Peak Performance Selling

In this second part of a five-piece episode of the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, sales culture subject matter expert Nikki Ivey talks about growing up on military bases, where she had positive experiences with diversity, and having that rude awakening years later when they moved to South Georgia. Nikki also opens up about being the only black woman in the workplace, and why it’s important to step up and be the leader that you wanted to have for other minorities.

HIGHLIGHTS

Early childhood and growing up as a military kid

Two different experiences with diversity

No one figures out how to deal with culture and gender issues easily

Prioritize your performance over everything else

Be the leader that you wanted to have in the workplace

QUOTES

Nikki on the complexities of dealing with racial and gender issues in the workplace: "I don't think you figure it out one time. I don't think you make one big sweeping decision on how you're going to handle yourself in those situations. Because there is a pretty significant emotional element to it, at least there was for me. Meaning, in some cases, it felt safer, for lack of a better term to just keep my head down, do the work, not talk about, not think about, or let myself even feel about what it meant to be the only [black woman] in that building."

Nikki's recommendation for people dealing with culture issues in the workplace: "Bear in mind that it still matters whether or not you do the job better than the person next to you. These culture issues for now can be kind of fixed. What you have the most control over is your performance. Prioritize that over everything."

Nikki on being the leader that you wanted to have: "If you don't feel a leader in the place that you wanted to go, it's because there wasn't anybody in the pipeline to become that leader. But the math of that means, if you just go one step back from the role that you are looking up to, the pipeline is you."

You can connect with Nikki in the links below:

Sales for the Culture Website: https://salesfortheculture.com/

SDRDefenders Website: https://www.sdrdefenders.com/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-ivey/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/knownikkiivey/

​​Twitter - https://twitter.com/knownikkiivey

If you’re listening to the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, please subscribe, share, and send us your feedback.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbenjamin/

Website - http://mycoreos.com/

Podcast - https://www.mycoreos.com/podcast

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jbenj09

In this first part of a five-piece episode of the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, our host Jordan Benjamin talks to sales culture subject matter expert Nikki Ivey about her own sales journey. From selling cars to software, Nikki talks about the importance of knowing how to sell not just for the sake of revenue, making sales as inclusive as ever, the struggles of a Black American while dining with us, as well as the wellbeing of the wider community in general.

HIGHLIGHTS

How Nikki landed her first sales job

Studying communication and applying it to sales

From car sales to tech sales

Lessons learned from Thurgood Marshall

QUOTES

Why Nikki stopped selling cars: "Culturally though, in terms of the working conditions in the environment in each of the car sales and retail sales environments that I was in, it wasn't the most conducive to mental health. It wasn't the most conducive to having a family, which I do. So I had to figure something else out. And that's another reason why I decided to go back to school."

What Nikki learned once she got hired at OutboundEngine: "I got to see great leadership up close, and I got to find parts of myself that either were holding me back or could stand to be developed even bigger to take me forward."

What Nikki learned about selling ideas, from Thurgood Marshall: "You didn't do it because you know, they already agreed with you when you were preaching to a choir. You did it because you articulated the value in changing. You help them see the danger in not changing and what they could gain from changing. Essentially. That's what I saw Thurgood Marshall doing in the way that he argued cases and the way that he approached his job. And for him, the stakes were really high. It's important to get those ideas sold."

You can connect with Nikki in the links below:

Sales for the Culture Website: https://salesfortheculture.com/

SDRDefenders Website: https://www.sdrdefenders.com/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-ivey/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/knownikkiivey/

​​Twitter - https://twitter.com/knownikkiivey

If you’re listening to the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, please subscribe, share, and send us your feedback.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbenjamin/

Website - http://mycoreos.com/

Podcast - https://www.mycoreos.com/podcast

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jbenj09

You can do everything right and still fail. That’s just life. However, knowing how to pick apart your failures to look for a nugget of wisdom and learning is the way to getting back on your feet. In this episode of the Peak Performance Selling podcast, our host Jordan Benjamin talks about setting SMART goals, bouncing back from tough quarters, and shares what his idea of personal success looks like.

HIGHLIGHTS

Set achievable goals by starting small

How to bounce back from a tough month or quarter

Make people look forward to their interactions with you

Sam's favorite interview questions

What Sam's idea of personal success looks like

QUOTES

Sam on the importance of setting achievable goals: "Meet someone where they're at, and make it something they can actually do. Because then they'll actually try for it. And have a foundation they can build on to do more down the road. Some people shy away or scare from setting goals that don't seem aggressive enough. But like, if you're coming from nothing right now, then anything is something."

Sam's tips for helping managers bounce back from a tough month or quarter: "There's learning from every failure and every lost deal. And if we're accounting for that, we're able to say, 'okay, so here are the five things that I'm focused on doing differently this quarter. This week, how can I support you with that? How are we tracking it? Make it a smart goal. Make it specific, measurable, actionable, [realistic], and time-bound. That's all really important.'"

Sam's idea of personal success: "Success would be that I'm raising a family and contributing to a community where I live and where I work that's leaving it better than it was, and using my skill sets to do that. I have a platform, and I shouldn't be wasting it with silence on important topics."

