Celeste Berke

Celeste Berke
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Celeste Berke

Welcome to "The Sales Edge," the podcast exclusively designed for B2B sales professionals seeking to excel in the rapidly evolving business landscape. Join us as we delve into engaging interviews with industry experts, thought leaders, and seasoned professionals who possess invaluable insights into the world of B2B sales. In each episode, we explore the dynamic nature of B2B sales and uncover the latest trends, strategies, and transformations that are reshaping the industry. "The Sales Edge" provides a platform for our guests to share their wealth of experience, highlighting how sales methodologies have evolved and what's new in the B2B sales arena. Through thought-provoking conversations, we explore the groundbreaking techniques and innovative approaches that successful B2B salespeople employ to navigate the ever-changing market. Our guests offer practical advice and tangible solutions to help you enhance your sales performance and gain a competitive advantage in the B2B sector. From leveraging cutting-edge technologies and analytics to adapting to the digital age, we examine how sales professionals are capitalizing on emerging tools, training, and platforms. We delve into the psychology behind B2B buyer behavior, dissect the power of personal branding and new-age prospecting, and explore the strategies that drive meaningful and profitable connections with clients. "The Sales Edge" transcends theory and provides real-world insights, as our guests share their triumphs, failures, and invaluable lessons learned. We explore how B2B sales teams are harnessing problem-centric selling, using data-driven decision-making, capitalizing on social media and digital channels to connect with prospects, and successfully navigating the nuances of remote selling in today's competitive marketplace. Join us on "The Sales Edge" as we uncover the secrets to B2B sales success in a rapidly changing business landscape. Whether you're a seasoned sales professional seeking inspiration, a veteran sales leader or new to sales leadership strategies, or an aspiring salesperson entering the dynamic world of B2B sales, this podcast is your go-to resource for valuable insights and practical guidance. Tune in, take notes, and gain the winning edge necessary to thrive in the fast-paced and ever-evolving world of B2B sales.

  1. 11/22/2024

    Ep: 26 - The Secret to B2B Success- Don’t Fall for This Sales Trap!

    In this episode of The Sales Edge Podcast, host Celeste dives deep into the challenges and misconceptions in B2B sales with special guest Mike Mulfelder, a seasoned fractional head of sales and Gap Selling advocate with over 35 years of experience. If you’ve been stuck in the same sales cycle or questioning why your pipeline forecasts are off, this episode will hit home. What You’ll Learn: Business Acumen Blind Spots: Why understanding how your customer makes money is the ultimate sales advantage and the key to building trust. Pipeline Purge & Rebuild: How Mike has taken underqualified pipelines, reduced them by up to 90%, and rebuilt them into revenue-driving machines. Stop the BANT Obsession: Why traditional qualification methods like BANT don’t work and how to shift your focus to uncovering actionable problems. Tech Won’t Save You: The pitfalls of relying on AI and technology to mask broken processes, and why fixing the fundamentals is essential for scaling. The Competitive Replacement Myth: Why trying to replace a competitor is often a trap that distracts teams from truly winnable deals. Key Moments: [00:05:00] Business Acumen 101: Mike shares the importance of understanding your buyer’s financial ecosystem and how it influences purchasing decisions. [00:10:00] The Catalyst Question: Why identifying the catalyst for change is more critical than tracking surface-level pipeline metrics. [00:19:00] Competitive Replacement Realities: The hard truths about why most competitive replacements fail and how to approach these deals more strategically. [00:29:00] Call Coaching & Accountability: How a single bad sales call can derail progress—and why leadership must prioritize coaching and honest accountability. Takeaways for Sales Leaders: Don’t confuse pipeline volume with qualified opportunities. Technology isn’t a fix-all; it amplifies your processes—good or bad. Focus on foundational strategies that align with your growth objectives, rather than flashy shortcuts that won’t move the needle. Mike’s Sales Edge: Mike’s unyielding honesty and commitment to empowering others set him apart. He shares why being straightforward, even when it’s uncomfortable, is the true mark of a sales leader who wants their team to succeed. PS: Check out Mike’s recent article on the “Magic Bean” myth in sales to dive deeper into how tech obsession is steering teams off course. This episode will challenge the way you think about sales strategy and leave you asking the tough questions about your own processes. Don’t miss it!

    43 min

  2. 09/07/2024

    Ep 25: From Office Hopping to LinkedIn Stalking: How the Game Has Changed for Hospitality Sales with Caleb Rice

    In this episode of the Sales Edge Podcast, Celeste Berke Knisely sits down with Caleb Rice to discuss the evolving landscape of sales within the hospitality industry. They delve into Caleb's extensive 16-year career, the shift towards remote working, and how the pandemic permanently changed sales strategies. Caleb shares insights on the importance of meeting clients where they are, the nuances of digital communication, and the critical role of personal branding and genuine connections. They also explore how technological tools like LinkedIn and AI can enhance sales efforts. Tune in to learn more about adapting to industry changes, building lasting relationships, and staying ahead in a competitive market. 00:00 Introduction and Meeting Caleb Rice 00:34 Caleb's Background and Career Journey 01:51 The Shift to Remote Work in Hospitality 04:26 Adapting Sales Strategies in a Digital World 06:15 Understanding and Meeting Client Needs 08:54 Building a Personal Brand in Sales 16:41 Challenges and Changes in Contracting 22:24 Conclusion and Final Thoughts   To connect with Caleb on LinkedIn, click here. For video content - make sure you subscribe on Youtube.

