B2B EQ

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Welcome to B2B EQ. Join host Tim Harris as he interviews sales leaders to learn about the soft skills that have made them successful. Listen as he embarks on a mission to help you become 1% better, how to build stronger rapport, and trends in customer interaction.

11/03/2023

How to Sell Virtually - Susie Mathieson & Keith Rozelle - B2B EQ - Episode # 34

Selling virtually is hard, but today’s guests literally wrote the book on how to do it. We have a special double feature episode this week with the co-authors of “How to sell virtually.” Our guests this week are none other than Sales Trainer & Coach at The Small Stuff - Susie Mathieson, and Sales Director at Sales Marvel - Keith Rozelle! Keith and Susie join Host Tim Harris for an insight packed conversation that will help sellers of any level sell better virtually. The trio explores the best ways to curate your video appearance, actionable tips for getting and keeping your prospect’s attention, and the process of co-writing their book. Takeaways: In in-person meetings, attention slowly builds, but in virtual meetings, attention spans are lost after 3 minutes. To keep people engaged you need to change what you do every 3 minutes. Sharing your screen or involving others in the conversation are potent tips. To build stronger connections over virtual meetings, work on looking the other person “in the eye”. While staring directly into your webcam may feel awkward at first, it is a small adjustment that will make your prospects feel more comfortable. The way you arrange your webcam plays a large role in how you are perceived. Frame your camera so you take up about a third of the frame with the camera positioned level with your face. Go the extra step by adding in personal elements to your background. Knowing your information is important, but you also need to make sure your prospects are ready to receive that information. Starting with small talk or asking for someone's opinion are good ways to prep your prospect to receive the rest of your pitch. It can be hard to have a virtual conference with someone who doesn’t want to have their camera on. Extenuating circumstances withstanding, telling someone “I can hear you but can’t see you yet” is a polite way to prompt them to turn their camera on. If you’re worried that people are multitasking during your presentation, the best way to involve them is ask them questions. Rather than put them on the spot at the end of your section, let them know that you’d like their opinion on a section before you start it. While technical issues can be frustrating, they don’t need to be the end of your presentation. If internet issues arise, turning off your video to save bandwidth will allow you to get the information across while still being understandable. Quote of the Show: “Sales is not a dirty word. Sales is an honorable profession and the people who do it right are those that want to help somebody else make a decision.” - Susie MathiesonLinks: Susie Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusieMathiesonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susiemathieson/Website: https://thesmallstuff.de/en/salestraining-coach/Book Link: https://bookboon.com/en/how-to-sell-virtually-ebookKeith Twitter: https://twitter.com/sales_marvelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithrozelleb2bsales/Website: https://www.salesmarvel.co.uk/Book Link: https://bookboon.com/en/how-to-sell-virtually-ebookWays to Tune In: Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquYGoogle Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M

47 min
10/27/2023

Keeping Your Team Close To Clients - Linda Marcum - B2B EQ - Episode # 33

Not giving your new sales reps any goals for their first year may seem like a mistake, but it’s the secret to this brand's success. Our guest this week is a skilled manager who works to enable her team for success, and help them hit their targets. Please welcome to the show, Senior Vice President - Director of Sales Enablement at BOK Financial, Linda Marcum! Linda sits down with Host Tim Harris to discuss how BOK, and the banking industry at large, approach the sales process. Linda shares how BOK had achieved an average sales rep tenure of 11 years, the risks of siloed knowledge, and lessons the SaaS industry can learn from banking. Takeaways: Compared to SaaS sales teams, banking teams are structured a bit differently. In banking sales, client relationships are much longer, and require a more one on one relationship. Average tenure for a banking sales rep is almost 11 years. The most important soft skill for a seller to have is curiosity. To truly help your clients, you need to understand their business. Sellers need to leverage their curiosity to learn about how clients sell, how they work with their clients, and how they operate internally. While you want clients to trust sellers, you don’t want sellers to get bogged down with service questions. To help alleviate workload, sellers need to establish a trusted relationship between their clients and specific service team members. A large challenge for sales teams is the dissemination of knowledge. While an individual seller may know all the nuances off the top of their head, siloed data makes it difficult to take time off or distribute workload. While client retention is a key indicator of success, you don’t want to become stagnant. Sales leadership should also be focused on establishing a good balance of satisfying current clients and bringing on new clients. The key to establishing a strong relationship with your clients is to meet them where they are. By allowing your sellers flexibility between virtual and in person selling, you increase client satisfaction and expedite the sales process. While not giving sellers goals in their first year may seem counterintuitive, it allows new hires to focus on truly understanding the clients. Instead of prioritizing quick wins, a focus on fundamentals builds stronger client relationships. Quote of the Show: “Let your customers drive that decision. Don't make that decision for them.” - Linda MarcumLinks: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-marcum-b105893/Website: https://www.bokfinancial.com/Ways to Tune In: Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquYGoogle Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M

