The Sales Evangelist: Sales Training|Speaking|Business Marketing|Donald Kelly

You made five hundred cold calls in one day. In four hundred calls, no one answered, and in another fifty, the potential clients said a hard no. In twenty-five calls, you received maybes; in the last twenty-five calls, the potential buyers said yes. With you making so many calls in one day, you figured more people would say yes. This is why so many sales representatives believe cold calling is dead. Bust, honestly, it’s not. It’s just the old methods of cold calling are dead. In this episode of “The Sales Evangelist Podcast,” host Donald Kelly speaks with guest Gabe Lullo about the new cold calling techniques. Gabe shares his expertise and insights on cold calling, sales strategies, and staying relevant in the ever-evolving sales landscape. Discover the importance of relevant messaging, personalization, human touch, and effective communication in this insightful episode. Is Cold Calling Dead? Addressing the prevalent debate, Gabe firmly asserts that cold calling is far from dead. Supported by data

How can you interact with potential buyers (especially enterprise clients) that encourage a dialogue? After all, landing the sale isn’t the only part of the equation; you first have to get their attention! In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Dr. Stephen Timme and Melody Astley to discuss their recent book Insight-Led Selling, which details how to learn how buyers think. But first, why did they write a book? Ultimately, Stephen and Melody wanted to create a resource their clients and community could utilize. It’s harder than ever to sell to enterprise sellers (yes, people say that every year. But it’s true!) And COVID-aside, the subscription-based economy is growing. There are more stakeholders than ever before in traditional buying processes. At the same time, implementation costs for platforms are lower, making it easier to switch between service providers. They interviewed many executives to see how they felt about sales.  From AT&T, Coca-Cola, Proctor and

Oh no! It’s happening again. The biggest search engines are making changes. But, this time, it’s to protect people’s email accounts. Sellers sending out over 500 emails per day may want to stop because there will be repercussions for doing so.  In this episode of "The Sales Evangelist Podcast," host Donald Kelly addresses the recent strict changes announced by Yahoo and Google regarding email outreach.  How will these changes affect your sales approach? What are the limits to how many emails can you send now?  Tune in to this week’s episode and learn how to adapt to these recent changes. Understanding Yahoo and Google's Changes Donald breaks down the changes announced by Yahoo and Google, highlighting that bulk senders who dispatch more than 5000 emails per day must adapt to align with the heightened requirements.  These changes aim to shield end users from spam and potential security risks associated with excessive unsolicited emails. Insights Derived from Mailgun Referencing insights from Ma

In this episode of the TSE podcast, host Donald Kelly speaks with development lead Brain Liebel from Ambition. They dive deep into the rhythms of successful sales strategies and performance to redefine the sales approach.  Donald and Brian unpack the essence of human interaction in sales, the strategic 'snowball effect' of building a robust sales pipeline, and how to turn data from sales conversations into tactical gold. Let's sift through the invaluable insights from this rich discussion. Human Interaction: The Core of Sales In today's world, where automation and technology are prevalent, the importance of human connection can sometimes be underestimated. However, Brian underscores the irreplaceable value of human-to-human interaction, especially during the initial conversations in the sales pipeline.  Using analogies from lead utilization, he emphasizes the need for salespeople to focus on engagements ready to blossom instead of wasting potential opportunities. Creating a Documented Sales Process

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

What inspires you to be the best sales representative in your company? Is it to take a vacation to Hawaii?  Is it to earn enough to buy your significant other a horse? Or maybe you just want to have money and live comfortably.  Despite naming off different common wants most people want in their lives, many salespeople don’t know what they really want. So, how do you dig deeper into your wants and discover your real desires? In this episode of the TSE podcast, host Donald Kelly speaks with Travis Ashby, a seasoned sales professional, on the deeper desires of salespeople beyond monetary incentives. Travis shares his journey of finding his purpose and how it led him to create a platform that helps sales leaders understand and support their team's goals and ambitions. The Changing Landscape of Sales Incentives Travis highlights how the world of sales has evolved, particularly in light of recent events like COVID and the "great resignation."  He explains that today, salespeople are looking for more than

