In this episode of the Sales Evangelist podcast, host Donald C. Kelly explores the common pitfalls of salespeople and emphasizes the importance of understanding and providing what buyers truly want. By shifting the focus from selling to educating, sales professionals can build trust, provide valuable insights, and ultimately close more deals.

Common Mistakes Made by Salespeople

• Donald highlights the tendencies of salespeople to rely on automated emails and fail to listen to buyers' needs truly. 
• He also underscores the issue of pushing products or services onto buyers without understanding their actual requirements. 
• These common missteps contribute to a lack of trust between sales professionals and their potential clients.

The Essence of Selling

• By redefining the essence of selling, Donald emphasizes the importance of persuading someone of the merit of a solution rather than simply pushing products or services. 
• He delves into the concept of buyers seeking solutions to their problems, as opposed to being pitched generic offerings.

The Desire for Education

• A key insight from Donald is the revelation that buyers crave education and seek out sales professionals who can serve as industry authorities. 
• Salespeople can capture potential clients' trust and interest by providing relevant insights and foresight.

Shifting from Selling to Educating

• Donald encourages a strategic shift from selling to educating, urging sales professionals to focus on mastering their industry and understanding the recurring problems buyers face.
• By adopting the role of an industry guide, sales professionals can effectively educate and provide solutions tailored to the specific needs of potential clients.

Practical Strategies for Success

• The episode offers actionable strategies for sales professionals, such as analyzing the commonalities and differences among their top clients to identify key drivers behind successful deals. 
• It is through these insights and foresight that sales professionals can engage buyers in meaningful conversations and educate them effectively.

Harnessing the Power of LinkedIn

• Donald shares insights into leveraging LinkedIn as a powerful tool for educating potential clients and building a robust sales pipeline. 
• He emphasizes the impact of educational content in attracting and engaging potential clients, thereby facilitating business growth.

In this insightful episode, Donald Kelly delivers valuable guidance for sales professionals seeking to enhance their approach and effectively meet the needs of potential clients. Be sure to explore the LinkedIn program and subscribe to the podcast to help enhance your sales skills more.

[Tweet "Sellers are selling, while buyers or potential buyers are looking for education. They're looking to be taught. They're craving to be taught. They're not looking to talk to another salesperson.” - Donald Kelly."]

Resources

TSE LinkedIn Prospecting

Donald C. Kelly on LinkedIn

Sponsorship Offers

• This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

• This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

• This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Mentioned in this episode:

HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS

HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS

hubpspot.com/marketers

bluemangostudios.com