The Sales Evangelist: Sales Training|Speaking|Business Marketing|Donald Kelly

We know you want to set more appointments. You’ve got this - this is a skill just like any other, and you can learn how to do it. It’ll take some practice and a little bit of creativity, so there’s no better time to start. In the previous episode, Donald Kelly took you through two parts of his four-part strategy. If you haven’t heard that episode yet, it really sets the stage for this one, so go back and check it out first. Then meet us back here so you can learn to start the conversations that will lead to appointments. Set the Stage for a Dialogue - How Donald Uses the Strategy After making a list and choosing someone to reach out to, reach out with a personal touch so you can to build a connection Find the engagement path: Look for places you can connect - LinkedIn or Instagram are examples. Comment on a post asking a question, send them a video response, etc. You can mention the topic you connected over when you reach out by email, as long as it’s relevant! This can increase your reply rates It

Whether you’re a brand new BDR or you’ve been in sales for a while, we know you care about bringing your best in your professional life. If you didn’t want to improve, you wouldn’t be here, right? Today is your lucky day - on this episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald Kelly is going to share the strategy he has developed to help you get more appointments booked than ever before. This is a 4-part strategy, and in this episode, Donald will take you in-depth into two of the parts to help you get started. Part 1 - Relevance Analyze your ICP - Trigger #1 Donald looks for is a business leader who is new to the role - these people are likely to want to make changes Trigger #2 is whether the target has been active on LinkedIn in the last 90 days Cold e-mails fail if the salesperson doesn’t understand the person/business they’re emailing if they do not present a point of reference, and if the e-mail isn’t relevant Find a focused list of people you can reach out to - people who will be interested in what y

Sometimes the most interesting conversations are between experts on parallel paths sharing their journeys and noticing what their paths have in common. This conversation between Donald Kelly and Derrick Williams (Founder and Principal of 3Link Consulting) is an example of just that - they both have a keen sense of sales trends that has been honed over years of work in the industry. Williams is as knowledgeable as they come, but like Donald, he’s always learning more from the best and most educated voices in sales today. They discuss Williams’ new project, The Sales Consultant Podcast, and cover some of the salient pieces of information that have started to reveal themselves as important as Williams has been going through his first round of interviews. Whether you’re new in the field or have years of experience, check out the new podcast, and become a fly on the wall in a conversation between leaders in the field.   A Throughline: Focus on the Fundamentals Communicating Value - Know how to open calls, a

In this episode, Donald meets with Jerrod Best-Mitchell, a passionate seller who has dialed in using video to make connections online. Best-Mitchell is a master of his craft - he has sent 6000 personal videos on LinkedIn so far and has gained so much knowledge in the process. Listen in so you can learn how to up your personalized video game so you can generate leads, and build connections and community. Why use video? Videos are the quickest way to build relationships and trust with strangers. Letting someone get to know you is what begins building community. And community is the direction sales are moving in 2023 and 2024. Personalized videos may take a bit longer, but if you can isolate a few people to reach out to with short, engaging videos, it can increase your response rates and make you more efficient as a seller. But all videos are not created equal - Best-Mitchell has great tips to make your videos count. In sales, and especially when you’re starting as a BDR or SDR, the way to be successful is to s

If you are ready to take control of your own destiny, get ready to hear the conversation with someone who has done exactly that. In this episode, Donald meets with Michael Schill, a former athlete who learned his skills in sales from NYT Bestselling Author and Real Estate mogul, Grant Cardone. Schill is now the founder of his own organization, Full Circle Agency. Listen in as he discusses how he got to where he is today, the lessons he has learned, and how he makes sure he will achieve his goals for the future. Schill’s Background He played football for Florida State University, where he learned the discipline it takes to improve - if you don’t show up and train, you don’t win. Academics were also a huge focus for him - Schill graduated with a BA in Exercise Science from FSU. He received a world class education working with Grant Cardone, training extensively in sales and learning how to solve the problem every product faces: building awareness. A Few of Schill’s Core Tips for Success Have a schedule. The

Confidence is key in life, but ESPECIALLY in sales. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, our host Donald Kelly meets with Wesleyne Whittaker-Greer to discuss different ways you can increase your confidence as a seller. Strategies For Building Your Confidence Talk to yourself like you’re your own best friend. Practice selling. Be open to constructive criticism. If you want to connect with Wesleyne or learn more about building confidence, you can connect with her on her LinkedIn. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and al

Tech sales can be one of the most daunting sales industries to work in, but this doesn’t mean finding success is impossible. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, our host Donald Kelly interviews Shirelle Francis to talk about her success in tech. How Shirelle Overcame Challenges The first challenge that Shirelle faced was finding a mentor. She looked for a black female mentor who had previously found success in sales and studied AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE from this mentor. The second challenge that Shirelle faced was finding proper training. This ties into finding a mentor. As Shirelle looked for a mentor, she also sought out useful training for sales and not only mentored someone but studied the craft of sales. The third challenge Shirelle faced was getting access to capital. She overcame this by searching for a sponsor and actively seeking training and someone to teach her. You can connect with Shirelle on her LinkedIn or check out her website at www.ileapgroup.com. You can talk to Donald and drop

