Ashleigh and Kasey talk to Blake Hudson, the Admission Manager at Victory Lap, about gratitude, his background in politics, and how to clarify your identity and purpose.

Show Notes

The Gratitude Gap

-Blake hit the ground running in his first sales role, hitting quota for the first three months. In the fourth month, the stakes increased. His quota doubled, leads narrowed, and he felt he wouldn’t be able to meet the metrics.

-After spending the better part of the quarter sulking, a conversation with a friend helped him to realize that if he could change his viewpoint to one of gratitude, he would be happier and more likely to succeed at work.

Politics

-In his junior year of high school, Blake attended Boys State, a week for learning about civic engagement and responsibility that impacted him greatly. He returned for his senior year, signed up for an American Government class amid the 2008 election, and his group won the mock campaign assignment.

-Believing that politics could be where he would shine, Blake went to college and studied Political Science and Communication and, upon graduating, began working on the Senate Floor.

-While there, he saw what the real work in politics is: listening to your constituents, understanding their needs, taking that to the state or national level, and building coalitions around it.

-He then went on to get his Master’s in Public Administration before running for State Senate.

Sales

-His Senate campaign ended, and he worked on a congressional campaign. After this, he found himself at a very liminal spot in his career.

-While attempting to make sense of his resume, he worked as an admissions counselor. His manager emphasized that this role was a sales position he was selling the university.

-Blake realized he wasn’t getting paid or trained like a sales professional, so he brainstormed ways he could break into sales and eventually found Victory Lap.

Talking to People About Sales

-A tactic he learned early on from giving speeches is to put your focus on the audience. Think about how they are benefitting from your interaction. Sales is about solving problems for other people.

-For underrepresented groups, it can be hard to picture success in the sales industry. Someone must be actively seeking individuals of those groups out and presenting the job in a way that instills the confidence that they can learn and succeed in the role.

Sales as a Start

-Sales is a phenomenal launching point for a variety of different careers. Not only are you able to dip your toe into a wide array of departments, but the skillset relates to every industry and even to personal life to build better relationships.

Who You Want the Be

-The question of who you want to be is overwhelming but can be approached practically.

-Blake helps professionals find clarity and understand what they want by asking what they needed when they were growing up. From there, they then think about how they can provide that for other people, and how those people then change as a result.

-Another tactic would be to ask why multiple times.

Resources

-Ditch the Pitch by Steve Yastrow

Connect with Blake

-LinkedIn

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Kasey went through a very traumatic event in early June and recently returned to the podcast. Today she shares what happened and offers guidance on how to best support survivors of traumatic experiences.

The Attack

-Kasey had two dogs, Mae, who she lovingly refers to as her “ride or die bitch,” and Pillsbury, who had a troubled upbringing and had shown aggression towards Mae, but had never been aggressive to Kasey or her boyfriend, Andy.

-One afternoon while Andy was gone, Kasey heard Mae barking. Knowing Pillsbury was about to attack, she grabbed Mae to bring her outside as he charged, biting Kasey’s arms, chest, face, and ear.

-She managed to get the door open and scream for help. One of her neighbors ran to the end of the driveway, saw what was happening, grabbed her husband, and called 911.

-Paramedics and firefighters arrived but refused to come and get her because of the proximity of the dog. Kasey mustered all of her strength to get up and walk to the end of the driveway where she passed out.

The Hospital

-She spent the next several hours in the emergency room, having doctors take x-rays of her wounds.

-Her orthopedic surgeon was familiar with the genetic degenerative neurological disease that affects her extremities and alters her pain tolerance. Because of this knowledge, he recognized she was strong enough for him to clean and close her wounds right then to make her more comfortable throughout the night.

-The surgery went smoothly, but she felt physically and emotionally drained. Though she wanted to shut down and hide, she knew that she needed to communicate, so she texted Ashleigh and a few close friends as well as posted on LinkedIn.

