The Sales Evangelist

Donald C. Kelly
  • 4.9 (267)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Semiweekly

I believe in doing BIG THINGS! You should be earning 6 figures easily as a sales rep. But chances are you are not...yet! Sales is the most important department in every company but many sellers are never taught how to effectively sell, much less how to earn their way to high-income status. My own career limped along until a company I worked for invested in sales training to help me succeed. Immediately afterward, I closed a deal worth 4X what the company spent on me and saw hockey-stick improvement in my performance. So I started a podcast to “Evangelize” what was working. Today I interview the world's best sales experts, successful sellers, sales leaders and entrepreneurs who share their strategies to succeed in sales right now: folks like Jeffrey Gitomer, Jill Konrath, Bob Burg, and Guy Kawasaki to name a few. They share actionable insights and stories that will encourage, challenge, and motivate you to hustle your way to top income status. If you’re someone looking to take off in your sales career and earn the income you deserve, hit subscribe and let’s start doing BIG THINGS!

  1. 4d ago

    How to Ensure That Admin Tasks Don't Overwhelm Your Day

    show notes

  2. Jul 6

    Bad Mouthing Your Competitor

    How do you handle competitor questions without sounding defensive, desperate, or unprofessional? In this solo episode, Donald C. Kelly shares three practical strategies for talking about competitors with confidence and credibility. Instead of attacking another company, he explains how to use customer stories, thoughtful questions, and your prospect's own insights to position your solution as the better fit. If you're in a competitive sales environment, this episode will help you navigate competitor conversations in a way that builds trust and moves deals forward. Episode Breakdown with Timestamps: Why You Should Prepare for Competitor Conversations (00:00:31 – 00:01:30) Donald explains that prospects are often evaluating multiple vendors at the same time.Rather than being surprised by competitor questions, sales professionals should prepare their messaging ahead of time and understand where their solution stands out.He emphasizes that preparation gives sellers confidence when those conversations arise. Lead With Your Strengths Instead of Attacking Competitors (00:01:31 – 00:02:30) Donald shares his first strategy for handling competitor discussions.Instead of naming competitors or criticizing them directly, he recommends emphasizing the areas where your solution performs best while subtly addressing gaps that prospects may experience elsewhere.The goal is to keep the conversation focused on solving the customer's problem rather than attacking another company. Let Customer Stories Do the Talking (00:02:31 – 00:07:30) Donald introduces his favorite approach: using customer success stories to explain why buyers switched from a competitor.Drawing from his experience competing against Laserfiche in the document management industry, he demonstrates how to acknowledge what a competitor does well before explaining why customers ultimately chose a different solution.He explains that customer experiences carry far more credibility than sales claims because they come from real users rather than the salesperson. Use Reviews and Testimonials as Third-Party Validation (00:06:01 – 00:07:30) Donald encourages sales professionals to study customer reviews on platforms like G2 and Google Reviews.Instead of making negative claims yourself, use publicly available feedback to understand common concerns and position your solution accordingly.This approach allows prospects to hear criticism from existing users instead of from you. Let Prospects Voice Their Own Doubts (00:07:31 – 00:10:30) The third strategy is to ask thoughtful questions.Donald recommends asking prospects what concerns they have about other vendors instead of volunteering criticism yourself.Once they share their doubts, you can validate those concerns and explain how your solution addresses the issues they're most concerned about.This creates a more natural and trustworthy sales conversation. Three Strategies to Handle Competitor Questions with Confidence (00:10:31 – 00:11:39) Donald wraps up the episode by summarizing his three-step framework: Build your sales conversation around your strengths.Use customer stories to explain why buyers switched from competitors.Let prospects express their own concerns before responding with customer proof and relevant examples. Themes Discussed How to discuss competitors professionallyPositioning your solution without badmouthing othersUsing customer stories to build credibilityLeveraging online reviews in sales conversationsAsking better questions during competitive dealsBuilding trust through evidence instead of opinion Key Quote from the Episode "How you can talk about your competitor without badmouthing them is to have your customer do so."— Donald C. Kelly Resources Mentioned G2 ReviewsGoogle Reviews Follow Donald on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldckelly Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound.

