sales leaders

Becoming a Trusted Advisor: Solve Problems, Not Just Sell Products

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

In B2B sales and sales leadership, problem-solving is an art that goes beyond selling a product or service. The secret to becoming a trusted advisor is addressing business problems, not just selling a product. This concept resonates with salespeople, sales managers, and small business CEOs who sell themselves or manage a team of salespeople.

Sales is not just about pushing a product or closing a deal; it’s about forging relationships, understanding businesses and their unique challenges, and offering solutions to these problems. The role of a trusted advisor is not to sell a product and become a trusted advisor, but rather to become a trusted advisor who can sell a product.

The reward for earning trusted advisor status is immeasurable. It is fantastic to receive a call from a client asking for advice on solving problems they have never discussed with you. Imagine having relationships that stand the test of time and outlast competition and challenges.

So, how does one become a trusted advisor and solve problems for clients rather than just selling them a great product? It starts with building a relationship from scratch. When starting with a prospect list or an ideal client profile, the goal is not to find anyone who will respond but to seek opportunities to build meaningful relationships.

The cornerstone of these relationships is reliability.

Are you always punctual?
Do you cancel at the last minute?
Do you forget to return phone calls?

These behaviors erode trust. On the other hand, showing up when needed, providing solutions even when they are not directly related to your product or service, and connecting clients to others who can help them are behaviors that build trust.

Becoming a trusted advisor also involves understanding and curiosity about the client’s business. Do you ask questions about how the prospective company makes and loses money, how it dealt with past challenges like the pandemic, and how it deals with current challenges like rising inflation or supply chain disruption? The aim is to understand the client’s business, challenges, and competitors and offer insights and parallels to other companies.

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The Power of Personal Branding in Enhancing Sales Productivity

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Navigating the world of sales can sometimes feel like traversing a labyrinth. Salespeople, sales managers, and CEOs alike grapple with the challenge of increasing revenue and enhancing productivity in their sales processes. To be successful, you need more than knowledge of products and services; you need to develop trust and a strong personal brand.

Business-to-business (B2B) sales involves transferring trust from ourselves to our prospects. We trust in our products and company, but convincing prospects to share that trust is the real challenge. This trust should encompass the product, the company, and perhaps most crucially, the salesperson. Remember, B2B sales could be defined as helping prospects decide in our favor within the desired timeframe.

The key to B2B sales is developing a personal brand that inspires trust in salespeople. The salesperson’s ability to convey reliability, expertise, and credibility can significantly influence how fast a prospect invests in a product or service.

Developing a strong personal brand begins with creating a presence that signals control and understanding of the business. This can be achieved by showcasing the benefits of your product or service to your customer’s business. A straightforward way to build your brand is by seeking references from your network, former employers, and customers, and showcasing these on professional platforms like LinkedIn.

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Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – The Motivation Formula: Achieving Big Wins in Sales – E116

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

In this compelling episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey dive deep into the heart of sales motivation and goal setting. They share relatable stories, actionable insights, and practical strategies for salespeople and sales leaders. Using a vivid sports analogy, Sean sets the tone for an episode packed with strategies to stay driven—even when the path isn’t clear. Whether you’re grappling with setting goals or maximizing your commission potential, this episode is a goldmine for actionable advice and personal growth.

Key Topics Discussed

The Athlete Analogy: Personal Motivation Meets Team Success (0:00)
Sean parallels a high school sprinter’s rigorous training and the dedication needed to succeed in sales.
The Importance of Personal “Why” in Sales Motivation (6:00)
Kevin and Sean explore how individual motivations—whether financial goals, family obligations, or personal growth—shape sales performance.
Breaking Down Your Sales Math to Achieve Success (10:00)
Kevin explains how to reverse-engineer your earnings goal, calculate deal requirements, and align your activities with desired outcomes.
Creating Personal Rewards for Milestone Achievements (9:00)
Sean shares a story about a salesperson’s unique approach to celebrating significant deals and how small rewards can drive consistent motivation.
The Art of Setting Goals When None Are Provided (3:30)
Kevin and Sean discuss practical steps for creating your own sales targets when your organization hasn’t assigned any.

