Sales Gravy: Jeb Blount

Sales Training Is An Investment In YOU

In this episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount is joined by Sarah Browner, the Global Sales Enablement Manager at Adobe. If you are a sales leader, sales enablement professional, or training facilitator, you will want to tune in for their conversation about keeping learners engaged and using feedback to improve enablement initiatives.

As for salespeople, you’ll find out why it’s critical to continue advancing your skills and investing in yourself throughout your sales career.

Sales enablement is a critical investment for companies looking to increase sales.

Sales skills, particularly soft skills, are perishable and need to be continuously developed.

Taking advantage of free training opportunities is crucial for personal and professional development.

Learning is never wasted, and even reviewing familiar concepts can provide new perspectives.

Leaders and trainers should give learners options and ask for feedback to keep them engaged.

Meeting learners where they are means providing information in a modality that works best for them.

Increase Skills to Increase Sales

As part of Sarah’s role, she is responsible for curating enablement for over 2000 individual contributing sales reps for Adobe, globally. She either finds or creates the information that their sales reps need to perform their jobs more effectively.

Adobe, like hundreds of other companies that we work with at Sales Gravy, invest in sales enablement and training for one simple reason— to increase sales, sellers need to continually increase their skillset.

Why Invest In Sales Enablement?

Sales training and enablement isn’t just for new hires. Salespeople must not only master the basics and fundamentals of selling, but in order to see continued success and growth, it is crucial that they advance their skills— long after the onboarding process has concluded.

One of the frustrations that sales enablement leaders face is hearing dissent from salespeople who think they know everything and don't need to learn more.

This way of thinking is dangerous. Sales as a profession is changing constantly, especially with the never-ending advances in technology.

To make your number and stay ahead, you need to be adept with these new technologies and always be looking for opportunities to expand your knowledge when it comes to your product, your competition, and the selling tools at your disposal.

There Is No Unused Learning

You might be instructed or advised to join a team-wide training session or read a book as part of a team book club. And you might think, “There’s nothing new here.”

The truth is, this cynicism is holding you back. Almost everything we learn, everything that's presented to us, someone has already thought of.

The important part of taking in information, even if it’s something you knew already, is the chance to reconfigure your thinking. In sales, we apply the fundamental basics of how we interact with people, from soft skills to how we develop our products, to different contexts and circumstances.

Products, services, and software change, and we must learn to navigate those changes out of necessity. In training, you might learn a concept or hear a practical piece of advice you’ve heard before, but you can get a new perspective on existing knowledge because it’s presented or applied in a different context.

Learning is never wasted.

Never Turn Down Free Training

Your company likely provides training opportunities, so it's wise to take advantage of them.

Workshops, even virtual ones, are delivered in a live format and watching a recording won't provide the same benefit. Attending training sessions live or in person allows you to learn from your coworkers, share ideas, and expand your way of thinking.

Investing in your education and training is important, because it makes a difference. At Sales Gravy University, we have 30,000 users, most of whom work for small companies that typically don't have a significant training budget.

These users are paying their way to get educated because they believe in the value of training.

If you work for a larger company that pays for training, it's already provided for you.

It's free, so why not take it?

Even when you're looking for a new job and a potential employer asks, "What have you done to advance your career?" answering "nothing" because you haven't taken advantage of available training opportunities seems like a waste of time and effort for everyone, especially in sales.

If you're not improving, you're wasting your time and effort. Passing on the opportunity to take company-provided training is self-destructive. So why not make the effort to improve yourself and your own personal bottom line?

Sales Skills Are Perishable

Investing in yourself is crucial because sales skills, especially soft skills, can deteriorate over time. Selling involves doing discovery, interacting with people, asking questions, dealing with rejection, handling objections, sales strategy, and adapting to change, all of which are perishable skills.

Bad habits can develop, and even subtle changes can have an impact. Most sales training is designed to help you get back to the basics. If you work for a company like Adobe, where innovation and software changes happen frequently, knowing their products inside and out is essential.

To effectively engage with your customers, you must be able to ask meaningful questions, understand what matters to them, and demonstrate how your solution aligns with their desired outcomes. Without knowledge of the product, your learning and expertise will be useless.

Even if you have a deep understanding of the product, if you are unable to communicate its value to others, your knowledge will be wasted. It's essential to know how to effectively communicate the information to others, as that is ultimately your job.

How To Help Salespeople Develop The Right Learning Mindset

It’s the responsibility of sales leaders, trainers, and enablement professionals to help salespeople build and maintain an open mindset towards continuing their learning.

One of the best ways to approach this, especially for individuals who are particularly hesitant or even resistant to attending or participating in training, is by giving them options. Not everyone is going to have a naturally instilled drive to take every opportunity to learn something new and expand their skills.

Truly meeting learners where they are means giving them the information in a modality that is most conducive to their preferred learning style, whether it's through a podcast, a book, or in-person training.

At scale, this could mean implementing a system where learners can subscribe to a class of their choosing, enroll, and stack and blend training in different ways. No matter how they want to consume the training, there's something for everyone.

Leaders And Facilitators— Ask For Feedback!

To keep learners engaged in the classroom, they need to receive the kind of training and facilitation that works best for them. The only way to know what is working for some people and not working for others, is by asking for feedback.

You or your organization may already do this in the form of surveys and assessments. These are a couple of examples of feedback in practice. However, this might prompt mostly negative reactions and comments that aren’t necessarily productive.

If people don't tell you what's working for them, you won't know. Instead of fielding complaints about why your salespeople “hate” being in training, studying materials, or taking assigned courses, ask them what they want to see more of. Ask learners what they like, or what their preferences are.

Perhaps the content is rich, but too overwhelming and they would like shorter, video-based content because they learn better visually.

Or for some learners, a workshop session would be more helpful for a chance to role play or ask questions in real time.

Take this feedback with a grain of salt, but by opening the door to feedback, you will discover whether you’re meeting your audience's learning preferences, and if not— how to get there.

The innovative Sales Gravy University sales training platform gives on the go individuals and entire teams easy, affordable access to the world’s top sales trainers in both live and on-demand courses. Now you can learn how to win in sales anywhere, anytime, and on any device.

Emotional Intelligence Is A Sales Superpower

On this episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount sits down with Robin Hills, a business psychologist and expert in emotional intelligence from the UK.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to combine thinking and feelings to make good decisions and build high-quality relationships.

Emotional resilience is essential in sales, and it involves understanding and managing your own emotions to influence the emotions of others.

Mental resilience is also important in sales, and it involves having a clear vision of what you want to achieve, being flexible and adaptable, and having a support network.

Emotional resilience involves having a clear understanding of realistic optimism, which means having a clear vision of what you want to achieve, what outcomes you are looking for, and understanding that there is meaning in what you're doing.

It's important to have a support network of people you can turn to for help, and to establish a relationship of trust with your manager.

It's important to interrupt negative self-talk and replace it with something positive, such as listening to a podcast or reading a book.

Complaining can turn a support group into a negative space, and it's important to have constructive conversations and avoid cynicism.

