. “We are an ambitious generation,” Rakhi says. “We want to make sure that we're doing what we're supposed to be doing. And so to know upfront what some of those things are is really helpful.” Provide Feedback A second suggestion for sales leadership is to provide praise and coaching and feedback along the way. Millennials want frequent specific, strategic feedback. They want to know how they are doing in comparison to their peers and specific feedback they can actually use to develop and grow in the sales career. It is then the responsibility of the leader or the sales manager to provide feedback on a regular basis. Virtual Sales Training And the final suggestion is to use technology to deliver the training. According to Gallup's research on how millennials want to live and work, 85% of millennials access the Internet from their phones, which is more than all other generations. “If we can't offer training that can be accessed from anywhere,” Rakhi says, “if you could only do it when you're on premises, your organization is not great for millennials. If you can't do it on your phone. That's not great.” Women in Sales and Sales Leadership Rakhi is passionate about promoting women in sales. She fell into sales by accident when she got a job at Microsoft and felt she had to help more women get into sales. Here are some statistics that show how women are misrepresented in sales: The percentage of women in sales has only increased 3% in the last decade, from 36% to 39%. Women only hold 19% of leadership roles in sales. CEOs and recruiters must be focused and intentional in finding candidates and filling sales positions not only with women, but Black and Latino women. Rakhi says most job descriptions for sales roles are worded in such a way that discourage women and minorities from applying, perpetuating the sales profession as a white male dominated field. For example, she has seen sales job posts that list a “competitive sports background” as a desired skill. And unfortunately, women tend not to apply for positions where they don’t fit 100% of the requirements (versus men, who apply when they meet 60% of the requirements). So, how can companies increase the number of women in sales? Leadership has to treat it like any other business objective with KPIs, goals and measurement systems. Human Resources has to recruit from non-traditional sources, such as the military or retail stores. This process takes more time and may mean sacrificing hiring goal deadlines. Create a culture where women can thrive and succeed, where there are mentors and career development programs.  If you are a sales leader in charge of attracting and training millennials, you can’t miss this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast with Rakhi Voria. Outline of This Episode [2:58] About Rakhi: Sales leader in tech companies and advancing women in business and sales. [7:55] Attracting millennials to your company. [20:10] Tips for millennials who want to advance their careers. [26:57] Networking within your company as a newbie. [29:30] How to train millennial sellers. [33:44] Women in sales and sales leadership. Resources Mentioned Connect with Rakhi on LinkedIn Follow Rakhi on Twitter: @RakhiVoria Forbes articles Women in Sales documentary feature Rakhi’s favorite movie: Toy Story Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!

Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!   Modern buyers are more difficult to engage with than ever before because of a myriad of factors. Thankfully, science is here to help. My guest in this episode of the Modern Selling podcast brings us the answer to the modern seller’s woes in a simple phrase: sell the way you buy. Joining me is David Priemer, the Founder and Chief Sales Scientist of Cerebral Selling. David's unique science and empathy-based approaches to driving revenue and talent growth have been published in the Harvard Business Review as well as Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc. magazines. Often referred to as the "Sales Professor", David is also the author of the Bestselling book, Sell The Way You Buy, and an Adjunct Professor at the Smith School of Business at Queen's University. David started his career not as a sales rep but as a research scientist. He actually holds a B.Sc. in Chemistry and Atmospheric Science from York University and a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto. Nonetheless, he has spent 20 years leading top-performing sales teams at high-growth technology companies including Salesforce, where he was the Vice President of Commercial Sales and creator of the Sales Leadership Academy program. Listen to our conversation to learn how David jumped from research to sales and how he now bridges the gap between science and sales to train sellers in modern selling techniques. The State of Modern Selling As a sales leader, you know that today selling is more difficult than it was 10 years ago. There are factors on the buyer’s side and on the seller’s side, according to David. The main factor on the side of B2B buyers is the advent of the Internet. Today, buyers do independent research online before connecting with a salesperson. Additionally, customers have almost infinite choices. There is a very low bar for people to create solutions of all kinds, which has saturated the B2B technology market. For example, there are more than 8,500 martech tools and more than 700 sales tools available in the market. With so many choices it is hard for buyers to decide, their attention is very thin and all sellers sound the same to them. In fact, buyers are less tolerant of pushy sales tactics than ever before. For the modern seller, this means they need to make more attempts in the sales cycle to connect with a savvy and impatient buyer, using an omnichannel approach and a multitouch sales cadence. Furthermore, the average tenure of a sales rep is decreasing and as a result, sales leaders have a less experienced sales force that must sell to older and more