    Bad Mouthing Your Competitor

  3. Jul 3

    7 Steps to Making 7 Figures in Enterprise SaaS Sales

    What separates sales professionals who earn six figures from those who consistently earn seven? In this episode, Donald sits down with Brandon Fluharty, enterprise SaaS sales leader, speaker, and author of The Seven-Figure Millennial. Brandon shares the mindset, systems, and practical strategies that helped him become a seven-figure earner without subscribing to hustle culture. Throughout the conversation, Brandon explains why success in enterprise sales comes from slowing down. Choosing the right opportunities. Building meaningful customer relationships. creating a personal operating system that supports consistent performance. If you're selling into enterprise accounts, leading complex deals, or looking to improve your sales career without burning yourself out, this episode is packed with actionable insights. Episode Breakdown with Timestamps: Brandon's Journey Into Enterprise Sales (00:06:03 – 00:06:56) Brandon shared how he transitioned from DJing while starting his sales career to eventually becoming a seven-figure enterprise SaaS seller.According to Brandon, reaching seven figures happened much faster than expected and taught him that success is about enjoying the process rather than chasing a destination.He explained that falling in love with the daily work mattered more than the financial milestone itself. Why Slowing Down Helps You Sell More (00:06:56 – 00:09:32) Brandon introduced the philosophy that changed his career: slow down in order to speed up.He explained that constantly hustling and chasing every opportunity drains both time and energy.Instead, he focused on becoming intentional about where he invested his effort and chose accounts where he could create the greatest impact. Protecting Your Time and Energy (00:09:32 – 00:12:57) The discussion shifted to why focus is one of the most valuable skills in enterprise sales.Brandon explained his Diamond Standard framework for identifying ideal accounts instead of trying to sell to every large company.He also shared why understanding the customer's experience gave him credibility when speaking with executive buyers. The Three Truths About Seven-Figure SaaS Sales (00:14:18 – 00:17:09) Before explaining his framework, Brandon outlined three realities every seller should understand.According to Brandon, seven-figure earners typically sell to enterprise organizations, develop confidence through experience, and remain patient during long sales cycles.These three foundations make the rest of his seven-step framework possible. Find the Right Sales Environment (00:17:09 – 00:20:00) Brandon explained why choosing the right company matters as much as developing sales skills.Rather than joining the largest organization, he recommends finding a company that's mature enough to support enterprise deals while still allowing individual sellers to make a meaningful impact.He also encouraged sales professionals to focus on industries creating long-term transformation, such as AI, cybersecurity, and cloud technology. Build a Transformation Mindset (00:20:00 – 00:21:32) Brandon believes the best enterprise sellers don't sell products.They sell transformation.Instead of focusing conversations around features and pricing, he encourages sellers to help customers rethink how their businesses operate and prepare for long-term change. Be Strategic About Your Target Accounts (00:21:32 – 00:26:49) Brandon explained how the Japanese concept of Ikigai helped him rethink account selection.Rather than accepting every opportunity, he prioritized companies that aligned with his interests, expertise, motivation, and ability to create meaningful change.According to Brandon, purpose creates the motivation needed to navigate long enterprise sales cycles. Create Your Diamond Standard (00:29:02 – 00:30:34) Brandon shared the five criteria he uses to identify his ideal accounts.His Diamond Standard focuses on opportunities that are personally interesting, industry-leading, aligned with his expertise, capable of moving quickly, and large enough to justify significant investment.He explained that every seller should create a personalized framework rather than copy someone else's. Turn Imposter Syndrome Into a Strength (00:30:53 – 00:33:01) Brandon discussed why imposter syndrome becomes more common as sales professionals advance.He shared how embracing his introverted personality allowed him to become a better listener and deeper strategic thinker.Instead of viewing personality traits as weaknesses, Brandon encourages sellers to turn them into competitive advantages. Win Bigger Deals Through Collaboration (00:33:01 – 00:35:18) According to Brandon, seven-figure deals are never won alone.He explained why successful enterprise sellers build strong partnerships with legal teams, solution consultants, executives, and marketing instead of trying to control every part of the process.Collaboration, not ego, leads to larger opportunities. Step Seven: Build a Personal Operating System (00:35:18 – 00:39:29) Brandon concluded by introducing two personal frameworks: DFC (Discipline, Flexibility, Curiosity) and PREP (Plan, Rest, Effort, Perform).These systems help sales professionals prepare effectively, adapt during conversations, reflect on performance, and avoid the burnout caused by hustle culture.According to Brandon, consistent performance comes from operating intentionally rather than simply working harder. Themes Discussed The seven steps to earning seven figures in SaaS salesWhy slowing down leads to better sales performanceBuilding a transformation mindset in enterprise sellingCreating a strategic target account listOvercoming imposter syndromeCollaborating to win enterprise dealsDeveloping a personal operating system for long-term success Key quote from the Episode: "It's not a destination. It really is falling in love with the process." — Brandon Fluharty Connect with Brandon Fluharty on Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/brandonfluharty Signup for Brandon’s Newsletter: Be Focused Live Great Visit Brandon’s website: brandonfluharty.com Connect with Donald C. Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldckelly Sponsors: HubSpot: hubspot.com LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Start your 60-day free trial at [linkedin.com/sell Blue Mango Studios: Turn your podcast into a lead generation machine at bluemangostudios.com Featured Resources: Be Focused Live Great: Brandon’s newsletter for insights on professional growth.The Seven Steps to Earning Seven Figures: Brandon’s upcoming book on the "anti-hustle" guide to million-dollar SaaS sales.Mistakes That Made Me podcast Credits: As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound.