Emotional intelligence is a concept that Daniel Goleman launched and popularized approximately 30 years ago.

Robin began his career in sales in the 1980s and has been selling consistently ever since. Although he no longer holds the title of salesperson, he proudly wore that badge for well over a quarter of a century.

Today, Robin's company Ei4Change (Emotional Intelligence 4 Change) coaches and trains individuals and organizations on emotional intelligence, positive psychology, and neuroscience in the workplace.

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to combine your thinking with your feelings in order to build high-quality relationships and make authentic decisions. While it is a simple concept, it can be difficult to execute, particularly in situations with intense emotions or pressure.

Relationships and decision-making play a crucial role in this process. It is essential to have high-quality relationships with people you can turn to and say, "Hey, I'm having a bad day. Can we talk about something other than work? Or do something together that can take my mind off things and help me get back to it tomorrow?" This allows you to step away from the situation and take a break.

Salespeople, in general, are mentally resilient and must demonstrate high levels of emotional intelligence in order to be effective.

Field-based salespeople, who may not work in an office, often need to motivate themselves and have an inner drive to sell to their clients.

Salespeople handle a lot from customers and clients, and have good and bad days like everyone else. Emotional intelligence in sales involves understanding and managing your own emotions to influence the emotions of others.

You Choose How You React to Your Emotions

Emotions are a natural reaction to our environment, and we cannot control their occurrence. However, we can choose how we respond to them.

Emotions prepare our body mentally and physically for events, and the intensity of emotions compounds with each event. At a certain point, emotions can become so intense that making a simple, effective choice becomes difficult.

Experiencing fear, for example, is not something that we can control or prevent.

In such moments, we are faced with a choice: do we react irrationally to our fear and potentially put ourselves in danger, or do we use the presence of our emotions as information to assist us in productive, clear decision-making?

We can choose to become immobilized, paralyzed, or act out in self-destructive ways. and we can choose to handle our emotions, turn them into something constructive, and create positive outcomes.

This is where mental resilience comes into play. When under pressure and stress, mental resilience — the ability to go from setback to comeback — becomes essential.

Why Having A Support Network Is Crucial

Having the right relationships and support network is crucial, especially in sales when you are faced with difficult emotions like rejection, fear, and stress every day. When you need help, don't hesitate to turn to your network for support.

It's also important to establish a relationship of trust with your manager during good times, so that you can have a discussion about handling challenges when necessary.

In general, opening up to someone about a problem you are dealing with can be helpful. You may have heard the oft-quoted saying, "A problem shared is a problem halved."

Consider talking to your spouse, friends, or colleagues at work. Who in your network can provide support for you when you need it? Who can you provide support to in return?

Think Before You Complain

Having a support group of people to talk to is a great idea. It gives you a much needed space to have cathartic conversations because sometimes, it's crucial to vent and express frustrations.

Unfortunately, it's easy for these groups to turn into complaining sessions rather than support groups. Complaining is like misery's mating call. The more you complain, the more negative you become, and misery loves company.

This is especially true on sales floors, where people can start to believe that all buyers are liars, leading to poor decisions in the sales process and more misery.

When bad things happen, it's important to talk about it and not hold onto it. However, it's equally important to have constructive conversations about what happened and what the next steps should be. Know when to draw the line and redirect the conversation towards something positive.

Don’t Allow Cynicism to Destroy Your Faith

This is why you should turn to the people in your support network who can help you make good decisions, such as your manager who can remind you of your strengths as a salesperson.

Don't allow cynicism to destroy your faith in the systems and processes that, statistically speaking, will result in more wins than losses if executed consistently.

We should view our emotions as something to be handled intelligently in order to build quality relationships and make authentic decisions.

If you have a bad sales day, have coping mechanisms and practice in place to help rebuild your confidence so that you can make the next sale effectively.

Remember that you wouldn't have the job if you weren't good at what you do.

Reflect on what made you successful and identify how you can replicate that success. These are questions that only you can answer, but you can also seek support from people who can offer you the right guidance and encouragement.

Manage Your Internal Messages

When faced with a problem, our internal voice can start chattering away, often negatively, which can have a massive impact on our ability to stage a comeback.

Affirmations may seem metaphysical to some people, but the important thing is to interrupt negative self-talk.

Sometimes, you just have to accept that there will be times when you need to take a break. There may be nothing anyone can do or say. You just have to make the decision that enough is enough and get away from the situation.

Other times, you may need to force yourself to keep going because you need to prove to yourself that you can do it and you’re strong enough to deal with the circumstances.

In sales conversations and situations, the person who exerts the most emotional resilience usually has the highest probability of achieving their desired outcome.

A breakdown in emotional resilience when things go wrong, or when you perceive that they are going wrong, can seriously impact your ability to make an income.

Always Replace The Negative With A Positive

Sometimes, when you are stuck in a negative headspace, it can help to say something nice to somebody. You have to change the words that you are saying and hearing in order to fix the little messages you are telling yourself internally.

If you don't manage that internal message, the words you say to yourself could be your worst enemy. They can break down your resilience and tear it apart more than anything else.

Replacing your negative inputs with positive outputs can help you disrupt any spiraling and get you back on track, using your emotions in a constructive way.

Jeb Blount's bestselling book Sales EQ: How Ultra High Performers Leverage Sales-Specific Emotional Intelligence to Close the Complex Deal helps guide salespeople through the many hurdles that many struggle with in building authentic relationships with prospects. Download our free Sales EQ Book Club Guide HERE.

Great Sales Messaging Isn't Rocket Science

On this episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, Jim Karrh, Ph.D. and Jeb Blount discuss the essentials of sales messaging, how poor communication skills damage your brand, the stories we tell ourselves and our prospective customers, and what the advent of automation tools like Chat GPT means for salespeople. You’ll learn how to translate marketing messages into effective sales conversations, whether in person, virtually, or over the phone.

 Prioritize positioning and lead the conversation to close more deals

CMOs and marketing teams must take ownership of the writing that their salespeople produce. This can be accomplished by incorporating writing development into sales training and coaching efforts

Use empathy and insight to connect with prospects and ensure that you establish trust at the beginning of the sales conversation.

Focus on the buyer's problem and the urgency behind it, rather than just promoting the product's features and benefits. Then, simplify messaging to get customers to say yes and move forward.

Create a framework and sequence for conversations, especially in discovery and closing conversations.

Use automation tools like Chat GPT to improve written communication, but remember that authenticity is key and phony, robotic messaging won't close deals.

Strategic Messaging Is Crucial For Any Sales or Marketing Organization

In today's market, it's increasingly difficult to find and take full advantage of precious sales opportunities. That's why it's so important to prioritize positioning and lead the conversation to close more deals.

At the University of Alabama, Jim Karrh, Ph.D. teaches coursework around innovative marketing and sales messaging. His curriculum is informed by his background in B2B consulting and his previous experience as a CMO for a private company.

During his time as a CMO, Jim became frustrated with the sales team's inability to effectively communicate the brand’s core messaging to both their direct sales team and independent distributors.

