On my podcast, I spoke with Ray Rike, an expert in subscription software sales. Ray co-authored the book “Data and Diagnosis Driven Selling.” With over 30 years of experience, Ray shared valuable insights.

The Sales Landscape Analogy

Ray compared the challenges of sales to San Francisco’s microclimates. Just a few blocks can change the weather. This analogy showed the need for a systematic sales approach. The approach must adapt to ever-changing market conditions.

Ray explained the difference between sales methodology and sales process. A methodology is essential, but you also need a structured step-by-step process. This data-informed process guides the sales journey.

Ray and his co-authors offer wisdom on identifying the ideal customer profile in their book. This profile is based on data from successfully retained and renewed customers. The book guides sales pros in refining their approach.

Using Intent Data

Ray highlighted the value of leveraging intent data to prioritize sales outreach. Focus efforts on potential buyers showing positive interest signals. This optimizes time and resources.

Diagnosing the business need is critical in sales. Understand if your solution aligns with the customer’s needs. Collaborate with the customer to co-create tailored solutions.

Ray emphasized understanding customer pain points to tailor product demonstrations. This builds trust by showcasing relevant capabilities.

AI’s Role in Sales

Through data analysis, artificial intelligence can revolutionize sales processes. It can surface risks, predict deal probabilities, and optimize decision-making.

Ray’s book guides adopting a data-driven sales approach. He has also built a benchmarking database for recurring revenue software businesses. This database informs better decision-making.

Ray’s insights highlight the power of data, diagnosis, and AI in mastering SaaS sales. As the landscape evolves, these lessons will guide sales professionals toward excellence.

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

In the intricate labyrinth of our minds, decisions are the threads that weave the tapestry of our lives. Each choice, whether monumental or mundane, is a ripple that resonates through time. In this article, we embark on a thought-provoking journey into the fascinating realm of decision-making, guided by the illuminating insights shared in a recent podcast episode. Our guest, Adele Spraggon—an esteemed behavior change expert, accomplished author, and international speaker—offers a profound exploration into the dynamics of the brain and the nuanced art of decision-making.

Unmasking the Power of the Subconscious

Unbeknownst to most, the vast majority of our decisions are orchestrated by the subconscious mind. These intricate patterns, woven in the tapestry of our formative years, continue to shape our choices throughout adulthood. The profound implications of this revelation invite us to ponder the untapped potential lying dormant within our subconscious minds. What if we could unravel these patterns, examine their threads, and reconfigure them to align with our conscious intentions?

Navigating Sales and the Landscape of Emotions

Venturing into the realm of sales often conjures images of aggressive tactics and discomfort. Adele Spraggon, a torchbearer of transformative change, sheds light on this paradigm, unraveling its intricacies. She underscores the significance of emotions in the sales process, urging us to address these feelings with empathy and authenticity. Employing language grounded in emotion can dissolve the barriers that often erect themselves between the seller and the buyer, paving the way for a more harmonious and relaxed exchange.

Triggers: Unveiling the Catalysts of Reaction

Have you ever experienced an emotional response that seemed to defy logic? These emotional triggers, often deeply embedded in our subconscious, can wield immense influence over our reactions. Adele Spraggon guides us toward a profound revelation—the recognition and comprehension of these triggers grant us a semblance of control over our emotional responses. Armed with this awareness, we can navigate our interactions with a heightened sense of self-mastery.

Discovering Joy in Selling: A Paradigm Shift

The transformation from a reluctant seller to an individual who relishes the art of selling might seem like an enigma, but Adele Spraggon reveals that the key lies in shifting our perspective. The pivot, she asserts, occurs when we transition from viewing sales as a transactional endeavor to recognizing it as an avenue for genuine connection. This metamorphosis is an embodiment of the age-old adage, “It’s not what you sell, but how you sell it.” The paradigm shift, though nuanced, bears the potential to redefine our interactions, engendering a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment in our endeavors.

Unraveling the Neural Tapestry: Adele’s Four-Step Technique

Adele Spraggon’s insights transcend the theoretical and venture into the practical. She introduces a meticulously crafted four-step technique designed to dismantle the shackles of sales anxiety and rewire the neural pathways governing our responses. This method commences with the identification of anxiety patterns, followed by a journey of introspection and dissection. Ultimately, the technique culminates in the restructuring of neural pathways, fostering a newfound sense of empowerment and liberation.

The Art of Listening: A Bridge to Understanding

In the cacophony of human interactions, the art of listening often takes a backseat. Yet, as Adele Spraggon elucidates, listening serves as a bridge to understanding, a cornerstone upon which relationships are built. The significance of active listening extends beyond the mere exchange of words; it encompasses a profound respect for the individual’s narrative and a commitment to fostering genuine connection. By asking probing questions and seeking clarification, we unveil the gems of comprehension, enriching our interactions immeasurably.

Delving Deeper: A Call to Action

The insights shared in this article merely scratch the surface of the profound conversation that transpired in the podcast episode. To embark on a more profound exploration of the art of decision-making, we urge you to immerse yourself in the full episode. For those whose curiosity has been piqued by Adele Spraggon’s wisdom, her book stands as a comprehensive guide to unraveling the complexities of the brain and harnessing its untapped potential.

As we extend our gratitude to you, our cherished podcast community, we invite you to stay attuned to the forthcoming installments that promise to illuminate diverse facets of the human experience. In a world pulsating with decisions both great and small, the insights unveiled herein offer a compass—a guiding light—as we navigate the enigmatic terrain of choice.

In this Expert Insight Interview, Lee Chaix McDonough discusses creating a sustainable coaching business. Lee Chaix McDonough is the CEO and founder of Coach with Clarity, a training and education company for life and business coaches. She is also the host of Coach with Clarity Podcast and author of the #1 best-selling book Act on Your Business: Braving the Storms of Entrepreneurship and Creating Success Through Meaning, Mindset, and Mindfulness.

This Expert Insight Interview discusses:

• Why do we avoid seeking support in our respective fields of expertise
• The prevalence of change in our lives and why we must always be prepared for it
• Some of the qualities that make a good coach

Seeking Support

We are willing to invest so much money in our hobbies, getting coaches, and paying for professional guidance, but we refuse to do the same for the thing that puts bread on our table. On some level, this must have to do with the assumption that we should just be good at what we do inherently.

Seeking support from someone else in our field of expertise might have been interpreted as a weakness once upon a time. However, we are seeing a paradigm shift and the fact that really strong business owners need a team of people to support them, including a coach.

Expecting Change

One thing is certain, and that is change. Regardless of what we have going on at any given time, we’re guaranteed to have some kind of change waiting around the corner. Trying to go through these changes alone is a very isolating experience.

Surrounding yourself with people who have your back and who you can trust will help you navigate the uncertainties that come with any kind of transition. That is one of the many reasons business and life coaches are such a smart investment for high-performing professionals.

Finding a Balance

There may be many people out there who would make fantastic coaches but don’t realize it, simply because we don’t all inherently understand what it takes to be a good coach. The truth is that there are qualities that can be honed to take somebody from being a good coach to being a great one.  For instance, there are good coaching apps that can improve your professional practice greatly. Adding them to your business model can help you scale, while still delivering practice-branded, personalized solutions.

One thing that Lee Chaix McDonough always looks for in people is their ability to balance their internal voice with the need to really focus their attention on their client and what they’re communicating both verbally and non-verbally.

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

In this Expert Insight Interview, Dr. Nadia Brown discusses why courage is a critical sales quality we need. Dr. Nadia Brown is the founder of The Doyenne Agency, a global sales, and sales training company.

This Expert Insight Interview discusses:

• The importance of courage in sales
• How it has never been more challenging to get the prospects’ attention
• Acknowledging the things that you can control

Fear of Rejection

Courage is the willingness to move despite fear and concerns. Sales conversations can bring up worries about rejection, so having the courage to put yourself out there is a necessary sales skill.

A lot of people default into sales as a career. Now, this is being increasingly addressed with sales courses in universities, but once upon a time, most people who studied marketing ended up in sales as their first job, so it is not uncommon for young salespeople to come into the profession unprepared which is particularly scary.

Celebrating Your Courage

We feel that we are busier than we’ve ever been, or more distracted at the very least, so when a salesperson calls, the last thing that we want to do is talk to them. It has never been more difficult to get somebody’s attention, so the rejection rate has increased considerably in recent years.

So, how do you find the courage and resilience to keep going when the going gets tough? One thing you can do is celebrate the fact that you dared to put yourself out there in the first place.

