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”Unless you are the lead dog, your view never changes.” On the Sales Lead Dog podcast, CRM technology and sales process expert Christopher Smith talks with exceptional sales leaders that have separated themselves from the rest and achieved a sales leadership role in their organization. Hear what they did to become the alpha, lead their pack, and how they leverage CRM technology to drive sales for their organization. If your goal is to rise higher in your sales career or you currently are the alpha, this podcast gives you useful insight on how the best-of-the-best achieve success with their team and CRM technology.
Episodes
Thursday Jan 28, 2021
Thursday Jan 28, 2021
Can a dentist have a fanbase? What about an insurance company? Yes, says David Meerman Scott, marketing & business growth speaker and author of the WSJ bestseller FANOCRACY. In this episode of Sales Lead Dog, host Chris Smith talks to David about his new book, and the idea that really meaningful marketing and selling happens when we turn our customers into our biggest fans.
David has written over twelve books, four of which have been international best-sellers. In FANOCRACY, David explains how growing a fanbase is contrary to many of our widely held beliefs about selling -- it’s about being a community builder, not the stereotypical “hunter.” But though it takes a leap of faith, it really works. “We found examples in all kinds of different marketplaces of people who have been able to build fans,” David explains -- from the success of a skateboarding dentist to Duracell’s 10-million battery giveaway.
At the end of the day, it’s hard to argue with this compelling strategy, which flips selling and marketing on its head. But it’s actually pretty simple; as David says: “If you bring passion to what you do, that passion is infectious.”
Quotes:
- “All humans, you and me and everybody who’s watching and listening to this, is hard-wired in our brains to be part of a tribe of like-minded people.” (11:11-11:26)
- “If you bring passion to what you do, that passion is infectious, and people are more likely to want to do business with you.” (29:33-29:41)
Links:
https://www.fanocracy.com
https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmeermanscott/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/freshspot-marketing/about/
Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing
Monday Jan 25, 2021
Monday Jan 25, 2021
What role should marketing play the sales cycle? “Every role,” says David "Rev" Ciancio, Head of Revenue Marketing at Branded Strategic Marketing. Rev and host Chris Smith take a new approach this week and look at sales leadership from a marketing perspective, exploring how marketing and sales can work together to acquire and retain customers.
Rev realized sales wasn’t his calling early in his career. He wasn’t a bad salesman, but much preferred coaching other members of his team and looking at the big picture. He used his experience in sales to jump into marketing strategy, and has been working to integrate the marketing and sales departments in every company he’s worked for since.
Rev offers actionable steps to build a strong relationship between marketing and sales teams, with a focus on every step in the process from lead generation to customer retention. From co-writing sales sequences to encouraging sales teams to guide marketing content, Rev has solutions that you can implement tomorrow to get great results.
Quotes:
- “I’m a believer in understanding the customer journey and aligning all of your efforts towards that” (11:06-11:18)
- “Any department that touches revenue... should have a dotted or even a direct line to marketing” (18:27-18:35)
Links:
https://www.brandedstrategic.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/branded-strategic/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/revciancio/
Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
“Yeses are great. Nos are great. Maybes will kill you,” says Skip Miller, Founder and President of M3 Learning, a sales management training and coaching program that helps start-ups build their sales process to meet sales goals. Skip shares his philosophy on sales training -- which revolves around data, forecasting, and good use of CRM. His number one takeaway? If you want to optimize your time, you need to know how engaged your customer is -- and the best way to do that is to stay in control, and ask them to give as much as they get.
Skip and Chris talk about common CRM pitfalls, the tools you can use to measure customer engagement, and all the reasons your sales managers should be jumping in long before your deals are ready to close. If you’re looking for an inspiring and unique sales philosophy to shake up your team, tune into this episode!
Quotes:
- “I am on a mission to destroy the term ‘decision-maker.’” (6:02-6:05)
- “Yeses are great. Nos are great. Maybes will kill you.” (12:06-12:10)
Links:
www.m3learning.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/m3-learning/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/skip-miller-a7243/
Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing
Monday Jan 18, 2021
Monday Jan 18, 2021
A sales leader is also an educator according to Chris Palmisano, Founding Chief Operating Officer / Chief Revenue Officer at Rocket Dog, a financial services startup specializing in alternative investments. He talks with host Christopher Smith about the role that learning plays in every element of the sales industry, from hiring to advancement to using CRM.