This experience led Jim to focus on bridging the gap between marketing and sales in his consulting work with B2B sales teams. Now, Jim uses his understanding of communication and psychology to help improve the practical day-to-day realities of salespeople and sales leaders.

Writing Ability Is Key For Clear Communication

Salespeople, even those with a college education, often face challenges with writing. If you're a leader and observe this trend within your organization, rest assured you're not alone. Nonetheless, writing and communication skills hold immense value and should be seamlessly integrated into your sales training and coaching efforts.

It's common for individuals to believe they lack writing ability, but in roles like sales, management, or leadership, writing is an essential skill—and usually an untapped secret weapon.

Writing compels you to structure your ideas coherently, enhancing focus on essential aspects, connecting concepts, establishing sequence, refining structure, and avoiding unnecessary wordiness. This process instills discipline, thereby fostering improved thinking and communication. Sadly, it's a rare skill and discipline in today's professional landscape.

The importance of writing extends beyond mere formality; it reflects our value as professionals. Throughout the selling process and in the eyes of customers, how we sound and come across in writing can significantly influence judgments.

Teams often need to revisit this aspect as people may not possess the ability to write naturally due to a lack of prior teaching or experience. By addressing this deficit and incorporating writing development into training, individuals can unlock their full potential as effective communicators and salespeople.

Poor Written And Verbal Communication Is Killing Your Brand And Your Bottom Line

If you're a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), your salespeople can damage your brand if you allow them to write poorly. The responsibility for this falls on you and your marketing organization. Marketing should not write everything for salespeople because that approach can be disastrous, but every time a salesperson interacts with a customer, they become the face of your brand, so it's crucial that marketing monitors what salespeople write.

This is because writing can make or break a deal. Sales are often won or lost by a small margin, and emotions play a significant role in decision-making. If your writing is sloppy, you'll put yourself in a position to lose the deal. This is no different from showing up to a meeting looking unprofessional.

If you're a salesperson, leader, or trainer, you should spend time teaching people how to write for business.

Verbal communication is also crucial because you'll be presenting to customers. However, in most cases, someone else will read your written proposals. This person may be in middle management or have to seek approval from someone else. If they can't understand your writing, you'll lose the deal.

CMOs and marketing teams must take ownership of the writing that their salespeople produce. By doing so, they can ensure that their brand is protected and that they have a better chance of winning deals. Salespeople, on the other hand, should focus on improving their writing skills to communicate effectively with customers.

Your Message Should Be Easily Translated

Whether it's writing or speaking, it's crucial to be clear and concise in your message. Salespeople, in particular, need to have well-structured messaging that not only gets the point across in the moment but can also be easily retold and shared with others.

Sales messaging needs to be tight and well-structured, as buying teams are generally larger and more complex than ever before. Your message needs to be memorable and easily translated for someone else when you're not around. This is what sets you apart from the competition and establishes your identity as a problem solver.

Professionals communicate like human beings in an authentic conversation, walking the customer through how they will solve the problem and what the results will be. The ability to stand in front of another human being, tell a story, and connect with them on a personal level is a valuable skill for salespeople. However, relying too much on charisma can lead to suboptimal income and even harm your brand.

As a salesperson, you can control and manage what comes out of your mouth and what you write. It's important to take the time to structure your message effectively, so it can be easily remembered and shared. This is what will ultimately set you apart and make you a successful problem solver.

How To Improve Your Sales Messaging For A Winning GTM Strategy

Regardless of whether you're responsible for revenue, on the sales team, a frontline manager, an individual rep, or working on the marketing or product side of things, all those involved in messaging and driving sales face challenges.

Bringing together sales and marketing is consistently viewed as both a goal and a challenge. So what can we do about that? You mentioned the influence of chemicals in the brain and the importance of conversation structure. Let me unpack what you said.

As a training development company, you probably have a conversation with companies that fit your ideal customer profile. You know which companies will be most valuable to talk to, and you focus on those that are committed to developing their people and have a track record of doing so. This means you're having the right conversation with the right kind of organization.

You also know that certain words can make a difference in that conversation, such as using "because," "recommend," and "options." You've developed a discipline around the preparation and tactics of your message, including the stories you share, the questions you ask, and how you actively listen and reflect back to move the conversation forward.

All of this comes together to create a finely honed discipline that everyone in the company needs to think through to make great sales messages and tailored conversations that are memorable, distinctive, and likely to bring value. Over time, this kind of discipline becomes more natural, but it is not our natural state as humans. We are built for comfort and pleasure.

Human Brains Are Wired For Stories

The human brain is wired for stories and follows a pattern throughout history. This applies to sales and messaging too. There are different types of messaging, such as prospecting, creating interest, and getting to the next step. The goal is to create a picture that makes someone feel unique. Messaging also builds your business case, outlining the challenge, recommendation, and outcome.

When organizations don't understand this, sales and marketing suffer. Simplify messaging to get customers to say yes and move forward. Understand messaging progression and how the human brain operates.

Establish trust at the beginning to get more time with the customer. Follow the hero's journey pattern, showing the customer a better place. The challenge comes with multiple stakeholders, each with their own outcomes. Tell stories that connect with each stakeholder based on what's important to them.

It's important to simplify messaging and understand how the human brain operates to get customers to say yes and move forward. Our brains are not wired for selling conversations focused on the customer or prospect. We are wired for comfort and pleasure, and talking about ourselves. Understand the other person's perspective based on research and work done. Use empathy and insight to connect with prospects.

Establish trustworthiness through empathy and expertise. Conversation is where empathy is demonstrated, and where language is learned to reflect back in messaging. Listening is vital to make people feel significant.

On this episode of the Sales Gravy podcast, Sales Mastermind Group "Awesome" asks Jeb Blount sales questions. If you've ever had a question you wanted to ask Jeb then you'll love this episode. It's free flowing, insightful, and informative.

There is so much to learn from this episode including:

- How to get more prospecting done in less time.

- Building targeted prospecting lists and leveraging social proof to get engagement.

- Keys to building better prospecting lists.

- How to be more confident with your messaging.

- How to be more consistent with Fanatical Prospecting Sequences.

The sales lessons you'll learn in this episode are so powerful that you'll want to listen to it multiple times and share it with your entire team.

Mastermind Groups: A Powerful Way to Start Selling and Leading Better

A Mastermind Group is a peer-to-peer mentoring group where individuals come together to help each other solve their problems and improve their lives or businesses.

Mastermind Groups are powerful tools for personal and professional growth. They can foster a sense of community and connection, help members overcome challenges, and facilitate significant progress towards their goals.

The concept was popularized by Napoleon Hill in his 1937 book "Think and Grow Rich" who believed that the collective intelligence of a group is far greater than the sum of its parts.

The members of a Mastermind Group are typically successful individuals who are motivated and dedicated to achieving their goals. They meet regularly (either in-person or virtually) to discuss their challenges, set goals, brainstorm ideas, and offer each other advice and support.

In a Mastermind Group, the focus is on collaboration, growth, and mutual support. Each member benefits from the wisdom, experiences, and perspectives of the others. This dynamic leads to fresh insights, new ideas, and powerful motivation. Participants can hold each other accountable for their goals, offer encouragement, and provide honest and constructive feedback.