You can connect with Sam in the link below:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samshoolman/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/samshoolman

If you’re listening to the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, please subscribe, share, and send us your feedback.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbenjamin/

Website - http://mycoreos.com/

Podcast - https://www.mycoreos.com/podcast

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jbenj09

Whether it’s about workplace diversification or working on your physical and mental health, taking real action means to start somewhere, even if it’s somewhere small. In this episode of the Peak Performance Selling podcast, our host Jordan talks to Hubspot’s Senior Director of Corporate Sales Sam Shoolman about his efforts at developing genuine connections with his local communities, and why it’s important to work on your physical fitness to improve your mental health.

HIGHLIGHTS

Genuine empathy and allyship requires a genuine connection

Go beyond tokenization and start taking real action

Strategies for maintaining physical and mental health fitness

QUOTES

Sam's question for leaders who struggle with diversification at work: "For organizations or leaders who really struggle with it, I would probably ask how many people in your network are you spending time with on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, and what's the environment where you're having these interactions? Because it has to start there."

Sam on the need to maintain both physical and mental health fitness: "I don't think you can have a great mindset or mental health at work if you don't have physical health, or if it's not at least a work in progress for you. It's not about who's skinnier, who's stronger. But I think working on strength and working on physical fitness is usually important."

You can connect with Sam in the link below:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samshoolman/

If you’re listening to the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, please subscribe, share, and send us your feedback.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbenjamin/

Website - http://mycoreos.com/

Podcast - https://www.mycoreos.com/podcast

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jbenj09

There are many leadership styles, and all of them are valid in different scenarios. But if you want to create a dynamic and collaborative working environment, then you need to be vulnerable. In this episode of the Peak Performance Selling podcast, our host Jordan talks to Hubspot’s Senior Director of Corporate Sales, Sam Shoolman.

Sam opens up about his own sales journey and why being a good leader and being a top sales rep require two very different skill sets. Sam also talks about the leadership qualities that he had to acquire along the way, and how he came to cultivate the kind of leadership that he is known for today.

HIGHLIGHTS

How Sam stumbled upon sales

People are people, and relationships will always matter

You need to add value as a seller, no matter where you are

Being a good leader is different from being a good sales rep

Nobody has everything figured out

Get loud about your shortcomings

QUOTES

Why the ability to add value is essential with all cultures, says Sam: "No matter the culture, you have to be able to add value from very early on in conversation. Have insights that you're presenting and an opinion of what they're doing wrong or what they could be doing better. And that is global."

Sam on the lessons that he needed to learn as he took on leadership roles: "I think that I was independent and autonomous for a long time as a rep. And when you move into leadership you need to work cross-functionally with others. Your managers, they are your peers in a big way and you learn from them and I think that's humbling and it makes you vulnerable but it's really important."

You can connect with Sam in the link below:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samshoolman/

If you’re listening to the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, please subscribe, share, and send us your feedback.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbenjamin/

Website - http://mycoreos.com/

Podcast - https://www.mycoreos.com/podcast

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jbenj09

Good leadership can make or break your tenure in a lot of fields, but this is especially true in sales, where a considerable number of people don’t have any formal sales background prior to entering the job. A good leader can either set you up for success or leave a bad impression of the industry. So how do you know a good leader when you see one?

In this episode of the Peak Performance Selling podcast, Johnny Occean of meQuilibrium talks about his experiences with good leaders, and why it’s important to show as humans first, professionals second.

HIGHLIGHTS

How do you know a good leader when you see one?

Show up as humans first, professionals second

Love of winning vs hate of losing

People generally don't take time to be at their best

QUOTES

What good leadership looks like, says Johnny: "They're confident. They believe in the organization. They believe in the shared goal that you both have. Your success is their success. When they're tied to your success and genuinely believe in the end goal, I think that's when you're gonna see the best manager."

Why you should strive to be at your best as much as you can, says Johnny: "If you're 50%, then the best you can give someone else is 50%. That's not gonna serve anybody. I think of the NBA, for example. The center for the Lakers, Davis, he had a groin energy when they put him out there, I think in like game six. And he got hurt. He wasn't a hundred percent. He gave a hundred percent of 25%. And that got him nowhere, it didn't help the team."

Connect with Johnny in the link below:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-occean/

Email (business) - [email protected]

Email (personal) - [email protected]

If you’re listening to the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, please subscribe, share, and send us your feedback.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbenjamin/

Website - http://mycoreos.com/

Podcast - https://www.mycoreos.com/podcast

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jbenj09

Sales is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world, but it can also be mentally taxing. In this third of a four-part episode of the Peak Performance Selling podcast, Johnny Occean, Regional VP of Sales at meQuilibrium talks about mental health in the workplace and what companies can do to ensure a mentally healthy workforce. Johnny also talks about the importance of seeking professional mental help and shares some tips on managing stress and uncertainty in your career.