Recovery

-Being triggered is no joke for those recovering from a traumatic experience. It comes out of nowhere, puts you right back in the traumatic moment, and leaves you feeling disempowered and out of control.

-While it’s helpful to not go through this experience alone, one of the hardest parts is that the trauma isn’t her own, she shares it with other people who have been affected by it in very different ways.

How to Support

-Don’t ask questions that force someone to relive their experience. Don’t ask questions that minimize their experience. Don’t act as if nothing has happened.

-The details that a person chooses to tell about an experience are a gift, but not the full story. You don’t have permission to ask for more or make assumptions.

Surviving

-Kasey’s consistent work with a therapist throughout the years before the attack helped her to navigate her emotions more adeptly afterward.

-Form a strong sense of self and support system before anything happens, so that you’re prepared if something occurs.

Resources

-On Being: Trauma and Resilience Land in Our Bodies with Bessel van der Kolk

-How to Support Someone Who Has Experienced Trauma

-Dealing with Trauma

-Talk to Someone

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Ashleigh and Kasey celebrate the one year anniversary of this podcast by discussing what they’ve learned throughout this journey and what’s to come in the next year.

The Basics

-This shit is hard. We figured out a few things quickly, but we are learning and improving each week.

The Mission

-When we started this, our mission was to tell stories from a wide variety of sales professionals. We wanted our demographics to match those of the United States, but we failed.

-A lot of people have good intentions, but don’t do the work. Having good intentions isn’t enough. We have to hold each other to a higher standard to make a change in our industry.

Fixing It

-To be sure that we are staying true to our mission, we are setting up an accountability board. It will be a group of individuals representing various demographics that we will report to, will advise us, and will call us out so that we stay true to our goals.

The State of Sales Survey

-We had some lofty goals for this endeavor, and we’re very excited to share the results. The demographics of the study don’t entirely match the demographics of the United States, but they come close. We got some great feedback, and there will be another one.

Flexibility

-It’s much more valuable for us to be flexible about the content that we share and how we deliver it based on what we feel our community needs and wants. The mission is rigid, the format isn’t, and being flexible in this way allows us to stick with our goals.

Thank you to everyone who has listened and participated. We’re so excited for this next year!

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Ashleigh and Kasey flip the script on temporary co-host Brian Smith Jr. this week, asking him about his future in sales, sharing failure, and finding motivation.

Being a Cohost

-Brian’s biggest takeaway while filling in for Kasey as a cohost was that everybody has a story that can help move the sales industry forward, but no one is taking the time to listen. Listening to the unheard voices will help to build better organizations.

Staying in Sales

-Most salespeople struggle with the decision to stay in sales or move on. Sales is a hard industry filled with rejection and many ups and downs, a lot of it out of your control.

-Brian’s unafraid of hard work, and he’s proven that throughout his career, but this has intimidated a lot of people.

-He’s reflected enough to understand that he has the discipline for sales. It’s not his work ethic. He’s dealing with a lot of people that aren’t upfront about their discrimination.

Connection

-Reach out to the people that you admire and follow up if they don’t respond. Throw the rules out the window because they’re only optional. Make moves based on your instinct and experience.

Sharing Failures

-Salespeople only talk about the wins, brushing failures under the rug, and quickly moving on because they think it might cost them their job or a promotion. A lot of positives come from discussing failure.

-Sharing failure allows you to understand where you went wrong and prevent others from making the same mistake.

Motivation

-The quota isn’t a motivator. Dig deeper into your motivation by asking yourself why five times. It’s important to have a personal connection with the work that you do.

-Do the work yourself, don’t wait for your manager to do his with you. The people that understand what they need and bring this information to their managers end up getting way more support.

-We’re told that if you put your head down and work hard, someone will notice and give you a promotion. It rarely works this way. You have to carve a path for yourself.

Perception

-Brian was an outgoing kid, always the loudest in the room. As he grew older, that shifted, and he became much more reserved, feeling he needed to tone himself down.

-He’s been able to use this shift to his advantage. It’s powerful to be able to listen, but he does feel that people haven’t been able to see the real him because he was afraid of how they would perceive him.