A Mastermind Group can be focused on various topics, such as prospecting, time management, large account strategies, proposal and presentation skills, account management and retention, and more. They can be informal and self-organized or facilitated by a professional coach or mentor.

Sales Gravy Mastermind Groups are an excellent way to improve your sales skills, become a more effective leader, or solve problems. Our masterminds are facilitated by a Master Sales Trainer and include additional training resources to build on group discussions.

7 Reasons You Should Consider Joining a Mastermind Group

Knowledge Sharing: Mastermind groups can offer a wealth of shared experiences and insights. The diverse backgrounds and skill sets of the group can provide different perspectives on sales techniques, strategies, and approaches.

Networking Opportunities: Mastermind groups often bring together professionals from various industries, offering the opportunity to build a strong professional network. These relationships can lead to business partnerships, referrals, or other collaboration opportunities that can help grow your sales.

Problem Solving: You can bring your sales challenges to the group, and together, brainstorm and strategize solutions. The collective intelligence and creativity of the group can help you solve problems faster and more effectively than you might alone.

Accountability: Setting goals is easy, but maintaining momentum and staying accountable can be challenging. In a mastermind group, members help hold each other accountable, which can be very motivating and contribute to better sales results.

Emotional Support and Motivation: Sales can be a tough job with frequent rejections and setbacks. Being a part of a supportive group of peers who understand the challenges can provide emotional support, boost morale, and motivate you to keep going even during difficult times.

Professional Development: Many mastermind groups bring in experts for talks (like Jeb Blount) or workshops, or provide resources for learning. This can give you access to high-level professional development opportunities that can refine your sales skills and techniques.

Staying Current: In a rapidly evolving field like sales, it's important to stay current with the latest trends, technologies, and methodologies. Being part of a mastermind group can help you stay up-to-date with the newest and most effective sales strategies, tools, and technologies.

In short, a Sales Mastermind Group, will help you gain a competitive edge, build your knowledge base, advance your skills, and build support network and accountability partners that will help you navigate the many ups and downs of a your sales career.

Looking to go beyond a mastermind group and get one-to-one personalized coaching? Well, we have a free guide to help you identify the right coach for you. Download HERE

When They Say No: Overcoming Rejection And Shifting Your Mindset

Introduces Andrea and Richard's new book, When They Say No, and provides valuable insights on overcoming rejection in sales.

The fear of rejection has evolutionary roots, but it can be reframed to reach positive sales outcomes.

Breaking the negative thought spiral that follows rejection is crucial and should be given due importance.

The opening phase in sales, though often overlooked, holds significant value in establishing rapport and understanding customer needs.

Learn practical strategies to effectively handle rejection and rewire the mindset for success.

Salespeople should endeavor to embrace rejection as an opportunity for growth and relationship-building.

When salespeople overcome the fear of rejection, they achieve lasting sales success.

Your Fear of "No" Is Holding You Back

Are you tired of feeling defeated by rejection in sales and find yourself avoiding potential opportunities because the fear of hearing "no" holds you back? It's time to shift your mindset and embrace rejection as a stepping stone to success.

In this episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, renowned sales experts Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz share valuable insights from their book When They Say No that will revolutionize your sales approach.

The Power of Reframing Rejection

Our fear of rejection is deeply rooted in our evolutionary history.

Throughout human evolution, being accepted by the tribe was crucial for survival. Rejection meant being cast out and left to fend for oneself, facing increased vulnerability to predators and the loss of the collective support and resources provided by the group.

Our brains developed a powerful instinct to avoid rejection at all costs.

However, the good news is that we possess the ability to hack our brains and change our perception of rejection. Instead of automatically equating rejection with death or social isolation, we can actively reframe our thoughts.

By recognizing that rejection in the modern world does not carry the same life-or-death consequences, we can replace our negative thoughts with more productive ones.

We can remind ourselves that rejection is often subjective and influenced by various factors beyond our control. With this shift in perspective, we can approach rejection as a valuable learning experience, an opportunity to grow and improve rather than a definitive judgment of our worth.

Breaking the Cycle of Negative Thoughts

Salespeople, in particular, are often vulnerable to a dangerous spiral of negative thoughts following rejection. When faced with a rejection, it is easy to get caught in a downward spiral of worry, anxiety, and self-doubt.

This negative cycle not only hampers our emotional well-being but also impairs our effectiveness in sales. The more we dwell on negative outcomes, the more our confidence wavers, and the less persuasive and motivated we become.

Recognizing this pattern is crucial for breaking free from its grasp. By actively reframing our thoughts, we can disrupt the negative cycle and redirect our focus towards positive outcomes.

Instead of dwelling on what went wrong or personalizing the rejection, we can shift our attention to the lessons learned, the potential for improvement, and the possibilities of future success.

It is essential to understand that rejection is not solely a psychological problem but also a physiological one. The fear of rejection triggers stress responses in our bodies, which further perpetuate the negative thought patterns.

By recognizing this physiological aspect and consciously choosing to reframe our thoughts, we can liberate ourselves from the chains of fear and propel ourselves towards success in sales and beyond.

The Power of the Opening Phase

The opening phase of the sales process is an aspect often overlooked in sales literature. Selling goes beyond pitching product features and freebies. It involves building rapport, asking questions, and understanding the customer's needs. A strong opening early on in the sales process sets the stage for a successful close.

The opening phase in sales is a critical juncture that is often overlooked or rushed through in the pursuit of closing a deal. However, this initial stage holds immense significance in building rapport, establishing trust, and gaining a deep understanding of the customer's needs and desires. When sales professionals invest time and effort into creating meaningful connections with their prospects early on, they lay the foundation for a successful and mutually beneficial relationship.

Building Trust Is Essential To Winning The Sale

One of the key reasons why establishing connections with prospects during the opening phase is crucial is the building of trust. In any sales interaction, trust forms the bedrock of a successful relationship. By taking the time to truly listen to prospects, showing genuine interest, and demonstrating empathy, sales professionals can cultivate trust and credibility. When prospects feel understood and valued, they are more likely to open up about their challenges, goals, and pain points, which provides invaluable insight for tailoring the sales approach and offering relevant solutions.

Prevent Objections Before They Arise

Moreover, establishing connections early on helps curb objections that may arise during the sales process. When prospects feel a sense of connection and trust, they are more receptive to the sales professional's message and less likely to raise objections or barriers.

By investing time in the opening phase to understand the prospect's motivations, concerns, and preferences, sales professionals can address potential objections proactively.

They can align their pitch with the prospect's specific needs and present compelling solutions that directly address their pain points. This personalized approach not only minimizes objections but also increases the chances of a successful sale.

Furthermore, the opening phase allows sales professionals to gather vital information about the prospect's decision-making process and the key stakeholders involved.

By building relationships early on, they can uncover valuable insights into the prospect's organizational structure, decision-making dynamics, and the specific criteria that influence their purchasing decisions. Armed with this knowledge, sales professionals can tailor their approach, navigate internal challenges, and present a persuasive case that resonates with the prospect and aligns with their unique context.