Key Quotes

Sean O’Shaughnessey (2:00):
“What motivates you as a salesperson to do incredibly well? What are you doing to achieve your goals, and because you achieve your goals, maybe you’re inspiring someone else on your team to do the same.”
Kevin Lawson (4:29):
“If you’re not given a goal, do the math that gets you to success. It starts with understanding your economic driver and building a plan from there.”
Sean O’Shaughnessey (9:20):
“Choose something unique to reward yourself when something good happens. It’s a motivator for the day and can become the beginning of your career motivation.”

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast
Reverse-engineer your sales goals for 2024. Start by defining your desired income, break it down into weekly targets, and calculate how many deals you need to close. Then, analyze your closing rates to determine how many leads and opportunities you need to generate. Finally, track your progress weekly and adjust your strategy to stay on course.

Summary Paragraph
This episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales delivers powerful insights into staying motivated and setting actionable sales goals. Sean and Kevin expertly weave relatable analogies with proven strategies to help you master the art of self-motivation and goal achievement. Whether you’re working towards a personal milestone or aiming to inspire your team, this episode provides the tools to elevate your performance. Tune in and take control of your sales journey today!

Unlocking Sales Success: The Power of KPIs in Sales Processes

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Are your sales KPIs helping your team succeed? Many sales leaders focus solely on closed deals. This narrow view misses crucial elements of sustainable sales growth.

The journey matters more than the destination. Sales excellence follows a similar path. Your team’s daily actions and behaviors create the foundation for lasting success.

Effective sales measurement requires a comprehensive view of your team’s activities. Top performers consistently execute vital behaviors that drive results. They prospect strategically, nurture relationships, and expand their presence within existing accounts. These leading indicators paint a clearer picture of future performance than lagging metrics alone.

Your KPI framework must evolve beyond historical analysis. Forward-looking metrics help you spot opportunities and challenges before they impact revenue. What’s happening in your pipeline right now? How are your teams finding new prospects? Which accounts show growth potential?

Experience levels significantly impact appropriate performance measures. New salespeople face different challenges than seasoned veterans. A rookie might need help with fundamental sales behaviors while learning your company’s approach. They need clear operational guidance and structured metrics that reinforce proper execution.

Veteran salespeople bring established skills and proven track records. Their KPIs should emphasize continuous improvement and cultural alignment. How are they advancing their capabilities? What value do they add to the broader sales organization?

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From Micro-Manager to Leader: Fostering Growth in Your Sales Team

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Are you unknowingly sabotaging your sales team’s success? The answer might surprise you. The actual cost of micromanagement extends far beyond immediate productivity concerns.

Trust forms the bedrock of every high-performing sales organization. Yet many sales leaders unconsciously undermine this foundation through micromanagement. You’ve seen the signs – constant check-ins, questioning every decision, and hovering over your team’s shoulders. The culture you’ve worked so hard to build is slowly eroding.

Your best salespeople are leaving. Team morale is plummeting.

Let’s be clear about what constitutes micromanagement in sales. It’s not about being involved or interested in your team’s work. The real issue emerges when you start dictating every move and creating an atmosphere of constant surveillance.

Consider the cost of replacing top sales talent in today’s market. Beyond the substantial financial investment, you’re losing institutional knowledge and client relationships. Your organization can’t afford this drain on resources, and the impact reverberates throughout your entire sales ecosystem.

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Roadblocks, Detours, and Destinations: The Intricate Art of Sales Strategy

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

There’s an ongoing conversation about the importance of strategy, process, and anticipating potential challenges in B2B sales. There’s an analogy that encapsulates this perfectly – imagine you’re on a road trip. You have a destination in mind but are unfamiliar with the route. This is where tools like Waze, Google Maps, or Apple Maps come into play. They direct you to your destination and alert you about potential roadblocks, construction, traffic, or other unexpected events that might delay your journey.

