Cascading Leadership - The Show

TITLE 

 Improve Your Sales Outreach

SUMMARY 

Ralph talks about the importance of always learning, no matter what level you are at in your sales career. It is important to never stop learning new things and to always have a growth mindset. Even if you are already a sales champion, there is always something new for you to learn. Reading books, watching videos, and listening to podcasts are all ways that sales professionals can continue to learn and sharpen their skills.


Ralph believes that cold calling is not dead, despite popular belief. He believes that the phone is still the best way to close a sale, as opposed to other methods of communication like email or text. Google stats support his claim that the majority of business is still conducted over the phone.


TIMESTAMPS 

0:00:00   The Importance of Learning and Mindset in Sales

0:03:20   Sales Rep Prospecting: Best Practices

0:04:36   The Benefits of Cold Calling

0:06:04   The Advantages of Picking Up the Phone in Sales

0:07:44   The Benefits of Engaging with Your Prospects Before Making a Cold Call

0:09:23   The Importance of Earning the Trust of Your Prospects

0:11:16   The Importance of Researching Your Prospects

0:13:31   The Importance of Knowing the Buying Committee in the Sales Process

0:15:50   The Importance of Asking Questions in the Sales Process

0:17:14   The Impact of a Fixed Mindset in Sales

0:21:09   The Power of a Growth Mindset in the Workplace

0:22:34   The Risks of Automated Sales Outreach

0:27:06   The Importance of a Transformational Mindset in Sales

HIGHLIGHTS 

Sales is definitely one of the hardest jobs there is in the world. So prepare your mindset to know that it's going to be tough, it's going to be hard.

That way of thinking, the transformational is what's in now. Now they want to figure out and work with people that are going to transform their business. People are going to transform their lives, help them out, make their life easier at work and help their business run smoother and easier.

But the other thing that you mentioned in that whole conversation about where do sales reps get it wrong, you mentioned something along the lines of, you have to be able to demonstrate that something about the company, the industry, the person in all of your outreach that you're doing.

That's something that a lot of sales leaders will run into. And I think the point that stood out in your explanation is that you said, hey, look, I'm not in competition with you.

When you're talking about growth mindset and openness to learn and asking for help, there is a component. You reference it as you got to let go of your pride.

Music Credit: Maarten Schellekens - Riviera 

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SUMMARY 

In this episode, the importance of continuous learning and improvement for sales reps is discussed, as well as the role mindset plays in sales success. Additionally, Ralph Beltran shares his story of 30 plus years  in sales, including where most sales reps go wrong in their approach.


Ralph's  parents both worked in sales, which inspired him to enter the field.  He began in retail sales before moving on to real estate, where he was very successful, helping over 485 families buy their first homes. This gave him a great feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, knowing that he had used his skills to help others achieve their goals.


Ralph describes his journey from working in sales to becoming a sales coach and mentor. He talks about how he got into telecommunications and became successful in the industry, winning awards and becoming a top producer. He then talks about how he started coaching and mentoring other sales reps, helping them to improve their own skills and achieve success.


Sales is a difficult job, but if you have the right process in place, it can be a lot easier. Today, Ralph's focus is on helping sales professionals who are struggling with self-doubt and lack of confidence in their abilities. 

TIMESTAMPS 

0:00:00   Sales Effectiveness: Continuous Learning and Improvement

0:01:55   Sales Success Story: How One Man Found His Calling in Sales

0:03:26   Sales Career Development: From B2C to B2B

0:06:13   Sales Success Across Three Sectors: Retail, Real Estate, and B to C

0:08:07   The Power of Sales: Why This Career Path Was Right For Me

0:09:13   The Benefits of a Sales Career

0:10:47   Sales Processes: Inside vs. Outside

0:12:26   The Benefits of Focusing on Outcomes Over Activity in the Workplace

0:14:00   How to Make a Call Script Work for You

0:16:43   The Benefits of a Best Practices Approach to Business

0:18:50   Sales Scripting: What Works Best

0:21:51   The Power of Silence in Sales

0:23:37   Ralph Beltran on the Importance of Scripting, Testing, and Continuous Learning in Sales

Music Credit: Maarten Schellekens - Riviera 

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 TITLE 

Tara Gooch: From Corporate Sales Director to Entrepreneur extraordinaire

SUMMARY 

Tara Gooch explains that her experience in sales and customer service has better prepared her for a career in entrepreneurship than if she had gone straight into entrepreneurship after college. She explains that being able to sell is a transferable skill that is essential for any business, but especially for startups. She also emphasizes the importance of forming strong relationships in any business venture.