Resources

-David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

-Good Life BBQ

Connect with Brian

-LinkedIn

-Twitter

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Ashleigh and Brian talk to Travis King, host of The Community Builder Show, and advocate for human connection. Travis has worked with Fortune 500 brands, venture-backed technology startups, and rising entrepreneurs. This week they discuss downplaying insight, connecting with the Black community, and strategically jumping from job to job.

Power of Human Connection

-The professional world mimics school. Often, you see someone or scroll past their content every day on LinkedIn, but never stop to connect or communicate with them.

-Forming new connections seems like work, and there are so many other things that need your attention, but it’s an important part of sales.

-You don’t have to do much. It can be as small as taking a few more seconds to write a full comment rather than leave an emoji.

Downplaying Insight

-Travis tried to bring his talented friend, Brandon, onto his sales team. Travis went to his manager after the interview to ask how it had gone and was told that Brandon was too cocky.

-This story resonated with Brian, who tends to downplay his insight. If he comes into a room confident and knowledgeable, he’s often treated as a threat.

-No one should feel the need to downplay their insight. Just because you know something does not mean someone else does. It’s a disservice to the entire team to not share your knowledge.

Black Sales Professionals

-Representation does matter. If people don’t see others that look like them in sales roles, they don’t know that it’s a possibility.

-Companies need to start targeting the many talented Black salespeople working in retail stores or fast-food chains. Most aren’t aware that sales is a viable career and that they’ve already acquired many of the necessary skills through their current job.

How to Resonate with the Black Community

-Travis advocates for completely stripping the fluff of the job description. According to him, companies should say, “We need hungry, curious, coachable people who are looking to grow. What will you be doing? Setting up meetings with decision-makers to potentially purchase this technology.”

-The sales world needs to figure out how to communicate with underrepresented communities, not force those groups to communicate in the same way they do.

Acquiring Information

-Little strategic career steps that may not make sense to the outside world will help in the long run.

-Play the game. Acquire all the information you can, take what you need, and use it for what you want. Information will empower and enable you.

Resources

-The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters

Connect with Travis

-LinkedIn

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/othersideofsales/message
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HR Background

-Tara always saw herself in sales but fell into HR while working as a leasing consultant. After receiving little training before starting the position, she documented her learning process and used that knowledge to help all incoming employees.

Influences

-Tara grew up in Orange County with her adoptive parents, an interracial couple. Both experiencing hate herself and seeing the hate her parents received strongly influenced who she is personally and professionally.

-She has five biological and two adopted children and a passion for changing the workforce so that they never have to fight the same battles that she or her parents have.

The Right Environment

-It’s tough to immediately know if a company’s culture is right for you, so do some digging. Figure out if they have publicly spoken about the issues most important to you.

-Look beyond their words and into their actions. If they’re not actively giving opportunities to underrepresented groups, that’s a major red flag.

-Don’t be afraid to ask about their stance on these tough subjects. Asking lets them know that you’re passionate.

HR’s Role

-HR’s current role is to protect the company, not the employees, and this needs to change.

-The organization’s general counsel or employment attorney should protect the company, and HR should focus on ensuring employees are protected.

Filing a Complaint

-Problems won’t be fixed unless you work to solve them, speak up if you feel uncomfortable or see mistreatment.

-Document every instance in a notebook. Include the following information: date, time, place, people involved, and what was specifically said or done. Doing this provides evidence of a pattern should the situation escalate.

-You will not be blacklisted from any industry for filing a complaint.

Paperwork

-If you are terminated, never sign anything immediately. Take it home and have someone look through the paperwork.

Connect with Tara

-LinkedIn

-Not the HR Lady

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Show Notes

Hair

-Reland grew up in a fairly affluent White neighborhood constantly asked if her hair could be touched. She didn’t truly understand the negative nuances of that question or action until later on.

Being Mixed

-It’s fair to say she’s privileged as a mixed-race person. Most people assume she’s White, but that doesn’t mean she’s a stranger to racism.