This is precisely how a sales strategy should work. It’s not just about getting from point A to point B but also about understanding the complexities of the journey and preparing for potential roadblocks. For salespeople, managers, and CEOs, understanding the strategy is critical to increasing revenue and improving productivity.

Understanding that a strategy involves more than just the turns along the way is vital. It also involves how to navigate through different areas, understand the speed limit, and anticipate any warnings that might come up. Many salespeople don’t fully grasp these challenges and tend to take them as they come rather than anticipating them and planning accordingly.

Like Waze uses real-time data to adapt to changes on the road, a sales strategy should adjust to new information and circumstances. For example, if there’s construction up ahead or a detour is required, Waze will adapt and provide a new route. Similarly, salespeople should be able to adjust their strategies based on new information or unexpected challenges.

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The Right Person in the Right Seat: Unleashing Company Growth through Strategic Sales Leadership

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

A recurring issue for small companies has emerged; the company’s owner or CEO often leads the sales department. This might be because they believe no one else can sell their product or service better than they can. However, this mindset might be hampering the company’s growth potential.

If you’re a company owner or CEO who leads sales, it’s crucial to consider the risk of this approach. When the person leading the company also heads sales, the business is constrained by the amount of time that leader has. If your salespeople consistently wait for your input or response, you might face a growth opportunity and a challenge simultaneously.

The solution lies in de-risking your organization’s growth potential by getting a sales leader in the sales leadership seat separate from you. This concept resonates with the theory of constraints, a principle often applied in the manufacturing industry but equally applicable in sales. The theory of constraints focuses on identifying the factors that limit your success.

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Unlocking Growth: How TriState Fabricators Transformed Their Sales Approach

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Have you ever wondered how a well-established manufacturing company can revolutionize its sales strategy? The journey of TriState Fabricators, a premier metal fabrication shop in the Midwest, offers compelling insights into this process. In a recent interview, I sat down with Joe Vogt, President and Owner, and Jonathon Padial, VP of Sales, to discuss their transformative experience.

With his 20-year tenure at TriState, Joe Vogt recognized the need for change to scale the business. The company’s sales approach was primarily reactive, relying on RFPs and inside sales personnel. But how do you shift from this traditional model to a proactive, growth-oriented strategy?

Enter the game-changers: a fractional VP of Sales, a robust CRM system, and comprehensive sales leadership training. These tools provided the structure and visibility that TriState had been lacking. Joe Vogt hired Sean O’Shaughnessey, CEO of New Sales Expert, to come in and revamp the sales organization and install best-in-class practices. Sean entered as the VP of Sales and quickly assessed the need to understand the deals better, so he installed Pipedrive as their CRM system. He also started to train the salespeople in the needed sales skills during L10-style meetings patterned after EOS L10 management meetings. To get closer to the biggest customers, the company started to have quarterly business reviews with the biggest and most profitable customers.

Vogt praises O’Shaughnessey several times in the full interview but at one place said, “So I look at Vistage as my board of directors essentially. You were an internal board member for me. I never met anybody with more sales knowledge in my life.”

After several months, Vogt and O’Shaughnessey agreed it was time for TSF to run autonomously and without Sean’s help. After an intense interview process, they hired Jonathon Padial to be Sean’s heir apparent in sales leadership. Coming from a software background, Jonathon continued the emphasis on Pipedrive and a structured sales process. “It’s allowed us to really capture more and for my team to see what’s coming in,” Padial noted. But is technology alone enough to drive change?

The fundamental transformation came from empowering the sales team. Vogt and Padial underwent Certified Sales Leadership (CSL) training, which Padial described as his “bible” for navigating leadership challenges. This training, coupled with their involvement in Vistage and implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), created a powerful trifecta for growth.

But how do you manage such significant changes in an established company culture? Vogt stressed the importance of communication and structure. “If you give structure with the change, it really helps. And you get the people to understand why you’re changing and what the benefits are going to be,” he explained. This approach has led to a more engaged and cohesive sales team than ever before.