experienced buyers. In fact, David points out that sellers are getting younger, creating what he calls Experience Asymmetry. This is how he defines it: “The genesis of most sales cycles involves a younger, newer, or generally less experienced sales or business development rep calling on a more senior decision-maker whose job they’ve never done. Hence, experience asymmetry.” Imagine a young inexperienced sales rep cold calling a VP of Sales at a large company. The executive will be skeptical of what he can learn from the seller, and the rep will be worried about establishing credibility and adding value to a wary prospect. In a 2019 HBR article, David explained the three tactics younger salespeople can use to win over older customers: Knowing their pain points. Invoking the credibility of others. Presenting arguments with conviction. We discussed this last tactic during our interview. When David was a sales leader at SalesForce, he listened to the calls of sales reps who were not converting and discovered that the problem was that they sounded afraid, as if they were bothering the potential customer and not adding value. In his experience, a sales person who speaks with conviction can win over any customer. How your sellers pitch is every bit as important as the words they use. You must infuse your sellers with the passion and conviction they need to engage with experienced buyers. One way to this is by creating an emotional linkage, leading with feelings and emotions instead of just pitching the ROI message. David teaches a modern selling tactic that he calls ‘picking an enemy’ that is emotionally enticing to the buyer. The seller should start the pitch invoking what the buyer hates, thus supercharging the sales conversation with emotion. In other words, selling to the problem, not the solution.  Listen to the episode for some great examples of how to apply this tactic. What science tells us about how people make buying decisions Science shows that the mind plays tricks on us, making us think we are very logical, but the truth is that we buy based on feelings and emotions almost 100% of the time, from ordering lunch to purchasing B2B technology. It’s only afterwards, that we use logic to justify our decisions. However, according to David, sales professionals are not selling the way they buy. Instead of leading with emotions, they are leading with logic.  3 Science-Based Modern Selling Tips 1. Sell to the emotions Sales leaders often encourage their reps to go out and sell value, meaning ROI. The logical pitch goes something like this: “If you buy our solution, you will save time and make more money.”  The above is an ROI proposition, but that doesn’t mean that is what the buyer or decision-maker values. David gives a great example of this. Think about an employee who has been charged with looking for IT security software for the company. If he buys the wrong solution, the consequences could be catastrophic, so during the buying process he is not thinking about ROI, but about not getting fired. The seller who can speak to that unconscious emotion will close the sale as opposed to sellers who just talk about ROI. A good example of messaging that addresses the kind of fear in the case above is the famous IBM ad: “Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.” IBM appealed to the fear of getting fired and positioned themselves as the safe bet. David points out that for most of us as buyers, this is completely unconscious, we don’t internalize why we buy one product over another. But as sellers, we can look into the science of buying and leverage that to our favor. For instance, researchers have identified the top emotional motivators that drive consumer behavior. David’s advice for modern sellers is to find out what their ideal customer values, keeping in mind that what the customer values and the business benefit of the solution they are selling are completely different. They must find out what the buyer is not telling but that would resonate emotionally with them. “Find the enemy and craft a narrative,” David says. “People are conditioned to respond to stories. They get hooked to stories but tune out sales pitches.” 2. Present data in a way that appeals to the brain  When crafting sales messages or cold calling scripts, sellers must present data in a way that is easier for the brain to process. For example, it’s not the same to say, “save 10% of your time” than to say, “get 20 hours of your time back every month.”  Although both statements may be mathematically equivalent, they are not processed the same way in the mind. The percentage is more abstract than the absolute, which is more tangible and relatable to the average person. 3. Reply to objections with questions Many sales playbooks list one-size-fits-all answers to common customer objections, but that is a mistake. Responding to objections has to be a narrative, a back and forth conversation, because every customer has different circumstances. Data actually shows that the best sales reps respond to objections with questions, so they can understand the intent and the root cause of objections and address them accordingly. Be sure to listen to the episode for more tips and insights from David Priemer, the “sales professor.” Outline of This Episode   [2:43] David’s Story: From Research Scientist (and Certified Meteorologist) to Sales Leader. [7:15] Why selling is more difficult now than in the past. [10:47] What science tells us about buying decisions. [16:57] The top challenges of modern sellers. [27:43] Selling value the right way. [33:12] Messaging and pitch tactics. [37:25] The Cobra Kai Paradox. [40:37] Handling customer objections. Resources Mentioned   Connect with David Priemer on LinkedIn Follow David on Twitter: @DPriemer or @CerebralSelling Cerebral Selling Joe’s favorite movie: Tommy Boy Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges   Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn   Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!

Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice! Some people say cold calling is dead, that B2B prospects don’t answer the phone anymore. But my guest in this episode of the Modern Selling podcast says that he gets a 95% closing rate with the cold calling scripts he shared during our interview. Meet Joe  Pici, CEO and co-founder of Pici & Pici Inc. Joe is co-author of Sell Naked on the Phone and the host for the popular SALES EDGE Podcast. Joe has functioned as a catalyst for sales teams and individuals. Starting in 1992, he relentlessly studied and applied cutting edge sales techniques, propelling himself to be a top  25% producer internationally. This led business leaders globally to hire him for sales seminars. He then distilled his strategies into a  skill-based, sales training program, Rapport  Mastery™, which helps sales professionals sharpen their skills for creating appointments and closing sales through live, outbound phone call workshops. He was the 2020 recipient of the #1 sales trainer ranking by Global Gurus and his sales development program was voted BEST IN THE WORLD. Join us in this fascinating conversation and take note of the proven cold calling scripts Joe has used to book thousands of appointments across different industries. Cold Calling Today The phone today doesn’t have the importance it used to have in sales. In fact, at Vengreso, the phone is the third step in our sales cadence. In our experience, B2B buyers are not answering or returning calls, so the sales rep must warm up the call through an omnichannel approach, combining social selling and email outreach. Joe, however, says he favors the phone to make the first approach. In fact, he says there is no such thing as a cold, warm or hot call; the success of the call depends on the sales script and the bridge statement you use (for example, “Mario recommended I called you.”). By the end of the day, succeeding with a sales call is not about being charismatic or having a charming personality but about having a system. Joe acknowledges that he wasn’t charismatic at all when he started in sales, but he discovered a system that worked and now he teaches other sellers to implement it in their lead generation process. Cold Calling Scripts that Your Sales Team can Use to Book More Appointments I found it surprising when Joe shared one of his sales scripts to hear that he asks a question many sales experts say you should never ask: “Is this a good time?” But he says it actually works! Let me explain. The first script he gave me is this: “Hello, John. This is Joe Pici from Pici & Pici. Is this a good time?” If the answer is no, then Joe asks, “What would be a better time?” At that point, most people will reply, “Well, what is this all about?” That's the question you want as a seller, because the prospect has given you permission to tell him or her your value proposition (the secret is to do it in one powerful sentence). Here’s what Joe says: “John, I specialize in helping speakers, trainers and consultants [replace with your vertical] take their intellectual property and talent and make more money.” And then he doesn't say another word. Although many salespeople are afraid of the silence and love to talk, the pause here is very important. You must give them a chance to process and respond, even if the silence becomes uncomfortable. Many times, people would say: “Tell me more.” “Would it be worth 20 minutes for me to show you how to take your talent and intellectual property and monetize it?” If they say no, the call is done, they have disqualified themselves. But if they say yes, that’s the time to book the appointment or even move into the appointment and start asking questions about the pain, the desired results and the timeline. I loved this cold call script because Joe is talking directly to the pain of the prospects and