The Opening Phase Sets The Stage

Recognizing the importance of the opening phase in sales is crucial for building rapport, establishing trust, and gaining a deep understanding of the customer's needs.

By investing time and effort into creating connections with prospects early on, sales professionals can lay a solid foundation for successful relationships, mitigate objections, and increase their chances of closing deals. The opening phase serves as a valuable opportunity to establish a strong rapport, gather key insights, and pave the way for a fruitful sales journey.

The innovative Sales Gravy University sales training platform gives on the go individuals and entire teams easy, affordable access to the world’s top sales trainers in both live and on-demand courses. Now you can learn how to win in sales anywhere, anytime, and on any device.

Moving From A Culture of Efficiency to A Culture of Effectiveness

Acting and improv skills are similar to soft skills in sales— leading with empathy and understanding your audience and your customer is paramount.

Sales leaders need to build a strong sales culture and eliminate mediocrity, which starts with the willingness to invite, embrace, and accept feedback.

Synchronous conversations are making a comeback. Whether you get coffee with a prospect in your own town or fly to your prospect's city to close a deal, face-to-face interactions are invaluable.

Sales isn't an easy profession, and leaders should be honest and transparent with their teams about the work required to close deals.

Efficiency does not equal effectiveness. Sales technology should focus on making people better, not just faster.

Sales organizations need to adapt to changes in the market and rethink what's working and what's not.

In this podcast, Mike Cabot and Jeb Blount discuss the challenges of sales in the current climate, including the impact of technology and the need for emotional intelligence when dealing with analytical stakeholders. They also emphasize the importance of celebrating small victories and providing feedback to improve performance.

Sales Is Like Acting— Empathy Is Essential

As a child, Mike Cabot and his sister starred in a local cable television show for seven years. Later on, Cabot gained acting experience both in theater and through featuring in commercials.

In his sales career, he has been able to leverage the improv skills he learned from acting at an early age to connect, engage in deep listening, and show empathy to prospects and clients.

The job of a sales professional isn't just to sell a product or service, it's to help people. And in order to truly help people, great sales professionals have to be great empathizers.

The same can be said for actors. To tell a story convincingly, an actor must take on the character's persona. She must step into their shoes and see the world through their eyes. Otherwise, it's not authentic.

Empathy is a critical skill for sales professionals, and acting is an excellent way to hone this skill by putting yourself in someone else's shoes.

This is what sets the best salespeople apart. They can quickly and easily see the world through someone else's eyes and adjust their messaging, style, and strategy accordingly.

The Show Must Go On

Often, people make excuses for why they can't sell, such as a lack of leads or poor marketing. As sales professionals, we must deliver for the audience in front of us, no matter what. Embracing this idea is crucial in building a strong sales culture.

Mastering the same soft skills that improv actors use is critical because you must listen not only with your ears, but also with your eyes and intuition. On stage, if you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't know how to respond when something gets thrown back at you.

Dealing With Analytical Stakeholders

Buyers use emotions to make decisions. Tap into their emotions and stories to meet their needs.

Engaging with analytical stakeholders in sales requires a thoughtful and empathetic approach. Understanding the different levels and roles within the stakeholder groups is crucial, as each individual has unique concerns and priorities.

While these stakeholders are analytical by nature, it's important to recognize that emotions play a significant role in their decision-making process.

By tapping into their emotional needs and sharing relevant stories, sales professionals can connect with them on a deeper level and demonstrate how their product or service can help solve their problems.

Building trust and showing the value of saving time or avoiding negative outcomes are key strategies for engaging with these stakeholders.

Salespeople often encounter challenges when engaging with analytical stakeholders. The lack of immediate emotional response from these stakeholders can sometimes make salespeople feel insecure and lead them to overcompensate by talking too much.

Developing emotional control and patience becomes essential in these situations. Sales professionals should maintain faith in their approach, asking the right questions, and genuinely trying to help.

Over time, as trust is built and the salesperson demonstrates the ability to address the stakeholder's concerns, these analytical stakeholders can become strong allies, paving the way for successful sales interactions. Mastering the art of engaging with analyzers opens doors to success in various sales scenarios.

Celebrate The Small Victories

Recognizing and celebrating small wins in sales is crucial for both individual salespeople and sales teams. It starts with transparency and setting realistic expectations, acknowledging that success requires effort. While closing deals is important, it's equally vital to track other metrics like account outreach and pipeline generation.

By highlighting these milestones, individuals are encouraged to keep going and find motivation in the journey. Celebrating every win, no matter how small, creates a positive and supportive environment, fostering desired behaviors and instilling a sense of accomplishment throughout the sales process.

Viewing sales as a series of building blocks and acknowledging the value of each step taken before closing a deal reinforces the idea that consistent effort leads to success. By celebrating incremental achievements and focusing on building a strong foundation, sales professionals can stay motivated, sustain momentum, and achieve greater success.

Feedback Is How We Grow

Feedback plays a crucial role in personal and professional growth, regardless of one's position within the organization. It's a two-way street where both sales leaders and their sales team can benefit from open and candid communication.

Offering feedback allows leaders to provide guidance and constructive criticism, while accepting feedback demonstrates a willingness to learn and improve. Feedback is valuable, no matter one's position or authority.

By creating an environment where feedback is encouraged, leaders can foster a culture of continuous improvement and learning, which benefits the entire organization in the long run.

"Before And After" Coaching Routine

Another effective practice in sales leadership is the "before and after routine". This coaching routine involves setting objectives and targets before a sales call, discussing the strengths and successes afterward, and then openly discussing areas for improvement.

By starting with the positives and creating a safe space for team members to voice their opinions, leaders can encourage collaborative conversation where everyone's input is valued, regardless of their age or experience level.

In the end, feedback is a vital component of growth and development in the sales profession. Both sales leaders and team members can benefit from actively seeking and providing feedback.

By embracing feedback and incorporating it into routine coaching and reflection processes, sales organizations can create a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and success.

The innovative Sales Gravy University sales training platform gives on the go individuals and entire teams easy, affordable access to the world’s top sales trainers in both live and on-demand courses. Now you can learn how to win in sales anywhere, anytime, and on any device.

Human Connection Is Irreplaceable

Dress appropriately for the situation and audience— it's the little things that close the sale.

Do research on who you're trying to sell to and a personalized follow-up email after a demo or meeting that adds value to the conversation. Video messages following a meeting are a unique way to stay in front of your prospect and show them you truly care about helping them solve their business challenges.

Use handwritten notes to show appreciation and make your communication more human. Taking the time to write a note to your prospect demonstrates your commitment to professionalism and helps built trust.

Taking a personalized and phone first sales approach still matters, especially in a world taken over by AI.

Leverage checklists to remember and systematize important tasks. Even surgeons and pilots use checklists to make sure that details don't fall through the cracks.

Sales is a contact sport. Leaders should train, drill, and reinforce the basics and fundamentals with their sales team every single day.

