In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by seasoned sales leader Jim Drill to discuss essential aspects of the B2B sales process, career development, and leadership. Jim shares valuable lessons from his extensive career, emphasizing the importance of understanding customer pain points, selling higher in the customer organization, and connecting solutions to concrete business metrics. Through insightful stories from his experience at companies like IBM, PTC, and beyond, Jim highlights how asking the right questions and staying curious can lead to substantial sales success. The conversation also delves into practical advice for young sellers and leaders, stressing the significance of structured training and continuous learning. Jim's anecdotes offer perspective on effectively driving urgency, building strong champions, and implementing impactful sales strategies.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about Jim Drill:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimdrill/

Watch Force Management’s Panel Discussion on AI in Sales Leadership: https://hubs.ly/Q03rlW4Z0

Download the CRO Strategy Checklist: https://hubs.li/Q03f8LmX0

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:02:09] Jim's Early Career at IBM
[00:05:23] Learning the Sales Process
[00:07:13] The Importance of Curiosity and Learning
[00:15:34] Advice for Young Sellers
[00:21:15] Understanding Business Metrics
[00:30:08] High-Level Sales Strategies
[00:38:08] Budget Constraints and Problem Solving
[00:38:43] The M and W Approach to Organizational Navigation
[00:39:12] Connecting Metrics to Urgency and Champions
[00:40:12] The Importance of Metrics in Sales
[00:41:09] Creating Emotional Connections in Sales
[00:45:51] The Power of the Champion Letter
[00:56:58] The Role of Sales Leadership
[01:00:31] Common Mistakes in Startups

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

"Knowledge builds confidence. Confidence turns into credibility. Credibility turns into enthusiasm. That turns into passion, and passion turns into persuasion. But the foundation is knowledge."
"The urgency, lack of champions—if sellers are struggling, go back to your metrics. Where are you with your metrics?"
"Consultative selling is not just about providing solutions, but deeply understanding the pain points and creating value."
"You can either do this, separate yourself and set yourself up for the future, or you're going to end up working for someone that did it."
"Fires are going to happen. My job is to make sure the whole forest doesn’t burn down."