When was the last time you did something nice for someone? Did you notice how their eyes shine bright like a diamond?  How about their smile? Did it become as big as the Grand Canyon? When people become this happy from others making nice gestures, it creates a warm feeling they’ll never forget. This is why sales representatives should take advantage of this, and Donald Kelly is here to tell you why. In this episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, Donald explores the importance of showing appreciation to prospects and clients as a sales professional. Listen to this special Thanksgiving episode for seven powerful ideas to help you build stronger and lasting client relationships.  Utilize LinkedIn Sales Navigator Donald recommends creating a list on LinkedIn that includes all of your customers and prospects. This lets you be notified whenever they change jobs, get promoted, or leave their company.  Acknowledging these developments and sending a personalized message demonstrates that you care about yo

What’s the number one skill you need to make it as a sales professional? Do you know? It’s self-confidence. If you don’t have the confidence to sell your services or products, how do you expect potential customers to buy from you? Of course, developing self-confidence is easier said than done, and many people struggle with it. However, if you listen to this special episode of the TSE podcast, you’ll gain knowledgeable insight on becoming mentally tough for the sales industry. Host Donald Kelly speaks with guest Matt Phillips, a leadership coach, on how sales professionals can build mental toughness. Discover how you can prepare mentally for sales in this episode. 5 Elements of Mental Toughness Matt developed five elements to help sales professionals build mental toughness. These elements include: Self-belief: If you don’t believe in yourself, you won’t succeed in sales. Matt discusses the importance of self-belief and how it helps a sales rep. Focus: What are you focusing on right now, and is

With the rise of AI tools, most sales representatives utilize them to their advantage to help save time. However, the problem with using these tools is the risk of sounding too robotic and not coming across as genuine.  In this profession, sales reps must be authentic to help them build relationships with potential customers. How can you use AI tools and still show up authentically every time with your clients? In this episode of the TSE podcast, host Donald Kelly welcomes Carl Sajous, the sales director at HR tech company Fringe. Carl shares his insights on the importance of authenticity in sales and how building genuine relationships can lead to business success. He discusses the challenges of maintaining authenticity in the age of AI and offers practical tips for building relationships and closing deals.  The Power of Authenticity in Sales Donald highlights the value of authenticity in sales and praises Carl for being genuinely passionate about his work.  Carl emphasizes the need to be true in every co

In this episode of the Sales Evangelist podcast, host Donald C. Kelly dives deep into the number one reason why prospecting on LinkedIn may not be working for you and, most importantly, how to fix it. Kelly breaks down the common challenges sales professionals face and offers practical steps to enhance prospecting efforts on LinkedIn.  Understanding the Problem Kelly opens the episode by addressing the frustration of salespeople not receiving responses or appointments through LinkedIn.  He attributes this challenge to the focal point of prospecting efforts - the people being targeted. Focusing on the Right Accounts The podcast outlines the importance of targeting accounts more inclined to purchase, emphasizing the concept of foresight in understanding buyer behavior.  Kelly suggests analyzing past successful deals to identify commonalities among the organizations, individuals, or industry trends, effectively creating a target account list based on these insights. Leveraging Relationship Explorer

"Are you tired of your sales outreach falling flat and not getting the results you want? Well, you're not alone.  Many sales reps miss out on a crucial aspect of their customers' buying behavior. In this episode of the Sales Evangelist podcast, host Donald C. Kelly emphasizes the importance of utilizing LinkedIn as a tool for generating sales opportunities and engaging with prospects.  He highlights recent buyer behavior trends and provides insights on overcoming common challenges faced by sales professionals on LinkedIn. Listen to this week’s episode of the TSE podcast to hear a powerful strategy to maximize its potential. Recognizing the Potential of LinkedIn  Many sales representatives acknowledge being present on LinkedIn for years without seeing significant business results. Donald acknowledges the frustration and attributes the lack of effectiveness to a failure in properly utilizing the platform. He encourages listeners to acknowledge that their prospects are active on LinkedIn and proposes

