Storytelling for Sales Podcast Ed Bilat

Julien Leblanc joins us on today’s episode of the Storytelling for Sales Podcast to share his incredible journey from a tennis player to a world-class leader in many areas. He shares a lot of gems in this episode including how he uses storytelling with his unique strategy of “hook ‘em, engage ‘em and call ‘em to action.”
 
Julien is a very successful serial entrepreneur who has founded several companies and now largely devotes his time to learning and teaching and injecting confidence across the globe.
 
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:
Julien’s journey to entrepreneurship The practical application of confidence techniques Virtual selling and best practices The rise of the attention economy  
SHOW NOTES
[00:22] Introduction to this episode
[00:45] Ed’s first encounter with Julien
[02:40] Two business success stories that inspired him
[05:52] How he got into the sales world
[08:37] Early days challenges with sales
[10:02] Current mistakes that salespeople make
[11:41] How can you tell a world-class salesperson
[12:20] How he picks his industries/ business partners
[13:22] The values that drive his company
[15:00] Stories that excite his clients
[16:30] Virtual selling and the best practices
[21:22] The top 3 questions to ask prospects
[24:34] The attention economy
[25:45] The art of storytelling
[28:15] Contact info
 
Connect with Julien and find out more about him on Linkedin and his website
Find out more about his company, blueprint  North America here

James Muir is the founder and CEO of Best Practice International and the bestselling author of the #1 book on closing sales – The Perfect Close. James is a 30-year veteran of sales having served in every role – from individual contributor to executive VP. His mission – to make the complex simple.
James has extensive background in healthcare where he has sold-to and spoken for the largest names in technology and healthcare including HCA, Tenet, Catholic Healthcare, Banner, Dell, IBM and others.
 
James is passionate, enthusiastic and fun. He likes to have fun while he works. Not only is James a lifelong student of sales, but he’s also an accomplished guitarist, organic chemistry fan and fitness buff. 
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:
Mistakes salespeople make in the virtual selling  How to correct misconceptions about sales What the “ Ideal Advance” is and why you need it What is the “Perfect Close”  for the virtual world The noble art  of storytelling and selling  
 
SHOW NOTES
[00:28] Introduction 
[03:24] Business success stories that inspire him
[03:32] “The story of Edwin C. Barnes”
[06:30] How James juggles through his roles
[07:33] How he got drafted into sales
[10:14] Mistakes salespeople make in the virtual selling
[13:20] The Sales Call objective
[13:53] How do you close business in a virtual world?
[14:38] The best closing approach according to scientific research
[15:16] The “ Ideal” advance
[24:12] How does storytelling come to play is his sales technique
[25:01] Misconceptions about sales
[28:35] “Selling is an act of service”
[30:30] Challenges facing today’s sales leaders
[31:30] Contact info and book details
 
You can connect with James and get his book via his website

It’s another unique episode of the Storytelling for Sales Podcast. In this episode, we have combined some of the best answers and advice to questions on ‘becoming obsessed with your dream customers,’ ‘why storytelling is becoming the #1 sales skill to master,’ and ‘how to go from nowhere to a $20 billion powerhouse. This episode features Bruce Linton, Maddie Pimentel and Russell Brunson.
 
Bruce Linton is an entrepreneur who has been at the head of 16 different companies and presently occupies the position of Executive Chairman at Vireo Health International, Inc, Co-Chairman of Martello Technologies Group, Inc., and co-founder of online rental marketplace Ruckify.
 
Maddie Pimentel has been in the Learning & Development field for the past 19 years. She is the Training and Development Manager for North America in SnapAV. Maddie’s role is to enable the sales teams to quickly ramp, begin generating revenue and stay up to date on products, solutions and process updates as well as industry trends. With the purchase of Control4, a publicly-traded company, a few months ago, Maddie is now responsible for sales enablement for the global sales teams.
 