Being successful is EVERYONE’s goal in life. So how can sellers achieve this success? In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, our host Donald Kelly goes over how sellers can reach the success they’re aiming for. 5 Keys For Achieving Success You have to clearly define what success actually IS for you personally. You have to help people solve their problems. You have to know where you can improve. You have to continually improve yourself and work towards perfecting your craft. You have to do a self-evaluation. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and other sellers looking to improve their craft. This episode is brought to you in part by Scratchpad. Scratchpad is the first Revenue Team Workspace specifically designed to adapt to each salesperson’s workflow, so you don’t have to change your habits. Get Scratchpad free at Scratchpad.com. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we v

Now that 2023 is here, EVERYONE is a seller! In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Ted Blosser to talk more about selling in this upcoming year. The Importance of Momentum Momentum is KEY in business, whether you’re a seller or not. Think about it: If you’re some start up company, you have to generate momentum to build your business. If you’re a seller, you have to generate momentum for your sales. Momentum is key. This is DOUBLY true with the current economic situation. As business slows and profits wane, sellers and businesses have to be ready to REBUILD that momentum to come back even stronger as the economy recovers. Generating momentum is important, yes, but how do you actually build this momentum? Through SELLERS. Blosser gives the example of Tesla in its early years: Elon Musk made EVERYONE act as a seller when the company nearly went under. Being able to sell is critical in the generation of momentum, Three Key Points For Sellers Blosser has also identified 3

Continually generating leads and beginning the sales cycle with qualified leads is the CORE of any seller’s career or B2B business. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with John Butler to discuss three principles you can adopt for a consistent pipeline. Intangible Traits Athletes and Sellers Have Both elite athletes and champion sellers are goal oriented. They have a passion for excellence. They practice their craft with intention. What Elite Sellers Are Doing They conduct DEEP account research. They follow up in unique, creative, and personalized ways. They maintain and FOLLOW strong and stringent sales processes. “Top sellers provide personalized AND relevant content to buyers - John Butler”. If you want to connect with Butler, you can check out his website at www.shiftgroup.io or connect with him on LinkedIn. You can talk to Donald and drop him a message on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram at donaldckelly. You can also join TSE’s space on Circle to talk to Donald and

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Hendrik Isebaert to talk about ending sales activities, and how it can help you MAXIMIZE your selling potential and profit. The Issue With Numbers According to LinkedIn, during the pandemic, the percentage of emails that sellers sent out increased by 50%. Despite this rapid increase though, buyer responses went DOWN by 30%   Both the market AND buyers have changed over the past few years. As a seller, you HAVE to adapt to these changes to remain relevant and proficient.   In the modern day, whenever buyers are polled on their opinions of sellers: The MAJORITY of the time, buyers don’t think sellers give them any value. Combating These Trends There are a few different methods Isebaert suggests to stay relevant in today’s changing sales landscape.   The first method is: Having a platform that delivers buyers relevant content. By the time a seller and buyer first meet, the buyer has already done 60 PERCENT of their process thro

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Tom Kulzer to talk about how you can send optimal emails that will see results. Understanding Emails Over the years, Google’s spam filter has slowly increased. Kulzer says that Google’s filter has gotten better at figuring out what people WANT and what they DON’T want. Whatever isn’t wanted will go to spam. If your emails are going to spam, then it means that Google’s determined something in your email is what people AREN’T wanting. To avoid getting sent to spam, then you have to send emails with things people will want to see, at least according to Google. Setting Expectations One tool you can use to avoid your emails being marked as spam is by setting expectations. The example that Kulzer gives is How many emails your recipient is expecting. If someone signs up for your newsletter and is expecting an email once a month, but starts receiving daily emails, they’ll likely start putting your emails down as spam. Set expectations for

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our show host Donald Kelly meets with Roger Smith to talk about why you should establish a sales belief system, as well as how to actually establish one. The Importance of a Sales Belief System When Smith first started as a sales rep for his company, whenever he was closing the deal, he would VISIBLY shake. It got to the point where he believed the buyer thought he was having some sort of seizure. He knew that if he wanted to combat this and improve as a seller, he was going to have to work hard. VERY hard. Smith learned early on that, without a belief system, sellers would start running into issues. Specifically, doubt would start to form. As doubt continued to grow in the seller's mind, the likelihood of successfully making the sale would decrease. Without a belief system in place, sellers start to doubt themselves. The Four Foundations of a Belief System Once Smith knew just how CRITICAL a belief system is, he then identified four critical things that make up

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Evan Powell to discuss how you sell products the same way your buyers are looking to buy. Who is Evan Powell? Powell originally started as a sales rep, but went on to help cofound Reprise, a software company focused on developing demos for software. The company’s website is www.reprise.com WHY sell the way your buyers are looking to buy? There’s been a shift in HOW buyers are actually buying in this new year. Powell started selling in the early 2010s, and in his experience, buyers wanted to learn what they didn’t already know. Buyers wanted their hands held, instead of doing the research on their own. In TODAY’S environment, however, things aren’t like that. Buyers are jaded and have developed a buying process that THEY want to use. Remaining relevant and actually adjusting to this shift is KEY in selling and not becoming an anachronism. Here’s a figure to keep in mind: 77% of buyers say their last B2B buy was TOO difficult. How

