The Sales Management. Simplified. Podcast with Mike Weinberg

We ALL crave a full, healthy (fat), balanced, moving pipeline of sales opportunities!

In this solo episode (for both sales leaders and individual contributors), Mike reviews why and how the top of the sales funnel so often gets ignored and offers his foolproof framework to ensure a healthy pipeline and consistent deal flow.

Mike challenges sellers to stop defaulting to service mode and explains the dangerous consequences that result from sales hunters always working their hottest deals first.

DOWNLOAD THIS HELPFUL GRAPHIC and take a listen to learn why it is absolutely critical that sellers divide their time and attention across accounts and opportunities at all phases of sales cycle.

** UPDATE: The location and dates have been secured for the 2022 Supercharge Your Sales Leadership Elite Events! If you're ready for a 1-day intensive at a premium venue with other hungry, driven sales leaders looking to radically increase sales management effectiveness, check out the details and videos HERE.

Mike unequivocally declared that this episode (Part 2 of his interview with Nick Hejna) is The. Single. Best. conversation he's ever had with a sales leader around sales process.

Nick and Mike paint the clearest possible picture of why having, following, and owning a sales process is not only important for the seller, but is actually in THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PROSPECT/CLIENT!

You'll also be challenged to consider that the best sales leaders don't play "hero" of their teams but focus on making heroes of their people, and that not every top producer fits the bill for a management role. And Nick concludes this powerful conversation by sharing his love for the sales profession and the opportunity it offers top performers to achieve financial (and life) freedom.

If you are enjoying and getting value from Mike's podcast, please rate the show and leave a brief review on Apple Podcasts.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play by Mahan Khalsa (the 1st Edition from 1999, beige paperback is Mike's choice)

Baseline Selling by Dave Kurlan

The Lost Art of Closing by Anthony Iannarino

You will be challenged by this fast-paced conversation between Mike and his special guest, Nick Hejna, who serves as Executive Vice President and National Sales Leader for AssuredPartners, one of the largest and fastest growing insurance brokers in the U.S.

Mike has tremendous respect for Nick as someone who not only gets sales leadership at the highest level, but who also preaches and demonstrates the importance of sales process on a daily basis.

In Part 1 of this interview, Nick and Mike discuss…

• Why focus is critical for a successful new business development focused sales attack
• That specialists often sell exponentially more than generalists
• The reality that it takes more activity to build a book of business than most new producers grasp and why managers must hold people accountable for opportunity creation and activity against target accounts
• How the "pushing the snowball up the hill" pays huge dividends once you reach the peak and have momentum and gravity on your side
• Creating hunger and reducing complacency with smart compensation plans that reward developing net new business more than babysitting and renewing existing clients

Nick also shares the three non-negotiables he sees in every top-producer:

1. They Own Their Calendar
2. They Deploy a Compelling Sales Story
3. They're Laser Focused on the Pipeline (and target accounts)

Books mentioned in this episode:

New Sales. Simplified. by Mike Weinberg

Inked by Jeb Blount

In this Year-End/New Year's episode Mike…

…reflects back on his highlights and challenges of 2021,

…reveals the "deflating" effect that Covid and current events have had on him personally,

…shares what he's working on and his own commitment to become more productive, and

…challenges sales leaders with several questions to help get their minds and hearts in the right place heading into 2022.

• How will you take back control of your calendar, maximize time spent on the precious few high-payoff sales leadership activities, and accomplish more sales management and drive more results in less time?
• In spite of whatever circumstances you find yourself in, what must you do to protect your mindset and motivation to remain positive and proactive as you lead your team?
• How effectively is your sales team executing on the big fundamentals? Have you gotten caught up in trendy sales fads, or does your FOMO have you searching for new tools, toys and quick fixes instead of focusing your people on the basics that always drive results…
• 1. Strategic Target Lists (of growable existing customers and ideal profile prospects)
  2. A Sharp Sales Story (that leads with the issues your solution addresses and the outcomes you create for customers)
  3. Proactive Pursuit and Prospecting (to CREATE new opportunities at the top of the funnel)
  4. Effective Consultative Discovery Sales Calls
  5. Calendar and Pipeline Management and Accountability

Thank you for listening and the incredible reaction to this podcast in 2021! If you are receiving value, sign up here to receive email notification of new episodes or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. And please take a minute to post a review for this show on Apple Podcasts.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Michael Hyatt books and courses referenced by Mike: Free to Focus book, online course,

Win at Work & Succeed at Life book

Mike's Your Sales Story online course

Fly. The. Airplane. article

If we are being honest, most of us like it when things are easy…when the wind is at our back, when we're on a hot streak, and being carried along by momentum. But unfortunately, that's not reality – at least for the long-term. We all hit rough patches and end up having to sell or lead a team through tough times. Occasionally, these hard times are predictable, and we can see them coming over the horizon. And at other times, we are totally blindsided by a competitor, a disruptive change in the marketplace, a personal or family hardship, or even a pandemic.

Whatever the cause and whatever the case, the harsh reality is, as this episode's special guest reminds us, tough times are inevitable. The more important questions are:

• How do you prepare for tough times?
• How will you respond when they arrive?
• How will maximize your success in spite of them?

Paul Reilly, like Mike, is a sales pro through and through. He's also speaker, sales trainer, and author who literally wrote the book on "Selling Through Tough Times."

In this powerful episode Paul and Mike discuss…

1. Why tough times are good and often catalyze necessary, positive change
2. The importance of our immediate, initial response to adversity and how resilience drives success
3. Why tough times (counterintuitively) are often the opportune time to prospect for new business
4. The powerful effect a manager's expectations have on the team's performance – particularly during hard times

Links:

30-Day #ToughTimer Challenge: https://www.toughtimer.com/tough-timer-challenge/

Selling Through Time Times: Buy on Amazon

More on the book and free chapters to download: https://www.toughtimer.com/book/

Mike pulls no punches wrapping up this mini-series covering the Ugly 8 Common Reasons Sellers Get Relegated to Vendor Status and Commoditized.

Buckle up as Mike takes on salespeople who are either insecure about price or too quick to make it about price (Reason #7).

The blunt #SalesTruth is that THE JOB of a professional salesperson is to justify the difference between our premium pricing and the lower price of a competitor. That. Is. Our. Job. Mike confronts sellers who whine that if their price was lower they would sell more with the reality that if they had the best price then we probably wouldn't need them! Companies who are the low-price leader don't deploy highly compensated salespeople, do they?

Mike also reminds sellers that the SALES STORY is your most critical weapon and when your story (messaging) is boring, confusing, or self/company/product-focused (Reason #8) and doesn't articulate the issues you/your solution address and the outcomes you achieve for customers, it is almost impossible to be perceived as a value-creator, advisor, or consultant.

But when your sales story is great, everything changes and everything about sales becomes easier.

Due to the overwhelming response to this series, Mike is hosting a free Q&A session to take your toughest questions around these common Ugly 8 Reasons sellers get downgraded in the customer's eyes and treated like just a vendor or commodity seller. Register for that Q&A session at mikeweinberg.com/QandA

This episode was brought to you by the New Sales. Simplified. Video Coaching Series. If you're looking to achieve breakout success in 2022 and create more opportunities and close more sales than ever before, check out the year-end special on Mike's best work to help salespeople Win More New Sales.

In Episode 19, we move into the second half of this mini-series tackling the very common (and ugly) reasons that salespeople and sales teams are not as effective as they could be – and, specifically, why they are not viewed like the pros, advisors, experts, consultants, and value-creators they so badly want to be.

Buckle up for straight talk and blunt truth as Mike unpacks reasons 5 and 6 of the Ugly 8 reasons…

WHY SELLERS GET VIEWED AS AMATEURS, RELEGATED TO VENDOR STATUS & COMMODITIZED:

Reason #5 is as counterintuitive as it gets. We don't own our sales process and end up getting viewed as nothing more than order-takers and yes-men/women because we want to be liked. We want to be seen as responsive and easy to work with. We want to demonstrate that we listen well, can follow direction, and that we respect the customer.

That is all wonderful except for one big problem: in many cases defaulting to the customer's requested (or dictated) process does not turn out so well for us…doesn't increase our win-rates, doesn't help set us apart from competition, and honestly, doesn't even ensure we will get the customer what they really need.

Sales Friends, if you've come to realize that scoring "obedience" points is not helping you win deals and bring in new business, this episode is for you.

Listen as Mike shares his two driving missions as a professional salesperson and encourages you to adopt them as your own. Learn how to own your process and push back when the prospect or their procurement people suggest/dictate a process that neither allows you to bring them the best solution (most value) nor gives you the best chance of winning their business.

Reason #6 we get viewed as vendors and commoditized is because we aim too low in the customer organization. As crazy as it sounds, we end up getting commoditized because we sellers become comfortable dealing with lower-level people who treat us as nothing more than a vendor/supplier.

Mike shares the dirty little secret of sellers who regularly call on senior management: You know what/who you normally find in the executive suite? Nicer people. Smarter people. People who are looking for value and help solving big business issues! It's often the complete opposite of dealing with lower-level folks who are more concerned with politics, protecting their jobs and existing supplier relationships, negotiating to save a nickel, or trying to avoid more work being put on their desk.

You can download the PDF guide that accompanies this series at https://mikeweinberg.com/ugly8

If you are getting value from these episodes, please leave a rating and review.

Mike mentioned a special on the New Sales. Simplified. Video Coaching Series to help you have breakthrough success in 2022. Check it out here: https://mikeweinberg.com/morenewsales/

In this installment of the Ugly 8 Reasons WHY SELLERS GET RELEGATED TO "VENDOR" STATUS & COMMODITIZED series, Mike challenges you to…

• Take a hard look at how you are executing what might be the most critical aspect of selling – The Sales Call and whether you are Presenting or Demo-ing PREMATURELY
• Evaluate the potential damage caused by conducting ineffective sales calls and committing sales malpractice by presenting before doing proper discovery work
• Consider that maybe the reason you don't stand out from your competition and get lumped in with everyone else and commoditized is because you look, dress, sound, and act like every other salesperson

We in sales often confuse presenting with selling. "Presenting" is not a synonym for selling. Most of us typically present too much and too soon – often way too soon. Just because a prospect asks us for a demo or to come in and present a capabilities overview, that doesn't mean it's the right time to do it or even the right thing to do. "Spray and pray" is not an effective sales methodology and when we present or demo prematurely, it's almost impossible to be seen as a trusted advisor or respected consultant.