And finally Russell Brunson! Over the past 15 years, Russell has built a following of over a million entrepreneurs, sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his books, popularized the concept of sales funnels, and co-founded a software company called ClickFunnels that helps tens of thousands of entrepreneurs quickly get their message out to the marketplace.Together with his partner Todd Dickerson, Russell launched their sales funnel software in October 2014, and the company grew to $100,000,000 in the first three years. 
 
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:
Why salespeople should never mention their competition The role of Storytelling in human to human connection The 3 Core Markets /Desires which will stay evergreen  The Value of the Public Policy Changes Latest trends in the sales training industry  
 
SHOW NOTES
[00:22] Introduction to this episode
[00:45] Guests’ introduction
[03:23] Business success stories that inspire our guests
[03:33] “Elon Musk story”
[04:14] “Maddie Fathers story”
[06:16] How they all got into sales 
[07:48] How ClickFunnels was launched
[09:53] Skills salespeople must have
[12:46] Online Traffic Secrets
[13:36] Why Relationship Selling is oversold
[17:00] Is it difficult to train salespeople?
[18:57] Favorite Sales failures
[21:55] How online advertising has evolved
[24:39] How do you pick your industries?
[26:46] How to understand your customers
[29:52] The role of public policy changes
[30:29] Stories that excite your customers
[32:34] How do you find your dream customers?
[35:04] Mistakes sales leaders make
[36:46] Search-based traffic
[37:17] The art of storytelling
 
You can listen to the individual episodes here:
Bruce Linton, “From Nowhere to a $20 Billion Powerhouse.”
Maddie Pimentel, “Why Storytelling is Becoming the #1 Sales Skill to Master”
Russell Brunson, “Becoming Obsessed With Your Dream Customers”

In this special episode, we pulled nuggets and discussions from three of our previous episodes with Christy Soukhamneut, Gregg Jorritsma and Eli Fathi 
 
Christy Soukhamneut is a 20+ year veteran of the mortgage industry who is dedicated to turning possibility into reality.  A gifted strategic thinker, she knows that you must cut through the clutter, clearly articulate the vision, and then rally support at the street level.  
Everything she does is evaluated against these three bars: Will it make your life easier?  Will it help you & your team be more productive? Will it help you grow your business?
 
Gregg Jorritsma has been in leadership roles with some of the most well-known companies in the industry including Citrix, BlackBerry, Bell Mobility, Siebel and Delrina. A passionate advocate for “informed selling” and sales professionalism, Gregg credits his success to having been mentored and coached by some great people that took the time to help him on his journey. 
 
Eli Fathi is CEO at MindBridge Ai, developer of the world’s first auditing tool based upon artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies – Ai Auditor – to uncover errors in financial data. Eli has been a technology entrepreneur for over 30 years, having founded or co-founded many successful technology companies.
Eli was recognized as the 2018 AI Leader of the Year by the Digital Finance Institute and is a prolific speaker, including talks at the AICPA, Startup Canada Day on the Hill, and TEDx.
 
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:
Top mistakes salespeople make all the time  The rise and meaning of AI salesperson Why there is no such thing as ‘natural’ salesperson How to help salespeople see something within themselves that is just below the surface What to do to get people to take you seriously  
 
SHOW NOTES
[00:24] Introduction to this episode
[02:22] Welcome 
[01:55] Business success stories that inspire our guests
[02:08] “The story of Febreze”
[03:39] “Resilience in the face of adversity” 
[04:48] “Jim Estill story”
[07:58] How they all got into sales
[11:04] Their favourite sales failure
[13:34] Mistakes salespeople make and how to avoid them
[15:06] The mortgage industry...
[16:09] Why there is no such thing as ‘natural’ salesperson
[16:38] Be wary of multinational companies...
[17:38] Sales and rejections
[18:03] The rise of Artificial intelligence
[19:05] Stories that excite their customers
[21:09] AI as a threat to salespeople? 
[22:36] Challenges facing today’s sales leaders 
[26:30] The art of storytelling
 
You can listen to the individual episodes here:
Christy Soukhamneut, “Logic and data can only take you so far, Story is where we really connect,” 
Gregg Jorritsma, “Don’t Outsell Your Competitors, Out Question Them,” 
Eli Fathi, “Why AI won’t Replace (Top) Salespeople.”