In this conversation, Tara talks about how she left his corporate job to pursue entrepreneurship. She talks about how she learned many valuable lessons from his corporate job, but the most powerful lesson was that the safe route can fail too. She talks about how staying in a comfort zone and avoiding risk can prevent people from reaching their full potential. She also talks about how toxic work environments can lead to burnout and depression.


Later the discussion is on the importance of having multiple income streams, especially when making the transition to becoming an entrepreneur. 

TIMESTAMPS 

0:00:00   Cascading Leadership: The Importance of Sales and Customer Service in Entrepreneurship

0:02:25   The Power of Sales in Entrepreneurship

0:05:08   The Power of Taking risks: A Conversation with an Entrepreneur

0:07:10   The Power of Mentorship: How One Conversation Helped This Entrepreneur Make the Leap

0:11:43   The Power of LinkedIn for Business Growth

0:14:49   The Importance of Relationship Marketing on LinkedIn

0:17:47   The Importance of Personal Branding in Business

0:21:22   The Power of Personal Branding: How Developing a Strong Brand Can Lead to New Opportunities

0:23:30   The Power of Branding: How to Position Yourself for Unknown Opportunities

0:24:41   Tara Fonseca: Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

HIGHLIGHTS 

So by developing a personal brand specifically on LinkedIn, really, there's no shortage of opportunities that could come to you. And it's not up to you to worry about what kind of opportunities will come to you.

So by developing a personal brand that showcases you as an individual, as a trustworthy person, opportunities start to come to you, they start to become attracted to you. So by developing a personal brand, I've been offered just in the last couple of months, I was offered a chief executive or pardon me, a chief experience officer position.

A personal brand is showcasing you and your story, but in the most professional way that builds trust. So if you're thinking on a platform like LinkedIn, first impressions, right? We get between five and 15 seconds to make a first impression.

It's kind of the same for a personal brand. So your personal brand allows people in. It allows people to see you for who you really are. There are almost 8 billion people in this world and you are completely unique.

Tara, one of the things that's really important about your brand building effort that I just called out is from mindset perspective, you need to be operating from a mindset of generosity.


Music Credit: Maarten Schellekens - Riviera 

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TITLE 

Tara Gooch: From Poverty to Abundance - Entrepreneurship as the Engine of Success - PT 1 

SUMMARY 

In the middle of a pandemic and economic downturn, many people are hesitant to launch a business. However, for some people, this is seen as an opportunity.  This really resonated with Tara Gooch and inspired her to launch her own business, Best Branding Solutions. 

In the midst of a recession, many people see obstacles instead of opportunities. However, with the right mindset, one can take advantage of the situation. 

In this episode, Tara talks about how she decided to get certified as a mindset coach in order to help people grow and develop more effectively. She posits that most of our problems and obstacles are related to our mindset, and that if we believe we can do something, we can.

Timestamps

0:00:00

Tara Gooch: From Poverty to Abundance - Entrepreneurship as the Engine of Success - PT 1 

0:02:15

The Power of Mindset in Business: 

0:04:05

The Power of a Positive Mindset in Business

0:06:02

The Importance of a Growth Mindset

0:07:35

The Power of a Resourceful Mindset

0:11:05

Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned from My Mother

0:13:00

The Power of a Servant Leader: How One Woman Turned Her Passion Into a Successful Business

0:14:51

The Importance of Graduating Without Debt

0:17:45

Career Navigation Lessons from an Experienced Professional

0:19:42

Tara Gooch on the Importance of Customer Service and Sales in Entrepreneurship

HIGHLIGHTS 

You mentioned that it was really important for you to graduate without debt, and with the exception of your most recent degree at UNC Wilmington, you chose private universities. So was that an intentional decision or was there something else at play where you went the private university route versus the public university route?.