    7 Steps to Making 7 Figures in Enterprise SaaS Sales

  4. Jun 29

    How "The Practice" and Being Different Can Help Sellers Connect With More Prospects

    show notes

    How "The Practice" and Being Different Can Help Sellers Connect With More Prospects

  5. Jun 26

    Building Resilience In a Tough Sales World

    show notes

    Building Resilience In a Tough Sales World

  6. Jun 22

    What Got You to President's Club Will Not Keep You There

    show notes

    What Got You to President's Club Will Not Keep You There

  7. Jun 19

    Dream BIG: What Every Sellers Must Do To Shatter Their Dreams

    Don’t dream small as a seller. Always think bigger than what feels comfortable. My guest, Jason VanDevere, author of the bestselling book Dream Driven and founder of the Goal Crazy platform, shares an incredible story about his car dealership business and how a 90-day plan can completely shift results. He also breaks down five principles that challenge you to remove limitations and start moving toward bigger goals with intention. Meet Jason VanDevere Jason VanDevere is the author of the bestselling book Dream Driven and the founder of the Goal Crazy platform, which helps entrepreneurs set goals, manage their time, and actually follow through on what matters most.After leaving his family’s successful car dealership business, Jason went on to build a multi-million dollar real estate portfolio and create the Goal Crazy Planner, now used by tens of thousands of people to stay focused and hit their goals.He lives in Akron, Ohio with his wife and four children, and also shares insights as the host of the Goal Crazy Podcast. The Power and Process of Dreaming Without Limits How do you know which dreams actually matter? Jason shares that when he left his family’s successful car dealership, many people saw it as a mistake. But he trusted his system and his vision enough to move forward anyway.For him, dreams are the space where your heart gets to express what it really wants without limitations. Goals are more structured and specific, but when your goals are connected to your deeper dreams, they carry real meaning and purpose. Why Do We Limit Our Dreams Most people don’t struggle with goals, they struggle with dreaming.We spend so much time focused on bills, responsibilities, and staying afloat that we slowly shrink what we believe is possible. Survival mode becomes the default.That’s why Jason intentionally creates space for dreaming. He’ll turn on music, step away from distractions, and spend about ten minutes visualizing the life he actually wants to build. Setting Breakthrough Goals That Stretch You After getting clear on your long-term dreams, the next step is choosing a yearly goal that currently feels slightly out of reach. Not impossible, but uncomfortable enough that it requires you to level up.The goal should be exciting, but also demanding. It should push you to learn new skills, face fears, and step outside what feels familiar.Jason draws from Tony Robbins’ philosophy here, emphasizing that the real value is not just hitting the goal, but becoming the person who is capable of achieving it.If it already feels easy or fully within reach, it is not a breakthrough goal. It is just another task on a checklist.The purpose of this approach is growth. You are constantly stretching, evolving, and aligning your actions with a bigger vision of what you are capable of becoming. “A problem with goal setting is that many people skip the dreaming step. You can still set goals without dreams, but they lack direction and meaning. Without that, people end up in survival mode, just working to stay afloat. When goals are tied to real dreams, they become meaningful and bring purpose back into your life.” — Jason VanDevere Resources Connect with Jason VanDevere on LinkedIn and visit GoalCrazy.com to explore his planners, resources, and coaching opportunities.Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content. Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot. With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation. Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