Focusing on What You Can Control

Sometimes, there’s so much pressure for sales professionals to get the “yes,” close the deal, and move things forward that we don’t take the time to celebrate or acknowledge the fact that we did our part. We can’t control if and when our clients say yes; we would all be billionaires if we could.

What we can control are our actions and decisions to put ourselves out there, so sales professionals should take the time to pause and take a moment to acknowledge the things that they can control, rather than focusing on things they cannot control.

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

If you could go to school to be a leader, would you?

Early Intervention

There is a necessity to start developing students as leaders, right from the get-go. One of the things that the Doerr Institute emphasizes is early intervention. Just as with musical instruction, or playing a new sport, or learning a second language, the earlier that you introduce these skills into a person’s life, the better chance they have to develop those skills and gain expertise. The same goes for leadership. Helping young adults in their most formative years is a great strategy for developing leadership capacity.

Eliminating Trial and Error

Often times, leaders become leaders through a lot of mistakes and periods of trial and error. However, if students can cultivate skills early on, it eliminates a lot of the minutiae that comes with learning a skill on the job. If students can learn skills like emotional skills, cognitive skills, and social skills early on, they are setting themselves up for a lifetime of knowing how to lead, and lead well.

Developing Leadership Skills

There are any important skills that create good leaders. Emotional skills, cognitive skills, and social skills are among the basic requirements. In addition to these skills, it’s also important to cultivate a leader identity. Unless a leader sees themselves as a leader, they’re not likely to step up into leadership responsibility or display those behaviors. There is also a core set of practical skills that develop competence in leaders. Some of these skills include delegating, inspiring, and casting a vision, knowing how to deliver feedback, and being able to develop the people on your team. Fostering a variety of different skills helps to create a well rounded, successful leader.

Why University Programs?

Some people may be skeptical about going to college for the purpose of gaining leadership skills. After all, leaders have been made through on the job and real-life experience for years, or feel as if they got enough leadership training from their bachelor’s degree. But, going to college for four years does not turn you into a leader. You may gain a lot of knowledge, and learn how to think, but it does not turn you into an actual leader or prepare for you for leadership roles. People need to seek out leadership experiences and intentionally develop those skills. Those who participate in collegiate leadership programs such as the Doerr Institute are developing their leader identity and displaying more effective leadership skills.

The world of selling went through a profound structural change in the 1980s. For the 200 years prior, we ran businesses in the industrial economy. But things changed in the last 20 years of the 20th century. We went from learning how to manage people’s hands, to learning how to manage people’s minds. The problem is that the MBA programs and on the job training for managers were still rooted in an industrial economy method of learning, so we were trying to use 20th-century procedures to solve 21st-century problems. Obviously this is not a recipe for successful selling, and things are moving quickly, so the sooner we can adapt to a knowledge economy way of selling, the better. David Grebow, interviewed by John Golden, explores how to sell in a knowledge economy using the S.A.F.E method.

This expert sales interview explores:

• Creating a story for your clients
• Getting top-notch ratings
• Ensuring a frictionless experience

The S.A.F.E Method: Story

If you want to be aligned with today’s consumer and be a successful seller in a knowledge economy, follow the “S.A.F.E method.” The S stands for telling a story. When you sell, it is crucial that you tell vivid stories that are compelling and pull people in and keep their interest. Consumers have more choices than ever when trying to select a product or service.

The S.A.F.E. Method: “A” Ratings

The “A” in the S.A.F.E. method of selling in a knowledge economy stands for getting an “A” rating. In today’s digital world, it’s easier than ever to find reviews on products, and it’s crucial that sellers keep this in mind when they are selling their product or service.

The S.A.F.E. Method: Frictionless Experience

The “F” and “E” in the S.A.F.E method stands for a frictionless experience. User interface and user experience designers try to figure out the quickest, easiest way for customers to get what they want. If it takes a lot of screens or numerous clicks in order to find your product, read the ratings and reviews, and make your purchase, that creates a lot of friction, and you’re going to lose clients.

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

According to the Global Business Travel Association, travel spending totals approximately $1.5 trillion. This considerable expense suggests that many businesses, including selling organizations, have operated under the idea that travel is a burdensome but inescapable cost.

Savvy business leaders are changing their thinking. These leaders are realizing that technology can reduce the need for business travel.