I taught classes as well as personal trained folks on the side. And I was able to, again that entrepreneur mentality, pay my way through school and what. And I really do look at debt like that, especially as a prison, because it just really hinders your growth.

And your phrase was took what she was good at and decided to turn it into a business. I think there is a broadly applicable lesson there. You and I see the world very similarly and I think one of the things, one of the regular conversations that I have with people on my team is that you should be intentional about taking your desk and at whatever point in time it happens to be, and applying a CEO mentality to your desk.

Growing up, getting fresh fruits and vegetables from our garden and being just very resourceful, cooking everything from scratch, homemade, it taught me a lot of lessons that laid a foundation for me as an adult that has helped me do something like start my own business.

A lot of ways to make an impact. So it's insane how mindset kind of plays into that. So you've set the stage pretty well in terms of where you're at.


Music Credit: Maarten Schellekens - Riviera 

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SUMMARY 

Part 2 of our conversation opens with the idea that people learn best when they are teaching others. This is because they are more likely to pay attention and retain what they are learning. The conversation also mentions the idea of an observation log, which is a way to track what someone is learning. This can be helpful for quality control purposes.


The focus of the conversation is on how important it is for salespeople to learn from their wins and losses in order to improve their skills. The problem is that many sales teams operate with a low win rate, which makes it difficult for salespeople to learn and improve. The solution is to focus on the journey, not the outcome, and to help salespeople to separate their definition of success from an outcome.


The conversation discuss the importance of having a clear goal, or win, in mind. The goal should be something that is attainable and that you are passionate about. Having a clear goal will help you to stay motivated and focused on the process of becoming great. The process is more important than the outcome, and you can control the process by being a little bit better than yesterday's version of yourself.


We talk about how focus on pipeline volume over win rates, and how sales enablement is a lagging indicator. We also discuss how to break down a big concept into smaller pieces.

TIMESTAMPS 

0:00:00   Onboarding Series and Observation Logs: A Key to Effective Learning

0:03:14   The Importance of Learning in Sales

0:05:16   The Benefits of a High-Performance Team

0:06:30   Sales Enablement: The Importance of Quality Pipeline and  Win Rates

0:08:22   The Benefits of Different Learning Styles in Sales

0:09:44   The 80/20 Rule in Sales: How to Focus on What's Working

0:15:26   The Power of Going First: Lessons from a Sales Expert

0:17:12   The Benefits of Rethinking Your Sales Strategy

0:18:49   The Power of Podcasting in Business 

HIGHLIGHTS 

The first takeaway is to take some responsibility for your own learning journey. If you're waiting for someone else to do it for you to put something onto a silver platter or to have a new team to be recruited.

The trigger event is looking at their activity on LinkedIn and then focusing your engagement across that smaller group of people that are most active and then advance the conversation and build a relationship with those people and bring them in.

And then your job is to iterate in that you're doing more of what's working and less of what's not working. And so I think as it relates to sales, that is one of the most important concepts to start with because it sets the stage for just a broader understanding of what you're trying to get at.

So our five to eight times in terms of quality pipeline over what your target goal is and focusing on that, assuming win rates are going to fall within a certain rate.

James Daverman, who was one of our first guests, talks about winning the day as an exercise and continuous improvement. So where I was going with that is look at win rates, but I actually put more focus on pipeline volume.

 Music Credit: Maarten Schellekens - Riviera 

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Brain-Based Sales: How to Make Selling More Fun and Improve Retention

SUMMARY 

In this episode, Dr. Jim and Amy Hrehovcik discuss how leaders can create environments where learning is tailored to the specific needs of individual sales team members. They also talk about the role that Neuroplasticity plays in sales, and how this can be used to make selling more fun and experiential.