    Dream BIG: What Every Sellers Must Do To Shatter Their Dreams

  8. Jun 15

    The Return of Trade Show and Human-to-Human Interaction

    We’re tapping into a Renaissance era in sales. AI is changing how sellers operate, but human connection is still what builds trust and closes deals. My guest, Yiannis Gavrielides, Co-founder and CEO of Covve, shares how trade shows remain one of the strongest ways to build real relationships in a digital-first world. Meet Yiannis Gavrielides Yiannis Gavrielides is the co-founder and CEO of Covve, a lead capture and relationship intelligence platform helping sales teams and professionals turn every meeting into a real pipeline.Covve is used by over 2 million people across 130+ countries, from solo founders to global companies like Delta and Prudential.A serial founder across technology, media, and hospitality, Yiannis built Covve on one core belief: in an AI-first world where emails, decks, and even calls can be automated, trust is still the one thing technology cannot replace.Before Covve, he worked in consulting and banking in London. Today, he focuses on helping sales teams turn human connection into their most defensible competitive advantage. Basics of Building Trust in Sales We’re living in an era where everything is being automated, from emails to scheduling to large parts of the sales process.But even in a digital-first world, very few people can walk into a room and naturally connect with everyone by the end of an event. Shout out to my good friend Jared for being able to do this.Connection is everything in sales. Instead of focusing on selling right away, the real shift is learning how to stay curious about people.Yiannis shares insights from anthropologist Professor Robin Dunbar. When we meet someone new, we immediately start looking for shared signals. Things like accent, humor, interests, or communication style. These small cues help us decide, often subconsciously, whether a connection is forming. That first layer of recognition is what builds trust. Re-Booking Meetings for Success Successful trade show follow-up starts before the event even happens. The key is identifying the right people you want to meet and setting meetings in advance whenever possible.Use LinkedIn and AI tools to research key attendees so you can connect over shared industry insights instead of leading with a sales pitch.The goal is simple. Build relationships first, and let business conversations follow naturally. Finding the Right Trade Shows & Preparation Start by clearly defining your ideal customer profile so you know exactly who you are targeting, including companies, roles, and regions.From there, use tools like 10times and Evensi, along with AI, to research and organize trade shows. This helps you evaluate events based on timing, size, and relevance to your audience.Bigger is not always better. The most effective events are the ones where your ideal buyers are actually present in meaningful numbers.The real advantage comes from preparation. The most successful sellers are already identifying attendees and starting conversations before they ever arrive at the show. “When we show up as human and treat the other person like a human being with curiosity and genuine interest, we start finding what we have in common. That’s what builds trust, and that trust can then grow into something more meaningful and useful.” — Yiannis Gavrielides Resources Get 20% off Covve business plans with code TSE26The Networker: free newsletter and podcast on relationship buildingConnect with Yiannis Gavrielides on LinkedIn.Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content. Sponsorship Offers This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot. With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn. Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation. Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin. Credits As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

    The Return of Trade Show and Human-to-Human Interaction
See All (2K)

4.9
out of 5
267 Ratings

About

I believe in doing BIG THINGS! You should be earning 6 figures easily as a sales rep. But chances are you are not...yet! Sales is the most important department in every company but many sellers are never taught how to effectively sell, much less how to earn their way to high-income status. My own career limped along until a company I worked for invested in sales training to help me succeed. Immediately afterward, I closed a deal worth 4X what the company spent on me and saw hockey-stick improvement in my performance. So I started a podcast to “Evangelize” what was working. Today I interview the world's best sales experts, successful sellers, sales leaders and entrepreneurs who share their strategies to succeed in sales right now: folks like Jeffrey Gitomer, Jill Konrath, Bob Burg, and Guy Kawasaki to name a few. They share actionable insights and stories that will encourage, challenge, and motivate you to hustle your way to top income status. If you’re someone looking to take off in your sales career and earn the income you deserve, hit subscribe and let’s start doing BIG THINGS!

Information

  • Creator
    Donald C. Kelly
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2026
  • Episodes
    2K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Copyright 2025 © The Sales Evangelist Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Sales Evangelist

You Might Also Like