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

It’s challenging to be in sales right now, and keeping up isn’t enough – it’s time to get ahead of the curve. Bringing AEs and BDRs together to learn from each other will make your organization stronger and more cohesive. In today’s episode, our host Donald Kelly meets with Katie Swick, the Global Sales Enablement Lead at Stripe, to hear how her team’s collaborative approach to learning has revolutionized the way they sell.    A Symbiotic Relationship When AEs help educate BDRs, the BDRs in turn become better at finding quality leads. This makes the AE’s job easier in the long run. BDRs learn better prospecting skills AND what makes a good AE through the program. This makes them more effective in their current positions but also prepares them to be great AEs in the future. AEs also report learning a lot from the process and see the value in training BDRs – they volunteer to help out!  Getting Ahead of the Curve BDRs need to understand how to “lose fast” rather than hang on to prospects that aren

Midway through the sales process, you might find your deals stagnating because you’re just not talking to the right people. In today’s episode, our host Donald Kelly talks with Jakub Hon about connecting with the stakeholder who can make that final call. We’re sure you’re going to get a lot out of this interview. For more from Jakub, check out his webinar on August 2nd at 8 AM Eastern!  Recognize the Buyer The buyer is someone who can say yes, even when the team says no, or vice versa. They have the final say on where the budget is going to be allocated. If your “champion” at the organization is on board, your next task is to probe them for more information that will lead you to the economic buyer. Ask questions about the organization’s approval process so you can start mapping it out. Ask “numbers” questions about budget, revenue, etc. to find out whether your champion knows the answers or knows someone who does. Stay aligned with your champion all the way through the process – you still want them

It’s time to level up and set yourself apart in an executive’s inbox, but you know it’ll never happen as long as you keep parroting the same lines your prospect gets from every other seller. In today’s episode, our host Donald Kelly gets into why we should NEVER use the phrase “just bumping this up” in a follow-up e-mail. Listen in to hear the things you should say instead!  The Problem With Saying “Just Bumping This Up” When you say, “Just bumping this up,” you’re prioritizing yourself in their inbox and insinuating that they aren’t organizing their e-mails. This annoys prospects and turns them off. Your prospects are busy people with a lot on their plate. “Just bumping this up,” is a filler phrase that doesn’t add any value and shows a lack of effort on the seller’s part.  How SHOULD You Follow Up? Focus on the same pain point that you highlighted in the first e-mail. Then show the prospect your solution by making a quick video describing or demoing it. Think from your prospect’s perspective. They’r

One size does NOT fit all! Having the power to customize a product or service to fit our needs makes us feel confident in how we’re spending our money. The same is true for our prospects. In today’s episode, our host Donald Kelly meets with Joe Ardeeser, the Founder/CEO of Smart Pricing Table, to talk about using optionality to build trust and give agency to customers. Ways to Offer Optionality Provide different service lines. If you have a customer who uses one of your services, tell them what else your company can do for them. Customize individual services. Talk to your customers about ways they can configure your service to work better for them. Offer options for different budgets. If you can’t downsize your offer, you might lose big deals. Build Trust With Prospects Offering a “good”, “better”, and “best” option can help customers feel comfortable because they can see that you’re not just trying to get the most money possible out of them. Buyers need to feel like they have agency and contr

Prepare yourself: next time you pick up the phone for a discovery call, you’ll know exactly how to engage your prospect and let THEM convert themselves. In this episode, our host Donald Kelly has a great conversation with David Newman, author of the business bestseller “Do It! Marketing”. They go deep on what makes a successful discovery call, and here’s a hint: it’s not a bunch of small talk.  Go Deep Fast Don’t spend your discovery call having surface-level conversations. Most sellers don’t go deep enough because they want to be liked and sound smart. Many sellers don’t ask questions to expand upon what prospects tell them. Instead, as David says, take off your ‘sales hat’ and put on your ‘investigative journalist’ hat. Most sales professionals think being likable is the same as being talkative. This is boring to clients – get them talking early and often! Become a Consultant David’s first question on a discovery call is: how have you arrived at where you are today? Another question David as

If you’re not using LinkedIn to build up the front of your sales pipeline, let this be your sign to take the leap. In this episode, our host Donald Kelly has an info-packed conversation with Megan Killion, the powerhouse behind MKC Agency. You probably already know content creation isn’t just about sharing articles and posting pics. Listen in to hear proven strategies for connecting with the right audience and starting quality conversations. Content Strategy You can’t just “post and ghost”! Your engagement is necessary. Megan cautions against the use of LinkedIn pods that automate engagement using bots. Going this route won’t help you gain traction with the people you want to reach. Her number one tip for aspiring creators on LinkedIn is to use polls. LinkedIn’s algorithm results in more engagement with polls than other kinds of posts, but you have to be strategic about them.  Identify Ideal Customers When you market to everyone, you market to no one.  Use your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) to

