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What An MBA Didn’t Teach You About Sales

The sales profession is challenging. You need to work hard at it to succeed. You need to learn from the best. You need to improve your skills continuously. If you think you can sell since you are a hit at parties and have a lot of friends, you may soon find that you are a failure as a salesperson. Blunt truth:

because the sales profession is so hard, you have to focus on doing everything in sales very well, or you will be considered a failure.

I call this blog, Skinned Knees because I try to relate all of the learning that I have done over the past 4+ decades (while skinning my knees in the learning process).

I hope that you learn from my mistakes so that your business will grow!

The Kaivac Impact: Harnessing Faith, Innovation, and Sales Excellence in the Cleaning Industry

Revenue and profitability have grown since Sean helped Kaivac develop a higher level of sales professionalism. Recent results have shown a dramatic increase in revenue and profitability. The sales and revenue growth have allowed the entire family of Kaivac to prosper. The Robinsons have always considered their employees an extension of their family. The company’s prosperity is passed along to team members through a bonus structure for the whole company. It all fits into the spirit of Kaivac. Bob Jr. says, “Our organization was built to have heart.”

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Breaking Growth Barriers: When Should CEOs Stop Leading Sales?– Episode 40

In this episode, Kevin and Sean break down the importance of implementing a well-structured sales team and the necessity for CEOs to delegate sales leadership. They highlight the risks of an owner-operator leading sales and how it can limit business growth. Using their experience and the wisdom of successful entrepreneurs, they provide valuable insights into creating a systematic, repeatable, and high-performance sales culture. So, if you’re an entrepreneur looking to streamline your sales process and drive your company forward, this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales is a must-listen. You won’t want to miss it!

May Newsletter Featuring Information About Fractional Executives

                                                                                                                                                                 Spring has finally arrived. The flowers are blooming. The trees are growing leaves. And, of course, it feels like it rains almost every other day!   This edition of my newsletter focuses on using fractional executives to grow your business. Jayant Chaudhary summed it up very well in his article “Why Fractional Executives Are the Best Investment For Your Business” with this final statement:   “Hiring a fractional executive is the best… May Newsletter Featuring Information About Fractional Executives

Fractional Executives Are Better Than Consultants For Driving Valuable Changes in Small Businesses

Change is inevitable, and small business owners must constantly adapt to stay ahead of their competition. While traditional consultants may offer valuable insights and recommendations, they often lack the hands-on commitment to implement these changes effectively. A consultant will write a report and presentation to advise management of required changes and then count on management to deploy the advice effectively. More than a report or playbook is usually needed to drive tangible results.

Enter the concept of a fractional executive. This innovative solution provides small businesses the strategic guidance and support they need to grow and evolve. In this blog post, we’ll explore the role of a fractional executive, discuss their benefits, and share tips for finding the right fit for your business.

A fractional executive is a seasoned professional who offers expertise and leadership on a part-time or project basis. These individuals often have extensive experience in their respective fields and can fill critical gaps in a company’s leadership team. From acting as a temporary CEO to guiding sales or financial strategies, fractional executives provide services tailored to your business’s unique needs.

The critical difference between a fractional executive and a traditional consultant lies in their level of commitment. While consultants often deliver a one-time report or set of recommendations, fractional executives are actively involved in the day-to-day operations of your business. They work closely with your team to implement changes, monitor progress, and adjust strategies as needed, ensuring that your business thrives in the long term.

Consultants can create beautiful reports using modern tools like Chat GPT. While a report generated by Chat GPT can provide valuable insights and recommendations for a business, it is crucial to recognize that such a report alone is insufficient to drive meaningful changes. To successfully implement and manage the recommended changes, businesses require a more hands-on and personalized approach that addresses their unique challenges and opportunities. A report can serve as an excellent starting point, but companies must invest in dedicated human expertise to ensure that the proposed changes are effectively integrated into their operations.

A Chat GPT report may be insufficient for driving change because it cannot fully account for the intricacies and nuances of each business. While AI-generated reports can be well-researched and informative, they may need a more profound understanding of company culture, team dynamics, and specific market conditions necessary to develop tailored strategies. On the other hand, a human expert can work closely with stakeholders, employees, and customers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the business’s unique needs and challenges, allowing them to develop and implement more effective change initiatives.

Additionally, change management requires ongoing support and guidance, which a Chat GPT report or an absentee consultant cannot provide. Implementing changes often involves overcoming obstacles, refining strategies, and addressing unforeseen issues that arise during the process. A human expert, such as a fractional executive, can provide the necessary support and adaptability to navigate these challenges and ensure the success of the change initiatives. By working closely with the business daily, they can monitor progress, identify areas for improvement, and make real-time adjustments to keep the change process on track.

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

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

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

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

March Madness Teaches Us Great Coaching Techniques

March Madness teaches us great coaching techniques Posts Subscribe March Madness teaches us great coaching techniques Published: Tue, 03/14/23 I hope that you enjoy my latest newsletter View the online version of this email. It is time for March Madness! I hope that your favorite team wins. In addition to doing a bracket pick, you may want to consider supporting a charity. Two of my adult children do a squares-based (i.e., total luck – no… March Madness Teaches Us Great Coaching Techniques

95% of Small Business Say They are Below Average or Worse in Their Sales Performance

We are almost done tabulating the results for the grading of small businesses. Every year, Sales Xceleration asks the CEOs and owners of small businesses to grade themselves on how well their company is running its sales operations. Like last year, 95% of all companies couldn’t get to the “average” level of execution. But 2022 was worse than last year since more companies graded themselves as “Poor” rather than just “Below Average.”  It is okay… 95% of Small Business Say They are Below Average or Worse in Their Sales Performance

CEO Insight podcast: Sean O’Shaughnessey, CEO of New Sales Expert, LLC

The following is a transcript of the podcast video above. It has been sparsely edited to increase its readability, but many of the idioms and poor spoken grammar have been left in place. The transcription was automatically generated by Sonix.ai and, as capable as that product is, there are times when words are missed, or sentence structure was incorrectly interpreted. We have tried to catch all of these software misses, but we are confident that some still remain. The below text is provided for those that would rather read than watch a video.

Earl Ameen: [00:00:00] This is Earl Ameen, with a 20/20 Foresight podcast, where CEOs of small-to-global companies share their insights. It is six questions in nine minutes because top CEOs know how to listen and be concise. So let’s get to it. First of all, welcome. Tell us who you are and what you do in just a few sentences.

Sean O’Shaughnessey: [00:00:22] My name is Sean O’Shaughnessey. Thank you very much for having me on your program. I am a Fractional Vice President of Sales. My company goes into other companies, and we run the sales department for those other companies. We help them grow, we help them accelerate their revenue, and we help them create a process that makes predictable revenue possible.

Earl Ameen: [00:00:45] Outstanding. Well, tell me, Sean, what’s the best thing about being the CEO of your company?

Sean O’Shaughnessey: [00:00:51] So for me, the best thing about being the CEO is actually not just being a CEO, but actually giving back and allowing myself to help other companies. So, I am in the service industry. As I said, I’m a Fractional VP of sales. I like having the ability to take a company that is struggling to make its revenue targets and help them achieve those revenue targets. I can help them become a prosperous, sales-oriented culture. So, I love doing that for other companies and doing it for multiple companies at the same time.

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