There’s a scientific reason why cramming for exams doesn’t help you learn. It’s called the forgetting curve.

If you want to train your SDRs, you have to help them conquer the forgetting curve with a few learning strategies…

I had a chance recently to talk with Shawn Pillow, Director of Sales Enablement at Granicus, about the antidote for the forgetting curve.

What we talked about:

• You forget 90% of what you learned within 24 hours
• Spaced, continuous learning is the antidote for forgetting
• Active recall is the key to continuous learning
• Tips for creating a culture of learning (hint: reward your reps)

Check out this resource we mentioned during the podcast:

• Shawn learned about so much about human behavior from his professor Dan Ariely

For more engaging sales conversations, subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or on our website.

All of us have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of us are worrying for loved ones, others are struggling to cope with staying at home.

It’s hard to stay positive and choose optimism, but focusing on the good is more essential than ever.

In this episode, I interview Mike Conti, Director of Business Development at G2 Crowd, about working remotely, team culture, and positive changes to work

What we talked about:

• Appreciating your legacy
• Bringing out the best in each other with culture
• People really want to know the answer to “how are you?”
• 3 tips for remote work

For more engaging sales conversations, subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or on our website.

If you’re a new SDR, you’re looking to management for leadership by example.

But what are the qualities of a good management team — and how do you learn what they’re teaching?

In this episode, I interviewed Phil Lacorte, VP of Revenue Operations at Trifacta, to learn from him about leadership insights that he gained from sales and rev ops.

What we talked about:

• Rev ops is just a company-wide coaching role
• Facets of a strong leadership team
• 4 pieces of advice that he always gives new SDRs

For more engaging sales conversations, subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or on our website.

At least 25% of being a new SDR is being able to lean over to the rep next to you and ask for immediate feedback.

Well, what happens when your whole team is working from their kitchen table now?

Leading a remote team presents all-new challenges for SDRs and their managers.

In this episode, I interview Nimit Bhatt, Head of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at memoryBlue, about managing a distributed team.

What we talked about:

• Communication is everything
• Fostering team camaraderie is a close second
• Use call coaching software
• Give even more shout-outs and recognition than before

Check out this resource we mentioned during the podcast:

• The Sales Minute with Nimit
• Sales Hacker has so much knowledge for SDRs to study

For more engaging sales conversations, subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or on our website.

If you travel for work, your whole schedule has been upended by the coronavirus pandemic.

You’re trying to figure out how to work remotely… not just staying connected to your office but around the world.

I got to talk to Kaveh Sarhangpour, BD Manager, Product Partnerships at Square, about his insights into adjusting to remote work life.

What we talked about:

• Effective remote communication techniques
• How to achieve asynchronous communication
• Time blocking is essential
• What the best communication style is (surprisingly, not straight empathy)

For more engaging sales conversations, subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or on our website.

A few years into your sales career, you realize, I’m actually committing to sales. ...But now what? 

Learning to perfect your sales craft is the next major step for upping your sales game.

In this episode, I talk with Christina Stone, the Account Director of Enterprise Accounts at TechTarget, about how to perfect your craft in sales.

What we talked about:

• Control what you can control
• Christina’s 3 ways to perfect your sales craft
• How to analyze your recorded calls & meetings
• Go where your company is going

For more engaging sales conversations, subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or on our website.

So many of us in sales have said these words: “Anything but sales.”

What is it that draws us in? We love a challenge.

In this episode, I interview Mataya Frizell, Inside Sales Manager at World Manager, about tactical tips for crushing the first year.

What we talked about:

• How to get from sales to sales manager in 10 months
• Tactical tips about goal setting
• Personalization is key
• Using your intuition for when to push a Type A personality

For more engaging sales conversations, subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or on our website.

When was the last time you thought about risk? 

As a sales professional, odds are that you’re not constantly thinking about enterprise risk as you put together your sales strategies. 

But you should be.

Why? Because there is 100% chance that the enterprise customers that you’re selling to are thinking about risk. 

And they’re thinking about it a lot. 

On this episode of the Sales Engagement podcast, we sit down with Chris Donato to talk about: 

• All things enterprise selling
• Why sales professionals avoid the topic of risk mitigation, and why that’s a mistake
• How to frame risk to alleviate your customer’s fears
• How to have a fighting chance against an incumbent company

What a weird time to be living through right now. 

Entire sports leagues have ceased operations, cities are going into “lock-down,” and many small businesses are hanging on by a thread, having to radically adjust their operating model to stay open and keep people employed. 

With all of the noise, it can be a scary time to be in any profession. But how do you navigate the sales world in a time like this? 

Are people really itching to be sold to? 

How can you lead a sales team through a time like this and still feel like you have a soul when it’s all said and done? 

On this episode of the Sales Engagement podcast, we took a few minutes to sit down with Ben Dietz, President of Mintel Americas at Mintel, to talk about: 

• How to lead your team through adversity
• Why it might be time to dial back the pitches
• Why empathy just might be the most important thing right now

As they say, “intent is everything.” 

Nowhere is that more true than sales. 

If you can’t capitalize on customer intent and convert that into actionable follow-up, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. 

But the customer is savvy today. They have more information at their disposal than ever before, and some studies have shown that as much as 70% of research happens before ever talking with a salesperson. 

So how do you harness intent? 

How do you capitalize on the work that is done before a customer ever gets to your door and turn that into a relationship? 

Maura Brady is the RVP of Sales at 6Sense and was a guest on the Sales Engagement Podcast recently. We talked all about :

• Women in sales
• Harnessing intent, and how to approach different types of intent
• What she calls “The Dark Funnel”
• How to turn intent into action