Don’t be intimidated by the business acumen that gets used every day in C-suite meetings! If you want to hold your own in these conversations and earn a seat at the table time and time again, you’ll need to get educated. We’ve got you. In today’s episode, our host Donald Kelly talks with David Graswick, VP of Sales for Databook. Listen in to learn the metrics you need to understand before meeting with management. The Language of the C-suite Execs are interested in the big picture. Sellers are not often taught how to have these types of business conversations – mastering this can set you apart. Anyone can say words like “revenue growth” or “back office efficiency,” but if you can become fluent in these topics and personalize discussions to your specific prospects, you’ll be invited into higher-level meetings more often. Sales leaders and sellers need to be educated before they can start having more informed, impactful conversations with buyers. 7 Financial Metrics for Sellers Revenue Growth. Executiv

The differences between you and elite sales earners are probably more subtle and nuanced than you think. In this episode, our host Donald Kelly sits down with sales revenue and profit growth expert Doug C. Brown to talk about the traits of “elite producers.” Listen in to discover the mental patterns that might be holding you back. What is an Elite Producer? They are both “top producers” (producing articles of value at the top of their industry) and “overachievers” (consistently exceeding expectations). They spend time improving their brain power, seeking out challenges, and bettering themselves. They use leverage to create better results. From each article of value they create (like a sale) they create byproducts (like referrals and networking opportunities). Adopt the Habits of Top Earners Take the time to learn what holds you back. Work on those “weaknesses” and turn them into strengths. Derive your confidence from that. Figure out your points of leverage and double or triple your efforts in tho

Connecting with prospects over the phone can be daunting. Your success as a rep comes down to what you say, and more importantly, how you say it. In this episode, Donald Kelly meets with sales expert Jeremy Chen to discuss the dreaded cold call. Chen’s sales team primarily uses cold calling to generate business, but that’s not why he’s so passionate about it. He’s passionate because, in his words, “a cold call saved his life.” Always Act Like You Belong When job hunting, Chen accidentally called the CEO of a massive Canadian company! Even though the CEO hung up on him, he got a call back a few weeks later that connected him with a job. Because Chen didn’t initially know he was calling the CEO, he didn’t have any tension or fear when he called. Even execs are just people – embrace confidence. Just Make the Call You never know where a call will take you! When Chen called the CEO of Telus, it completely changed his life. Don’t get discouraged. Hang in there and try not to take the rejection personally.

Being a “salesperson” isn’t enough. It’s time to become an industry expert with powerful insights to share with your customers. In this episode, your host Donald Kelly meets with Will Diaz, Vice President of Business Development at Arrive Logistics. Diaz speaks on the 20-week training program BDRs go through when they join the team and how that investment yields results on the sales floor. Arrive’s 20-Week Training Process 4 weeks are spent in the classroom learning about the freight industry and the ins and outs of the company. A few weeks are spent in an ops brokering program with a sales mentor. Lastly, there are several weeks spent ramping up and then finally, sellers are released onto the floor. What Are the Results? No one can sell something they don’t understand. Sellers also can’t take people through the sales process without knowing how each stage works or how to troubleshoot issues as they arise. Buyers are going to choose products and companies that provide value. Sellers that are perso

The discovery call is at the heart of the sales process. If you want to make the most of it, you have to come in with a plan. In this episode, your host Donald Kelly talks with Jessica Schultz, the CEO and Founder of strategic consulting and execution firm Amplify Group. They take you from determining which prospects are worth your 30 minutes, all the way through using your disco to write a great proposal. Fail Fast - Don’t Waste Time on a Bad Fit New reps often sink a lot of time into every prospect - even unqualified ones. Discovery is all about figuring out whether the person you’re selling to is a good fit. In tough economic times, it gets harder to close deals. Reps might be tempted to try to “make it work”, even if their product isn’t a great fit for the customer. Even if you manage to sell successfully to a “bad fit,” your customer will have a poor experience. Take the time to match your prospect up to your value proposition. If you don’t know your value prop or ICP, work with your sales leader!

There’s no point in building pipeline if your buyers get dragged down by an overcomplicated sales process. Offering information on a streamlined, shareable platform just might be your business’s Holy Grail! In this episode, your host Donald Kelly meets with Gal Aga to discuss the challenges of supporting buyers at all stages of the sales process so that your deals actually CLOSE. Current Challenges B2B Sellers Are Facing Selling SaaS is complex. You’re often working with lots of stakeholders who may not have much context for what you have to offer, so they don’t understand why it’s important. We rely on a lot of decades-old technology. E-mails are difficult to keep straight, but this is still the main way sellers and buyers keep track of where they’re at in the sales process. Top sellers don’t sell, they help buyers buy. Your buyer is your “champion”; they’re willing to go to bat for you. The process shouldn’t be what’s holding them back. What Does a Digital Sales Room Offer? It’s a workspace that g

You know you need to personalize your outreach, but you keep getting bogged down in trying to write the perfect e-mail or phone script. If you’re trying to write quick, to-the-point e-mails that actually get opened, you’re in luck. In this episode, your host Donald Kelly opens up a great collaborative conversation with Michelle Craig and Tom Slocum. Between the three of them, they bring a variety of opinions and offer specific tools to add to your arsenal for 2023. Your Subject Line Short subjects or posing as though you’re sending an internal e-mail are reaching a point of saturation. Describe what’s in the e-mail in as few words as possible. Avoid gimmicks like emojis, using the person’s name, etc. The Body of the E-mail The first line is sometimes more important than the subject line! People are reading on mobile and even smart watches! Garner interest without seeming like spam. Outline the problem and tie it back to your solution, but keep it short and sweet. This isn’t school - there’s no n