On this episode of the Sales Gravy podcast, Jeb Blount and Will Yarbrough, VP of Sales at Fleetio, discuss what it means to be a human seller in the age of robots.

Jeb and Will dive into the importance of having organic conversations versus over-engineering the sales process. In this conversation, you'll learn the value of a good first impression, how to maintain engagement with a prospect following a demo, and why being coachable is a strength in sales.

Selling In A Tough Industry Takes Grit— And Emotional Intelligence

Industry experience— especially when selling to blue-collar workers out in the field who are more accustomed to turning wrenches than punching buttons on an app — can be a strength or a weakness for new sales professionals.

Most sales organizations seek individuals who are good communicators, curious, and confident, but also have enough industry knowledge to be credible.

And while industry knowledge is important is sales, the ability to deal with people is crucial.

People with industry experience tend to want everything to be perfect before they can close a deal. As a result, they may take longer to ramp up in a sales organization than those without as much experience, but they can still be taught the right questions to ask.

New sales professionals who don't have much industry experience will be successful if they know how to ask the right questions, find opportunities for ROI, and learn how to close deals in the process.

Taking a more human approach to selling means that experience pales in comparison to the importance of heart and mindset.

The Sales Process Is Overcomplicated

Too many sales organizations are guilty of over-engineering the selling process. The most important thing to remember is that you're a human being having a conversation with another human being. Here are a few ways to simplify the sales process (that don't require the help of a robot).

Professionalism Builds Trust

Buying is an emotional and deeply human experience. In order to close sales and maintain positive customer relationships, you need to keep in mind that prospects buy the person before they buy the product.

The little things matter. It's not about the outcome, but the steps that you take to get to that outcome.

So if you choose not to wear a collared shirt on virtual calls, you put on a hat, decide not to shave, or don't take care in making sure your video presence and audio quality are top-notch, you are taking a series of small risks.

And those risks can greatly impact the velocity of the sale, getting the sale, or the trust that you build with your prospect.

Present yourself in a professional manner, including your appearance, lighting, audio, and video quality. These details may seem small, but they can have a big impact on the trust and velocity of the sale. Remember, the little things matter.

The Humble Checklist

Pilots and brain surgeons implement a checklist for every task they must perform. They aren't stupid; they have a lot to remember and many high-stakes elements that can slip through the cracks.

Utilizing a checklist throughout the sales process can make it easier to remember and execute on important tasks, something that busy sales professionals often struggle to do.

When you refer to a checklist every time you engage with a prospect, you're more likely to remember and complete each necessary task to help you advance the sale.

Personalization Over Systems

One of the most effortless and foolproof ways to make a lasting impression with your prospect and create competitive differentiation is by sending a handwritten note or a personal video message thanking your prospect for their time after your meeting.

It's a small, but essential gesture that makes a difference. The best part is, you don't need a system to write a note. Simply make it a habit to write and send a note right after conversations with your prospects.

It's a simple way to show gratitude that they will notice, appreciate, and remember.

Remember To Engage In Real Conversation

Especially in the world of data and systems, the human element of selling can get lost. Every sales team these days has five or more systems in their tech stack to support sales acceleration.

With that comes a more robust playbook and guidance on how to sell and use those systems. However, one of the big pitfalls in modern sales is becoming too robotic.

You might think, "I have to follow this process. I'm going to ask this discovery question, and this discovery question, and this discovery question," and forget that you're just having a conversation with someone.

In doing so, you put undue pressure on yourself to follow the process and check every box, instead of just having a conversation like two human beings.

Asking questions like, "What is the downstream impact of missing a preventative maintenance activity?" can help humanize the experience and encourage conversation.

We lose credibility when we forget that we're just talking to somebody and opt for asking a robotic, textbook question that should be on a form or a survey.

Don't Be Afraid to Lead

It's easy to take shortcuts, but investing time and effort in doing the little things right increases the chances of success.

As a leader, it's important to remind and educate sellers about the value of the basics and fundamentals. Athletic coaches understand the importance of drilling the basics and reinforcing muscle memory.

Coaches and leaders must train, drill, and reinforce the basics and fundamentals every day because one bad habit or easy win can undo everything you teach.

Accountability and Motivation Are Key

Many leaders avoid conflict and fail to address problems because they are afraid to confront bad sales behaviors, which allows them to continue.

In the past, it was not uncommon for sales leaders to directly confront you and tell you to stop doing something that isn't effective. They would push you to improve.

Today, some leaders lack the courage to lead sales in a more traditional way. Sales is a human endeavor that requires excellence, protection of the brand and the process, and achieving targets. It's a survival of the fittest. You need to be good at your craft and be willing to learn from your mistakes.

Leaders must have the ability to motivate their sellers when they're doing well, provide constructive feedback when they're not, and offer support when they need it.

In his bestselling book, Fanatical Prospecting, Jeb Blount outlines his innovative approach to prospecting that works for real people, in the real world, with real prospects. Download your FREE chapters of Fanatical Prospecting here.

Art Munin, Ph.D. from Liaison International is the guest on this episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, hosted by Sales Gravy Master Trainer, Gina Trimarco. They discussed Munin's transition into a sales career.

Munin debunked the myth that one must choose a lifelong career straight out of college, highlighting that more individuals are transitioning into different career paths, such as sales, later in life.

Sales is presented as an exciting, dynamic career with opportunities for personal growth, financial success, and professional satisfaction.

Various reasons for transitioning into sales later in life are discussed, including dissatisfaction with previous jobs, the desire for higher income, and the allure of competition inherent in sales.

Professionals transitioning from non-sales careers bring valuable transferable skills. Examples include communication and people skills from educators, technical expertise from engineers, and analytical skills from financial professionals.

The transition into sales can be challenging, particularly for those with no direct experience. Adapting to the performance-driven nature of sales and mastering Sales Specific Emotional Intelligence are key.

It's possible to transition into a sales career later in life and thrive with the right mindset, transferable skills, and a willingness to learn and adapt.

On this episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, Art Munin, Ph.D. from Liaison International joins guest host Gina Trimarco, Sales Gravy Master Trainer and Director of Coaching Programs, to discuss how he made the transition into a career in sales.

You'll love the story of how Art talked his way onto the podcast by serenading Gina with a Bon Jovi tune.

This episode is a must-listen for people who are interested in exploring new horizons and sales leaders who may be neglecting non-traditional talent in their recruitment strategies.

Debunking Career Myths

There's a myth that continues to pervade the corporate landscape: you need to pick your lifelong career fresh out of college and stick to it. However, the modern work environment paints a more varied picture, with more people transitioning into entirely different career paths well into their professional lives. One such transition that's gaining traction is the move into sales from non-sales careers.

Sales is Exciting

Sales is an exciting career, brimming with potential for personal growth, financial success, and professional satisfaction. It offers a dynamic work environment where no two days are alike.

It is also a role where direct, tangible outcomes (like meeting quotas or securing contracts) can lead to immediate rewards.

Furthermore, the advent of technology has made it possible for salespeople to work from diverse locations, offering both flexibility and freedom.

Why Transition Later in Life?