For Chris Palmisano, a passion for learning is what differentiates a bad sales rep from a good one, and it’s also an indicator that someone will be a great sales leader. When he’s hiring, he looks for people who have been successful at something, because it shows that they have a hunger for learning, and the follow-through to make it happen. And he also builds learning into his own work, every single day. For example, he always hires two people at once, so if it doesn’t work out he can determine whether they don’t have the right skill set for the job, or whether he needs to improve as an educator and leader.
Take a close look at sales with a focus on training -- and learn from a top performer in the startup world -- in this episode of Sales Lead Dog!
Quotes
- “Believe it or not, things like ‘what’s the forecast look like,’ get discussed in the boardroom.” (22:35-22:42)
- “As sales professionals we can either evolve, or we can die, and there isn’t really an in between anymore.” (26:32-26:40)
Links:
www.rocketmortgage.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocketdollar/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmpalmisano/
Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing
Monday Jan 11, 2021
Monday Jan 11, 2021
What does it take to succeed? If you ask Andrew Ettinger, Chief Revenue Officer at Astronomer, the answer is hustle and curiosity. As a leader in open source and data-focused startups, Andrew stands by his belief that working hard and learning everything you can about your industry can take you as far as you want to go.
Learning was the real driver behind Andrew’s conversation with host Chris Smith, as they dive into Andrew’s career story and how he found himself at Astronomer. When he took the job with his boss and mentor Joe Otto, Andrew knew almost nothing about data pipelines. But Joe was confident he was the right person for the job, and Andrew was passionate about learning. Ten years later, Andrew has taken a lead role in this rapidly growing company, and has become an expert not only in the industry, but in sales and executive leadership.
Andrew and Chris talk about tracking losses in CRM, giving your team room to fail, and what it really means to hustle. At the end of the day, Chris’s definition of working hard is all about customer satisfaction - if the customer is happy, he knows he’s done his job right.
Quotes:
- “Are you willing to go the extra mile to make sure your customer gets what they need?” (19:16-19:22)
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewettinger23/
Empellor CRM Website
https://www.empellorcrm.com
Empellor CRM LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/empellorcrm
Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing
https://meetfireside.com/podcast-production-service/
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Does 50/50 ad revenue sharing on social media sound impossible? For Chris Emme, Chief Revenue Officer at Tsu, Inc., it’s the norm. Chris Emme talks with host Christopher Smith about Tsu, a new startup that’s helping content creators get the most out of social media, with a platform that reflects the symbiotic relationship between social media platforms and their most influential users.
When social media started, we were just trying to connect the world. Then we thought about how we could use it to maximize distribution of things like news, media, products, and services. But according to Chris Emme, Social Media 3.0 is all about commercializing content creation - and developing a more democratic model for platforms to share revenue with their creators. It’s all about using social media effectively - and that starts from the top down.
Chris shares important lessons he’s learned about resilience, mentorship, and leadership in sales. His primary takeaway? Make it personal, make it real, and meet people where they’re at. If you can take a personal approach and walk in your customer’s shoes, you are already ten steps closer to success than most of your competitors.
Quotes:
- “We face no all the time” (11:33-11:36)
- “Persistence breaks down resistance” (12:42-12:45)
Links:
https://www.tsusocial.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cemme/
Empellor CRM Website
https://www.empellorcrm.com
Empellor CRM LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/empellorcrm
Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing
https://meetfireside.com/podcast-production-service/
Monday Dec 28, 2020
Monday Dec 28, 2020
“You always go into a situation to learn,” says Kevin Armstrong, Global Enterprise Strategy Leader at ENAVATE. He talks with host Chris Smith about his passion for sales leadership, and how he cultivates an atmosphere of learning, growing, and striving for success.
What are the lessons Kevin tries to impart on his team? You have to want to learn, and you have to go all in to succeed. But despite his passion for going all in, he knows that the key to sales success is being efficient with your time -- and sometimes that means saying no to opportunities that just aren’t right for you or your company. As he tells Chris, there are two winners in every sale: the one who wins and the first one out.
Tune in to hear more of Kevin’s surprising lessons on sales, sales leadership, and how to balance intuitive selling with CRM.
Quotes:
- “You always go into a situation to learn” (3:18-3:21)
- “Ask the person, what is it both personally and professionally that drives you?” (21:49-21:54)
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/armstrongkevin/
Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing
Monday Dec 21, 2020
Monday Dec 21, 2020
If you do B2B sales, you need to evaluate Sales Navigator, says Jacob Cynamon-Murphy, Account Strategist for Microsoft Relationship Sales. As the bridge between the LinkedIn and Microsoft sales teams, Jacob is a huge advocate for LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a tool that can help you expand your network, collaborate across departments, and leverage the power of LinkedIn for your sales team.
