Two Tall Guys Talking Sales

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Understanding and Adapting to the Buyer’s Journey for Sales Success – Episode 33

By soshaughnessey

In this thought-provoking podcast, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey dive into the challenges salespeople face when their sales process doesn’t align with the buyer’s journey. Using the example of a beer industry manufacturer, they explore the difficulties encountered when dealing with prospects who are only interested in the price and user count and how this can lead to feeling like a commodity. This insightful discussion underscores the importance of adapting to the buyer’s journey to sell more effectively.

As the conversation continues, Sean and Kevin emphasize the need to understand the buyer’s process, from recognizing the signs of a good prospect to determining the right time to buy. They highlight the importance of asking the right questions, listening to the buyer, and identifying their current position in the evaluation process. The hosts also discuss the concept of commercial teaching, which involves meeting prospects at their level of knowledge about the industry, solution, or product.

In addition, the duo addresses the challenge of long sales cycles and the factors that contribute to them, such as not understanding where the buyer is in their journey or not setting up for success earlier in the sales process. They encourage salespeople to be self-reflective and analyze their pipelines, identifying deals that may be stuck or taking longer than expected due to a lack of alignment with the buyer’s journey.

Furthermore, Kevin and Sean touch upon the importance of knowing the buyer persona, recognizing that different people within an organization have different perspectives and needs. By understanding the type of person you’re speaking with, salespeople can connect more quickly and effectively.

The podcast concludes with a challenge for salespeople to be introspective and consider how they can better align their sales process with the buyer’s journey for improved results.

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Adapting Sales Strategies in a Changing World – Episode 32

By soshaughnessey

In this episode of the podcast, Kevin and Sean discuss the necessity for sales leaders to adapt their advice and strategies in today’s ever-changing environment. With the numerous changes and challenges that businesses face daily, sales leaders must constantly evolve and stay ahead of the curve to help their teams succeed.

The discussion touches on how being a trusted advisor to clients is crucial for success regardless of market shifts and economic turmoil. The ability to understand and professionally empathize with clients and their challenges allows salespeople to guide clients and prospects toward solutions effectively. Emphasizing the significance of leading indicators in sales activities and reframing value propositions according to clients’ perspectives is vital.

To achieve enduring success, sales leaders must instill the importance of understanding a prospect’s business, its competitors, and its market value to the sales team. This will ultimately make them trusted advisors to their clients and help them navigate the complex and ever-changing business landscape.

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – The Power of Service: How Giving Back Can Drive Sales Success featuring Jim Hardwick, Chief Community Officer of Sales Xceleration – Episode 31

By soshaughnessey

In this inspiring episode of “Two Tall Guys Talking Sales,” the hosts, Sean and Kevin, welcome Jim Hardwick, Chief Community Officer for Sales Xceleration and Fractional VP of Sales.

As a seasoned sales professional with 36 years of experience in healthcare, Jim shares his journey from climbing the corporate ladder to finding purpose and joy in his current role. He attributes his newfound happiness to a paradigm shift towards serving others, a realization sparked by a life-changing trip to Kenya, where he and his wife started a dental clinic.

Discussing the importance of servant leadership in building better sales organizations, Jim emphasizes the impact of serving clients, employees, and the community. He believes that when business owners and sales leaders focus on understanding and helping their employees achieve their goals and aspirations, the entire organization benefits. This approach creates a positive work environment that fosters employee loyalty and drives business growth.

Moreover, Jim stresses the significance of actively listening to employees, valuing their input, and being open to change. Servant leadership, according to Jim, extends beyond grand gestures; it encompasses small acts of kindness and attentiveness, creating a ripple effect that ultimately comes back to the giver tenfold.

In this engaging conversation, Jim Hardwick leaves the audience with the powerful message of giving freely without keeping score and embracing a mentality of service instead of taking. His uplifting stories and passion for serving others will surely inspire listeners to adopt a more intentional and compassionate approach in their personal and professional lives.

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – From Slump to Success: Guiding Salespeople through Tough Times – Episode 30

By soshaughnessey

In this podcast episode, Kevin and Sean discuss how to help a top-performing salesperson get through a slump and get back on track. They emphasize the importance of a time-based sales strategy and keeping an eye on the early stages of a sale, such as lead generation and relationship building. They recommend reinforcing the positive aspects of a salesperson’s work and ensuring they follow the right process to build an effective pipeline.

They also suggest an intellectually honest approach to pipeline management to evaluate the pipeline’s health and identify areas that need improvement. This involves looking at close rates and the average time taken to close deals. Moreover, they discuss setting realistic goals for salespeople, focusing on the right activities for the right prospects, and practicing delivering the right message to the target market.

They stress the importance of patience and confidence-building for salespeople in a slump, as well as celebrating successes. Lastly, they highlight the role of a sales leader in supporting their team members rather than taking over their tasks.

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Catching People Doing Things Right: Rewarding Sales Efforts and Results – Episode 29

By soshaughnessey

In this engaging podcast episode, hosts Kevin and Sean dive into the crucial topic of rewarding effort and results during sales meetings. They emphasize the importance of recognizing salespeople’s achievements through monetary rewards, acknowledgment, and praise. The hosts discuss the impact of consistent processes for catching people doing things right and sharing best practices among sales teams. They also touch upon the idea of self-reward for sales practitioners, encouraging them to celebrate their successes.

Throughout the conversation, Sean and Kevin provide actionable advice and tools for sales leaders to cultivate a positive work environment, ultimately leading to better results. They also highlight the human aspect of sales, acknowledging the challenges that salespeople face daily.

If you’re a sales leader or a sales practitioner looking for valuable insights and strategies to elevate your team’s performance, don’t miss out on this podcast. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast player to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes and learn from industry experts like Kevin and Sean. Happy listening and happy selling!

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Part 2 – Building and Scaling Successful Sales Teams: A Conversation with Tim Warren of Helium SEO – Episode 28

By soshaughnessey

In this podcast, Tim Warren, CEO of Helium-SEO, discusses his approach to handling difficult situations in a sales environment. He emphasizes the importance of coaching opportunities and scaling through challenges or problems with existing salespeople. Tim shares his approach to handling a situation where an account manager did not provide the level of service they were supposed to, causing a client to feel that the service level had dropped. He stresses the importance of being open, honest, and transparent, taking responsibility, and having a plan to fix the issue. As a CEO, Tim wants to show his team how to take ownership and responsibility for handling similar situations and eventually be able to handle them independently.

Tim emphasizes the importance of building a strong culture in a business. According to Tim, a company’s culture should be grounded in its core values, which should guide the behavior and actions of every team member. The culture should be so strong that it feels like a cult, somewhere between a business and a religion. Tim believes that a strong company culture can significantly impact business success by attracting and retaining top talent and creating an environment where everyone feels valued, motivated, and committed to achieving the company’s goals.

To maintain the company’s culture, Tim emphasizes the importance of hiring according to core values and being strict with those values when people do not live up to them. He suggests promoting and praising team members who embody the company’s core values. By doing so, it reinforces the importance of these values and helps to maintain the culture. Overall, Tim believes that building and maintaining a solid company culture is essential for business success.

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Building and Scaling Successful Sales Teams: A Conversation with Tim Warren of Helium SEO – Episode 27

By soshaughnessey

In this podcast, Kevin and Sean talk to Tim Warren, the founder, and CEO of Helium SEO. Tim talks about his background and how he got into sales. He discusses his experience building technical engineering-focused SEO and SEM campaigns for mid-size and enterprise clients. He also explains how his company has been able to drive higher ROI for its clients.

Tim shares his leadership journey as a sales leader and how he has learned that star salespeople don’t always make great coaches. He emphasizes the importance of having a sales process in place and training salespeople effectively to ensure consistency in performance. Tim also talks about the challenges of growing a sales team, such as hiring the right people and scaling the team without sacrificing quality. He reinforces why his LinkedIn profile says he is “Recruiting rockstars to build Helium to $100M. Are you ready to take your career to the next level?”

This podcast provides insights into Tim Warren’s sales journey and his approach to building and leading successful sales teams.

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Selling Yourself: The Importance of Personal Branding in Sales – A Conversation With Megan O’Hara – Episode 26

By soshaughnessey

Kevin and Sean continue to discuss the importance of staying relevant to customers and prospects.