-Reland is tired of frequently receiving questions concerning her ethnicity. They make her feel boxed in, and once she’s been labeled as a Black person, her status changes.

Positivity

-Experiencing racism in any form is incredibly taxing, but Reland is naturally positive, resilient, and energetic. Her motto is that when one door closes, another opens, and she’s not going to sit and stare at a closed door.

Her Sales Journey

-She began in retail then worked at a bank for a period before returning to retail as a Regional Merchandising Manager for Michael Kors. She left Michael Kors after being recruited to do business development for staffing.

The Health Toll

-To express an opinion as a Black woman makes you angry, but constantly being everyone’s cheerleader takes a physical and emotional toll.

-Reland ended up in the hospital for four days because her kidneys were on the verge of failure and she hadn’t paid attention to the signs. She’s held to a higher standard and feels she needs to show up for work no matter what.

Starting a Business

-After losing her job due to COVID and unable to get ahold of unemployment benefits, she started her own business in late March.

-As she built it, the push to amplify Black voices began, so her launch has been successful.

-Register to vote and vote with your dollar. Support the Black-owned businesses in your community.

Performative Ally-ship

-You won’t get a gold star for posting on Instagram. Your actions speak louder than words or posts.

Resources

-Racial Disparities in healthcare on The Washington Post

-Everyone Communicates, Few Connect by John C. Maxwell

Connect with Reland

-Website

-Twitter

-Facebook

-Instagram

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Show Notes

Personal Brand and Advocating for Yourself

-It’s a necessity to define your brand in today’s world. Take the time to write your mission statement, biography, and determine your core values so that you’re ready to advocate for yourself when opportunities arise and can recognize when they aren’t a good fit.

-Blaire encourages women to jump on opportunities for which they may not meet all the criteria. As long as it is something you’re passionate about and willing to learn more about, you have the tools to land the job.

Culture Fit

-Organizations often use the term “culture fit” to describe what they are looking for in potential candidates, but this is a code for finding people with similar backgrounds as current employees. They don’t usually see a woman or woman of color fitting into this mold that they’ve had the advantage of creating.

-Instead, they should be thinking about what potential candidates will add to the culture, how they will challenge the team, and how they will innovate or disrupt the status quo.

-We have a moral obligation to think beyond ourselves and put effort into implementing diversity into retainment and leadership, not just recruitment.

Finding a Healthy Culture

-Once Blaire determined who she was and what she valued, she had a much easier time detecting what was a good fit for her and what wasn't.

Being a Trailblazer

-As a Black person, decide to take responsibility and create a safe space for other Black people to come in so that the weight doesn’t fall entirely on your shoulders. You’re not the token, you’re the chosen, and it’s up to you to make that change.

-As a White ally, understand that diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging all matter when it comes to bringing underrepresented groups into spaces that they've been kept out of. Prompt discussions about what will change in terms of recruitment, retention, and promotion of people of color in your organization.

Empathy

-If you have done something that has made a person of color feel uncomfortable, do not get defensive or deny their experience. It takes courage to voice discomfort. Instead, take a moment to evaluate and analyze your behavior and empathize with them.

Advocating for Others

-It’s the current trend for White men to be promoted by other White men. If you’re a White person that has been tapped to become the next executive, advocate for the qualified people of color in your organization that are being overlooked. Earn the promotion by knowing that you’ve gone up against the best people in your organization.

Tough Conversations

-Blaire’s an optimist by nature and believes we’re heading in the right direction, but realizes now more than ever that it is not White folk’s responsibility to take care of Black people. It is White folk’s responsibility to have tough and uncomfortable conversations about privilege and white supremacy amongst themselves.

Resources

-Sales Enablement: A Master Framework to Engage, Equip, and Empower a World-Class Sales Force by Byron Matthews and Tamara Schenk

-The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table by Minda Harts

Connect with Blaire

-LinkedIn

-Instagram

-Website

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Show Notes

Black Lives Matter in the UK

-Black Lives Matter isn’t a movement exclusive to the United States, it’s global. The issue may manifest itself in different ways between different cultures, but it’s still there.

