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

Don’t ever let anyone tell you there’s nothing new under the sun. Thought leaders don’t approach the world or their industry that way, so why should you? In this episode, Donald Kelly connects with Andy Buyting – coach, professional speaker, and best-selling author of How to Win Clients and Influence People. In this episode, Buyting introduces his proven-successful take on how to reinvent the relationship between sales and marketing which he outlines further in his 2021 book, Double Sales/Zero Salespeople. See the special offer in our Resources for a free half-hour call with one of the authors of the book!  Why the “assembly line”? Division of labor: splitting any complex process into specific tasks, and allowing people to specialize on one part of the task Application in sales and marketing: Where a typical salesperson may be responsible for generating leads and prospecting all the way through making the final sale, Buyting recommends separating the tasks among dedicated people Optimize: Once you

We are all defined by how we handle the challenges we face. The only constant in life is change, and it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in – you have to learn how to adapt. Our guest today offers his solution to how sellers can approach their job during the current market so that you can successfully, and organically reach your goals. In this episode, Donald Kelly sits down with Joe McNeill, the CRO at Influ2, to talk about the current landscape, the shortcomings of how sales are currently being done, and how to shift your focus so that you can connect with the right buyers for your product.  Challenges in Sales Today E-mail outreach is up +50% since 2020, but replies have decreased by 30%. Limited outreach methods are leading to limited results 72% of SDR teams are behind their pipeline goals. Some sales leaders think making more calls and sending more e-mails is the answer SDRs and AEs are not always getting support, so they are not as efficient in their jobs as they could be  How to Change U

Do you know that feeling you get when you spend some time planning out the week ahead? It’s that sense of peace that lets us know we’re going to achieve our goals and nothing is going to get missed. Planning seriously increases our productivity, so why aren’t we all taking the time to do this at the beginning of each week? Whether you just can’t seem to find the time or you don’t know how to get started, Donald is here to help. Take out your Google Calendar or your favorite scheduler and let’s get to it!  How to Make the Most of Your Weekly Planning Session Define your purpose for the week. Take a second to decide what you’re trying to accomplish this week. Look at your key performance indicators (KPIs), and make a plan for how you’re going to reach those things.  Plan activities accordingly. Decide what things are going to go on your calendar based on your KPIs. Highlight the “money generating activities” you do each day, and fill your day with those activities first. Put in your recurring meeting

Don’t. Be. Boring. Every time you talk to a new client, in the back of your mind, you know you’re not the first person to ever pitch to them. You might not even be the first person to pitch to them that day. You need to stand out, and more importantly, be remembered. In this episode, Donald Kelly sits down with Andie Jewett, the Senior VP of Business Development at AMP Agency. They talk about the core elements of an amazing pitch, and how to make sure you’re not making the same mistakes as everybody else. Jewett’s Background Started in account management, with clients like Blue Cross Blue Shield and NinetyNine Restaurants Now works with AMP Agency, overseeing business development and reaching out to potential clients Most Common Pitching Mistakes - and How to Fix Them Don’t jump into your pitch immediately, placing the focus on you and your product. Do your homework so that you know your client, ask them questions, and place the focus on them. Don’t recite all your great ideas or figures one aft

The days of the “spray and pray” method of selling are over. Nobody wants to be sold to, and bland, generic pitches are a dime a dozen. So how can you set yourself apart and improve your closing rates? Today, your host Donald Kelly asks Kay Miller, author of “Uncopyable Sales Secrets,” exactly that. Listen in to find out how you can identify, and sell to, YOUR Moose. Don’t forget to scroll down for an exclusive offer just for TSE Podcast listeners! Miller’s Background Miller broke through the glass ceiling in a male-dominated field, becoming successful in a short time Got hired by Walker Exhaust, the largest automotive muffler manufacturer in the country, and became the top salesperson in the U.S., earning her the nickname “Muffler Mama” What is a Moose? How do I Identify Mine? Your “moose” is your perfect customer. For a moose-hunter, the moose is their target. Any time spent hunting other animals is time they can’t spend moose hunting. Study your “moose”. Learn your ideal customer’s aspirati

In this episode of The Sales Evangelist Podcast, Donald Kelly talks with Helen Fanucci about her timely book, Love Your Team: A Survival Guide for Sales Managers in a Hybrid World. The impacts of the pandemic continue to affect how we do business in 2023. The value of remote work can be seen and felt by workers across a variety of industries, including sales. So how do you connect with your team, ensuring their success and building their skills along the way? Fanucci’s experience as a Customer Success Sales Leader at Microsoft has given her a unique perspective, and she brings her expertise to this conversation.   Three Steps for Leaders to Help Their Team Build Pipeline The 3x Rule. Have 3 times the number of customers in the pipeline than what is needed to meet the quota. Fill in the gaps. Ask your team who they’re talking to on a given account, and see how your network, connections, or position can help them get in touch with decision-makers. Use tools like Linkedin Sales Navigator. Use the to