telling them how he can help them. This is exactly what we do in our social selling through LinkedIn, when we send InMail messages. It’s the same approach but through a different medium. Joe’s specialty is cold calling, mine is digital selling. So, I asked him about leaving voice messages when people don’t answer the phone. He said he always leaves a voicemail and gave me the script that gets him 81% of return calls. Here it is: “This is Joe Pici of Pici & Pici. I'm sorry I missed you. I know we're both very busy. The reason why I'm calling is I specialize in helping sales professionals get better leads, book better appointments and close more business. My phone number is 407-947-2590. If I don't hear from you in 48 hours, I'll give you another call.” Joe explains the psychology behind this sales script: the sales rep releases the prospect from the guilt of not calling back and makes a promise to call again, warming up the next phone call. 3 Tips for Creating the Perfect Cold Call Script Here are some great tips I gathered from my conversation with Joe Pici. 1. Be specific with your value proposition One of the key elements in Joe’s sales call script above is the value proposition, which can be tweaked depending on the industry or vertical you are dealing with. For example, Vengreso’s value proposition is: “We help sales leaders train their sellers to create more sales conversations to increase their pipeline.”  But if one of our sellers were calling a prospect at an insurance company, Joe recommends saying this instead: “We specialize in helping insurance sales leaders train their producers to create more sales conversations to increase their pipeline.” In our case, as it is the case with Joe, the statement above is true, because when we train a group of salespeople in a particular industry, we tailor the program to their particular needs. 2. Follow a system that works As mentioned before, cold calling is not about personality or charisma, but a process. You may encourage your sales reps to try their own variation of the scripts mentioned in this episode, or create their own from scratch. Once they find what works for them they should follow the scripts. Listen to the episode to learn how Joe trained a 74 year-old lady to follow the scripts and how she booked 12 appointments during the practice run on the third day of the training program. 3. Write scripts that are not personal Nobody likes rejection, nobody likes the word “no”. In fact, many talented sellers quit the profession because of the constant rejection. When a sales rep’s call script says something like, “Can I take a few minutes of your time?” and the answer is negative, they are taking a personal rejection because the script is personal. However, if the script is about the benefits the buyer will receive from making business with your company, when they say no, they will be saying no to the results, not to the sales rep. As a sales leader, you must protect your sales team as much as you protect the buyer. Therefore, teach them to write cold calling scripts that are not personal. Listen to the whole episode for some great anecdotes and examples of how Joe used his cold calling scripts to book appointments and close deals and how your sellers can do the same. Outline of This Episode [2:48] Joe’s Journey: From Football Coach to Sales Consultant. [10:15] How sellers can use the phone today. [16:14] Cold calling scripts from Joe. [18:22] How to read people’s behaviors. [28:53] Best methods to get a return call from a voicemail. [32:38] The importance of the value proposition. [38:37] Researching the pain points of the buyer. [48:12] How to deal with rejection. Resources Mentioned Connect with Joe Pici on LinkedIn Follow Joe on Twitter: @PiciandPici Joe’s favorite movie: Rocky series Pici & Pici Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!

Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice! We all know the mantra of sales leadership: find, recruit and retain top talent. But after recruiting, the most important role of a leader is to provide feedback and coaching. My guest in this episode of the Modern Selling podcast is an experienced leader who brings five amazing sales coaching tips you can use, whether you are a seasoned leader or just starting out as a sales leader. Dive into the fascinating conversation with Scott Miller, Executive Vice President of Thought Leadership at FranklinCovey Co. Scott leads the strategy, development, and publication of FranklinCovey’s bestselling books and thought leadership, which provide the framework for the company’s world-renowned content and solutions. He is the author of FranklinCovey’s Management Mess to Leadership Success: Become the Leader You Would Follow (Mango Media). He is also the co-author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller, Everyone Deserves A Great Manager: The 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team, released in October 2019 (Simon & Schuster). In his previous roles as Executive Vice President of Business Development and Chief Marketing Officer, Scott helped lead the global transformation of FranklinCovey’s brand to match the transformation of the company. Prior to that, as General Manager of Client Facilitation Services, Miller worked with thousands of clients and client facilitators in numerous markets in over thirty countries. He has presented to hundreds of audiences across every industry, and loves to share his unique journey as an unfiltered leader thriving in today’s highly filtered corporate culture. He is definitely a leadership expert and you don’t want to miss the sales coaching tips he reveals in this interview. Five Sales Coaching Tips for Success Many sales leaders were promoted to their current positions because they were the top performers in their team or because they had many skills and talents that helped them climb the corporate ladder. But the truth is that they don’t know how to lead. Leadership is about building people and leaving a legacy and that involves continuous sales coaching with your team. The following five sales coaching tips will help you become a better leader. 1. Develop a Leader’s Mindset The first role of a leader or manager is to develop a leader’s mindset. The old mindset was, “I achieve results on my own.” That’s what people promoted into leadership did as independent producers, but they must realize that what they did as top sales representatives has no correlation to leadership. Scott says that the new mindset is, “I get work done with and through other people.” And that requires a new set of skills. 2. Nurture the Goose and get the Golden Eggs According to data from a leadership training firm, the average promotion into leadership is at age 30, but the average age at which they receive leadership training is 42. That’s a 12 year gap! The pressure for growth in many companies doesn’t allow leaders and managers to slow down and teach leadership principles. Scott says that sales leaders must be conscious of the type of growth they want to achieve so they don’t burn out their sales reps and balance that with sales coaching -- that way you nurture the goose (the sellers) and get the golden eggs (the sales). The role of leaders is to enable, grow, pollinate and build their teams, which takes time and effort. So make it a priority to set apart time for sales coaching with your reps. 3. Check your ego Self-awareness is one of the most important traits of a leader. As a sales leader, you must recognize your strengths and also your areas of growth, your weaknesses. Listen to your team and own your mess. Scott advises newly promoted leaders to sit down with their team and admit that they are scared and that they don’t have all the answers. That will create a culture of honesty and trust. Understand that the leader is the linchpin of culture in any organization and people don’t quit their jobs, they quit bad bosses and corrupt cultures. 4. Make it safe for people to tell the truth One of my favorite quotes from this interview is “bad news is acceptable, wrong news is not acceptable.” Wrong news means people are lying to you instead of telling you something that went bad with a deal. As a sales leader you have to create an environment where it’s safe for your sellers to tell you the truth. How? Talking through the bad news, assessing what could be done better and finding teachable moments to coach your reps instead of shouting and getting angry. Create a culture where each sales rep performs, learns, grows and owns his or her mistakes without fear. 5. Don’t try to be the smartest person in the room Scott says that if you believe you have to be the smartest person in the room, you will only hire people who are below your skill level and that will hold back the organization. As a sales leader your job is not to be the best sales person, but to recruit and retain talent, put systems in place, coach, mentor, be patient and exit people when they are the wrong fit. That means you can have sellers that are better than you ever were without feeling threatened. Your job is to retain that quality talent and give them feedback on their blindspots. An Extra Sales Coaching Tip for Success Many times, as a sales leader, you will feel tempted to jump in and save the day when a member of your team is in trouble. But what if you allow the sales rep to make a mistake and turn that into a coaching opportunity? The fact is that if you don’t coach, you won’t be able to scale the business. If you are always saving the day, then the success of the business or the quota of the sales team will depend on you alone. Scott says that leaders must calibrate their time. Sometimes they will have to step in and close a deal, but sometimes they will have to allow things to happen to have a teachable moment. The job of the leader is knowledge transfer, not only from his or her coaching sessions, but also beyond that. The best leaders think, “How do I create capacity over time so that the person I’m coaching can then coach someone else?” The secret to success then is to become a leader of leaders, where your mentees are mentoring others at the same time. Listen to this episode to learn more about coaching sales reps and some great examples of teachable moments with our sales teams. Outline of This Episode [8:30] The Leadership Mindset [12:30] Nurturing the goose and getting the golden eggs [15:42] Checking your ego [23:00] Don’t try to be the smartest person in the room [27:30] More tips for coaching for success Resources Mentioned Connect with Scott Miller on LinkedIn Follow Scott on Twitter: @scottmillerj1 Scott’s favorite movie: The Devil’s Advocate FranklynCovey Scott’s book: Management Mess to Leadership Success Recommended book: Multipliers by Liz Wiseman Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges   Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn   Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!

Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice! We are living now in what many people call the “new normal”. Sales leaders and sales teams have been forced to adapt quickly to shifting priorities and budgets, including working from home mandates and remote selling. But, what does the future of sales look like? Are we going back to how things were before COVID or is the new normal here to stay? That is the fascinating topic of conversation I had with my guest in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast, Hang Black, VP of Global Sales & Technical Enablement at Juniper Networks. Hang develops and delivers a strategic framework for consistently onboarding new sellers, continuous talent nurture, and implementation of best practices in sales programs and tools. As an experienced leader in high-tech companies, her expertise spans sales enablement, business development, marketing and engineering in large companies like AMD and Cisco as well as smaller companies such as Gigamon and 8x8. Hang is a global speaker on sales, leadership, and a passionate advocate for women in the workplace. She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, plus three patents in semiconductor manufacturing. The New Normal is Not the Future of Sales The future of sales is not what we experienced before the pandemic nor is it what we are living today. According to Hang, the current environment is not the new normal but a far swing of the pendulum before we go back to a point somewhere in the middle. In the post-quarantine world, sales professionals won’t be working from home all the time, but neither will outside sales teams be in the field as they used to. For example, in the last few years, a salesperson relied on trade shows for prospecting and lead generation. In 2020, there are no trade shows but virtual events are very successful for B2B companies. Hang believes that in the post-covid world, not all trade shows will come back, as some people will prefer the convenience and affordability of virtual events. She thinks that in-person events will be more intimate and meaningful; they will be more limited in attendance because they will be more targeted and less blanketed. In the post-covid world, B2B sales reps must be more mindful of people’s time and add more value. Why? Because although in a virtual environment you may have higher attendance than in live events, that does not mean every attendee will be engaged. Each sales rep must work hard to try and engage people online with content that’s relevant to them. What Will Sales Look Like in 2021? In 2021, sales organizations will still have a field sales team but with a strong virtual component with sales reps who know how to leverage tools and technology. Hang says that at Juniper Networks, she is focusing on two major bets for the future of sales:  Leveraging skills for digital and social selling and Blurring the line between sales and technical sales. COVID was the perfect storm to start working on major social selling initiatives. That’s why a team from Juniper Networks took Vengreso’s digital training program, Selling with LinkedIn® Teams, to learn how to find, engage and connect with prospects on LinkedIn® and start more sales conversations. Sales leaders and sales enablement leaders must look at what’s coming and plan for a world that’s more digital than ever before. Gartner data from 2018 already showed that B2B buyers only spent 17% of their time with vendors. And with an average of three vendors per buyer, a company would only have 5.6% of the time with a prospect. The 2020 quarantines have accelerated the trend towards digital buying in the B2B world. Hang’s personal experience helped her see the importance of implementing a digital selling initiative at Juniper’s sales organization. While a lot of people may like to use the phone, she prefers other methods of communication such as SMS and email. Hang realized every customer is different and inside sales reps must use an omnichannel approach to learn what their preferred method of contact is. Then, the marketing and sales teams can implement AB testing and AI to learn what works in different regions and with different campaigns to close a sale. Listen to our conversation in this episode to learn how Juniper is preparing for the post-quarantine world and Hang’s efforts to blur the line between sales and sales tech.  Outline of This Episode [2:30] Hang’s story: from Chemical Engineer to Head of Global Sales Enablement [4:43] Women in sales. [8:28] What sales leaders should think about for re-entry after COVID. [13:05] Planning how the world will be in 2021. [20:29] The 2 focus areas of Juniper for the future. [31:09] Tools and technology. Resources Mentioned Connect with Hang Black on LinkedIn Follow Hang on Twitter: @HangwithHang Hang’s favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption  Juniper Networks Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!

Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice! The sales landscape has changed dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Sales leaders’ priorities shifted and sales prospecting strategies pivoted. Many companies went from growth forecasts to survival mode, and those sales professionals who have not adapted to the new normal of remote selling are struggling. What is the solution? That’s the topic of conversation in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast with John Barrows, CEO of JBarrows Sales Training. John provides sales training and consulting services to some of the world’s fastest growing companies like Salesforce.com, Google, LinkedIn®, Slack and many others. His over 20 years of experience spans all aspects of Sales at every level from making 400 cold calls a week as an inside sales rep to a VP of Sales at his first start-up that was sold to Staples. He’s an active sales practitioner who trains in what he does every day. He’s also the author of an Amazon best-seller children’s book called “I want to be in Sales when I grow up” that he wrote with his daughter. Listen to this episode as John shares great insights on how to succeed in sales in the new normal. Developing Relevant Sales Prospecting Strategies Many sales people lost their jobs during the economic downturn of the last few months. However, John says there was a different outcome for average sales reps than for good sales reps: those reps that didn’t improve their skills and relied on automation to hit quota got laid off when COVID came, but those who leveled up their game, kept their jobs. There are no silver bullets in sales, no email templates that guarantee sales success. As a sales leader you must teach your sellers to put in the hard work, to take their profession seriously, honing their craft and improving all the time. Now is the time for salespeople to go deep into personalization, stay relevant and start caring for the people they are trying to reach. John shares three sales prospecting strategies that sellers can use to succeed in the new normal. 1. Go Deep with Personalization John says sellers should stop using strict cadences, stop automating everything and start personalizing. They should do their homework and put themselves in the shoes of their prospects. For example, sellers could research the issues that VPs of Sales are facing right now and ask themselves, what is the component of our product or service that helps them solve that problem? Then they should reach out and connect with the VPs based on their research. 2. Lead with Empathy and Thoughtfulness John says there is a lot of fake empathy going around, meaning sales reps sending “friendly messages” in cold outreaches. For example, generic messages such as “I hope you and your family are doing well” are not well received. The formula for real empathy is: Empathy = Personalization + Relevance Real empathy comes from understanding your prospect’s real needs today, not the needs they had two or three months ago before COVID. That involves revisiting your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) or buyer personas, because they have changed (or if the personas have not changed, at least their priorities have). When was the last time you called your top clients and asked them, “What are you facing right now?” By finding what your current customers are going through, you can understand what your prospects may be going through as well and develop real empathy. The great thing about this exercise is that your clients will be happy to tell your reps what type of messaging would resonate with them, so your sellers can use that messaging during their sales prospecting. 3. Gain insights John says that the top three priorities for sales leaders right now are: Revenue Qualified meetings Insights Revenue and meetings are obvious, but gaining insights is also vital for sales prospecting. Figure out the three questions your sellers must ask in every single meeting and have them record their answers in a shared document for the whole team. Then look for trends to discover what works, what doesn’t and what are the indicators that a deal will close or will be lost. Listen as John shares the questions his team asks their prospects and how they use those insights to sell more. Leveraging Sales Video Another sales prospecting strategy we discussed was sales video messaging. Video has the highest response rate because it allows sellers to show empathy through facial expressions and body language. During the current pandemic, it’s important to teach your sellers to genuinely connect with prospects through video. How? Matching their target buyer, whether smiling and being passionate or staying calm and professional. Finally, John advises sales leaders to be flexible and to not hold their reps to their pre-COVID goals. Instead, they should reassess their goals and their ICPs in the new normal, and plan for the short term, not the long term. Sales leaders should be transparent with their team and share what is happening every week. Only then, you will succeed. Listen to this episode for more tactical tips on sales prospecting in the current environment. Outline of This Episode [2:23] John’s story: from Xerox seller to CEO to Sales Trainer [8:59] What sales reps need to be doing differently. [16:04] There are no silver bullets in sales. [21:41] Why you must revise your IPC and buyer persona now. [28:33] How to avoid fake empathy. [39:12] Leverage sales video. [40:32] How to identify your prospect’s real needs. [48:04] The top three priorities of sales leaders right now. [58:52] Lessons for sales leaders.  Resources Mentioned Connect with John Barrows on LinkedIn Follow John on Twitter: @JohnMBarrows John’s favorite movie: Animal House JBarrows Training John’s book: I Want to be in Sales when I Grow Up Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn Subscribe to Modern Selling on the App of Your Choice!