It’s never been more important to make the most of your outbound leads. Hopefully you already have a clear ICP and you personalize your outreach, but how do you turn your hard work into measurable results? In this episode, your host Donald Kelly and guest Ari Brinson get into a great conversation about how Brinson’s team was able to boost meeting numbers through effective personalization.   Boosting Conversion Rates for Outbound Leads Work on creating accurate customer personas to make sure you’re connecting with the right people – otherwise BDRs are wasting time and energy. The sales landscape is changing: potential buyers are less likely to jump into buying and less willing to open up content that doesn’t seem tailored to them.   Show Me You Know Me (Sam McKenna method) Make sure your value proposition is scaleable to the prospect you’re connecting with. The first three sentences of your e-mail and your CTA at the end are the most important. Personalize them to your prospect in a way that ma

It’s time to start seeking the wisdom of our industry leaders to build pipeline. In this episode, your host Donald Kelly talks with Radhika Shukla about her years of experience bringing teams to success in sales. Her approach is equal parts methodical, data-driven, and human-centric. Listen in as she shares the proven methods she uses with her team to find new leads and convert them into happy repeat customers.  Start the Planning Process Early Identify “big bets” that you need to win. These are new leads that are great fits for your business that you are going to prioritize. Collaborate with different people in your organization who operate at all stages of the customer satisfaction process.  7-Step Method for Lead Qualifying Start with your ICP. Create a customer profile and become familiar with the industry and common pain points. Ask the right questions. Think of asking effective questions and staying curious rather than jumping straight to solutions. Qualification criteria. Don’t be mi

Salespeople and leaders alike have access to great tech to simplify and streamline their processes. Tech, however, isn’t everything – if a seller isn’t spending much time selling, they’re still not going to hit quotas. In this episode, your host Donald Kelly talks with Tiffani Bova about shaping the employee experience to drive success. The Connection Between Employees and Growth Employees drive revenue.  Even though powerful tech is out there to help you sell, a salesperson only spends 28% of their time selling and 54% of salespeople miss quotas. If sales reps don’t have the right tools and spend all their time doing administrative work, they’re not providing an excellent customer experience. Salespeople aren’t in control of the pitfalls in their tech, but they can help sales leaders understand what isn’t working. The Employee Journey A lot of energy is often put into improving the buyer’s journey. But the salesperson’s journey needs to match. The more back-end work the employee has to do per e

Whether you’re tired of receiving the same “pitches” all over LinkedIn or you’re a self-professed introvert like our guest Ben Lai, you know there’s a way to use LinkedIn to sell without selling out. Today on the Sales Evangelist podcast, Ben and host Donald Kelly tackle bringing humanity back to social media. Connection Requests: Being Other-Centric Your messaging should communicate that you care more about the person than the sale. Be courteous and authentic. Don’t use the same lines as everyone else – show others who you are. Identify a commonality that builds trust. People will then check out your profile, so if your message and profile are incongruent, you’ll lose that trust. If you have a limited market, personalize each connection request or meeting request, depending on what makes sense for you. Meeting Requests: Personal AND Commercial Before you reach out, give them a little bit of breathing room (about 1 week) after getting your connection request gets accepted. Find a conversational th

Social selling can be successful IF you know where to start. Many sellers waste time chasing celebrity status thinking that’s the only way to generate leads, not knowing there are options that can consistently get them to their sales targets. In today’s episode of the Sales Evangelist podcast, Donald Kelly talks with Tony Restell, the founder of Social-Hire, one of the leading social media marketing agencies in the UK. They discuss how to reach out to your target audience and convert that audience into opportunities.   Two Roads to Success for B2B Social Sellers You become a celebrity in your field and receive inquiries based on your name/presence. For every “celebrity,” there are a lot of people who are trying to do that and failing. You grow your account by putting in consistent work and focusing your attention on a target market. This is the less risky way to generate leads.   Writing Effective Connection Requests Think about how you would open up a conversation with someone at a trade show o

When faced with new challenges, your ability to adapt will determine whether you succeed. In the past 12-18 months, the market has undergone a massive shift. In today’s episode, you’re going to get the facts you need to respond. Your host Donald Kelly sits down with Kate Ahlering (CRO at Calendly) to talk about how automation can save you time and energy so you can apply your focus to the moments that matter. Challenges In the Current Market The game has changed from placing importance on “growth at all costs” (2020–2021) to “path to profitability” (2022-present).  There is a lot more scrutiny from buyers on all types of investment. The path to profitability needs to be clear at the outset. The silver lining: sales organizations get to hone their craft, become more focused, and improve beyond what they’ve been able to offer in the past. Speed of Sales Cycle When balancing personalization with automation, some steps in the process require a more personalized approach than others. Find the parts you c