What makes this conversation between Donald Kelly and Natasha Ho so special is not just that they’ve both found success in sales, it’s that they genuinely want others to find that same success. Listen in as they discuss the limitations many sellers create for themselves and the ways you can open up new opportunities for yourself by asking important questions.   Natasha Ho’s Background After getting her degree and working her dream job, she realized she didn’t want to progress in that line of work and found a new dream She built her own business and became successful after she learned how to sell her product Sales consulting on the side led her towards a path that was ultimately more fulfilling  Seeing Opportunities, Not Limitations High-Ticket buyers are like Santa Claus - you have to believe in them for them to exist. Your first high-ticket buyer could already be in your network, but you’ll never know unless you start to trust that they’re there. Identify prospects by listening. When you st

We know you want to set more appointments. You’ve got this - this is a skill just like any other, and you can learn how to do it. It’ll take some practice and a little bit of creativity, so there’s no better time to start. In the previous episode, Donald Kelly took you through two parts of his four-part strategy. If you haven’t heard that episode yet, it really sets the stage for this one, so go back and check it out first. Then meet us back here so you can learn to start the conversations that will lead to appointments. Set the Stage for a Dialogue - How Donald Uses the Strategy After making a list and choosing someone to reach out to, reach out with a personal touch so you can to build a connection Find the engagement path: Look for places you can connect - LinkedIn or Instagram are examples. Comment on a post asking a question, send them a video response, etc. You can mention the topic you connected over when you reach out by email, as long as it’s relevant! This can increase your reply rates It

Whether you’re a brand new BDR or you’ve been in sales for a while, we know you care about bringing your best in your professional life. If you didn’t want to improve, you wouldn’t be here, right? Today is your lucky day - on this episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald Kelly is going to share the strategy he has developed to help you get more appointments booked than ever before. This is a 4-part strategy, and in this episode, Donald will take you in-depth into two of the parts to help you get started. Part 1 - Relevance Analyze your ICP - Trigger #1 Donald looks for is a business leader who is new to the role - these people are likely to want to make changes Trigger #2 is whether the target has been active on LinkedIn in the last 90 days Cold e-mails fail if the salesperson doesn’t understand the person/business they’re emailing if they do not present a point of reference, and if the e-mail isn’t relevant Find a focused list of people you can reach out to - people who will be interested in what y

Sometimes the most interesting conversations are between experts on parallel paths sharing their journeys and noticing what their paths have in common. This conversation between Donald Kelly and Derrick Williams (Founder and Principal of 3Link Consulting) is an example of just that - they both have a keen sense of sales trends that has been honed over years of work in the industry. Williams is as knowledgeable as they come, but like Donald, he’s always learning more from the best and most educated voices in sales today. They discuss Williams’ new project, The Sales Consultant Podcast, and cover some of the salient pieces of information that have started to reveal themselves as important as Williams has been going through his first round of interviews. Whether you’re new in the field or have years of experience, check out the new podcast, and become a fly on the wall in a conversation between leaders in the field.   A Throughline: Focus on the Fundamentals Communicating Value - Know how to open calls, a

In this episode, Donald meets with Jerrod Best-Mitchell, a passionate seller who has dialed in using video to make connections online. Best-Mitchell is a master of his craft - he has sent 6000 personal videos on LinkedIn so far and has gained so much knowledge in the process. Listen in so you can learn how to up your personalized video game so you can generate leads, and build connections and community. Why use video? Videos are the quickest way to build relationships and trust with strangers. Letting someone get to know you is what begins building community. And community is the direction sales are moving in 2023 and 2024. Personalized videos may take a bit longer, but if you can isolate a few people to reach out to with short, engaging videos, it can increase your response rates and make you more efficient as a seller. But all videos are not created equal - Best-Mitchell has great tips to make your videos count. In sales, and especially when you’re starting as a BDR or SDR, the way to be successful is to s

If you are ready to take control of your own destiny, get ready to hear the conversation with someone who has done exactly that. In this episode, Donald meets with Michael Schill, a former athlete who learned his skills in sales from NYT Bestselling Author and Real Estate mogul, Grant Cardone. Schill is now the founder of his own organization, Full Circle Agency. Listen in as he discusses how he got to where he is today, the lessons he has learned, and how he makes sure he will achieve his goals for the future. Schill’s Background He played football for Florida State University, where he learned the discipline it takes to improve - if you don’t show up and train, you don’t win. Academics were also a huge focus for him - Schill graduated with a BA in Exercise Science from FSU. He received a world class education working with Grant Cardone, training extensively in sales and learning how to solve the problem every product faces: building awareness. A Few of Schill’s Core Tips for Success Have a schedule. The

Confidence is key in life, but ESPECIALLY in sales. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, our host Donald Kelly meets with Wesleyne Whittaker-Greer to discuss different ways you can increase your confidence as a seller. Strategies For Building Your Confidence Talk to yourself like you’re your own best friend. Practice selling. Be open to constructive criticism. If you want to connect with Wesleyne or learn more about building confidence, you can connect with her on her LinkedIn. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and al

