You’ve armed yourself with info, you ask all the right questions, but when you try to close the deal, it turns out something’s missing. To help sellers overcome this all too common problem, we turn to the advice of someone who occupies the upper echelon of sales. They are a Salesforce top sales influencer for 2023 who helps revenue leaders reach their aggressive growth goals. After pivoting from marketing, she uses her expertise to drive better connections with customers. Joining Tim Harris this week is Senior Account Executive at Chili Piper, Ashley Zagst. Ashley dives deep into the importance of being present on calls, strategies for effectively training reps, and why sales calls shouldn’t be looked at as “battles to be won.”

Takeaways:

• Empathy is a crucial skill in B2B sales, but empathy goes beyond active listening and asking questions. True empathy is understanding that you cannot provide the solution until you make a connection with your clients.
• It’s often thought that the biggest hurdle sellers face is disrupting the status quo. While there is resistance to change, the core of the issue is what buyers fear could go wrong. In the current economy, if a $30,000 deal goes wrong, that buyer could lose their job.
• Empathy is the universal human need to be understood. To put this into action on sales calls, make sure you are compassionate, understanding, respectful, and fully present in the moment with your buyer.
• The quickest way to lose trust on a sales call is by not being present. It’s easy to tell when you’re not being listened to. Put the phone away, turn off your notifications, and give your client your full attention.
• When a client throws up objections, the typical response is to try to overcome them. Instead of viewing those calls as a battle you need to win, view them as collaborating with your buyer towards a solution.
• Preparing for a sales call involves more than just gathering info. Good reps prepare themselves mentally, and take care of themselves. Carve out time to take breaks and de-stress before hopping on that next call.
• When it comes to training reps, it’s not enough to teach a skill on Friday and expect it to be implemented on Monday. You need to carve out time for practice. Role play calls with other reps, revisit past calls, and drill down on the fundamentals.

Quote of the Show:

• “Empathy is understanding that you cannot provide the solution until you make the connection first.” - Ashley Zagst

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyzagst/
• Website: https://www.chilipiper.com/
• Surf Rider: https://www.surfrider.org/

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquY
• Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M