Inside Selling

Khalid Saleh on how to get your prospect's secret buying language using the Jobs to be Done framework.

Grab your Jobs to be Done customer interview guide here.

 

Amy Volas on how to leverage the power of LinkedIn to build your brand your business.

A few years ago I attended a networking event and asked a CEO what he did.  Rather than launching into a 30-second elevator pitch, he had a conversation with me that resulted in a $45,000 sale.  In other words, he ditched the pitch.  Instead of doing a monologue we had a dialogue.  In this episode, you'll learn the four-part framework he used to inspire me to care and be motivated to learn more.

Want to get better at swimming?  Hire a swim coach.  Want to improve your golf game?  Hire a golf coach.  If you want to get better at pretty much anything hiring a coach can accelerate your learning curve because you get immediate feedback.  Yet in sales, we rarely practice our "golf swing" or get coaching.  How do you practice and coach sales?  In this episode, Kevin Dorsey the VP of Inside Sales at PatientPop shares his secrets for coaching sales teams into top performers.

Why are cold email response rates so low? How do you stand out in a sea of boring B2B outreach? In this episode, Patricia Mclaren, the co-founder of CopyShoppe.co, shares her tips for improving cold email response rates.

Last week I received 15 LinkedIn connection requests and I ignored all of them because they were what advertising legend Dave Trott calls "white circles".  They were all the same. The brain ignores patterns so that it can concentrate on more important things. It's the reason why you don't pay attention to every car on the road while you're driving.  To stand out in a sea of white circles you have to be different. In other words, you have to be a red x in a sea of white circles.  The concept of the red x is important because your prospects secretly ask themselves four questions when they read your sales message. The first they ask is, "Should I pay attention to you?"  And if you're a white circle, the answer to that question is no and you don't get to move to the second, third and fourth question your prospects ask themselves before they decide to take a meeting with you.

That's why I was excited to groove with Rachel Gray, and Account Executive at Proposify.

Want to be a millionaire?  Hang out with a millionaire.

Want to be a better cook?  Watch a chef cook.

Want to get better at cold calling?  Then listen to Jackie Lipnicki on the Inside Selling podcast.

In 2016 Jackie would get pits her stomach making cold calls.

Jackie felt inadequate because she was in an entry-level position calling a decision maker.

But eventually, she had a mindset shift and used an approach she created that helped her crush new meetings targets without feeling intimidated.

Imagine that you've got a great corporate job.  Big Salary.  Benefits. Free snacks!  But the job just doesn't feel good on your soul.  Your boss tells you that she wants you to be a white circle in a sea of white circles. To follow the steps.  To follow the rules. But you want to be a red X.    That's exactly how Alex Grodkin, the COO of Payclub felt we he left his high paying six-figure job to pursue his dream of being an entrepreneur.

The most important trait a salesperson can have is integrity.  That's because salespeople have a bad rep.  You've probably experienced the telemarketer that calls you during dinner.  Or the retention specialist that won't let you cancel your internet service.  Or the crazy mall kiosk person that wants to rub lotion on your hand.  As salespeople, we have to behave in ways that don't reinforce this negative stereotype.  In this episode of Inside Selling Ryan O'Hara, the VP of Marketing at Lead IQ and I groove about the importance of having integrity when selling.

When I was first starting out in sales, I had the good fortune of working with Harry Gottlieb who is a very successful guy.  Harry is the creator of You Don’t Know Jack, a quiz based party game that generated 100m in sales.   The more time I spent with Harry, the better I became at sales.

And that’s how you get better at anything right?  Want to be a millionaire, spend time with millionaires.  Want to level up your sales skills, spend time with top performing salespeople. Which is why I enjoyed grooving with Chris Canalas.

Chris has been a top performing rep for 15 years. He's currently at ADP, but prior to that he sold water and alarm system door to door.

One thing I noticed instantly about Chris was his positive mindset.

Chris and I discuss how to avoid the trap of being complacent when you’ve reached the top.  How monotony can pay huge dividends.   The importance of confidence.  Why a deep belief in what you’re selling matters.  How to use humor to defuse sales pressure.    

And why sincerity is the most important trait a salesperson can have.