Sales Tuners

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**Sales Tuners**

SalesTuners is an interview where I talk with great sales leaders and high performing individual salespeople about the Behaviors, Attitudes, and Techniques that have made them great. Learn more at SalesTuners.com

Latest Episodes:

027: Jeb Blount | The Anatomy of a Sales Slump (And How to Dig Yourself Out) Mar 07, 2017

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Full Notes

https://www.salestuners.com/jeb-blount/

Takeaways

Protect the Golden Hours: Setting a structure in place for making sales calls has the potential to make or break your business. Make time for what matters, by including blocks of time to make sales calls on your calendar, preferably during the golden hours. Use voicemail blocks to call late in the day when you know you're not going to reach most people. Plant a seed by leaving a voicemail, but then follow up in an outbound call block the following day. That way, the number is recognized or the call is returned. The same method can be utilized with e-mail as well. It may only take 15 minutes to accomplish something amazingly powerful.
Remember the 30-Day Rule: The 30-day rule is a simple formula that comes into play regularly for most B2B salespeople. Generally speaking, any prospecting you do in a 30-day period of time has the tendency to pay off over the next 90 days. Yet this is where the anatomy of a sales slump lays its foundation. This is where a lack of prospecting can lead to no pipeline, which leads to no closed sales. This is where confidence gets shaken. It's ultimately the decision to stay focused and remember the end game that gets you through.
Put the Sales Person Hack to Use: The bane of existence for most salespeople is the gatekeeper. So think about ways to get around them. Instead, leverage your likeness to others like you. Be persistent and talk to someone who understands. Have you ever called on a salesperson in another company? That call is always going to get answered! And guess what? They know your pain. Engage with them. Tell them what happened when their gatekeeper told you no. Why? Because they'll get it. And they'll get you where you need to be.

Book Recommendations

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Sponsor

Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.

026: What I Learned from 25 Sales Leaders Feb 28, 2017

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Full Notes

https://www.salestuners.com/25-sales-leaders/

Top Book Recommendations

The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Sponsor

Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.

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025: Sam McKenna | The Not So Dirty World of Sales Feb 21, 2017

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Full Notes

https://www.salestuners.com/sam-mckenna/

Takeaways

Be Polite: Prospects are more than just a number on a sales chart. He or she is a person with a whole life outside the office just like your own. Remembering that in meetings, phone calls and email outreach can make all the difference when it comes down to cultivating a relationship and ultimately making the sale.
Get Prospects Become Storytellers: Sales is not a pitch. It's a conversation. How can you structure your questioning to get a prospect comfortable enough to just open up and tell you a story? Sure, you could tell them a million things about your solution, but what does their world really look like?
Show the Cost of Inaction: Sometimes it's not about what they think they have. It's about what they are losing. Showing your prospects the cost of inaction can often times be more effective than anything else. How much is it costing them to maintain the status quo? How can your product or service make their life easier? How can your offering keep them out from being embarrassed in their next meeting their boss?

Book Recommendation

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Sponsor

Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.

024: Matt Amundson | Elbow Grease, Cupcakes and Red Bull: A Recipe for Success Feb 14, 2017

Show notes

Full Notes

https://www.salestuners.com/matt-amundson/

Takeaways

Sell to People, Not Companies: Starting at the top of the funnel and working your way down is a sales strategy that brings the big picture into focus. Most sales people wake up in the morning thinking about the companies they want to sell to, instead of the actual people that fill the roles able to buy at that company. Figure out what their personal motivations, incentives, and interests are and talk to them like human beings.
Get Over Your Fears: President Franklin D. Roosevelt's famous words about fear are just as true in sales as in anything else. The only thing to fear is fear itself. Truer words were never spoken, particularly in the sales world where fear is one of the most debilitating hurdles. Stop being afraid of sending the wrong content, calling the wrong person, hearing no or talking to strangers.
Do More: When in doubt, do more. Come in early and stay late. While most CEOs will stop and take note, don't do it to show off. Do it because you believe in what you're doing. Show up to work every day because you're passionate about solving problems for customers and striving to be better.

