146 episodes

SalesTuners is an interview where I talk with great sales leaders and high performing individual salespeople about the Behaviors, Attitudes, and Techniques that have made them great. Learn more at SalesTuners.com

Sales Tuners Jim Brown

    • Business
    • 4.9 • 80 Ratings

SalesTuners is an interview where I talk with great sales leaders and high performing individual salespeople about the Behaviors, Attitudes, and Techniques that have made them great. Learn more at SalesTuners.com

    The Difference Between Cooperating and Collaborating | Amy Appleyard

    The Difference Between Cooperating and Collaborating | Amy Appleyard

    Takeaways Understand How Your Prospect Makes Money: You already know how your company makes money and you already know how you make money once your company makes money. During the sales process, if you really dig in and figure out how your prospects make money, then you can sync your offering with their real incentives. It truly doesn’t matter what you sell if you can figure out how your offering impacts their revenue engine. That’s the key. Put Yourself Out There: Your network is not just going to build itself. You have to commit time in a given week or month outside your organization. Think about it just like you would building your pipeline. Who are the top 3-5 people you’d like to know? Reach out to them and ask for coffee or for lunch. Be genuine in your reasoning and figure out how you can provide reciprocal value. This effort you put in now will pay off in spades for a long time to come. Own Your Day: It’s been mentioned a few times on this show but understanding your own process and the things that make an impact or crucial to real success. Get organized and plan your day intentionally. Block on time on your calendar to do the things you know need to get done and don’t let the 5-10 minutes between meetings get wasted with goofing off because you can’t get any “real work” done in that short of time. Also, at the end of each day, recap the day and plan for what is going to happen the following. Full Notes https://www.salestuners.com/amy-appleyard/ Book Recommendations It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by Michael Abrashoff The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Sponsor Costello - What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do.

    • 35 min
    #CoachesCorner 1 | Ashleigh Early

    #CoachesCorner 1 | Ashleigh Early

    In the last 5-7 years, there has seemingly been an explosion in the number of companies, both tech startups as well as more traditional businesses, that require salespeople. Unfortunately, in that same period of time there hasn’t been any magical creation of new sales talent.
    That misalignment has led companies to over-recruit, under-train, and honestly… just hope reps “figure it out." I’ve had some sales leaders tell me they’ll hire 10 reps knowing full well only 4 will work out. What in the world is going on?
    Most sales reps actually know what to do — that has been drilled into them over and over. They need help understanding the why (and even the how) behind the what. Today, I’m talking with Vendition’s Ashleigh Early about this exact challenge and what both reps and leaders can do to fill the void with context and personalization.  
    Links Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein https://amzn.to/2QEOIkL Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek https://amzn.to/2QCbslr

    • 19 min
    127: Jessica McQueen | Building a Sincere Interest in Understanding

    127: Jessica McQueen | Building a Sincere Interest in Understanding

    Takeaways Become a Subject Matter Expert: There have been many conversations on this show that have talked about the need to truly understand who your buyer is. Jess took that even a step farther by suggesting that she actually become a licensed health benefits consultant. Think about that. Are there certifications in your industry that could help you better relate to the knowledge your prospects have? Yes, you can learn these things at a high level likely through your companies sales enablement, but what would it take to be able to truly walk in your customers' shoes? Your Questions Prove Your Credibility: Deals are won or lost in discovery. If the questions you are asking can easily be answered, you’re not asking the right questions. You want your prospect to actually think about what is being asked and that means showing you know their world. Use the words their peers use. Explain what you’ve seen other people like them go through. Then ask a question that makes them shift a bit in their seat. When they start showing emotion, you know you’re actually on to something. Listen: Simply stated, but not easy to execute. Think about your last discovery call. Were you listening to understand what your prospect was trying to tell you or were you really just waiting for them to stop talking so you could advance the conversation. What does it mean to actively listen? It’s the idea of reading between the lines. You hear the words that are coming out of their mouth but know there is a deeper meaning. When that’s the case, repeat some of what you just heard, and ask them to elaborate. Remember, people love to talk about themselves. Let them. Full Notes https://www.salestuners.com/jessica-mcqueen Book Recommendations Daring Greatly by Brené Brown Sponsor Costello - What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do.