After breaking down the common causes of ineffective sales calls, Mike offers his favorite, simple, powerful way to verbally set up the meeting, share your agenda, get the customer's input and buy-in that not only puts you firmly in control but also removes the awkward adversarial dynamic where it feels like we are pitching and the prospect is resisting.

The episode concludes with an entertaining and memorable sales lesson from Jerry, the kooky kitchen remodel contractor who won Mike's business by standing out from the competition. Instead of playing with graph paper and thumbing through cabinet brochures, listen to how Jerry differentiated his approach and deployed excellent discovery work (including cutting a hole in the drywall without permission) to win over Mike and his wife.

Sales Friends, the bottom line on Episode 18 is this:

LAME + SAME = VENDOR/COMMODITY SELLER

Take a listen for practical tips on how to be bold, break the mold, and come across like professional problem-solvers, consultants and value-creators!

Be sure to download the free guide that accompanies this series from mikeweinberg.com/ugly8

Mike mentioned a special on the New Sales. Simplified. Video Coaching Series. to help you have breakthrough success in 2022. Check it out here: https://mikeweinberg.com/morenewsales/

This series will help you identify which of the common Ugly 8 Sales Sins might be derailing your/your sales team's sales effort and preventing potential clients from viewing you/your team members as the consultant, value creator, trusted advisor you so badly want to be.

Be sure to download the free guide that accompanies this series from mikeweinberg.com/ugly8

In this hard-hitting episode, Mike holds up a mirror for you and explores the first two UGLY 8 Reasons WHY SELLERS GET RELEGATED TO "VENDOR" STATUS & COMMODITIZED.

1. They Arrive Late to the Party (last to a sales opportunity)

Discover the perils from living in reactive mode that often result in sellers being late to the sales party/last to an opportunity where it becomes infinitely harder to to bring value or be perceived as a consultant. It's no fun "chasing" the opportunity when your prospect has already formed their buying criteria – or worse, they're following the lead of your more proactive competitor who wasn't stuck in reactive mode, but instead was proactively working the prospect finding ways to create an opportunity. Being forced to play the already in-progress game is not only not fun, it often dooms you to vendor status while your competitor's salesperson smugly sits in the consultant/advisor chair. When you're last to the opportunity it's very hard to stand out and get attention unless your price is much lower. LATE often = COMMODITIZED.

2. They Lead with Product (or their service/solution)

So many salespeople lead with their offering and put and their solution front and center – making it the focus of the sales conversation. While this practice is common it's often deadly.

Leading with our product/service/offering/solution instead of the customer's issues and desired outcomes makes a loud, clear statement to customers that we care more about what we sell than addressing their issues/needs/desires. It is a surefire way to get commoditized because it's almost as if we are telling the prospect that neither our company nor the salesperson brings any value to the equation and they should simply take our features and pricing and put them on a spreadsheet to compare to everyone else's.

Sales Friends, in this series Mike is requesting that you open your ears, eyes, and mind, and put your ego aside. Take a listen, download the Ugly 8 Guide, and determine which of these sales sins is potentially hurting your effectiveness, margins, win-rates, and results.

This brief series kickoff episode is classic Weinberg with simple, blunt observations about what works and what doesn't when it comes to developing new business. In introducing this series, Mike comes out swinging to set the stage for tackling one of the biggest challenges facing salespeople and sales teams today - getting downgraded in the customer's eyes and perceived as just a "vendor" instead of the value-creator, consultant, professional problem-solver, and trusted advisor we so badly want them to be. Mike was inspired to do this short series based on the feedback and reaction from sales leaders who wrestled with this topic at recent Supercharge Your Sales Leadership events where he shared these… 8 Common Reasons that Salespeople Get Viewed as Just "Vendors" and Commodity Sellers: 1. They Arrive Late to the Party (last a sales opportunity) 2. They Lead with Product (or their service/solution) 3. They Conduct Lame Sales Calls and Premature Presentations 4. They Look, Sound & Smell Like Every Other Salesperson (same, same, same) 5. They Play Order-Taker, Do Whatever Customers Request, and Don't Own Their Process 6. They Aim Too Low in the Customer Organization 7. They're Insecure About Price or Too Quick to Make It About Price 8. They Can't Tell the Story (ineffective, self/product/company-focused messaging) We are creating a free, downloadable handout and slides to use with your sales team that will be available with subsequent episodes in this series. Mike's hope is that you can use these episodes and the accompanying material as "mirror" to help your team members identify which of these common issue may be damaging their own sales efforts and how customers perceive them. Enjoy this kickoff episode and encourage your sellers who would benefit from a wake-up call on this topic to listen as well. Here's to great sales leadership and helping our salespeople upgrade from "vendor/supplier/commodity seller" status to value creator!