There are various reasons why people choose to transition into sales later in life. Some find their previous jobs unfulfilling or stagnant, some are driven by the desire for higher income potential, and others are enticed by the challenge and competitive spirit inherent in sales.

Moreover, many skills acquired in other professions - such as communication, problem-solving, and relationship building - are directly transferrable to sales roles.

Transferrable Skills from Non-Sales Careers

Regardless of their previous career path, professionals transitioning into sales bring a wealth of transferable skills.

For example, educators have exceptional communication and people skills, which are vital for engaging clients and building relationships. Likewise, engineers or technicians might have the technical expertise that's invaluable for sales in the tech sector. Professionals from financial or consulting backgrounds bring analytical and problem-solving skills, enabling them to understand a customer's needs and craft appropriate solutions.

Building on these existing skills, many find that they already have the foundation necessary for sales success. The key is to identify these skills and learn how to apply them effectively in a sales context.

Navigating the Transition

Despite the potential advantages, transitioning into sales can also bring its share of challenges.

One of the most significant hurdles is breaking into the field without direct experience. It's crucial for individuals to leverage their transferable skills effectively during the application and interview process.

Another challenge is adapting to the performance-driven nature of sales, which can be stressful and highly competitive. To overcome this, new salespeople should focus on building resilience and a growth mindset, viewing challenges as opportunities for learning and development.

Finally, newcomers to sales will have to master soft skills and Sales EQ: Sales Specific Emotional Intelligence. This includes learning how to listen effectively, ask the right questions, and present products or services in a way that meets the needs of the potential customer.

Make the Leap Into a Career in Sales

Transitioning into a sales career later in life can be an enriching and rewarding experience. With the right mindset, transferable skills, and a willingness to learn and adapt, individuals from non-sales careers can thrive in the dynamic world of sales. It's never too late to make the leap and embrace the opportunities that a sales career has to offer.

Our Foundations in Selling on-demand learning path is designed to help new sales professionals gain the skills and confidence they need to launch a successful career in Sales. Learn More Here

On this episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount (Sales Gravy CEO and author of Sales EQ) and Graham Hooper (CEO of Ellison Technologies) discuss the keys to leading your sales team in uncertain times. You'll learn how to succeed in volatile economic times by effectively handling decision deferment objections and conducting thorough research during the discovery phase of the sales process.

Key Takeaways:

Salespeople can successfully navigate the transition from a red hot market to a stagnant down market, but it requires grit, discipline, and creativity.

In uncertain economic times and a world increasingly influenced by the power of AI, sales-specific emotional intelligence and human-to-human communication are the most important skills a salesperson can have when establishing trust and building relationships with buyers.

Conducting effective, deep discovery and handling buying decision deferment objections will give salespeople a competitive edge in any economic climate.

Transitioning From A Red Hot Market To A Stagnant Down Market

Many salespeople today are struggling to make the transition from taking advantage of a red hot market to navigating the doldrums of volatile economic times. Some sectors, like real estate, are experiencing the brunt of these changes in the market, where other sectors, like defense are seeing more profit.

Economic swings are cyclical and always will be, but especially in the last twenty four months, sales organizations are moving to a more traditional kind of selling.

Salespeople who know how to get creative, grind it out, and prioritize the fundamentals will see the most success in times like these. However, it’s not easy to make that mindset shift and truly rise to the moment.

The One Thing That Will Always Guarantee Your Success in Sales

For the individual salesperson, the most important thing that you can have in your arsenal to make it out on top in volatile economic times is not above-average intellect or a winning personality— it’s grit.

This is this ability to dig deep and take your career, your future, and your life into your own hands when things are difficult and it seems like there is very little in your control.

Getting up, getting yourself ready for the day, protecting your time and your energy, and making sure that you are putting yourself in front of the right people at the right time with the right message.

Nothing Compares to Real Human Connection

Another strength that will set you apart from other salespeople and allow you to break through the noise and truly connect with the right customers is sales-specific emotional intelligence— Sales EQ.

Salespeople aren’t the only ones experiencing tough times. Real human connection matters today more than ever. You must have the ability to see eye to eye with your customers, meet them where they are, and make them comfortable enough to open up and share their toughest business challenges.

When you connect the dots between their biggest problems and how you can help solve them, you build the foundation for trust and create lasting business relationships as a result. Conducting deep discovery is the key to helping your customers close the gaps and see positive change from your solutions.

The Only Communication You Can Trust is Human-to-Human

In today's world, human-to-human communication is the only trustworthy form of communication. With more AI tools and services than any one person could take full advantage of, it's not secret that we rely heavily on automation to maintain productivity and be maximally effective.

The downside of this is that written communication can easily be created and distributed by AI, which is often seen as inauthentic or untrustworthy.

So has the role of the salesperson changed in the expanding world of automatic and artificial intelligence? The short answer is yes. The rise and mass adoption of automation has certainly changed the value and responsibility of salespeople to be effective communicators.

In a world where robots are increasingly doing work for us, it is important for sales professionals to have strong communication skills, know how to build genuine trust, and establish close business relationships.

Spend 80% of The Sales Process In Discovery

That's precisely why salespeople should invest about 80% of the time in the sales process in discovery. What are you learning about your buyer? What are you asking them?

Discovery is where salespeople face the most heartache, because when buyers are holding back, sellers don't have any ammunition to reduce fear because they didn't ask great discovery questions and do the work upfront.

In times of abundance and prosperity, salespeople skip that crucial step because buyers will decide to buy anyway. Salespeople often let their guard down and get transactional.

Doing deep level discovery is the only way to stay afloat in a down market because buyers are vulnerable, hesitant, and hard to reach. The transactional sale will not get the job done in volatile times.

You Need A Solid Business Case To Be Competitive

It's easy to be complacent when times are good. But things have changed, even in growing industries. The competitive landscape is now much more intense than it used to be.

To succeed in this environment, you need to do your homework. You must have a solid business case for why your product is a good fit for the customer, and that requires a a great deal of research.

Once you have a use case and understand the challenges of the industry, you need to address any concerns that are specific to your buyers' unique situation, business, or sector and show proven ROI. Doing your homework is fundamental to success, and that homework is done in discovery.

4 Ways to Handle Buying Decision Deferment Objections

Inevitably, buyers will present salespeople with decision deferment objections. It is imperative that salespeople handle these objections with tact, at both the emotional and rational level. Salespeople can prepare for these objections in a couple of ways.

Ask "Why" Questions to Uncover Fears

Ask questions that reveal their hesitation to buy, the perceived risk of purchase or adoption, and what is at stake for them in this relationship.

This will allow you to understand the fundamental reason why they don't want to buy, and give you insight into how you can help them move forward in their purchasing decision, and ultimately create a sense of trust that reassures your buyer that you know what is most important to them and their company.

Get Creative With Soft Benefits

Whether this is providing extra training, additional customer support, access to premium features, or other similar benefits, giving your buyer an improved experience at little to no additional cost to you, while drawing their focus away from pricing alone.

Giving them some added benefits or bonus features helps them feel that they are getting value from your product or service that increases the return on their investment.