Book Recommendations

The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham

Sponsor

Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.

023: Patrick Giusti | Get Into The Game: Turning Long Shots into Slam Dunks Feb 07, 2017

Show notes

Full Notes

https://www.salestuners.com/patrick-giusti/

Takeaways

Know the Key Players: Get to know who you are selling to before you meet them. Technology offers you a valuable resource of information about a person based on their professional networks, profiles and even published work. Seize the opportunity to know more than your competition by getting to know a person's interests, passions and business practices prior to meeting them.
The Biggest Play of the Game (Happens First): You know the saying, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." In sales, the biggest play of the game is often the very first one. That starts with getting to know who you're talking to and who you're selling to, but it digs deeper than that. It means knocking it out of the park on the first try by coming prepared with the product knowledge and insights necessary to do so.
Play to the Audience: Understanding the role your prospect plays in the whole game is crucial to sales success. It's one thing to sell an idea, product or service to the decision-makers in an organization. It's something else entirely whether that idea, product or service resonates with the them. Figuring out the incentives each player has in a decision is another way to ensure a lasting victory for everyone involved.

Book Recommendation

The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra

Sponsor

Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.

022: James Moore | At Full Speed: From Sleep to Success in 43 Minutes Jan 31, 2017

Show notes

Full Notes

https://www.salestuners.com/moore/

Takeaways

It Is What You Know: Everyone is familiar with the inherent value in networking, but what you know can be equally as important to closing a sale. A successful sales team needs to first understand a company's core mission and beliefs, but it can't stop there. Sales representatives must also know the ins and outs of what they are trying to sell. If not, a challenge exists where a confused seller is trying to sell to a confused buyer and even though everybody wants to pretend they know what's happening, they don't. An educated seller is a prepared seller.
Swipe Right for Success: Ultimately, sales is about people and people change their minds daily. Never before has information been as accessible as it is, but on the flip side of the coin people are busier than ever before. Because of that, the sales process has been highly compressed, prompting the need to differentiate your business and its products quickly. Despite the ability to easily swipe right, people are inherently distrustful about things they do not fully understand. That's why it's more necessary than ever before to focus on the sale after the sale. A first date is great, but is it a good match? The answer to that question can define the long-term success to a sale.
Always Seek Candor: Being authentic and real with people will take you farther than you dreamed possible. Former chairman and chief executive officer of General Electric and esteemed American business executive Jack Welch, Jr. once said "the higher you get in an organization the more you get lied to." Rising above that albeit honest truth can make or break your sales career. Developing a personal philosophy to speak to people in a candid and understandable way is one of the best fundamental first steps you can take on your journey to sales success.

Book Recommendations

SNAP Selling: Speed Up Sales and Win More Business with Today's Frazzled Customers by Jill Konrath
Tongue Fu!: How to Deflect, Disarm, and Defuse Any Verbal Conflict by Sam Horn

Sponsor

Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.

021: Phill Keene | When Perception Matters: Standing Out From the Crowd Jan 24, 2017

Show notes

Full Notes

https://www.salestuners.com/keene/

Takeaways

Adopt a CEO Mentality: The perception of who you are matters a lot. Instead of just doing everything you're supposed to do, think bigger -- if it were your company, what would you do differently? How would you dress? How would you talk to customers? Would you hold others accountable? These ideas will get you thinking more broadly about the business as opposed to just your role in sales.
Leverage Your Network: The easiest way to get into a new prospect is through referral, right? Once you figure out who's connected to the people you want to talk to, what information can you arm them with to make an introduction on your behalf?
Act Like a Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Think about how you communicate with the most important people in your life (family, close friends, etc.). When you call or text them, if they don't respond right away, you likely give them some time knowing they're probably busy. But after a few days or weeks, you don't just give up, your frequency of calls and texts increases. When you apply that to prospecting, most people know that a salesperson will go away if you just ignore them. Flipping the script to give them space and then ramping up the frequency might just get you in the door.

Book Recommendations

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Sales Development Playbook by Trish Bertuzzi

Sponsor

Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.

020: Steve Cunningham | True Grit: How to Become An Accidental Success Story Jan 17, 2017

Show notes

Full Notes

https://www.salestuners.com/20/

Special Offer

Steve's playbook starts with reading a book a day, thrives on pushing the limits and commits to winning every single time. And now, he has extended a special offer for SalesTuners listeners: Get a LIFETIME Membership for only $250! (regularly $1499) and you'll get 10 free ANNUAL Memberships to give away to friends, colleagues, and clients (regularly $299 each).

Takeaways

Learn by Reading: If knowledge is power, books are the proverbial light switch. Professional development in sales begins deep within the pages of carefully penned thoughts and ideas of those who have gone before you. Respecting the insight from those who have been there in your shoes is one of the most valuable investments you can make in yourself, and ultimately in your business.
Learn by Failing: This should be a mantra in any and every college course for future sales professionals. Because, guess what? In sales, you will fail. It's inevitable. It's going to happen. Understanding that out of the gate is not only a proactive psychological move, but it's one that will help you put it all into perspective. Nothing is worthless, nothing is a true failure, if something can be learned from it.
Learn by Doing: Sometimes it's true what the great and powerful "they" say about best laid plans. They often go awry, and it's how you handle the change in course that makes all the difference. When in doubt, just give it a try. Don't be afraid. You might be surprised by the positive results.
Learn by Breaking the Rules: In the day and age of social media marketing and content planning and sales quotas and all the things, just stop. Do something unconventional. Try something new. Push the limits and challenge the boundaries. You may end up accidentally stumbling across an exciting new path you didn't even know was waiting for you all along.

Book Recommendation

Instant Influence: How to Get Anyone to do Anything -- Fast by Michael Pantelon

Sponsor

Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.

019: Trish Bertuzzi | Propel Yourself to Success Using Inside Sales Jan 10, 2017

Show notes

Full Notes

https://www.salestuners.com/bertuzzi/

Takeaways

Own the Space: Your passion, or lack thereof, is infectious. As a salesperson, you know more about your product or service than your prospect and need to own the sales process. Know what your competitors are saying, know what your analysts are saying, truly understand the problem that needs to be solved and guide your prospect through the conversation.
Arouse Curiosity: Buyers are busier than ever before. You don't have to get the whole message out when prospecting. Instead, learn to communicate more succinctly and offer information in sound bytes that will both develop the relationship and provide value. This should make buyers curious enough to respond or come back to you in the future.
Change is Constant: Content is the new SPAM. Many large companies are getting rid of voicemail. E-mails are read on mobile devices more often than not. Everything is in motion and changing rapidly. What worked for you last year may be less efficient now, so be mindful and observant in patterns of change you are seeing.

Book Recommendations

Selling to Big Companies by Jill Konrath

Sponsor

Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.

Subscribe to SalesTuners

018: Susan Lorkovic Zuzic | From Girl Scout Cookies to Whale Hunter Jan 03, 2017

Show notes

Full Notes

https://www.salestuners.com/zuzic/

Takeaways

Understand DISC Profiles: Understanding how a person thinks, and then communicating with them how they want to be communicated with, is key. One method to help identify how to most efficiently communicate with others is to learn about the personality traits that drive them using a tool like the (DISC) Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness Personality Test.
Keep Your Energy Level Up: You have the answer to the tough questions, so sell with that in mind. Think outside the box. Ask the tough questions and run through walls in the process because you are confident in the answers you have to provide. Most importantly, do all of it with your head held high. The ability to stay positive amid the challenges you face will define who you become as a salesperson.
Don't be Single Threaded: In a hunt for whales, the bigger picture is essential in the road map to sales success. There is no single thread in larger organizations, where multiple decision makers are involved in sales decisions. Remembering to leave an impact on all the key players will help set you apart from the crowd.

Book Recommendations

Never Eat Alone : And the Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon

Sponsor

Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.

Subscribe to SalesTuners

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