36 min
10/20/2023

Sales Is The Transfer Of Enthusiasm - John Barrows - B2B EQ - Episode # 32

Our guest this week is a seller who strives to establish sales as the greatest profession in the world. His experience is truly holistic, having held roles as a rep, a VP of Sales, and everything in between. Please welcome to the show, Host of Make It Happen Mondays and CEO of JB Sales, John Barrows! John joins Host Tim Harris to explore the landscape of sales, and share how leaders can best enable their teams. John dives into the importance of proper research, why coaches need to also be actively selling, and why sales reps aren’t the ones who create urgency. Takeaways: If you are a sales coach or manager, you need to also be selling. The past few years have been rife with advancements and techniques. If you are training on methods from 2 years ago, you are setting your sellers up for failure. Before reaching out to a company, figure out why you want to work with them. Whether it’s their product, team, or values, a genuine excitement in your prospects helps you make a connection and makes research easier.While studies show that more buyers don’t want sales reps, those same buyers show an increased regret rate. What buyers really want is someone who can demonstrate value, not someone who just goes through the motions of a sales process. A major concern for leaders looking to implement AI is that by the time a solution gets adopted, new technology will already be available. Leadership should look to strong vendors who offer easy implementation for solutions that meet their needs. While commenting on a prospects background is a common way to build rapport, you can use your own background as well. By curating your background, you create ways for prospects to interact with you that give you insights about them. Sales reps can’t create urgency, they can only uncover it and drive it. To do this, sellers need to focus on becoming priority based sellers, and align themselves with the priorities of the business and buyer. Rather than ask a buyer what issues they are facing, research what issues their role typically deals with, and ask about those on the call. Doing so shows a genuine interest in your buyer and helps elevate you from other sellers. Quote of the Show: “These days, the only way to really stand out is to be a person.” - John BarrowsLinks: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/Website: https://www.jbarrows.com/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-happen-mondays-b2b-sales-talk-with-john-barrows/id1265697819Ways to Tune In: Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquYGoogle Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M

56 min
10/13/2023

Selling Isn’t Rocket Science - Marcus Chan - B2B EQ - Episode # 31

In a world of flashy new tools, leadership can often lose sight of what really makes a sales org excel: it’s people. We’re joined this week by a sales expert who wants to simplify the selling process, and help leadership build stronger teams. Our guest this week is Author of Six-Figure Sales Secrets and President and Founder of Venli Consulting Group, Marcus Chan! Marcus sits down with Host Tim Harris to deliver a masterclass in all things sales. Marcus dives into strategies for standing out, provides actionable tips for improving your sales team development, and highlights the importance of training both emotionally and logically. Takeaways: Sales should not be over complicated. At its core, sales is about solving problems for business owners, founders, and executives by understanding their needs and providing valuable solutions.In sales, focusing on the smallest details and making intentional decisions can greatly impact your success rate. Taking the time to thoroughly research and prepare before a call can set you apart from the competition and increase your close rates.In the age of technology and automation, sales organizations have become lazy in their approach, resulting in impersonal outreach. To break through the noise and succeed, it is crucial to prioritize hyper-relevant, targeted communication across multiple channels.In order to stand out in the noisy world of communication, it is crucial to focus on the quality of interactions and consider incorporating unique strategies like physical mailers. Being different and focusing on quality will set good sellers apart from the rest. Having a strong onboarding process and a well-supported leadership development program are crucial for building a successful and effective sales team, ensuring continuous improvement and growth in the business.Sales development tends to focus too much on the technical aspects of the product, without incorporating the emotional aspect of the buying journey. By blending both elements, you speak to both customer requirements and motivations. Recognizing buying signs in prospects, such as a shift in energy and asking specific questions, is crucial in determining winnable deals. Additionally, proactive involvement of other stakeholders signals a strong buying indication.Quote of the Show: “If you're able to run your sales process in a way or position of the trusted authority, it's amazing how much more you'll close.” - Marcus ChanLinks: Twitter: https://x.com/themarcuschan?s=20 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcuschanmba/ Website: https://www.venliconsulting.com/ Website: https://www.sixfiguresalesacademy.com/home-1 Book Link: https://a.co/d/gqaEMh3 Ways to Tune In: Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquY Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M