Who is Milan Topolovec? Why does he consider himself as a quarterback? How does he build a relationship with his clients and offer more services than he promises? What does your business network mean to you and how do you build one? 
 
In this episode, Milan shares his story on launching into the financial industry and how the services he offers are centred on his relationship with his clients. We have discussed why sales reps need people skills, the intrinsic power of networking, prospecting and much more.
 
Milan is the President and CEO of TK Financial Group and Inner Orbis. He graduated from the University of Ottawa after which he was drafted to play for Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He eventually chose a career path in the financial services industry where he is focused on building expertise to exclusively serve business owners and professionals focused on estate planning, business planning and insurance planning.
 
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:
How to create the right environment for your clients Knowing when to stop and how to set  your priorities How to maintain the right attitude while prospecting  Why you need the people skills How to become more than just another sales rep


SHOW NOTES
[00:24] Introduction to this episode
[02:22] Welcome Milan
[03:10] Business success stories that inspire him
[04:50] How he got started in the financial industry
[05:32] Type of clients he loves to serve
[06:10] Switching from his football career
[07:00] Challenges he faced starting out in sales
[08:09] Favorite sales failure
[10:05] Knowing when to stop
[12:36] Positioning himself as a quarterback
[14:10] Why you need people skills
[15:10] How to become more than just a sales guy
[15:38] His book “ Beyond the Tipping Point”
[15:58] The power of networking
[17:17] Covid-19 and relationships
[19:01] Introducing prospective clients
[19:30] Stories that excite his customers
[22:03] Offer more than your service demands
[22:10] Challenges facing today’s business leaders
[23:10] Create the right atmosphere for your clients
[23:40] Contact info and book details
 
You can connect with Milan on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram.
 
Get a copy of Milan’s book, Beyond the Tipping Point, on Amazon.
 
You can keep up with happenings on TK Financial Group on their website, LinkedIn, Facebook.
 
You can find out more about Inner Orbis on their website, LinkedIn.
 

Have you been trying to figure out how to navigate selling during this pandemic or you’re struggling with keeping your teams motivated?
In this episode, I discussed with Steve how selling has evolved since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and how to pivot, maintain a good relationship with your clients, and sell better. 
 
Steve is the founder and CEO of Badger Maps. After receiving his MBA from Stanford, Steve was Google Enterprise’s Top Sales Executive in 2009. In 2012, Steve founded Badger Maps, a software company that helps Field Sales People optimize their routes and schedules to save time and be on time so they can sell more. Steve is also the host of the Outside Sales Talk podcast where he interviews industry experts on their sales tips.



 WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:
How to shift strategy during crisis New ways to empower your team members The right ways to prospect How to maintain a good relationship with your clients The strategic importance of training and coaching in this moment of time  
SHOW NOTES
[00:11] Welcome to this Episode
[00:58] Shopify success story
[02:38] Welcome Steve Benson
[03:13] Updates on Sales, technology, and leadership
[04:10] Adapting to the new sales culture
[05:09] Building Relationships
[05:28] Selling on Zoom vs Face-to-Face
[05:38] Communicating in the new normal
[06:13] Prospecting challenges
[07:18] Adjusting your sales message
[07:31] The importance of staying empathetic
[10:00]The rise of food delivery and health care organizations
[11:01] Challenges facing today's sales leaders
[12:18] Re-sizing the sales teams
[13:00] Hire now
[13:26] The importance of training and coaching aspect
[16:04] Leading remotely
[19:01] The art of storytelling for Steve
[19:57] Steve's Contact info
 
You can connect with Steve on LinkedIn, Twitter and  Instagram.
You can keep up with happenings on Badger Maps on their website, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter