Sales Samurai

Episode 14: 4 Rules to Follow to Be a Great Salesperson with Joe Barhoum

Anyone out there who still thinks that to be good at sales one only needs to have the gift of the gab and a charming smile, get ready to change your perspective! Today’s guest, Joe Barhoum, a computer science graduate, was drawn to sales because he wanted financial freedom and more control over his time than he was getting in his technical line of work. 12 years after his transition, he has written three books about the sales world and is running his own sales consulting company. In this episode, Joe explains the meaning behind the 4 rules he developed which will not only make you a great salesperson, but a good human being as well; be honest, be prepared, create obligation, and be inquisitive. He argues that there are hard skills that are required to succeed in sales, that we should not admire salespeople who claim they, “Can sell ice to an Eskimo,” and that seeing sales as a career rather than a job can completely turn your life around. 

Key Points From This Episode:

A rundown of Joe’s educational and professional background.

Why Joe was drawn to sales.  

How sales has changed since Joe entered the field in 2009.

Joe’s four rules for being a great salesperson are also rules for being a good person.

Why “be honest” is one of Joe’s four rules. 

Knowledge that salespeople have in order to be honest with their customers. 

How to handle a question from a customer that you don’t know the answer to.

The idea behind rule number two; be prepared.  

Why you should always plan ahead.

Joe explains why so many sales people struggle to advance and close deals.

Important skills that interviewers often don’t look for when hiring salespeople.

Rule three: create obligation.

Some examples of how obligation can be created. 

Viewing sales as a career versus viewing it as a job.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a salesperson.

The value of being inquisitive as a salesperson. 

Cognitive biases that buyers can hold. 

New meaning Joe has attributed to the commonly used ABC acronym. 

H

Episode 13: Navigating Sales Leadership for Early Stage Startups with Steve Kornreich

 

Today we’re discussing an important topic for anyone considering the transition from sales to a sales leadership position. We delve into what it means to be the VP of sales for an early-stage startup and how to navigate the role from negotiating your contract to strategizing your game plan. Our guest today, Steve Kornreich, has a wealth of insight on the topic, having held three positions as a startup sales leader, primarily running revenue teams for high growth startups at a range of levels, from seed to series C. In addition, Steve recently launched two companies Magic Desk and Reditus. Magic Desk is an IT solutions provider that partners with small and midsize businesses, while Reditus is a sales consultancy that chiefly works with early-stage startups to maximize sales strategies, tactics, and execution. In our conversation with Steve, we discuss how he first got his start in sales and what his feelings are on the current landscape of sales, technology, and leadership in early-stage start-ups. Tuning in, you’ll hear Steve break down the transition from sales to leadership and why the role does not have to be the natural outcome of being a high-performing salesperson. Steve explains why being in a leadership position involves a tremendous amount of people skills and how to evaluate whether the transition to a sales leadership position is right for you. Later, Steve explains why you need to be rigorous during the negotiation process and why he is alarmed by the high turnover rate of talented individuals going into sales leadership positions. For a wealth of advice, tips, insights, and practical strategies join us for a deep dive into navigating sales leadership for early startups!

 

Key Points From This Episode:

Introducing today’s guest, Steve Kornreich.

Steve shares the insights and events that prompted him to create Reditus.

What Steve learned from working at early-stage startups.

Steve shares some of the biggest challenges he experienced in establishing Reditus.

How Steve first became aware of startups outside of California and San Francisco.

Steve’s first sales job at Mojo Motors and what he learned from the experience.

Steve reflects on the positive and negative changes he’s seen in sales with advances in sales technology.

How advances in sales technology allow salespeople to be more targeted and thoughtful in their approach.

How advancements in sales technology can result in complacency and a more dehumanized sales process.

The growth of SaaS companies and how that has influenced the culture of sales.

How early-stage startups are reaching the point of needing a VP of sales and what that means for their development.

The challenge

Episode 12: Always Be Closing: Fact & Fiction with Justin Michael

Anyone in sales will tell you that the most valuable time is spent face-to-face with customers, but few of us have a solution to automating the groundwork. Not so for today’s guest, Justin Michael, who believes that 70 to 80 percent of the work salespeople do is fully automatable. During this episode, you’ll hear about his newly published book, Tech Powered Sales, the result of a year of research, 400 hours of work, and a wealth of unique, hard-earned experience. Justin introduces us to Salesborg, a hybrid between a seller and a cyborg, and tells us the story of the exponential growth of the community surrounding it. Next, he talks about the power of admitting that you’re an interruption and immediately adding value when you’re reaching out to powerful people in the middle of the day. He shares the biggest changes he has observed during his twenty years in sales, why he now needs two full days to achieve what used to be possible in ten phone calls, and how sales have become a quality game. We talk about the role of AI and his future prediction that we’ll be charging a premium to speak to a human rather than a robot and what Justin considers to be the goal of closing in today’s selling landscape, as well as how he thinks of selling as a sport, why courage is the most important value, and why he thinks of doing sales as change management. Find out why a lack of pain development is a problem and why great selling is detective work before we touch on spin selling, the value of old-school techniques, the fact that the first step to all sales is getting the customer to admit they have a problem. In closing, Justin offers listeners some powerful advice: stay hungry, stay foolish, and busts the myth that you cannot become technical. We hope you join us for a highly motivating episode today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Introducing today’s guest, Justin Michael.

How a year of research and 400 hours of work lead to his book, Tech Powered Sales.

Why Justin believes that 70 to 80 percent of what salespeople do is automatable.

Why everything outside of face-to-face communication is marketing rather than sales.

Why Salesborg is a seller and a cyborg and how the community around it has grown.

The power of admitting that you’re an interruption and immediately adding value.

What Justin considers to be the biggest changes in sales in the past twenty years.

Why he now needs two full days to achieve what used to be possible in ten phone calls.

How sales has become a quality over quantity game.

A scenario where an AI caller is effective, with a premium charged to speak to a human.

The goal of closing

Episode 11: Tips for Handling Sales Objections with Dale Dupree

Our episode today covers one of our favorite topics: tips and advice for handling sales objections. When it comes to sales objections, many of us have been taught to view it as an obstacle that needs to be avoided and overcome by any means necessary. Our guest today is here to offer an alternative perspective, that prioritizes the buyer and uses a servant leadership mindset to prioritize the needs of the customer. Dale Dupree, who many of us first got to know as the Copier Warrior, is an exceptional individual who is revolutionizing the status quo in the world of sales and sales training through his philosophy of servant leadership. Dale is the leader and founder of The Sales Rebellion, which he established after recognizing crucial deficiencies in how the majority of gurus were teaching sales in the 21st century. The Sales Rebellion provides sales training and development that challenges the status quo and prepares sellers for how the world of selling has changed and continues to evolve. In our conversation with Dale, we get to know him a bit better and hear how he first got into sales. Dale shares some of the biggest challenges he’s faced since establishing The Sales Rebellion and what he has learned from them. We hear from Dale about how his dad influenced his career in sales and why his father is the embodiment of servant leadership. Dale delves into the concept of servant leadership and why it is integral to his sales approach and forms the foundation of The Sales Rebellion. Later we discuss some of the many misconceptions around sales objections and why it can be a valuable learning opportunity, building rapport, and establishing relationships. For all this and much more, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Introducing today’s guest Dale Dupree, also known as the Copier Warrior.

A summary of Dale’s history in music and entertainment, his creative side, and how it led him to sales and branding.

How Dale recognized crucial deficiencies in the world of sales training.

How Dale established The Sales Rebellion to create a relevant alternative to sales training that prepares individuals for the industry in the 21st century.

Some of the biggest challenges that Dale has faced since establishing The Sales Rebellion.

How Dale got started in sales and how he became known as the Copier Warrior.

The biggest shifts in sales that Dale has seen throughout the pandemic.

Dale discusses the philosophy of servant leadership and how his father embodied that concept.

Dale’s perspective on sales objections in the current sales climate.

How proactive selling can address and overcome sales objections.

How your conditioning can determine whether you take sales objections as a learning opportunity or a defeat.

Episode 10: Stop Managing and Start Coaching with Zach Barney

In today’s episode of The Sales Samurai, we continue to explore the theme of coaching in sales and discuss why it’s time to stop managing and start coaching! We are joined by Zach Barney, Vice President of Sales Enablement at Vehlo, who has extensive knowledge and insight into the intricacies of leading and coaching an exceptional sales team. In his work, Zach handles the onboarding training in tech stack implementation for eleven portfolio companies, which is a considerable responsibility, and also serves as the interim Vice President of Sales for various companies when needed. One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation with Zach is the importance of allocating enough time to coaching within your sales team. He also emphasizes that one size does not fit all and why it’s essential that each employee gets treated as an individual that needs guidance in specific areas. Another key takeaway concerns the importance of training managers and leaders, not just the individuals responsible for earning sales quotas, since they often come from a sales background and need support in learning the skills required for managing a team. Listening in, you’ll hear Zach share his best practices for establishing and maintaining a thriving coaching environment as well as his observations on what he deems to be the biggest challenges to coaching. Later we discuss the role technology and revenue intelligence plays in maximizing efficiency and Zach shares his advice for new sales leaders. For all this and more, join us today as we delve into how to lead and coach an exceptional sales team!

Key Points From This Episode:

Introducing today’s guest Zach Barney.

Hear about Zach’s history in sales at different companies.

Why leaders need to be unselfish with their time.

How Zach was first drawn into the world of entrepreneurship.

Why coaching is such a crucial component in a sales environment.

Some of the biggest misconceptions around the differences between management and sales coaching.

Why not enough time is allocated to coaching in sales departments.

Why the top sales rep won’t necessarily be the best coach.

Zach shares his best practices for establishing and maintaining a thriving coaching environment.

Why leaders in the company must receive coaching.

The benefits of group coaching and incentivizing participation and performance.

Why it’s important to adapt coaching strategies to the individual.

The importance of knowing when to delegate.

How to take ownership of your responsibilities and educate yourself with t

Episode 9: Sales Coaching Tactics That Drive Sales Success with Andy Paul

Rather than prescribing a set of rules, true sales coaching is more about helping sellers learn how to think for themselves. As a world-renowned sales coach, nobody understands this better than Andy Paul, and we are lucky to have him on the show today as our guest. Andy is the author of two Amazon bestselling books and is also the host of the top-rated sales podcast, Sales Enablement with Andy Paul, which has over 930 episodes and millions of downloads! Andy also on LinkedIn’s list of the top 50 global sales experts where more than 180 000 people follow his daily posts. One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation with Andy today is his unique approach to coaching which rests on the belief that mentorship is about self-development. We dive deeply into the subject of how companies and sales leaders can learn how to apply this. Andy weighs in on how mentors can help sellers become more self-sufficient and find an internal source of motivation to help drive their problem-solving abilities. He also makes recommendations for how budgets can be more effectively spent in a way that prioritizes coaching and how this will result in an uptick in sales. Andy makes several great call-outs today about many different aspects of how sales is taught in organizations, so be sure to tune in for this one.

Key Points From This Episode:

Andy’s background in sales, how he got into sales coaching, and his approach to his podcast.

Personal development and what true sales coaching is all about.

Finding what is most important to your students and clients.

The issue of the rise of prescriptive sales coaching despite the effectiveness of other mentorship approaches.

How sales leaders can get better at mentoring their sales staff.

Using the POPE acronym to prescribe how sales leaders should spend their time.

The need for organizations to be adaptable and how the POPE method can help.

How vital sales managers are to the success of sales staff.

The irony that very few dollars are spent on training sales managers.

Hiring specialists to help train the seller rather than hiring more sellers.

Ideas for how to reallocate sales training budgets to better train sellers.

Andy’s recommendations for the best kinds of software to aid a sales training process.

How sales managers can get better at prioritizing coaching their teams.

The reality that the cost of setting aside time to mentor staff is far smaller than the return.

Getting better at connecting with c

Episode 8: 5 Keys to an Effective Outbound Sales Strategy with Kevin Warner

Less than ten years ago, email was the dominant marketing channel being used across the United States, but since 2014 there has been a huge evolution in the outbound sales field. In today’s world there are a multitude of different sources from which we consume marketing information, and in order for companies to thrive, they need to make use of a multichannel approach. In today’s episode we are joined by Kevin Warner, the CEO of Leadium, and an expert in developing outbound sales strategies across the different available platforms. Tune in to hear about Kevin’s journey in the sales world, and gain insights into the elements that he believes are essential to creating a successful strategy; from dealing with data to the consistency of individual sales reps. We also discuss some of the roadblocks that Kevin has noticed through his years of experience, and how he thinks these can be ironed out in the future, which looks like it holds lots more growth for the field of outbound sales! 

Key Points From This Episode:

Kevin explains how he entered the world of sales.

Advancement that has occurred in sales in recent years.

How sales methods have changed since Kevin began working in the field.

A factor that prevents companies from transitioning to phone sales.

The potential of multichannel sales strategies. 

Differences between outbound and inbound sales. 

Why it’s so important to understand the metrics in order to make the best use of outbound sales.

A current trend that Kevin has noticed in sales, and why it is problematic. 

Reasons that an automation tool is a must-have for outbound sales.

Success in outbound sales requires a sales engagement platform (tip number one!), and Kevin shares top three recommendations.

Sam’s number one and Kevin’s number two top tip; focus on your market and the data.

How to figure out the engagement channel that works best for you, and why this is Kevin’s tip number three.

The biggest challenge that Kevin sees in the outbound sales sector.

Sentiment towards cold calling that exists in the US today.

Kevin’s thoughts on how companies should structure their outbound sales teams in the future.

Tip number four: think carefully about your messaging.

Consistency is key; Kevin explai

Episode 7:  Tips for Sales Professionals New to Social Selling with Phil Gerbyshak

90 percent of businesspeople include digital in their strategy. If you’re not, it’s time to ask yourself why. Today we speak to author, speaker, and sales expert, Phil Gerbyshak, who pulls no punches about the importance of incorporating digital selling strategies in your marketing plan. In today’s episode, he tells us about the work he does at his company, Digital Selling Strategies, the biggest shifts he has seen in the past decade, and his early experiences on the web. He goes on to describe the point of connection between technology, sales, and people, before diving into a series of powerful tips to sell online. He also shares some tips on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, why you need to be interested to be interesting, and what the word ‘social’ means in the term ‘social selling’. We dive into the importance of choosing value over volume and why, if you’re in a job where you are meeting none of the top ten industry needs, you should get a new job! Phil tells us why it is worth your time to stay ahead of the trend, why you should assume that all the research you do will be valuable, and the importance of knowing why you are contacting people, and letting them know too. Next, he talks to us about how specificity always trumps a general approach, and how being yourself enriches your work as a salesperson, as well as one thing you should avoid at all costs: the connect-and-pitch approach. We close our conversation with Phil’s three H’s: be helpful, be humble, and be human. We hope you join us for an action-packed glimpse into the world of online sales from an expert in the field.

Key Points From This Episode:

An introduction to our guest, author, speaker, and sales expert, Phil Gerbyshak.

The work Digital Selling Strategies does to integrate digital into all round sales strategies.

The biggest shift that Phil has seen in the past 5 to 10 years: everyone uses digital.

Phil talks about his early experiences on the web.

The connection between technology, sales, and people, that Phil is passionate about.

The number one thing you have to do: look like a resource and not a resume.

Why you should use every opportunity LinkedIn gives you to market yourself.

How to market yourself as an expert in the product, rather than an expert in sales.

The value of writing recommendations.

Why you need to be interested in order to be interesting.

Why you shouldn’t fall for the illusion of intimacy. 

What the term ‘social’ implies in ‘social selling’.

Why you should choose v

Episode 6:  Misconceptions about Social Selling and what to do Instead with Alex Boyd

There is increasing pressure across industries to have an effective online social media presence, and this is especially relevant to sales. On today's show, we get together with Alex Boyd, an expert on the ins and outs of social selling and the CEO and founder of RevenueZen. RevenueZen is a growth partner to companies who want sustainable, scalable, long-term marketing and sales growth. Tuning in, you’ll hear how Alex first got into sales and recognized a need for a company like ReveueZen. In our conversation, Alex breaks down his approach to social selling and why he defines it as ‘helping people in public’. He offers useful advice for companies and individuals looking to take a strategic approach to social selling and unpacks how a company can help or hinder the process. Later, we get into some of the most common misconceptions around social selling, like mediocre content creation or having an entitled attitude to asking for a meeting. Alex explains the various factors you need to consider when building your online image and how to foster positive recognition. We had a great time picking Alex’s brain and loved having him on the show. For all this and much more, join us today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Introducing today’s guest Alex Boyd.

The biggest challenges that Alex faced as a new CEO.

Why the lessons you learn don’t necessarily apply everywhere.

The transition from in-house to consulting and why you need to be willing to adapt your thinking and learn.

How Alex was introduced to sales through working at a brokerage.

Why Alex defines social selling as helping people in public.

How social selling differs from cold calling.

Alex’s advice on how to create a structured approach to social selling.

How you can form meaningful relationships on platforms like LinkedIn, by being your entire, authentic self.

The first steps to getting started on social selling by following a select list of people and engaging with them.

How to select the first few people to engage with online.

How individuals and companies each play a role in social selling.

Alex breaks down what Revenue Zen offers their clients.

How the company can help or hinder social selling.

The most common misconceptions around social selling that Alex has encountered.

The importance of ensuring you have positive recog

Episode 5: Why Sales Deals Die and How to Keep It From Happening with Bill Caskey

Every salesperson knows that confidence is essential to closing deals. Today we are lucky to be joined by Bill Caskey to discuss why deals die and what we can do from a sales standpoint to prevent this from happening. Bill is a sales development leader and experimenter who has been improving B2B sales teams and executives since 1990. He is also the author of Same Game New Rules, Rewire the Sales Mind, and The Sales Playbook, to name a few. We kick it off with Bill talking about his background in sales and how he decided to start creating content to empower people like him. To Bill, mindset is the central ingredient in a successful sales process, and we spend most of today unpacking some of the methods he has come up with to help his clients get their heads in the right place. Bill teaches us about what he calls a sales philosophy and the fundamental place it should play in a sales process. One of the cornerstones of a healthy sales philosophy is the belief in an abundant market, and Bill gets into the ways that this type of attitude can get more deals to the finish line. Tune in for a deep dive into the psychological dimensions of an ideal sales process with Bill today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Bill’s background and his approach that focuses on the psychological side of sales.

The need to support and take care of salespeople so they can develop more confidence.

Why Bill got into sales in the first place and how he made the pivot into coaching.

How much of the responsibility to train salespeople should fall on the individual versus the corporation.

The importance of having a sales philosophy and what Bill means by this term.

The connection between knowing when to pull the plug on a deal and believing the market is fundamentally abundant.

Bill’s thoughts on why deals end up going south and at what point this typically happens.

Perspectives on the goal of convincing leads that they need you more than you need them.

Researching how much a problem you intend to solve costs your leads and educating them about it.

The increase in stakeholders and how to appeal to all of the relevant ones from a prospect company.

How to salvage a sale if you as the salesperson botched an earlier step in the process.

How sales managers can get better at inspiring and instructing their teams.

The centrality of building trust with leads and