51 min
09/22/2023

Selling Through Change - Simon Ninan - B2B EQ - Episode # 30

Businesses are expected to change, but are you helping your sales team change with you? Here to help you tackle change head on is a leader who balances strategy with operational execution. Our guest this week is VP and Head of Strategy and Growth, Digital Infrastructure at Hitachi Vantara, Simon Ninan! Simon shares the mic with Tim Harris to explore the ways leadership should be effectively enabling, and utilizing their sales teams. Simon dives into why innovation happens at the edge, the necessity of employing specialists and generalists, and how companies should look to grow with their customers. Takeaways: Instead of selling on product alone, companies need to be focused on selling to a customer’s desired outcomes. By focusing on the desired outcomes, you create a long term partnership that is invested in your customer’s success. Change is inevitable for the growth of any company, but leadership needs to ensure that sales teams are kept up with that change. Transitioning sellers away from old products and habits is possible, but requires an intentional shift in their tactics. The rapid evolution of technology has resulted in a new kind of buyer, the biz tech buyer. This buyer values business outcomes and expects sellers to simplify complexity and address their core business issues.Building a sales force with athlete-like qualities, including discipline, versatility, and adaptability, is crucial for success. Investing in people who can connect the dots and evolve their skill sets is what separates thriving companies from the rest.Many companies restrict innovation to internal teams, yet innovation happens at the edge. By creating a system to allow salespeople to provide feedback, you are getting innovation that comes from direct customer interactions.Generative AI is transforming the way sales teams consult customers. While many buyers are curious about how a company may use AI in their products, many buyers are also wondering how AI can help evolve their business. To embrace what's next and drive future success, it is crucial to focus on anticipating customer needs and collaborating towards long-term goals. Salespeople should possess the skill of forward thinking and strategic planning.Quote of the Show: “We're trying to make sure that culturally, but also in routine practice, our salespeople see themselves as seeders of innovation.” - Simon NinanLinks: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonninan/ Website: https://www.hitachivantara.com/en-us/home.html Ways to Tune In: Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquY Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M

45 min
09/08/2023

Building Confidence In Buyers With Past Guests - B2B EQ - Episode # 29

On this special episode of B2B EQ, we’ve compiled some highlights from past episodes around the topic of creating confidence in your buyers. Having a strong relationship where your buyer views you as a trusted partner is a crucial part of today’s sales landscape. In this episode we’ll show you how with clips from from Richard Harris: Founder of The Harris Consulting Group, Cassandra Anderson: VP of Revenue Operations at Drips, Ali Rastiello: VP of RevOps at Health Catalyst, and Kasey Stinson: VP of Sales Enablement & Product Marketing at Co-op Solutions. We hope you enjoy this episode! Takeaways: You’re going to ask questions on a sales call, but you don’t want it to be an interrogation. You need to earn the right to ask questions by establishing the parameters, creating a good space for conversation, and giving your customer space to ask questions back. In today’s market, buyers are more educated, know the problem they are facing, and are actively looking for a solution. Sellers need to step up and hear past what customers are saying to identify the pain, to apply the right solution. Gathering info is crucial in sales, but it needs to be the right info. Instead of asking questions to check them off, focus on learning about their business objectives, the things they are struggling with, and how you can be of service.Building genuine connections and emotional rapport with clients is crucial in effective buying and selling, as it leads to easier business transactions and positive partnerships. Your people are your organization’s most valuable assets.Links: Connect with Richard: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rharris415/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rharris415 Company Website: https://theharrisconsultinggroup.com/ Podcast: https://www.surfandsales.com/the-surf-sales-podcast Podcast: https://theharrisconsultinggroup.com/sales-rants-podcast/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Owning-Your-Job-Search-application-ebook/dp/B08TQHBVQFEpisode: https://www.uniphore.com/podcasts/b2b-eq-podcast/?wchannelid=j4n6scbg66&wvideoid=za5a0owyav Connect with Cassandra: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cass8775 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thecassandraexperience/ Website: https://drips.com/ Episode: https://www.uniphore.com/podcasts/b2b-eq-podcast/?wchannelid=j4n6scbg66&wvideoid=t6fjz5r4cj Connect with Ali: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Diva_Ali LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alirastiello/ Website: https://www.healthcatalyst.com/ Personal Website: https://www.alirastiello.com/#about-me Episode: https://www.uniphore.com/podcasts/b2b-eq-podcast/?wchannelid=j4n6scbg66&wvideoid=o6eaksapg6 Connect with Kasey: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasey-stinson-ab1b8210/ Website: https://www.coop.org/ Episode: https://www.uniphore.com/podcasts/b2b-eq-podcast/?wchannelid=j4n6scbg66&wvideoid=580e64qlz1 Ways to Tune In: Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquY Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M