Looking to the future, TriState Fabricators is poised for controlled, strategic growth. With plans to incorporate AI and new manufacturing technologies, they’re positioning themselves at the forefront of the industry. But as Padial reminded us, success in manufacturing isn’t just about technology – it’s about relationships and exceptional customer service.

Are you curious to hear more about TriState Fabricators’ journey and gain insights that could transform your business? The full video interview delves into their experiences, challenges, and strategies. It’s a must-watch for any business leader looking to drive growth and embrace organizational change. Don’t miss out on these valuable insights – check out the full interview today!

Unstick Your Sales: The Importance of Understanding the Buyer’s Journey

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

It’s no secret that the dynamics between the buyer and the salesperson play a pivotal role in sealing the deal. The conversation often revolves around real sales issues, selling situations, and sales leadership.

Let’s delve into a scenario. You’re selling to a beer industry manufacturer, and their first question is about your price. This immediate focus on cost might make you think this may not be a good prospect. However, it’s crucial to remember that you can’t be disrespectful or dismissive. As salespeople, it’s our job to work with what we have.

In this situation, the salesperson has to conduct a discovery call and engage a subject matter expert to understand the prospect’s business process, adaptation, and conversion. Unfortunately, the interaction turned into a commodity exchange, with the buyer solely interested in the number of users and the price per user.

This scenario illustrates a common challenge in sales: the sales and buying processes often need to align. How your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is set up may not necessarily mirror how the buyer decides. Therefore, figuring out how to sell more effectively based on the buyer’s journey is crucial. Understanding the buyer is discussed in great detail in my book Eliminate Your Competition, which is available wherever you buy books.

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Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Beyond the Basics: Elevating Sales Training with Effective Coaching – E101

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

In this riveting episode of “Two Tall Guys Talking Sales,” hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey explore the often overlooked nuances of effective sales training and coaching. Listen in as they share their seasoned insights on transforming routine sales training into a dynamic tool for substantial growth and success in sales.

Key Topics Discussed:

The Misconception of Sales Training Returns [00:00:20] Sean questions salespeople’s low expectations regarding training, sparking a discussion on the intrinsic value of continuous professional development.
The Role of Sales Leaders in Training [00:01:00] Kevin emphasizes the critical role of sales leaders in setting the right expectations and fostering an environment conducive to growth, drawing parallels with professional sports training regimes.
Training vs. Coaching [00:07:05] The conversation pivots to the essential distinction between sales training and coaching, highlighting how each plays a unique role in a salesperson’s career.
Integration of Training into Routine [00:06:22] Kevin discusses the challenges of integrating training into the normal workflow of sales teams and the importance of practice and repetition.
The Power of Reinforcement [00:04:05] Sean underscores the necessity of reinforcing training through regular coaching, using the analogy of professional athletes to illustrate his point.

Key Quotes:

Kevin: “We practice every day for the championship game. We don’t play the championship game every day. It’s about getting that 1 percent edge.” [00:01:14]
Sean: “You forget 80 percent of what you heard after two weeks. It’s the coaching after the fact that reinforces the entire attitude and the daily behavior of what you learned in the class.” [00:03:40]

Additional Resources:

MEDDPICCC Sales Methodology – Mentioned multiple times throughout the podcast, this methodology is crucial for understanding customer dynamics and improving sales strategies. You can learn more about MEDDPICCC at https://youtu.be/RBcGmyeBp1I?si=No_0Ob1V4Wch6erI

Summary:

Join Kevin and Sean as they dissect the common pitfalls of sales training and explore effective strategies to make learning stick. They share invaluable advice on how sales leaders can profoundly influence their teams’ performance through intentional coaching and robust training frameworks. This episode is a must-listen for sales professionals eager to elevate their game and harness the full potential of their training experiences.

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast:

Reflect on your current approach to sales training and coaching. Are you actively ensuring that your team learns new concepts and applies them consistently? Consider adopting a more structured follow-up coaching plan to reinforce new skills and knowledge, enhancing the overall effectiveness of training sessions.

To understand if your company is doing a great job in sales, take this quick and easy 10-question assessment:
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