In the first part of the podcast, Sean interviews Megan O’Hara of EasyIT about the challenges of reaching customers in the digital age, where everyone is bombarded with emails and messages. They discuss the importance of being authentic, providing value, and standing out from the competition. They also emphasize the need for salespeople to adapt to changing technology and stay up to date with new tools and platforms. They touch upon topics such as personal branding, content creation, and the role of social media in sales. Megan does this by sending out her video series called Mondays with Megan, and she goes into detail about how this helps her grow her business.

In the second part of the podcast, Kevin and Sean praise sales professional Megan for her effective approach to engaging with prospects and customers. They highlight the value of her short, actionable tips and tricks, which immediately benefit to her listeners. They also discuss the importance of constantly learning and improving, regardless of age or experience. They end the podcast by emphasizing the three things that every salesperson sells: their product, company, and themselves.

Overall, the podcast provides valuable insights and tips for sales professionals on how to stay relevant, provide value, and engage with customers in the digital age. It emphasizes the importance of authenticity, personal branding, and continuous learning and improvement. The podcast also highlights the potential impact of short, actionable content in driving customer engagement and business growth.

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Part 2 of Communicate Your Value Proposition to Win More Deals with Kelly Crandall of Sales Xceleration and Next Level Strategies – Episode 25

By soshaughnessey

Kelly Crandall returns to Two Tall Guys Talking Sales for her second episode in two weeks. Kelly is an expert in sales after working in the corporate world, running a small business, providing Fractional Sales Leadership for her customers in Florida, and now is the Visionary for Sales Xceleration.

This episode centers around building a strong value proposition and creating a sales strategy that resonates with customers. In this particular episode, the topic of discussion is the third area of the sales process and how it can help build trust with customers.

Kelly has agreed to stick around for the second episode, where she focuses on the validation needed to create trust.

A great sales strategy starts with answering the questions of why act and why act now. Then answer the question of why choose us. Then you need to validate that your product solves the problem so that you can have the conversation about trust (because #b2bsales is simply the transferring of the trust from the sales team to the prospect). The hosts and the guest emphasize the importance of covering all three areas to create a strong value proposition.

Kelly explains that proof is the key. Salespeople should be authentic, transparent, and empathetic while using data and statistics to support their claims. Testimonials, case studies, and stories help build trust with customers. The goal is to anticipate objections and provide proof in advance.

Salespeople transfer their trust in the product to the prospect. The hosts also explain that salespeople sell three things: the product, the company that makes the product, and themselves as salespeople. Building trust is an essential part of the selling process.

Validation events can be expensive for young companies. Owners should help get customer testimonials and create case studies to leverage for future sales pitches.

This podcast episode provides a comprehensive overview of creating trust and how it can help build customer revenue. Kelly emphasizes the importance of covering all three areas to create a strong value proposition. She provides practical tips on using proof to build trust and anticipate objections.

This podcast episode is a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their sales strategy and build a stronger value proposition.

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Communicate Your Value Proposition to Win More Deals with Kelly Crandall of Sales Xceleration and Next Level Strategies – E24

By soshaughnessey

Kevin and Sean have a special guest for this episode! Kelly Crandall of Sales Xceleration and Next Level Strategies.

Kelly is a sales expert who works as an advisor to help mid to small-size businesses build a path to more sales. The topic of the conversation is “The Sales Skills Required to Communicate Your Value Proposition to Win More Deals.” Kelly discusses the importance of value proposition and its broader concept, focusing on why buyers should buy from a company. She stresses the importance of customizing the value proposition to each client and the need to consider customer feedback, industry trends, and client resonance.

According to Kelly, a strong value proposition can help businesses gain customer loyalty, win more sales, and charge premium fees. However, she highlights that companies need to tailor the concept of the value proposition to each client, which requires a customized approach. The conversation also highlights that teaching salespeople how to articulate their value proposition compellingly and tangibly is critical. Therefore, businesses must shift their thought processes and create value propositions based on customer feedback, needs, and industry trends.

Kelly has a background in sales, sales leadership, and entrepreneurship, and her experience indicates that any company can learn to create a strong value proposition. However, it requires a tailored approach that considers each client’s needs and requirements. The conversation provides valuable insights for businesses and salespeople on the importance of customizing the value proposition and the benefits of having a solid value proposition.