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Joe Khoei to talk about how YOU can maximize your chances of selling when meeting with senior executives. Why do senior executives WANT to talk to salespeople? There are two reasons why senior executives want to talk to you as a salesperson. The first reason is: You have something to tell the senior executive that they DON’T already know. The second reason is: You have something to tell the senior executive that their team is UNABLE to do. If you want to talk to a senior executive, you HAVE to have either or both of these traits. Giving the senior executive something valuable: One tip that Khoei suggests is using case studies. According to LinkedIn, although email outreach has gone up 50%, email replies have actually gone down a WHOPPING 30%. You HAVE to make yourself stand out. How can you do this? Utilize a case study, then apply it to the senior executive’s business or personal life. Don’t just bombard the senior exec with gene

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Ashley Winston to discuss how you as a seller can MAXIMIZE your earnings this year. The problem with untapped potential: Most of us have absolutely INSANE potential that’s just begging to be tapped into. The issue is, we simply never fully tap into it. In the sales world, this means sales and earnings left on the table. Fear is perhaps the BIGGEST hurdle to fully realizing your potential. Most sellers, and people in general, prefer to stay in their comfort zones. Why go out and face danger, when you could simply remain safe? The problem is, you’ll only grow when exposed to danger. Without stress, there is no adaptation. Another hurdle people face is their atmosphere. If you’re wanting to become a better seller, you have to SURROUND yourself with an environment conclusive to that. Surround yourself with great sellers, go to areas where you can learn about the process. Create an environment or find one that relates to your goals. How

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Mohannad Ghannoum to discuss the importance of changing your perspective, to become an even more effective seller. Mohannad’s Observations: Mohannad enjoys philosophy. He once listened to a philosopher discussing passion and purpose, and how to find it. According to this philosopher, there can be two reasons you’re not passionate about what you do: A.) You already have it or B.) You don’t know yourself well enough. Prior to this, Mohannad had worked for three years in sales but never found much success. He decided to dedicate himself FULLY to sales to determine whether or not it was something he was TRULY passionate about. What did Mohannad do? To discover his passion, Mohannad began to OBSESSIVELY study and take in every single thing he could about his career. He would read books, listen to podcasts, talk to seasoned sellers, etc., anything he could do to learn more. The idea behind this is simple: Mohannad was trying to get RESU

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Chris Beall to talk about the MOST important objection you’ll face as a seller and why sellers often can’t overcome it. Who is Chris Beall? Chris is the CEO of the software company ConnectAndSell and offers one INSANELY valuable tool to sellers: The ability to talk to as MANY people as you want at the push of a button. Throughout his career, however, he’s encountered one trend. The Number One Objection Sellers Face: In the COUNTLESS sales reps that Chris has worked with, the most common objection they face, and the hardest to overcome, is a simple phrase. That phrase is “I’m all set.”. What triggers this objection? Most people think that cold calls are mostly marketing. Marketing gets TOO involved within the process of the cold call, and going into a cold call with a marketing mindset is deadly. One of the most FREQUENTLY used tactics in marketing is establishing a niche. Define your niche or area of expertise and then do somethin

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly meets with Trent Anderson to discuss a unique strategy you, as a sales leader, could start utilizing to help your sales team. So what exactly is the first, last, best, worst strategy? Trent comes from a storytelling and sales background, and he noticed a theme with storytelling that he used to develop the first, last, best, worst strategy. The premise is simple: Make a chart with four columns. The first column will be labeled first, the second last, the third best, and the fourth worst.  In the rows, meanwhile, put in some of the activities you, as a seller, have to do. Trent uses the examples of cold calls, cold emails, sales won, and sales lost. After you have your chart made, you begin to fill it in. In the example Trent gives, you start out by listing what the first cold call you EVER made was and filling it in. Then the last cold call and email you made, and so on. The MAIN focus of this strategy, however, is the best and worst columns. H

In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, our host Donald Kelly goes over some lessons he’s learned about planning throughout 2022, and how YOU can use those lessons to build a pipeline and convert sales to boost your profits. Sellers losing focus and not planning: Too often, sellers get lost in the MYRIAD of different tools, techniques, strategies, and ideas they utilize. All of these are important, yes, but they’re only tools. They shouldn’t be a seller’s main focus. The first lesson: Utilize a focus word. With 2023 coming up, look back on your strengths and weaknesses throughout 2022. What single word can sum up all of your shortcomings? Throughout the year, focus on that word and act on it. This maintains focus AND helps you better yourself as a seller. The second lesson: Take feedback into consideration. When you’re prospecting and looking for new clients or building relationships, FOCUS on the ones that are producing results. If a buyer pays well, focus on that buyer! Keep those consistent earnin