Sales isn’t limited to certain job titles or departments. Everybody is in sales. But it’s not a sleazy, transactional process, it’s about problem solving. The latest episode of Your Rally Point podcast is all about sales. Hosts James Martin and Jack Bobin open up about sales. They explore the need for discipline, the importance of knowing your customer, and the unique challenges of nonprofit sales. They’re honest about Rally customers and who gets what Rally is selling and finds success and who doesn’t.

What You’ll Learn

• Sales is about solving problems, not closing a deal.
• One third of our customers are crushing it, one third are doing OK, and one third just don’t get it.
• What makes that one third so successful? Only thing we found is that they don’t rely on grants.
• That third that don’t get it? We point them to our competitors.
• Part of sales is having an outgoing personality, but the key differentiator is discipline.
• Knowing your customer is key.
• Everyone is involved in sales in some capacity.
• Sales is about solving problems, and if someone isn’t ready to solve their problem, you have to move on.
• Nonprofit sales is hard. It requires empathy and resilience. It’s constantly changing.

Quotables

• “There's no better feeling than having a client say, ‘I wish I’d done this sooner.’”
• “It's discipline that'll help you get through it.”
• “We could all waste a lot of time spinning our wheels as salespeople when we're just selling to anybody.”
• “Everybody is in sales.”
• “Really, I'm just a master facilitator of problem solving, and if I do that well, the market will reward me for it.”
• “There's no better time to be a salesperson because of the tools at your disposal.”
• “Smooth seas don't make for skilled sailors.”
• “The nonprofit industry is one of the few places where this idea of spending money to make money just doesn't exist.”
• “I'm going to put my energy into people I can help.”
• “What I love about nonprofits is they're really good people and they're trying very hard and they're doing it with limited resources.”

Skip to What You Want to Hear

• 00:00 - The Art of Sales: A Journey of Problem Solving
• 03:00 - Sales Maturity: Embracing Rejection and Moving Forward
• 06:03 - The Discipline of Sales: Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals
• 08:59 - Sales as a Universal Skill: Everyone is in Sales
• 11:58 - Sales Methodologies: Finding Your Ideal Client Profile
• 14:57 - Navigating Challenges in Nonprofit Sales
• 17:50 - The Reality of Selling to Nonprofits: A Unique Challenge
• 18:50 - Navigating Sales Challenges in Nonprofits
• 21:08 - The Craft of Selling: Methodology and Adaptation
• 22:57 - Understanding Nonprofit Mindsets and Financial Constraints
• 24:44 - Customer Engagement: The Spectrum of Success
• 28:03 - Hope Island: The Challenge of Unresponsive Clients
• 30:07 - Empathy in Sales: The Heart of Nonprofit Work
• 33:54 - The Unique Landscape of Nonprofit Sales
• 36:01 - Building Resilience: Lessons from Nonprofit Sales

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