    30 min

  3. 09/02/2024

    Ep 24: In the Sales Leadership Trenches: Ditch the BDR Checklist and Start Leading Through Active Coaching

    Sales strategies: "The majority of our our strategy, coaching up our team, account targeting, and and generating new business through outbound prospecting."— Maggie Maloney 00:00:3000:00:38 The Importance of Active Listening in Sales Conversations: "How do we earn trust? How do we get people to open up? It's through that active listening, maintaining conversational flow that we're really able to get deep within the business conversation."— Maggie Maloney 00:01:5800:02:09 Active Listening in Sales: "It's one thing to hear, but a lot of times, I think we hear we assume that we know what they are that we understand everything, but prospects always know a lot more about their world than they're even sharing on the surface level."— Maggie Maloney 00:03:3500:03:45 Role Playing Exercise for Sales Calls: "I think what happens a lot of time is we try and foresee, like, how is this conversation gonna go? And you have to kinda let go of those expectations."— Maggie Maloney 00:04:0200:04:11 Viral Topic: Authenticity in Role-Playing ScenariosQuote: "I think even when I role play with the team, it's I'm guiding the conversation through what I say because I know where I want them to go. But if we do it as a group in this way, it's like nobody knows what anyone's gonna say or ask. And it gives that a little bit more of a realistic scenario."— Maggie Maloney 00:04:3100:04:49 Viral Topic: The Art of Conversation in SalesQuote: "You can't. Like, it's you it's conversation. Like, it's conversation is not scripted."— Maggie Maloney 00:05:3100:05:33 Building Trust Through Active Listening: "you don't have to be liked, but it's through that active listening that you build that trust."— Maggie Maloney 00:06:2200:06:27 Viral Topic: Effective Communication"Maintaining that conversational flow and active listening by asking those questions and getting really, really curious without the script."— Maggie Maloney 00:06:5900:07:06 Improving Sales Conversations through Practice: "It's really through the practice. Right? Even as, like, one of the things I've seen over time is so it's been about 2 weeks. Well, mid mid July that we started, like, this really heavy, like, you know, what could you have asked to progress the conversation even with just, like, general objection handling, things like that, to really get their mind listening."— Maggie Maloney 00:07:3200:07:54 Overcoming Ingrained Habits: "It's so ingrained in us that it's hard live with a person, with a prospect on the phone to actually implement the things that you know you should be implementing because it's so it's been so ingrained. So that's the only that's the only thing that I found that is working, like, through that self coaching and then the practical application as a team and working through that that we've started to see those shifts in the calls that we're having."— Maggie Maloney 00:08:2500:08:55   Make sure to give Maggie a follow on LinkedIn! About your host: Celeste holds the designation of Certified Gap Selling Training Partner with A Sales Growth Company and works with teams to help them win more. With a knack for problem-centric discovery, Celeste leverages her own experience as an active seller building with over 23 years of experience in the Corporate Selling arena. Her accolades include the Director of Sales of the Year award, 2x Manager of the Year, and being named 40 under 40 for the Triad Business Journal. Celeste also holds a certified sales designation from Marriott International and in 2023 was named one of the Top 15 LinkedIn Experts in Denver by Influence + Digest. Celeste resides in Colorado with her husband and daughter. Make sure to visit Celeste's Youtube and subscribe for short video clips so you can take action.

  4. 08/30/2024

    Ep 23: The CRM isn't the Only Way: How A Pearl Jam Post Landed Don (a Seasoned Hospitality Seller) a New Client From LinkedIn

    Celeste Berke

  5. 07/22/2024

    Ep 22: React Less, Predict More: The New Era of Sales Enablement

    Welcome to another episode of The Sales Edge podcast, where our host, Celeste Berke, dives deep into a thought-provoking discussion with the insightful Hannah Sabetti. In this engaging episode, Hannah shares her expertise in sales enablement and breaks down the myths surrounding the industry. From her years of experience in the SaaS, healthcare, and financial space, she unveils the holistic approach she takes to enablement, offering valuable insights into supporting sales and customer success teams. With a keen focus on empathy and understanding the human side of sales, Hannah provides a unique perspective on how to navigate the challenges of today's sales landscape. So, sit back and prepare to gain valuable knowledge and inspiration from this enlightening conversation on The Sales Edge.

    27 min

  6. 06/13/2024

    Ep. 21: Hold My Pipeline: Sales Enablement Buy-in Secrets Exposed

    Welcome to another exciting episode of "The Sales Edge"! In today's episode, our host, Celeste Berke, is joined by the insightful Candace, a specialist in sales enablement. Together, they dive into the crucial aspects of sales leadership and the challenges that need to be addressed within this domain. With an emphasis on the importance of identifying and agreeing on the problem before jumping into solutions, Candace shares her experience and knowledge on navigating the complexities of sales leadership. The conversation delves into the significance of leadership behavior, the need for continuous learning and receiving help, and the myth surrounding the correlation between top performance and effective leadership. Celeste and Candace also explore the role of biases in leadership and the importance of self-assessment and unconscious bias training. Additionally, they tackle challenges within organizations and offer valuable advice on bringing teams together with a clear vision to drive revenue and improve customer experiences. So, get ready to gain valuable insights and strategies to strengthen sales leadership and enablement in this engaging and informative episode! About the host: Celeste, a self-proclaimed “Sales Growth Strategist” is a natural collaborator and partner to executives who easily pinpoint gaps in strategy and creates road maps to implement plans and achieve targets. Passionate about creating cross-functional collaboration, team development, and delivering results across top-performing teams.  Celeste has over twenty-one (21) years of experience within the non-profit and for-profit arenas; holding both a B.S. and M.S. degree.  In her last corporate role, Celeste held the position of Regional Director of Sales and Marketing for a privately held hospitality management company overseeing 19 properties, a sales team of 50+, and $105M in annual sales. Her accolades include the Director of Sales of the Year award, 2x Manager of the Year, and being named 40 under 40 for the Triad Business Journal. Celeste also holds a certified sales designation from Marriot International and in 2023 was named one of the Top 15 LinkedIn Experts in Denver by Influence + Digest. In early 2020, Celeste branched out on her own to scale a female-owned consulting and training business. Celeste holds the designation of Certified Gap Selling Training Partner with A Sales Growth Company and the Gap Selling Methodology. Celeste resides in Colorado with her husband and daughter.

    30 min

  7. 02/28/2024

    Ep20: Check-Out to Check-In: The Hotelier's Transition into Tech Sales, Parenthood, and Beyond with Jennifer Suski of HotelKey

    Welcome to The Sales Edge podcast with your host, Celeste Berke. In this episode, Celeste is joined by Jen Suski, Director of Business Development for Hotel Key, a property management system. This dynamic duo shares their experiences transitioning from the hospitality industry to the tech space, the challenges of balancing work and motherhood, and the importance of understanding how you help your customers in the sales process. They also bust myths about cold calling and emphasize the value of quality over quantity in sales. Get ready for an insightful conversation filled with real-world wisdom and practical sales advice.

    21 min

  8. 02/11/2024

    Ep19: Beyond the Checklist: Earning the Right to Ask Questions in Sales Conversations with Nick Bontrager

    Welcome to "The Sales Edge" podcast. In this episode, Celeste Berke sits down with Nick Bontrager, an account executive at Drata, to dive into the changing landscape of sales. They discuss the shift from a seller-centric to a buyer-centric approach, the importance of empathetic listening, and the need to prioritize the buyer's needs over the seller's. Nick shares insights on the challenges of building trust with enterprise companies and highlights the significance of understanding the impacts of products and services on organizations. They also explore the concept of will over skill and the correlation between employee satisfaction and turnover. Nick previews his upcoming podcast and discusses his own sales process and career development plans. Join us as Celeste and Nick provide valuable insights and strategies for navigating the evolving world of sales, and the importance of carving out a buyer-centric approach in today's marketplace.

    30 min
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About

Welcome to "The Sales Edge," the podcast exclusively designed for B2B sales professionals seeking to excel in the rapidly evolving business landscape. Join us as we delve into engaging interviews with industry experts, thought leaders, and seasoned professionals who possess invaluable insights into the world of B2B sales. In each episode, we explore the dynamic nature of B2B sales and uncover the latest trends, strategies, and transformations that are reshaping the industry. "The Sales Edge" provides a platform for our guests to share their wealth of experience, highlighting how sales methodologies have evolved and what's new in the B2B sales arena. Through thought-provoking conversations, we explore the groundbreaking techniques and innovative approaches that successful B2B salespeople employ to navigate the ever-changing market. Our guests offer practical advice and tangible solutions to help you enhance your sales performance and gain a competitive advantage in the B2B sector. From leveraging cutting-edge technologies and analytics to adapting to the digital age, we examine how sales professionals are capitalizing on emerging tools, training, and platforms. We delve into the psychology behind B2B buyer behavior, dissect the power of personal branding and new-age prospecting, and explore the strategies that drive meaningful and profitable connections with clients. "The Sales Edge" transcends theory and provides real-world insights, as our guests share their triumphs, failures, and invaluable lessons learned. We explore how B2B sales teams are harnessing problem-centric selling, using data-driven decision-making, capitalizing on social media and digital channels to connect with prospects, and successfully navigating the nuances of remote selling in today's competitive marketplace. Join us on "The Sales Edge" as we uncover the secrets to B2B sales success in a rapidly changing business landscape. Whether you're a seasoned sales professional seeking inspiration, a veteran sales leader or new to sales leadership strategies, or an aspiring salesperson entering the dynamic world of B2B sales, this podcast is your go-to resource for valuable insights and practical guidance. Tune in, take notes, and gain the winning edge necessary to thrive in the fast-paced and ever-evolving world of B2B sales.

Information

  • Creator
    Celeste Berke
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Celeste Berke

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