Create a Sense of Urgency

Sometimes it helps to instill a sense of urgency so that buyers are less likely to pull back from a purchasing decision. In this case, offer pricing that's only available for a limited time, or offer an add-on that has limited availability.

Target Companies That Hold Steady In Down Markets

Of course, this isn't always possible, but targeting larger companies with more flexible budgets, versus smaller companies that are on a feast or famine cycle will make it easier to prevent facing buying deferment objections in the first place.

A Slow Market Is Not A Dead-End

Salespeople can navigate the transition from a thriving market to a slow one by staying tough, focused, and innovative. In uncertain times, sales-specific emotional intelligence and authentic human-to-human communication are crucial skills to establish trust and build relationships with buyers.

By dedicating 80% of the sales process to discovery, salespeople can make a compelling case for why their product is a good fit for their buyer and learn what matters most to them, so that decision deferment objections don't clog up the pipeline.

In this on-demand sales training on Sales Gravy University the world’s most sought-after sales trainer, Jeb Blount, delivers an essential blueprint for staying motivated, keeping your pipeline full, increasing sales, retaining your customers, and advancing your career in times of uncertainty and change.

On this special episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, Sales Gravy Senior Master Sales Trainer Brad Adams and bestselling author of Coffee's for Closers, Tony Morris, dive into the art of great discovery, how to ask questions that build rapport and create engagement, and why better questions set the groundwork for better results.

Podcast Takeaways

The ability to listen actively and conduct effective discovery is the most important skill for salespeople.

Authentic engagement is a direct result of great discovery, which is not possible without deep and active listening.

Autopilot is the reason why many salespeople struggle to ask the right questions during the discovery call.

Before every discovery call, salespeople should establish a clear desired outcome, create a list of criteria to frame questions, and prepare to lead prospects through the process.

There are five questions that salespeople should ask in every discovery call, including tag on questions, statement questions, replay questions, clarification questions, and future questions.

By seeing the world through customers' eyes, salespeople can achieve authentic engagement and effective discovery.

Great Discovery Is A Sales Superpower

The two biggest priorities for salespeople are building pipeline through prospecting and discovery. Not expert negotiation, perfect presentation skills, or even closing.

Those steps are integral to the sales process, but not as fundamentally critical as getting in front of as many potential clients as possible, and authentically engaging with as many of them as you can.

Authentic engagement is the result of great discovery, and you can't conduct bulletproof discovery without deep and active listening.

The Biggest Mistake You Can Make In Sales

Listening is one of the most vital skills that a salesperson can hone and develop.

Failure to really listen to your prospect, especially on a discovery call, only sets you up to make more mistakes later on in the sales process, causing you to risk jeopardizing the opportunity.

In discovery conversations, if you're talking more than your prospect, you are reducing your likelihood of effectively connecting with and engaging them.

Don't just listen to respond, listen to learn.

Additionally, it's difficult to do effective discovery without the right questions, and without listening to your prospect, you will ask terrible questions.

If there's one thing that will doom an opportunity before it even picks up speed is wasting your and your prospect's time on the wrong questions.

Derailing the focus of the conversation with surface level questions, or misinterpreting your prospect's answers because you're too busy thinking of a response to actually listen, will only make your job harder and your prospect feel ignored.

Autopilot Is Killing Your Discovery Process

One of the reasons that many salespeople struggle to ask the right questions during the discovery call is that they run on autopilot.

This is a serious problem because instead of approaching the discovery call with proper preparation, confidence, and awareness, they ask questions without thinking about what they're asking.

And as we know, asking bad questions will reap poor results.

Luckily, the solution to this is preparing before every discovery call. Here are three steps you can take before your next conversation to ensure that you are ready to conduct great discovery.

Establish a clear desired outcome.

What are you aiming towards? Is it to set up a demo, meeting, presentation, or is it to make a sale? Have a clear, defined outcome for the conversation, before you even get started. This will help you to get the most value out of the conversation while staying on the right track.

Create a list of criteria to frame your questions.

What are the key criteria you need to know by the end of the conversation in order to set the deal up for success? Before a call, determine the right questions to ask to get the information you need.

For example, you might want to know how many stakeholders are involved in the purchasing decision. Prepare questions in advance that will help you to specifically get to that answer.

Prepare to lead them through the process.

Every call discovery call should entail different information, but follow a similar path. You, as the salesperson, are in control of where you take the prospect during your conversation. It's the salesperson's job to lead, educate, and take them along the established process. 

The Five Discovery Questions

As you lead your prospect through the discovery process, take the time to really listen, and use the resources you've prepared in advance to guide your conversation, here are five questions you should be weaving into every discovery call.

Tag On Question

This one is very simple— when your prospect asks a question or shares some information, question them back or ask them about the information they provided. Tag on to what they've said to immerse yourself in the conversation and go deeper with them about what matters most.

Statement Question

When your prospect provides you with information related to their business or the problems they are facing, use a statement to imply an area of interest or curiosity. This will prompt them to share some details or context, and takes the interrogative pressure off of your end of the conversation.

For example, they may share some information around a certain market trend they're seeing. To which you could reply,

"That's interesting, I haven't done a lot of research on that. Tell me what impact that's had on your business."

Replay Question

As you listen to their responses or the information they provide during your conversation, take note of a few details and circle back to them.

This show that you're not only listening to them, but what they're saying is important enough for you to pay attention, make note, remember, and seek more information about the subject. It's an amazing technique for bridging the connection between you and your prospect.

Clarification Question

Prospects will often say things like, "Look, we need this fixed quickly." This is where you would ask a clarifying question like, "What does quickly mean to you in this case?"

Or, they might say something along the lines of, "We are just looking for an easy to use software."

You might reply, "So I can understand a little bit more, what does easy to use look like in your world?"

This allows you to get to the heart of what matters to them, why it matters, so you can demonstrate true value.

Future Question

Instead of asking what immediate outcome they want to see by using your solution, ask them a question like this one:

"Let's fast forward a year from today. How do you know my product/service has been successful for you?" 

Why? Because it's thought provoking and it's a disruption. When you get your prospect thinking differently about their desired future state, you are forcing them to open up and be honest as opposed to firing off a canned response to a question that they already anticipated.

See The World Through Your Customer's Eyes

99% of salespeople see the world through their own eyes. The top 1% see it through their customer's lens. The easiest way to connect with your prospect is to simply make them comfortable, match their tone, and use terms and language that they have previously referenced.

Over the telephone, 83% of communication is how you sound. Listen to their tone, their pace, their timber, and their volume. Be a chameleon. Use those clues to inform how you speak and what information is most important to them.

When you frame the conversation and mirror their tone, you show your prospect that you're listening, you care, you're like them, and you understand them.

The more you do that, the more connected your prospect will be and the more likely they are to buy from you.

 

Sales Gravy University features the world's most sought after sales & leadership trainers, authors, and thought leaders. Brad Adams and Tony Morris are instructors on Sales Gravy University where you can take their courses on prospecting, communication skills, closing, negotiation and more.