Summary:

In this episode, I interview Coach Dan Gordon, an executive business coach and host of the podcast For Badass Entrepreneurs Only. We discuss the importance of selling authentically and the impact of human connection in sales. Miriam Webster's Dictionary rated authenticity the #`1 word last year so it goes without saying it's overused. We actually break down what it is and isn't in sales.

Coach Dan emphasizes the need for salespeople to show up with authenticity and share their true thoughts and feelings. He believes that deeper connections and trust are formed when people drop their armor and have honest conversations.

The conversation also touches on the relationship between sales and personal relationships, the power of unlimited possibilities, and the value of embracing failure as a path to success. We also explore the importance of understanding the buyer's perspective and demonstrating value in sales. We dive into the role of fear in sales and the importance of asking for what you want. Dan shares his insights on trauma and its impact on self-perception, as well as the four pillars that entrepreneurs often struggle with: sleep, stress, focus, and performance.

Finally Dan offers a free week of a sleep improvement tool called New Calm.

Key Moments:

00:00 Introduction to Coach Dan Gordon

02:50 Selling Authentically and Building Trust

07:05 The Relationship Between Sales and Personal Relationships

10:46 Embracing Unlimited Possibilities in Sales and Life

15:00 The Role of Personal Development in Success

23:42 Understanding the Buyer's Perspective and Demonstrating Value in Sales

26:44 Overcoming Fear and Asking for What You Want

27:29 The Impact of Trauma on Self-Perception and Personal Growth

32:06 The Four Pillars Entrepreneurs Struggle With: Sleep, Stress, Focus, and Performance

35:34 Recommendation: New Calm - A Sleep Improvement Tool

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• Badass Entrepeneurs Podcast

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Summary:

Sonnie Linebarger comes on the podcast today to share her remarkable journey from a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), to Chief Operating Officer (COO), to entrepreneur, and now to CEO.

One of toughest settings to connect with someone is in a hospice setting. These are patients at the end of their lives and can be emotionally grueling work. Sonnie shares how she's done it and has made an amazing career at it.

Sunny emphasizes the importance of human connection in sales, particularly in healthcare, where empathy and compassion are crucial. She discusses her experiences in patient care, the emotional challenges of working in hospice, and how these experiences shaped her approach to business operations and consulting.

Sonny also highlights the significance of storytelling in her consulting work and how she's been able to translate these traits to become a successful entrepreneur and CEO.

Key Moments:

00:00 Introduction and Background

04:16 Making Patients Feel Cared For

09:23 Handling Emotions in a Healthcare Setting

21:48 Transitioning from Clinical to Business

26:36 Consulting and the Power of Storytelling

32:19 Selling and Connecting in Consulting and Speaking

36:41 Sunny's Unique Trait: Singing Everyday Conversations

39:21 Conclusion and Where to Connect with Sunny

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Summary:

Kim Nicol, a life coach specializing in mindfulness and leadership, shares her insights on helping people see different perspectives and creating a calm and safe environment. Kim coaches first time managers and part of her coaching is selling them on how they can reframe a different approach. She discusses reframing resistance in fitness and yoga, as well as the importance of presence and appreciation in everyday interactions. Kim also offers advice on having difficult conversations and advocating for professional development within organizations.

You'll unlock tips like the power of the phrase "I'm Glad You're Here". You'll learn a way to move others through intentional acts of calmness. And you'll learn how a yoga teacher sells people who hate pushups!

Key Moments:

00:00 Reframing Resistance and Overcoming Fears

06:56 Creating a Calm and Safe Environment

10:57 Mindfulness and Presence in Everyday Interactions

15:23 Having Difficult Conversations with Empathy and Transparency

22:08 Advocating for Professional Development and Growth

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Summary:

Mike Simmons has risen through professional sales roles for the past 25 years as an individual contributor, VP of sales, and CRO. He founded his company Catalyst, A.C.T.S to help SaaS founders and team leaders scale their organizations from $2M - $80M ARR. He coaches sales people, speakes an ed tech conferences, and also runs a podcast.

I this episode, we talk through the concept of selling by being human and how sales is about connecting the dots between problems and solutions. Mike emphasizes the importance of serving others and asking the right questions to help people discover answers on their own.

We explore the misconception of sales and the negative stereotypes associated with it. Mike shares his personal journey in sales and how he learned from observing and working with experienced sales professionals.