    • 27 min
    #READefined 1 | Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

    #READefined 1 | Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

    In our first ever episode of READefined, we’re taking a look at Robert Cialdini’s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.
    Today, we are all becoming overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information at our disposal AND the choice that comes with that for even the most mundane topics. While it would be nice to think our prospects consider all the information available to them before they decide whether to say “yes” or “no,” you know from your own day-to-day experience that reality is quite different.
    The truth is, we need shortcuts. We need rules of thumb to help us filter through the noise. And guess what… there’s a science to it. And, that science is the evidence-based research Cialdini presents in this book on the psychology of persuasion with six overarching principles.
    Principle 1: Reciprocity Principle 2: Commitment and Consistency Principle 3: Social Proof Principle 4: Liking Principle 5: Authority Principle 6: Scarcity

    • 14 min
    126: Greg Zapletnikov | Breaking the Code to Find Your Own Style

    126: Greg Zapletnikov | Breaking the Code to Find Your Own Style

    Takeaways Speak a Common Language: As Greg was learning to sell, he was taught baseball idioms like ‘batting 1.000,’ ‘drop the ball,’ ‘be in the ballpark,’ and of course, ‘touch base.’ But to many of you listening, these phrases no longer have anything to do with the game because they’ve been so ingrained into our normal lexicon. What words or phrases might you be using that make no sense to your prospect? Greg gave the example of the literal translation of ‘How are you?’, a throwaway phrase we use in America that would make an Eastern European tell you all about their life. Get Your Prospect to Come to Their Own Conclusion: Think about the last time you felt like you were sold something. I’m not talking about when you last bought something, but truly felt sold. How long did it take for buyer’s remorse to set in? In every sales cycle, you should make it your goal for your prospect to find your value prop on their own terms. I like to do this by turning my statements into questions, where the answer from the prospect becomes what I wanted to say. Make the Sales Process as Simple as Possible: Regardless of the sales methodology you use, whether it be SPIN or Challenger or Customer Centric, it’s important to make the process itself as simple as you can for both you and your prospect. As you adapt the methodology to find your own selling style, you should be able to determine which parts come naturally to you and what needs to be adjusted or Full Notes https://www.salestuners.com/greg-zapletnikov Book Recommendations SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Sponsor Costello - What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do.

    • 19 min
    125: Jenn Etherton | Setting Up a Sales Career Development Path

    125: Jenn Etherton | Setting Up a Sales Career Development Path

    Takeaways Observe the Actions of Others: You may not have the confidence or even opportunity to approach others to ask them about how or why they do what they do, but you can definitely observe their actions. Break down how they speak, how they hold themselves, how they treat customers, and what they do that’s different than you. And these don’t have to just be people in your office. With unfiltered broadband access, these observations can be people you admire online, TED speakers, or even public CEOs by way of their earnings calls and annual reports. Find Gaps in Your Own Skills: It’s hard for people to just tell you everything they know with general questions like “how can I get better?” As you think about the next step in your career, write down the traits or responsibilities you think that role would entail. Then take a good look at your performance and see where you can improve and ask specific questions. In addition, you must be willing to hear and accept their feedback. You may not agree with it, but if you get defensive or act like you know it all, well, that's a surefire way to damage the relationship. Be Transparent: Ready for a truth bomb? No one has all the answers. When you don’t know something, be honest about it. Whether it’s with a coworker, a leader, or even your prospects. Yes, I’ve heard the mantra, “fake it until you make it,” but I’ve found that having a genuine level of vulnerability and mixing that with an insatiable appetite for curiosity leads to the right coaching, quicker career progress, and better relationships. Full Notes https://www.salestuners.com/jenn-etherton Book Recommendation The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge Sponsor Costello - What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do.

    • 28 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
80 Ratings

80 Ratings

CornGeorge ,

Solutions Consultant

I have been listening to SalesTuners since 2016, it has helped me in so many ways. Imagine getting over 100 great sales leaders to share with you some of the best tips in the world, how valuable is that?

Jim does an excellent job of getting the most meaningful content from his guest.

It was an honor after being a fan for so long to actually be a guest.

allytbrett ,

If you’re in sales (or want to be) listen!

Really enjoy Jim’s podcast. Every guest provides a unique and helpful perspective on sales and I learn something in each episode I can use to be a better seller.

Scott I. ,

Jim is a pro!

There are a lot of sales podcasts out there, but Jim bring a new level of professionalism to the game. I especially enjoy his thoughtful recaps at the end of each episode.

Top Podcasts In Business

The Dough
Lemonada Media
REAL AF with Andy Frisella
Andy Frisella #100to0
The Ramsey Show
Ramsey Network
The Marketing Architects
Marketing Architects
Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin
Money News Network
Most Innovative Companies
Fast Company