HIGHLIGHTS

Management can do a lot improve employee mental health

Avoid WebMD and listen to your parents

Don't be afraid to seek professional mental help

It's okay to not be okay, but work on being better

Everyone has bad days; just work harder

Lows always precede the highs

Leaders are measured by their team's performance

QUOTES

Johnny on how parental advice can help you navigate uncertain times: "I'm 33 years old. My parents went through similar challenges. They went through economic downturns. They went through a lot of big world issues that we, younger folks, haven't gone through. So how do you navigate that? How do you deal with that mentally? I kind of lean on them and hear their stories."

Johnny's advice for people experiencing mental health challenges: "I think you just have to start. You have to understand that it's okay to not be okay. But what's not okay is to not do anything about it."

How management can impact team performance: "I really think that your employee's performance or your team's performance is a reflection of the person that's managing them. Because a lot of the stress and a lot of the challenges that you might have can trickle down."

Connect with Johnny in the link below:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-occean/

If you’re listening to the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, please subscribe, share, and send us your feedback.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbenjamin/

Website - http://mycoreos.com/

Podcast - https://www.mycoreos.com/podcast

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jbenj09

Virtually anyone can get into sales, but not everyone can make a career out of it. In this second of a four-part episode of the Peak Performance Selling podcast, our host Jordan continues his conversation with Johnny Occean, Regional VP of Sales at meQuilibrium on the common traits that all top performers have. Johnny also talks about going back to why he works hard in sales, and how his immigrant upbringing informs his work ethic as a seller.

HIGHLIGHTS

What the best sellers have in common

Always think of what your customer cares about

Sellers need to be problem solvers

Top performers are passionate at what they do

When all else fails, go back to your why

QUOTES

Johnny on what makes a successful seller: "It really falls on the individual to do everything they can to immerse themselves in their market and get to know it as best they can because that's how you're gonna bring value to the person you're speaking with, to your customers."

Johnny on helping customers first: "All the top performers I've ever worked with are very much so focused on solving problems. If it's your solution, great. If it's not, that's okay too. At least, let them know that and point them in a better direction and help them understand more about their problem."

What Johnny learned from his immigrant parents: "I learned a lot about work ethic and what working hard really is. What bouncing back from a lot of different adversity and a different time really is. And I use that as a good reminder to kind of pick it up a bit and keep going when I think I can't really do it anymore."

Connect with Johnny in the link below:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-occean/

If you’re listening to the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, please subscribe, share, and send us your feedback.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbenjamin/

Website - http://mycoreos.com/

Podcast - https://www.mycoreos.com/podcast

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jbenj09

Nothing worthwhile ever came easy, and sales is no different. It’s going to be difficult, so you need to be ready. The good news is lots of people go into sales and find success, so there’s no real reason why you wouldn’t be the same way. In this first of a four-part episode of the Peak Performance Selling podcast, our host Jordan talks about his own sales journey and how he survives rejection, particularly the Law of Averages.

HIGHLIGHTS

From sales to accounting and finance, then back again

Going to the gym and getting into tech sales

Sales is tough, so toughen up

Consider the Law of Averages

QUOTES

Johnny on what makes sales difficult: "It's a tough game. Sales isn't easy. You're asked to take a lot of NOs. But there are some companies that will ask you to make a hundred dials a day in hopes to get 5 to 10 people. That's 90 NOs, that's 90 doors in your face. It takes a lot to keep moving forward from that."

Why you need to push through rejection, says Johnny: "You might feel like you're going through a low, but I always believe in the law of averages. You're going to go through a low, [but] a high is coming. It might take a little while to get there, but I know it's coming."

You can connect with Johnny in the link below:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-occean/

If you’re listening to the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, please subscribe, share, and send us your feedback.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbenjamin/

Website - http://mycoreos.com/

Podcast - https://www.mycoreos.com/podcast

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jbenj09

We all crave success. But what does true success look like?

In this last installment of a four-part series, our host Jordan Benjamin continues his conversation with Sean Dazet on what true success looks like and how a manager may evaluate it. Hint: While numbers certainly play a big role especially in sales, it’s not the whole picture.

HIGHLIGHTS

Block time for the important things

There's no reason not to enjoy yourself while working

Maximized opportunities are a sign of a job being done well

Get your team into an optimal learning zone

The true meaning of success

QUOTES

Sean on what a good job done looks like: "A great job is achieving goals. A great job is getting the most you can of opportunities set in front of you."

Sean on looking beyond numbers when evaluating success: "It's not always as simple as the numbers in front of you, which is one of the challenges of effective leadership. Your numbers don't always tell the story. There's a lot of qualitative things within the team that matter."

Sean's idea of what true success looks like: "Success is not just about me. Success is about the company. It's about the team, the individuals collectively succeeding. True success is when I look around the table and everything feels good about what we did. It's ultimately about being happy."

You can connect with Sean in the link below:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdazet/

Website - https://www.jazzhr.com/

If you’re listening to the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, please subscribe, share, and send us your feedback.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbenjamin/

Website - http://mycoreos.com/

Podcast - https://www.mycoreos.com/podcast

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jbenj09