Amy discusses the importance of learning and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone in order to grow. She also talks about the value of being part of a community, especially for those with a learning mindset.


In the conversation, Amy talks about how she taught herself how to learn better and stronger ways to grow and develop, and how she believes that learning with others is the best way to improve skills. She also mentions that sales training is a $20 billion industry in the United States, but that many organizations ignore developing their internal sales team.


Amy noted the importance of a culture of learning and continuous development, and stated that this is a critical piece in enabling neurodivergent individuals to excel in sales environments. She also noted the importance of collaboration, and stated that hoarding of knowledge can destroy a team's ability to learn and grow together.

TIMESTAMPS 

0:00:00   Cascading Leadership: Amy Hrehovcik: Real Revenue Enablement - Part 1 

0:02:01   The Benefits of Being in a Community for Learning and Growth

0:03:42   The Benefits of Learning with Peers for Sales Professionals

0:07:35   Sales Leaders Need to Consider How to Best Tap Into the Strengths of Neurodivergent Team Members

0:10:21   The Importance of Learning in the Modern Workplace

0:16:09   The Power of Positivity in Sales

0:17:33   The Impact of Sales Hiring on Business Growth

0:19:18   Onboarding: The Importance of Curiosity

HIGHLIGHTS 

We want to and so I generally remind people of that at the beginning of the talk and with the knowledge that it's my job. I'm not saying that everything that I'm presenting here is going to work for you 100%.

The CRO of Own Backup had talked about doing the same thing to reduce some of the tension between customer success and sales. And so again, it's the establishing a learning culture where people are proactively, seeking out and sharing what they've learned and then of course, the collaboration of learning together.

And so I think that culture of learning, of continuous development is a critical piece. And not to say that it's impossible to grow and develop if you as a seller or not in a place like that.

What are some of the things that you noticed that really enabled you to pick up and excel in those environments? And what are the takeaways that sales leaders need to consider when they potentially have somebody that is neurodivergent on their team? How do they tap into that and how do they adapt the learning style to fit what works best for that individual?.

And the reality of it is that many organizations ignore developing their internal sales team. So most sales professionals are doing exactly what you did, where you're finding your own resources and learning on the fly and all of that sort of stuff.

 Music Credit: Maarten Schellekens - Riviera 

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"The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Closing a Complex Sale"

SUMMARY 

In a complex sale, the decision making process is often more complicated than just one person or group. In many cases, there may be other stakeholders involved who could potentially blow up the deal. Therefore, it is important for salespeople to map out the stakeholder landscape and learn as much as possible about the company they are selling to, including who their competition is and what other sites might be doing.


Cary states that it is important for salespeople to understand the political landscape, economic landscape, competitive landscape, and decision making process in order to be successful. She goes on to say that it is the responsibility of the salesperson to make sure that all the stakeholders are involved in the decision making process. She also says that it is important to make the stakeholders look good in order to close the deal.


The conversation discuss the importance of personal brand and integrity in the scientific sales industry. It is important to be careful of what is said and to whom it is said, in order to maintain a good reputation. Personal brand is everything in this space, and new salespeople should be aware of this.

TIMESTAMPS 

0:00:00   Cascading Leadership: The Importance of Dealing with Decision Makers

0:02:05   Cascading Leadership in Complex Sales

0:03:36    on the Importance of Understanding the Decision Making Process

0:08:34   The Importance of Personal Brand and Integrity in the Analytical Chemistry Sales Space

0:10:27   The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Sales

0:12:20   The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Sales

0:14:59   The Importance of Knowing Your Biases in the Workplace

0:16:32   The Power of Asking the Right Questions

0:20:16   The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Sales

HIGHLIGHTS 

So particularly with complex sales, these are sales where you're having multiple touch points with individuals in an organization. So you should regularly check, right?. Check in with those individuals, and the questions that you're asking are critical.

It's interesting that you reference checking your own biases, or at least being aware of your biases and responding accordingly to that. We had a guest on an earlier episode who's got this great personal story.