33 min
09/01/2023

Enabling Your Sellers Effectively - Kasey Stinson - B2B EQ - Episode # 28

When it comes to enabling your sellers, it can be hard to know where to start. Fortunately, we’re joined by an enablement expert this week who has proven strategies for success. She has a unique understanding of the skills needed to close deals, and has firsthand experience as a seller. Joining the show this week is VP of Sales Enablement and Product Marketing at Co-op Solutions, Kasey Stinson! Kasey sits down with Tim Harris for a conversation on the must implement strategies that will help your reps close more deals. She explores the value of quarterly webinars, the importance of consultative selling, and the best way to generate internal feedback. Takeaways: Building trust and establishing a feedback loop with honest responses takes time but is worth doing. Creating a sales enablement task force from every sales group and actively implementing feedback can greatly improve success in meeting customer needs.The use of a sales enablement platform, combined with active participation in webinars, has shown a significant correlation to meeting or exceeding sales quotas. This highlights the importance of leveraging these tools and activities for improved sales performance.Building genuine connections and emotional rapport with clients is crucial in effective buying and selling, as it leads to easier business transactions and positive partnerships. Your people are your organization’s most valuable assets.Consultative selling is crucial because customers don't want to be sold to, but they do seek advice and expertise. By training sales teams to focus on consulting instead of solely selling, a successful and valuable partnership is fostered with customers.Having a well-connected and knowledgeable team is essential for effective marketing. Tailoring messaging to the right audience and leveraging all channels help ensure success in driving customer engagement at every stage of the buyer's journey.Through quarterly livecasts, where executives discuss the strategy, product statuses, and customer outcomes, sellers get first hand knowledge of what buyers want. Sharing this knowledge results in better enabled reps who assist customers more effectively.AI technology, including chatbots and GPT, presents exciting opportunities for enhancing client experiences and improving sales efficiencies, motivating organizations to explore its potential impact on tools, training, and interactions.Quote of the Show: “We want to make our organization as client-centric as possible.” - Kasey StinsonLinks: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasey-stinson-ab1b8210/ Website: https://www.coop.org/ Ways to Tune In: Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquY Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M

44 min
08/25/2023

Rebuilding Sales As A Profession Of Service - Leff Bonney - B2B EQ - Episode # 27

80% of all marketing majors go into sales roles, but paired with a lack of formal sales education, many graduates are left floundering. To discuss the future of sales education, we’re joined by someone who helps future sellers put theory into practice. Our guest this week is Associate Professor at Florida State University, Leff Bonney! Leff and Tim sit down for a conversation on the challenges of providing formal sales training, and a discussion on an upcoming report on the role of EQ. Leff shares his insights into why you need to focus on differentiation, how to overcome perceptions about sales as a profession, and why EQ is the tool box that holds all of your sales tools. Takeaways: While high EQ is focused on in sales and talked about as being a crucial skill, there is a lack of academic knowledge on it. With the new study from Uniphore and Leff, sellers can start to fully understand how EQ works, and the role it plays in sales. Sales is a crucial position for any company, but there is a lack of formal education around the profession. As 80% of all marketing majors go into sales, FSU saw a need to better equip graduates with training to prepare them for their future roles. When a college only teaches sales, the course load leans heavily on the personal experience of the teachers. Because FSU also conducts sales research, they can back up their teachings with verified knowledge from their studies. For a sales student at FSU, their first class is focused on re-examining the mindset around sales. From there they go on to sales behavior classes, classes that focus on role play and feedback, and sales management courses. EQ is not a factor, it’s the factor. EQ is not a standalone skill in the same way presentation ability or objection handling is, rather, EQ is an accelerant that betters every other skill a seller has. It’s not enough to make your sellers better, you need to also make them different. As training and technology has gotten better, most sellers have gotten better in the same ways. Without differentiation, competing brands end up in a sales stalemate. Sellers are great about remembering facts from their conversations, but not sentiments. Just because a buyer mentions a feature, doesn’t mean they like it. Sellers need to focus on how buyers feel, so they can discuss the right elements on sales calls. Quote of the Show: “It's not just about being better. It's what does EQ do for us in our sales organization by being different, and that's important.” - Leff Bonney Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leff-bonney-03b63452/Website: https://salesinstitute.business.fsu.edu/Ways to Tune In: Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquYGoogle Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M

46 min

Welcome to B2B EQ. Join host Tim Harris as he interviews sales leaders to learn about the soft skills that have made them successful. Listen as he embarks on a mission to help you become 1% better, how to build stronger rapport, and trends in customer interaction.

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B2B EQ