Sales Game Changers | Tips from Successful Sales Leaders

This is episode 476. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. Tips for sales career success. AMY'S TIP: "Take the two-minute challenge and practice some version of mindfulness for two minutes sometime during a transition period during the day, because it will train your brain. Think about it too, before you send that email or text when you're ticked off, if you pause for two minutes, or if you pause for two minutes before a sales call. I pause and I have a specific ritual of things I do, such as before sales calls, I pause and do this very specific mindfulness-based practices and intentions, and before clients, all of it. Then the other thing would be is use acknowledge, appreciate, and ask as a way to have conversations, because that's going to allow someone to be validated. It's going to be compassionate. It's going to be curious. It's going to open up space for you to have the sales conversation that you want to have, acknowledge, appreciate and ask, and be mindful.

This is episode 475. Tips for sales career success. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. ANDRES' TIP: "As you start reflecting on whether or not you want to make a change, ask yourself, "Am I running away from something or am I running towards something?" Because if you are running away from something, then really understanding what this next opportunity is, is it more of the same or is it really truly an opportunity? Am I running towards it? Really spend some time reflecting so that you don't become that no-show, or you're not that person that is constantly switching jobs because you haven't figured out exactly what it is that you want to do with your career. WILL'S TIP: "Get really good at asking great questions. It is, to me, the number one skill that I see out there that really makes a difference, and understanding the second, third, and fourth level questions. Do question trees. I would challenge everyone to do one a day. It is game-changing to be able to be prepared for the answers you're going to get and be able to really facilitate a conversation to get to that impact, become a great question-asker, incredibly curious."

This is episode 474. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. NANCY'S TIP: "Ask for what you need. Be clear on what you need and ask. I'm a firm believer that I need to ask for what I need in all aspects of my life. We were talking about personal relationship, professional, ask for what you need.

This is episode 473. Read the complete transcript on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. DR. CINDY'S TIP: "Truly ask for what you want today. Whether it's French fries instead of a salad, that you want somebody else to pick up your kids from school versus you do it, ask for what you want. Just try it in those little areas where there's not such a huge impact where it feels like, "Oh my gosh. If I ask for this promotion and I don't get it, the world will fall," but allow yourself to start asking for what you want and give yourself permission to do that. It will become easier and easier over time. I'd love to hear the success stories."

Dr. Alison Horstmeyer, sales expert, discusses the importance of curiosity in sales and understanding customer needs. She encourages sales professionals to challenge themselves and try new ways of engaging with customers. Cultivating curiosity in junior team members is crucial, and leaders should model and coach behaviors. Curiosity energizes creativity, collaboration, and empathy in sales and helps understand the customer's mindset.

Experienced sales recruiters Ken Leiner and Frank Munero share tips on what hiring managers seek in sales candidates, including track record, solutions and customer knowledge. They discuss qualities of a terrible sales representative and transitioning between startup and large company environments. They emphasize adaptability and treating job interviews like sales calls, while considering the impact of COVID-19 on interviews.

Episode 470 of the Sales Game Changers Podcast. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. LYNN'S TIP: "Take the time to plan for prospect conversations. I think it all boils down to that. The more you do that, I think you're going to see your close rate and win ratio improve."

This is episode number 469. Read the complete transcript on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. JANE'S TIP: "Resilience is a teachable skill. You may not have learned it, but you can learn it now. Even if it's as simple as failure is an event, not a person. Every time you make a mistake, you remind yourself, failure is an event. It is one thing; you are still a good person. Get over it, move on."

This is episode 468. Read the complete transcript on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. LISA'S TIP: "Noble purpose is both a strategic intent and a methodology. It's based on the research that says salespeople who focus on improving life for customers outperform salespeople focused on targets and quotas. That's really easy to see why. If you had a choice of two salespeople coming to call on you and one sitting in your waiting room, or your virtual waiting room, thinking, "I got to close this deal." The other one's sitting in the virtual waiting room thinking, "How can I help this customer?" You're going to like the second one better." ELIZABETH'S TIP: "Tell a customer impact story. Those stories do so much for your customers, and the ability to describe how you make a difference to others can win them over. They also do a lot for you personally. Talking about how you've made a difference fills you with pride, we release that dopamine, that serotonin, that we know feels so good. People on both sides of the seller relationship are craving that now."

This is episode 467. Read the complete transcript on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. ANDY'S TIP: "Keep reading. As a podcaster you might think I'd say listen to podcasts. I think it's great. Please listen to this podcast, listen to my podcast but I still think reading is the most effective way to learn because you're exposed in a medium where people have to lay out a comprehensive cohesive argument. I think if you want to be influenced to learn new things and adopt new perspectives, that's the best way. Whether it's in sales or whether it's to Fred's point, the one we talked about earlier, it's about the world around us, it's biographies of great people and what they've achieved. I love to read and still read history. Just keep reading and keep learning."