Did you know that you can close a deal before the actual sales process? Say what? That doesn’t make any sense. Actually, it does. But for it to make sense, you must listen to this week’s episode of the TES podcast. In this episode, host Donald welcomes Carlos, a Dynamics and Business Application Specialist at Microsoft, to discuss the importance of internal buy-in for sales reps.  Carlos shares his insights and experiences in navigating large organizations and building strong relationships with internal partners. He highlights the significance of trust and effective communication in securing warm leads and closing deals successfully. Carlos' Role at Microsoft Carlos briefly explains his role as a dynamics and business application specialist at Microsoft, specifically focusing on the banking vertical.  In this position, Carlos collaborates with large banks to help solve operational and sales force issues using Microsoft's CRM tools and local platform.  He expresses his excitement and passion for his work

Are you struggling to make meaningful connections with prospects in today's cluttered and noisy marketplace? If so, you're not alone. In this episode of “The Sales Evangelist Podcast,” host Donald Kelly speaks with guest Matt Reuter, a senior director of Sales Development for RealPage. Matt shares valuable insights and strategies for increasing connection rates with prospects in today's competitive market.  He highlights the challenges sellers face, particularly in terms of breaking through the clutter and noise, and offers practical tips to overcome these obstacles. Matt emphasizes the importance of smart and strategic activities, focusing on outcomes rather than sheer volume, and understanding the nuances of prospect behavior to maximize connection rates. Craving Results Drawing inspiration from Tim Grover's book, Relentless, Matt emphasizes the significance of craving results and focusing on the right activities.  By understanding the desired outcomes and having a relentless drive to achieve them,

In the dynamic world of sales, the game has evolved. Gone are the days of relying on a single decision-maker to push a deal forward. Today, successful sales professionals understand the importance of engaging with multiple organizational stakeholders to secure the coveted win. In this episode of “The Sales Evangelist Podcast,” host Donald speaks with sales expert Nick Reed Smith. They discuss the increasingly complex world of sales and how to manage multiple stakeholders in the buying process effectively.  Nick shares his experience and strategies for multithreading deals, emphasizing the importance of building relationships with various decision-makers and influencers within an organization to increase the chances of closing a deal successfully. Join Donald and Nick as they dive into the art of multithreading and uncover helpful tips for sales professionals seeking to improve their techniques. The Changing Dynamics of Sales Processes Nick highlights the evolving nature of the sales landscape, where de

It's hard to keep up with the current methods of the sales industry? In this episode of "The Sales Evangelist Podcast," you will discover the sales industry's current SDR/BDR challenges and innovative strategies to combat them. Our host, Donald Kelly, speaks with Howard Dover, a sales expert, researcher, and professor, on how staying adaptable and adjusting helps you become a better sales rep. From the psychological toll of constant rejection to the destruction of dreams and careers, it is evident that a change is needed.  Join us as we uncover the importance of innovation and adaptability in achieving success. The Changing Landscape of Sales Howard discusses research on the sales industry, sharing insights from tracking data on sales cities and the growth of Sales Development Representatives (SDRs). LinkedIn's 2018 report shows that the SDR function has experienced exponential growth, increasing by 580% over the past three years. Howard highlights the need for innovative approaches in sales outrea

If you don't understand why people buy, you may want to kiss your career as a sales rep goodbye. Also, if you're having difficulty connecting with your prospects, you may not be able to reach your monthly goals either. Luckily, your host, Donald Kelly, spoke with the perfect guest to help you understand your prospects better. In this episode, Donald interviews Eric, a business strategist and coach, about understanding the reasons behind customer buying decisions and how to improve sales conversion rates.  Eric introduces the BANK framework, an innovative tool that helps salespeople connect with customers more deeply by understanding their personality types and values. This episode explores the importance of understanding customer buying behavior and provides practical strategies for sales success. Understanding Customer Buying Behavior Eric highlights the need to go beyond traditional sales techniques and understand customers' underlying motivations. Salespeople often deliver the same pitch; some cus