Mike shares practical tools like the hexagon framework to problem solving and how to ask subtle but powerful questions to get anyone to reach decisions on their own and address problem solving from a more productive perspective. You'll learn how to sell ideas internally, how to move others with high indecision, and to practice different ways of asking good questions on your own.

Key Moments:

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:01 Selling by Being Human: Connecting Problems and Solutions

10:00 Serving Others: The Key to Successful Sales

24:08 Learning from the Best: Observing and Emulating Experienced Sales Professionals

27:06 The Importance of Alignment and Perspective

32:47 Being Comfortable with Imperfect Decisions

39:19 The Power of Asking Questions

46:21 Documenting the Decision-Making Process

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• Website - Find My Catalyst

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Summary:

Lyndsay Dowd is a Speaker, Founder, Author, Coach, Podcast Host, and Disruptor. She was recognized as a Top 10 Business Coach by Apple News and was the recipient of the 2023 Award for Innovation and Excellence, also named Business Coach of the Year. Lyndsay was also a Featured Guest Lecturer at Harvard University. She is an accomplished leader, decorated seller and has successfully managed large, diverse, high-performing sales teams over the last 25 years. 23 of those years were spent climbing the ranks at IBM.

In creating her company, Heartbeat for Hire, she has devoted her career to transforming leadership through building irresistible culture and modern leadership practices to get the best results from their teams. She is a thriving coach focused on sales, leadership, career, and culture. She has been featured in Fortune Magazine, HR.Com, Authority Magazine, Business Management Daily, Valiant CEO and many other publications. Lyndsay also hosts the top 5% globally ranked podcast, Heartbeat for Hire, and is a frequent guest speaker on live and recorded shows.

This episode is about the sales skills of exceptional leaders. Specifically how important it is to practice the skills of transferring belief. She shares how exceptional leaders create cultures of mutual respect and understanding. Lindsay shares her experiences with inspiring leaders who empowered her and helped catapult her into an executive role with IBM. You can learn how to be more intentional with showing others you believe in them.

Moments:

00:00 Introduction and Overview

03:07 The Power of Human Connection in Sales and Leadership

07:25 Creating Cultures of Mutual Respect and Understanding

12:49 Advocating for Your Team and Empowering Others

15:36 The Impact of Recognition and Appreciation

28:07 Building a Personal Brand and the Power of Testimonials

33:09 Modernizing Leadership and Creating a Positive Work Culture

36:00 The Importance of Trust, Feedback, and Inspiration in Leadership

46:29 Guest Lecturing at Harvard: Sharing Stories of Resilience and Leadership

51:56 The Role of Human Connection in Sales and Building Relationships

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Summary

Brian Miller believes everyone deserves to feel heard, understood, and valued. He is a former magician turned author, speaker, and consultant on human connection. Today, Brian works with organizations and educators who want to build connected cultures.

He is the author of Three New People, a manifesto on human connection that Publishers Weekly said, “Brilliantly outlines a system for deepening relationships.” Brian’s podcast Beyond Networking cracked the Top 200 under ‘careers’ on Apple. And his TEDx talk “How to Magically Connect with Anyone” has been viewed 3.5 million times.

After meeting Brian, audiences are not just inspired to join the human connection revolution - they’re ready to lead it.

Brian shares his personal journey with magic and how it helped him overcome social anxiety. We explore the importance of understanding others' perspectives and beliefs in sales and communication.

Some people don't realize the idea that despite our differences, we all want the same things in life and can find common ground.

Takeaways you'll get - the power of asking meaningful questions to deepen conversations, techniques for remembering names, and emphasizes the importance of making people feel understood and valued. The conversation concludes with Brian sharing a personal story that taught him the power of perspective taking and understanding others.

Key Moments:

00:00 Introduction to the Sell By Being Human podcast

01:25 The Power of Human Connection

07:03 The Emotional Impact of Magic

14:04 Brian's Journey with Magic

23:02 Understanding Perspectives in Sales

27:52 Connecting Beyond Agreement

29:09 Finding Common Ground: Connecting Despite Differences

31:24 The Power of Meaningful Questions

34:48 Remembering Names: Making People Feel Valued

40:46 Perspective Taking: Understanding and Connecting with Others

43:36 Beyond Empathy: Making People Feel Understood

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Summary

In this episode, host we interview John Alwinson, a regional sales manager at Boston Scientific and author of the book 'Relentless Sales.' John is a guy who led a successful career in sales and also brings his faith as a key role of what he does and who he is.