Tech sales can be one of the most daunting sales industries to work in, but this doesn’t mean finding success is impossible. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, our host Donald Kelly interviews Shirelle Francis to talk about her success in tech. How Shirelle Overcame Challenges The first challenge that Shirelle faced was finding a mentor. She looked for a black female mentor who had previously found success in sales and studied AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE from this mentor. The second challenge that Shirelle faced was finding proper training. This ties into finding a mentor. As Shirelle looked for a mentor, she also sought out useful training for sales and not only mentored someone but studied the craft of sales. The third challenge Shirelle faced was getting access to capital. She overcame this by searching for a sponsor and actively seeking training and someone to teach her. You can connect with Shirelle on her LinkedIn or check out her website at www.ileapgroup.com. You can talk to Donald and drop

Being successful is EVERYONE’s goal in life. So how can sellers achieve this success? In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, our host Donald Kelly goes over how sellers can reach the success they’re aiming for. 5 Keys For Achieving Success You have to clearly define what success actually IS for you personally. You have to help people solve their problems. You have to know where you can improve. You have to continually improve yourself and work towards perfecting your craft. You have to do a self-evaluation. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we v

Now that 2023 is here, EVERYONE is a seller! In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Ted Blosser to talk more about selling in this upcoming year. The Importance of Momentum Momentum is KEY in business, whether you’re a seller or not. Think about it: If you’re some start up company, you have to generate momentum to build your business. If you’re a seller, you have to generate momentum for your sales. Momentum is key. This is DOUBLY true with the current economic situation. As business slows and profits wane, sellers and businesses have to be ready to REBUILD that momentum to come back even stronger as the economy recovers. Generating momentum is important, yes, but how do you actually build this momentum? Through SELLERS. Blosser gives the example of Tesla in its early years: Elon Musk made EVERYONE act as a seller when the company nearly went under. Being able to sell is critical in the generation of momentum, Three Key Points For Sellers Blosser has also identified 3

Continually generating leads and beginning the sales cycle with qualified leads is the CORE of any seller’s career or B2B business. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with John Butler to discuss three principles you can adopt for a consistent pipeline. Intangible Traits Athletes and Sellers Have Both elite athletes and champion sellers are goal oriented. They have a passion for excellence. They practice their craft with intention. What Elite Sellers Are Doing They conduct DEEP account research. They follow up in unique, creative, and personalized ways. They maintain and FOLLOW strong and stringent sales processes. “Top sellers provide personalized AND relevant content to buyers - John Butler”. If you want to connect with Butler, you can check out his website at www.shiftgroup.io or connect with him on LinkedIn. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Hendrik Isebaert to talk about ending sales activities, and how it can help you MAXIMIZE your selling potential and profit. The Issue With Numbers According to LinkedIn, during the pandemic, the percentage of emails that sellers sent out increased by 50%. Despite this rapid increase though, buyer responses went DOWN by 30%   Both the market AND buyers have changed over the past few years. As a seller, you HAVE to adapt to these changes to remain relevant and proficient.   In the modern day, whenever buyers are polled on their opinions of sellers: The MAJORITY of the time, buyers don’t think sellers give them any value. Combating These Trends There are a few different methods Isebaert suggests to stay relevant in today’s changing sales landscape.   The first method is: Having a platform that delivers buyers relevant content. By the time a seller and buyer first meet, the buyer has already done 60 PERCENT of their process thro

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Tom Kulzer to talk about how you can send optimal emails that will see results. Understanding Emails Over the years, Google’s spam filter has slowly increased. Kulzer says that Google’s filter has gotten better at figuring out what people WANT and what they DON’T want. Whatever isn’t wanted will go to spam. If your emails are going to spam, then it means that Google’s determined something in your email is what people AREN’T wanting. To avoid getting sent to spam, then you have to send emails with things people will want to see, at least according to Google. Setting Expectations One tool you can use to avoid your emails being marked as spam is by setting expectations. The example that Kulzer gives is How many emails your recipient is expecting. If someone signs up for your newsletter and is expecting an email once a month, but starts receiving daily emails, they’ll likely start putting your emails down as spam. Set expectations for

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our show host Donald Kelly meets with Roger Smith to talk about why you should establish a sales belief system, as well as how to actually establish one. The Importance of a Sales Belief System When Smith first started as a sales rep for his company, whenever he was closing the deal, he would VISIBLY shake. It got to the point where he believed the buyer thought he was having some sort of seizure. He knew that if he wanted to combat this and improve as a seller, he was going to have to work hard. VERY hard. Smith learned early on that, without a belief system, sellers would start running into issues. Specifically, doubt would start to form. As doubt continued to grow in the seller's mind, the likelihood of successfully making the sale would decrease. Without a belief system in place, sellers start to doubt themselves. The Four Foundations of a Belief System Once Smith knew just how CRITICAL a belief system is, he then identified four critical things that make up