One key area in which technology can be very useful is in sales training delivery. Leveraged the right way, virtual instructor-led sales training, or VILT, can bridge the divide between distributed teams and expert instructors without sacrificing quality.

Now is the time for sales leaders to get a virtual instructor-led sales training solution up and running. Here, we outline the three key steps for doing so.

CONTEXTUALIZE SKILLS WITHIN THE PARTICIPANT’S SELLING CHALLENGES

Quota-bearing sales professionals are under constant pressure to perform. Therefore, irrelevant sales training will trigger disengagement. Keeping learners tuned in means speaking about the challenges they encounter during the sales pursuit.

Additionally, focusing the content on top-of-mind challenges also enables the sales professional to apply the concepts to in-play sales opportunities. Practical application not only means that training becomes resonant — it also means that the concepts are more likely to stick.

The key here is to remember that the instructional material must be customized to those for whom it is intended. Every industry, company, and sales team is different.

APPLY THE CONCEPT OF SPACED LEARNING

Traditional classroom instruction often demands that learning occurs in fewer, longer increments. This structure is due to the direct costs associated with travel and the indirect costs associated with quota-bearing sales professionals being out of the market. Virtual instructor-led training changes this.

A virtual solution allows learners to engage with the material in more increments that are shorter in duration. This interval is effective for learning in two ways.

First, spreading the training experience across a greater number of sessions consisting of shorter periods engages a mode of learning called “distributed practice.” This style is characterized by spacing out the instruction. These spaces between instruction are critical for driving retention Second, spaced learning affords learners the opportunity to more immediately apply what they have learned earlier in the training experience. This characteristic is in critical contrast to traditional classroom learning in which concepts are not applied until after the sessions are complete. On-the-job application means sales professionals can return to the next session with an understanding of how the concepts work in real selling scenarios.

INCORPORATE EXPERIENTIAL FEEDBACK

The participant’s experience is about the other learners as much as it is about the instructor and the material. That is, learning becomes a richer, more meaningful experience when colleagues are able to share how the concepts have impacted their performance. A virtual instructor-led format is uniquely suited to drive this outcome because learners have more opportunities to periodically pause learning, apply concepts to selling challenges, and report back.

The result of this dynamic is an environment in which participants are able to adjust and modify the material in real-time. Instructors can develop this atmosphere by offering on-the-job assignments between training sessions.

Telephone sales is a position in the employment sector where an individual can improve their skills, as well as their earnings, as they go.  It’s also one of the most popular job types searched for on trusted recruitment platforms like JobRapido. So, if you work in telesales, or are considering a future in the sector, keep reading for tips to improve your skills.

Do your prep

If you’re working in telesales, you’re either going to be selling a product or a service. Therefore, you must know what you’re selling inside out. If you don’t know your product or service, it’s going to show when you try and get people to buy. Put in the effort to become an expert on the products and services you’re involved with, and you will have more success.

It’s also essential to prepare your pitch and yourself. You can use your product knowledge to your advantage when preparing your pitch. And, by getting in the right frame of mind before work, it will allow you to set the right tone when dealing with potential customers.

Confidence is key

In any sales role, confidence will always yield better results. If the person on the other end of the phone feels you’re a confident person, they’re more likely to have faith in you, what you’re saying, and ultimately what you’re selling.

Having confidence ties in with being prepared too, as preparation will lead to you being more confident. If you know everything there is to know about your product, you will have more confidence when trying to sell it and will be able to speak with an air of authority as well.

Don’t forget to listen

If you work in telesales, your aim to close as many deals as possible. However, there are two parties involved in the conversation, and both have a right to be heard. We’ve all heard stories of pushy salespeople, and it’s these telesales executives who will be given short shrift by potential customers.

If the person on the other end of the phone feels you’re listening to them, they will have more trust in you as a person. And, by listening to what they’re saying, you will be able to provide a more personalized approach, which should prove to be mutually beneficial for all parties involved.

Keep things interesting

Our final tip is to keep things interesting. Yes, you will have a pitch that you know off the top of your head, and you will know the product or service you’re selling like the back of your hand, but, these should form the spine, rather than be the be-all and end-all.

If you’re repeating the same things in outbound calls, it will become boring, and potential customers will be able to tell. So, try and mix things up to keep things interesting. You could make changes to your pitch now and again or make use of different techniques. If you remember the core ingredients, you will succeed, regardless of what you do to mix things up.