And I think that does speak to some indications of the whole idea of the reputation. Right? Because it's not just about I think it's important. Like you have to be a good ethical standard, right.

The emotional intelligence element is such a vital part of a lot of the stuff that I do and carry. You touched on so much of it in terms, first of all, work our way backwards, right? I'm in the academic space these days and I had a conversation with some of my students and I was sharing with them that you could be the smartest person in the room.

Integrity and personal brand is everything in this space. It is the number one piece of advice that I give to new salespeople in this space. Be careful what you say and who you say it to and never ever push the sale over the solution or it will bite you in the butt tomorrow and next year and the year after that.



Music Credit: Maarten Schellekens - Riviera

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TITLE 

Sales Expert Offers Insight on Best Practices for Sales Success

SUMMARY 

Cary tells the story of her 25 year sales career, starting with quotas in the range of $1 million. She talks about her biggest deals, including one for $125 million, and how her experience has taught her the importance of developing a good sales team.


Cary Simpson is a sales leader with over 25 years of experience in the industry. She has generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue for her organizations as an individual contributor, and her teams have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. She has led teams of sales reps with quotas ranging from $16 million to $125 million. Throughout her career, she has had many team members qualify for Presidents Club and other national awards.


In the conversation, the speaker discusses their experience transitioning from being an individual contributor to a sales leader. They talk about how they knew they were good at selling, and how they had to learn to trust their team and delegate tasks. They also discuss how they believe that anyone can be a sales leader if they have the right mindset.

TIMESTAMPS 

0:00:00   Cascading Leadership: A Conversation with a Sales Expert

0:02:28   Sales Effectiveness Master Class with Carrie

0:04:03   The conversation is between two sales leaders discussing their experience.

Sales Leaders' Conversation on Revenue Generation and Team Development

0:07:23   The Transition from Individual Contributor to Sales Leader: A Conversation with Heavy Hitter Sales Producer, Cary Simpson 

0:09:06   Leadership Development: The Importance of Hitting 10,000 Hours

0:10:47   The Importance of Hiring for Relationship-Building in Sales

0:14:46   The Importance of Customer Centric Selling

0:17:47   The Different Types of Buyers in a Complex Enterprise Sale

0:20:40   The Complexity of the Sales Process

HIGHLIGHTS 

So customer centric relationship based selling is important but you cannot always have a good relationship with customers. You are going to run across customers that you just flat out don't like.

We're going to focus this conversations in the area of customer centric selling and also navigating the complex deal cycle and stakeholder landscape and shepherding a deal along. You said that you're trying to identify people that have a relationship first focus, and I'm paraphrasing long-term thinking as one of the key criteria for sales success.

And when people talk about building business and building long term relationships as opposed to getting the most revenue as fast as humanly possible or driving revenue, that's sales. Right? But how do you do that?.

I'm interested in people who can connect the dots, who can ask a series of questions of customers that will relate the technical specifications and the value of the product to the everyday workflow of the customer, right?.

Let's just assume that whoever is in a hiring position within sales are looking for profiles that align with the requirements of the job. So whatever those requirements are, a candidate is close enough to warrant a conversation.


Music Credit: Maarten Schellekens - Riviera

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Sales is difficult enough for the average person. 

Now imagine the same role but you're selling 6 figure deals, in the capital equipment space, and your buyer is legitimately the smartest person in the room. 

If you thought sales was tough, imagine how tough selling to MD PhDs would be. 

If you want to get some insider tips on how to build highly-effective scientific selling teams, check out this episode with Cary Simpson, Head of Sales at Sartorius. 

Download the episode and tell your friends =) 

Music Credit: Maarten Schellekens - Riviera

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In the previous episode, we talked about building a community, building your voice, and learning about how to navigate the challenges that are unique to being a female leader in sales. 

In this conversation we chat about some of the keys to building a personal brand, advancing women into sales leadership, and how to be an advocate for advancing the underrepresented in sales. 

Tune in and listen to the conclusion of our conversation with Leslie Venetz, Founder of Sales Team Builder. 

Music Credit: Maarten Schellekens - Riviera

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