Sales Game Changers | Tips from Successful Sales Leaders

This is episode 150. Read the complete transcript on The Sales Game Changers Podcast website. JAMES' FINAL TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "Know your industry and market, get to know the people, the companies, the buyers and sellers. It's as easy as spending 30 minutes a day reading the trade magazines, combing through LinkedIn or Twitter, or listening to a podcast to get the latest news trends and information." James Hanson is the VP and Publisher of Nextgov, the federal technology media division of Government Executive Media Group. Formerly, he was at Connelly Works and at Defense News. Find James on LinkedIn!

This is episode 149. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast. WRAY'S FINAL TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "Be sure to smell the roses along the way. Sales positions can provide a lot of really great experiences for folks, such as travel, sometimes it's other things, it's meeting new folks. Be sure you take time to enjoy that. Don't be so driven to the sale that you miss some of those things." Wray Varley is the VP of Systems Integrators & Federal Partners with MetTel. He also held sales leadership positions at CentryLink, Infinera and Qwest Government Services. Find Wray on LinkedIn!

This is episode 148. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. KEVIN'S FINAL TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "Never stop learning. When you stop learning, start digging. It's amazing how there's that tuning fork moment where you make the perfect call, the perfect stop by and it literally changes your life. To see that happen to the people that I work for day in and day out is incredibly powerful and uplifting." Kevin Hoverman, the VP of Sales at COS: Capital Office Solutions, a Xerox company. Prior to taking over sales leadership at COS, he was with Impact Office Products, where he created their technology division. Find Kevin on LinkedIn!

This is episode 147. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. CORDELIA'S FINAL TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "Be authentic. Even Dolly herself would say, "I have the wig and I have the makeup and the hair" but at the end of the day she is authentic. You may be selling widgets, but as long as it's the best widget and you love it, be authentic and follow that passion there." Cordelia Marzak is the Director of Sales for the Dollywood Company. We conducted the interview at Dollywood's DreamMore Resort and Spa located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Prior to taking over the sales leadership role at Dollywood, Cordelia held sales leadership positions at the JHM Hotel in Orlando and has worked in the hospitality space for Marriott and Hilton properties. Find Cordelia on LinkedIn!

This is episode 146. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. MICHAEL'S FINAL TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "Focus on the customer, understand their challenges first and second, try new things. What got you here today to be successful won't get you where you're trying to go. The customer landscape, the competition is changing so invariably you have to change and adapt and try new things to be successful in the future." Michael Lewis is the General Manager for Iron Mountain's Public Sector Business. Prior to Iron Mountain, he held sales leadership positions at IBM, Siemens and General Electric. Find Mike on LinkedIn!

This is episode 145. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. This is a special episode of the Sales Game Changers Podcast done in partnership with Federal News Network and WTOP Radio in Washington DC. This episode featured a panel discussion with four leading sales executives in the Federal Market. You can find of them on LinkedIn below. Christine Barger, General Manager, Microsoft. Tamara Greenspan, Vice President, Oracle Federal Joe Markwordt, Area Vice President, Salesforce Federal Allison Patrick, Vice President, MAXIMUS Federal My co-host is Jeffrey Wolinsky, WTOP and Federal News Network.

This is episode 144. Read the complete transcription on The Sales Game Changers Podcast website. TAMARA'S FINAL TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "It's most important to gain a deep understanding of your customer's needs and how your customer solutions can add value. Not every solution in your company's portfolio might be the best solution, always keep that in mind. In many instances you only have one shot to meet with these customers and you actually have to show that you understand their market and understand their pains, and have a resolution. You want to always make it your best." Tamara Greenspan is the VP of Sales for Oracle DOD (Department of Defense) Applications. She's been with Oracle for 29 years. She's also the President of the AFCEA-NOVA chapter. Find Tamara on LinkedIn!

This is episode 143. Read the complete transcription on The Sales Game Changers Podcast website. ROB'S FINAL TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "Find something that you believe in. It could be a cool product, it could be a technology, it could be an industry, it could be a customer set like I'm passionate about serving the Defense customer. Once you find that, put everything you have into it. Just immerse yourself and then finally find somebody to hook your wagon to, to help you, guide you along the way and help bring you along." Rob Stein is the VP for US Public Sector at NetApp. Prior to coming to NetApp, he held sales leadership positions at Oracle and a number of defense contractors. Nice reference to past Sales Game Changers Podcast guests Mark Weber and Dave Rey.

This is episode 142. Read the complete transcript on The Sales Game Changers Podcast website. IVY'S FINAL TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "Remember that your work ethic and your reputation are everything. You take that with you wherever you are, wherever you go in life, in business. Business is ever-changing, it's evolving - you've got to be able to change with it. You've got to embrace it, you've got to learn from change and you've got to grow from change. Ivy Savoy-Smith is the VP of Sales for Entercom DC, which owns and operates 106.7 The Fan, 94.7 The Drive, 95.5 WPGC, El Zol 107.9 and www.connectingvets.com. She's been there for 17 years and has also worked at CBS Radio. Find Ivy on LinkedIn!

This is episode 141. Read the complete transcription on The Sales Game Changers Podcast website. BRIAN'S FINAL TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: "The best of sales reps are always going to know their product and solution cold. They're going to know and appreciate the types of pains and issues that businesses have and because they have that passion, they're going to be able to connect that and have much more fruitful conversations." Brian Ludwig is the Senior VP of Sales at Cvent. He's been with Cvent for 19 years and took over sales leadership in 2007. Like Podcast host Fred Diamond, Brian is a native of Philadelphia and a graduate of Emory University. Find Brian on LinkedIn!