We go through alot in this episode - the importance of being genuine and authentic in sales, the role of mentors and identity in the sales process, and the influence of John's father, who was a pastor, on his sales skills.

Jon discusses the importance of bringing faith into business and creating an environment where people can be their genuine selves. He shares a personal story about gathering people in his neighborhood and building community.

Enjoy the episode!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:03 The Meaning of 'Sell by Being Human'

03:00 Chapter 1: Mentors and Identity

04:19 The Influence of John's Father

06:18 The Skills of a Pastor in Sales

08:32 Early Sales Experiences and Lessons Learned

12:05 Advice for Younger Self and Overcoming Fear

14:06 The Concept of Relentlessness

15:01 Dealing with Fear in Sales

19:16 Selling Without Fear and Pre-Call Planning

20:37 Writing 'Relentless Sales'

21:53 The Power of Encouragement

22:40 Believing in Yourself

23:23 Key Skills in Sales

24:30 The Importance of a Sales Process

25:31 Curiosity and Asking Good Questions

26:53 Mental Toughness and Relentlessness

27:16 The Role of Faith

28:36 Living from Your Identity

29:49 Blending Sales, Mentality, and Faith

30:21 The Power of Connection

32:24 Bringing Faith into Business

33:40 Finding Inspiration from Church

34:41 Talking About Faith in Business

36:25 Being Genuine and Authentic

37:20 Being Your Genuine Self

38:19 Gathering People and Building Community

41:36 Being a Hype Man for Others

42:29 Where to Find John Alwinson

Summary:

In this episode, we talk with Leslie Venetz, a sales consultant and founder of the Sales-Led GTM agency. Leslie teaches salespeople about outbound strategies and has had a successful career as a top individual contributor and sales leader.

Leslie shares her personal story about making tough decisions in sales and the long-term benefits of prioritizing the customer's needs. She also reflects on the skills she observed in others, such as adaptability and giving credit to others.

Finally, Leslie explains her motivation for starting her own sales consulting business and emphasizes the importance of outbound sales in B2B revenue generation. She also shares her unique approach to sales training events, which includes mindfulness, movement, and unconventional topics.

You'll learn techniques on how to put the spotlight on other people, how to resist the urge to help while still being helpful, and how to connect in a "non sleazy" way on Linkedin.

Takeaways

• Selling by being human means developing a deep understanding of the problem you're solving and focusing on helping the customer make the best decision for themselves.
• Active listening is a crucial skill in sales, and it involves resisting the urge to be helpful and keeping the spotlight on the prospect.
• Making tough decisions in sales, such as walking away from deals that may not be the right fit, can lead to long-term benefits and build trust with customers.
• Observing skills in others, such as adaptability and giving credit to others, can inspire and inform your own approach to sales.
• Starting a sales consulting business offers the freedom to work on your own terms and with the type of people and companies you align with.
• Outbound sales, including cold calling and cold emailing, is a cornerstone of B2B revenue generation and should not be dismissed or renamed. Sales is a craft and profession that requires care and expertise.
• Unique experiences and perspectives can set sales professionals apart.
• Mindset and skill sets are both crucial for sales success.
• Using reader-centric language in outreach can improve response rates.
• Earning the right to sell is essential in every stage of the sales cycle.
• Authenticity and transparency are key on LinkedIn.
• Revenue Revelry events focus on mindfulness, movement, and sales content.

Key Moments:

03:40 Selling by Being Human

06:17 Understanding the Problem

09:37 Making Tough Decisions

12:26 Observing Skills in Others

23:24 The Importance of Outbound Sales

24:13 Sales as a Craft and Unique Experience

26:05 Unique Approach to Sales Training

27:36 Mindset and Skill Sets in Sales

29:29 Reader-Centric Language in Outreach

31:04 Earning the Right to Sell

32:00 Misuse of Cold Calls

33:15 Optimizing Voicemail Strategy

34:12 Using Texting in Sales

37:15 Being Social vs. Being a Social Seller on LinkedIn

38:37 Making the Ask in Sales

41:28 Authenticity and Transparency on LinkedIn

43:21 Revenue Revelry Events

Connect with Leslie

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