Diversity of Thought

-Janice sees the term diversity of thought as a way for organizations to step around the difficult job of creating a truly diverse environment and company culture. It’s too often that a company prides itself on diversity of thought, but the board consists of only white men.

Leadership

-The best leaders have the ability to recognize that they don’t know everything and bring forward team members that are better equipped to handle certain situations. Any leader that is afraid to do this is stifling their company.

-As an interviewee you have the chance to interview the company as well. Decide which culture you succeed in and design questions to uncover whether or not the company and its leadership team is right for you.

Moving Forward

-If you’ve given a job your best and it doesn’t work out, understand that not every job will and that’s completely okay. Brush it off because you tend to learn more from the things that don’t work than the things that do.

-Don’t see brushing it off as an opportunity to blame other people or avoid introspection, just as a way of moving forward positively without denting your ego.

Being Black

-Although it’s difficult to quantify the discrimination that has hindered Janice throughout her life and career, being Black has most definitely not helped her on her journey.

Detach

-Whether you’re going into an interview or into a sales pitch, believe in yourself and what you offer, deliver to the best of your ability, and then detach yourself from the result. At that point it’s then up to the interviewer or customer to make a decision and completely out of your control.

Getting Into Sales

-After graduating from college in the late 1980s, Janice moved to the United States and began selling textile designs in the Northeast.

-She then relocated to Africa for a period of time to work for Botswana’s Ministry of Education and when she moved back to the UK she worked in financial services. This is when Janice received formal sales training.

-Janice got her MBA and moved on to work in operations and customer experience at a construction company while setting up her own practice as well.

Having Curiosity

-It doesn’t have to be spending a lot of time or money traveling, but seek out experiences that challenge you and be curious about what’s going on outside of your own experience.

-Curiosity is necessary in sales because you’re not just selling a product or solving a problem, you’re creating an impact.

-As a salesperson you have to negotiate with so many different perspectives and personalities within a single organization. If you don’t have curiosity about what drives each of those people, you won’t make it.

Resources

-Business Evolution by Janice

-The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Connect with Janice

-Website

-LinkedIn

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Show Notes:

“Selling While Black” Panel Discussion

-Nikki moderated our webinar “Selling While Black” and was really touched by the response that it got. She’s glad people took it seriously and found it valuable enough to bring the discussion back to their teams as well as that Black people and people of color had their experiences reflected and validated.

SDRDefenders

-SDRDefenders was formed because SDRs need protection. Some fast facts: SDRs are responsible for 60-80 percent of pipeline at most companies and are the least compensated employees; the average tenure for an SDR is shorter than the average amount of time it takes to promote SDRs into AE positions.

-SDRDefenders has many different roles that it supports and appeals to including SDR stars (those that are in the role and doing the prospecting work), SDR graduates (those that got their start as an SDR and have since moved on to a closing role), and SDR champions (those that have moved into C-suite positions that identify with the passion of SDRDefenders or themselves started as an SDR).

Diversity

-Too often corporations and businesses are only seeking diversity to check a box to avoid a PR scandal or meet compliance requirements when it would be so much easier and more fulfilling to think about diversity in terms of impact that can be made in people’s lives.

-This is not too big a problem for any individual sales leader to handle. Make the change on your team, if you put the intention and energy into it a shift will happen.

Resources

-Selling While Black

-What is a Microaggression on NPR

-Addicted to the Process by Scott Leese

Connect with Nikki

-LinkedIn

https://www.sdrdefenders.com/

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/webinar-selling-while-black/register

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

https://www.npr.org/2020/06/08/872371063/microaggressions-are-a-big-deal-how-to-talk-them-out-and-when-to-walk-away

https://www.amazon.com/Addicted-Process-Transactional-Confidence-Consistency-ebook/dp/B071SB4FZN

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