Jacob has worn many hats in his career -- he has been an end-user, a developer, a consultant, and a seller of CRM solutions. Jacob loves his current role at LinkedIn not only because of the vibrant company culture, but because his position is all about helping sellers better themselves - both within LinkedIn and Microsoft, and as clients using Sales Navigator to expand their reach.
Jacob shares a number of exciting features of Sales Navigator, and explains how Sales Navigator can help your team collaborate, cross-sell, enter and use data more efficiently, and utilize connections across your organization -- even outside the sales department. He also shares words of advice on how to best implement Sales Navigator in your organization. His #1 tip? Start small, go slow, and be agile. The more you can analyze use and make micro-adjustments to learn best practices, the more successful you’ll be.
Quotes:
- “Really, the focus there is on ways to improve the productivity of the sales person by putting the data in the right place.” (19:39-19:50)
-
- “Some of the biggest challenges [with CRM] are… assuming a change in technology is going to solve a problem that is not a technology problem.” (32:35-32:47)
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobcynamon/
Find leads and close deals | LinkedIn Sales Solutions : https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions
Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Monday Dec 14, 2020
“Feel the fear and do it anyway,” says Michelle Accardi, President & Chief Revenue Officer at Star2Star Communications. Michelle, who has worked in half a dozen different roles in her long career at Star2Star, prides herself on being agile, and says that agility is one of the most valuable skills for aspiring sales professionals and leaders today.
And serving as President and CRO of Star2Star is no small feat. The company has a startling 99.4% customer retention rate, has been featured on the Forbes Most Promising Companies List, and was named on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 five times in the last six years.
What is the secret to Michelle and Star2Star’s success? The short answer is empathy. Michelle talks with host Chris Smith about a car accident that changed the course of her life in her late 20s, and made her realize that people have lives and challenges beyond their jobs -- and that being attuned to those challenges can help her make a difference in and outside work. For Michelle, active listening is the foundation of successful sales -- and she wishes that universities took the time to teach subjects like ethical sales to aspiring business professionals.
What advice does Michelle have for those starting out in sales careers? Even if you can’t get your foot in the door right away, volunteer to go on sales calls to get a sense of what it’s like to work in that role. Cultivate resilience and perseverance, and be willing to say yes - even if something is new and unfamiliar. If you can work through your own fear, you’ve already won at least half the battle.
Quotes:
- “Feel the fear and do it anyways.” (5:59-6:02)
- So much of sales is just active listening (8:46-8:50)
- “Just being open to things is how I make success happen. I don’t say no often, and when I do it’s generally: ‘No, but…’” (23:33-23:46)
Links:
https://www.star2star.com/partners/become-a-star2star-partner
https://www.star2star.com/demo
Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing
Monday Dec 07, 2020
Monday Dec 07, 2020
“Find a mentor. Smash your quota!” says Jake Green, Enterprise Account Executive at BrieBug. Green has over ten years of business development experience in the software and consulting industries, selling to start-ups and enterprise level organizations alike. His experience as a business development manager has shaped his sales methodology and approach to leadership. In this episode of Sales Lead Dog, host Chris Smith talks to Green about what it means to be a good sales leader, and how his background in technology has shaped his perspective on customer relationship management (CRMs).
Green is currently working with Briebug, software development experts who support Fortune 1000 companies with software implementation and management. When asked why he chose to move to Briebug, Green was clear: it’s all about culture. Briebug stands behind their products and guarantees success – and on top of that, they make culture a vital part of their hiring process. As a sales manager, Green knows that you can only make a difference in an organization if you can find a place for yourself within that culture. “Success with a team is just building a great culture,” says Green. Sharing the values and mission of your organization is essential for leadership and sales success.
As a former tech expert with experience in coding and development, Green has a lot to say on CRMs – particularly about finding a CRM that works with your sales team. As someone who has crossed boundaries from technology to sales to business development and consulting, Green is an expert on what it means to find software that supports your team, not just something that adds another step in the process.
What leadership and sales tips does Green have to share with the audience? Set goals for the day that are aligned with new opportunities, and be ready to interrogate how you do and do not meet those goals every week. Green is all about celebrating both success and failures – for him, failure is just another opportunity to learn something new.
Quotes:
- “Success with a team is just building a great culture.” 10:40-10:43
- “Sometimes the best players don’t make the best coaches” 14:12-14:15
- “Being able to share in success but being part of a team that’s really working and cohesive – I think being able to share in your failures and learn from them is important as well.” 18:40-18:51
Links:
https://briebug.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakecgreen/
Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing