The Sales Evangelist Donald Kelly

Understanding human psychology will always move your sales pipeline faster than the speed of lightning. In this episode, I share a simple trick that helped my podcasting company secure valuable appointments and generate significant revenue. Discover why the "Close File" method still works and how you can use it.
Understanding Human Behavior
One of sales's most fundamental and overlooked aspects is understanding human behavior.
Every title, email, and phone call in sales is not just a transaction, but an opportunity to connect with a real person who craves genuine interaction. 
By grasping the nuances of human psychology, salespeople can navigate conversations more effectively and close more deals.
The "Close File" Strategy
The "Close File" strategy is an email tactic that can effectively filter out non-responsive leads and revive interest from potential prospects.
I share an example of a simple yet effective email that asks the recipient if they still want to proceed or if the file should be closed. 
This approach leverages psychological triggers like FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to prompt responses.
Why It Works
The success of the "Close File" strategy lies in its psychological underpinnings. 
People fear missing out on valuable opportunities, and the confident, straightforward approach of closing the file catches their attention. 
This method cleans up your pipeline and accelerates the decision-making process for leads.
“The idea of you closing something and taking it away makes them want it even more. It's kind of like when you were a teenager, and your parents told you not to do something. It made you want to do it even more.” - Donald Kelly.
Resources
LinkedIn Sales Navigator 
TSE Sales Mastermind Class
TSE studios
Donald C. Kelly on LinkedIn
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.
 

Have you ever wondered how FBI agents can get suspects to tell them everything within seconds? Those tactics they’re using can be surprisingly practical in your sales game. 
In this episode, I invite two exceptional guests, Adele Gambardella, and Chip Massey, to share their unique hybrid of sales wisdom drawn from their expansive backgrounds. Listen to discover forensic listening and effective convincing techniques to boost your sales success.
Guest Introductions
Adele Gambardella With over 15 years of experience running her own agency, Adele shares the journey of transitioning from cold calls with limited success to securing significant clients through strategic media coverage offerings. Adele expertly discusses how her PR and journalism background seamlessly blended into her sales tactics, making her exceptionally skilled in selling concepts and narratives. Chip Massey Chip details his fascinating transition from FBI special agent and hostage negotiator to business consultancy, where he met Adele. The collaboration between Chip’s high-stakes negotiation skills and Adele’s PR expertise forms the foundation for their innovative sales training firm. His profound understanding of human behavior and negotiation lends invaluable insights into the sales process. Forensic Listening
Definition: Forensic Listening is the art and science of analyzing conversations to understand clients' unspoken narratives and emotions. Four Key Components Emotion: Identifying and tracking the present emotions during the conversation. Theme Development: Recognizing recurring themes that indicate what the client values the most.  Voice: Observing pitch, tone, and cadence to determine excitement or disinterest. Body Positioning: Differentiating between body language and positioning to gauge the client's engagement level. Methods to Improve Forensic Listening
Recording and Reviewing Meetings: Utilize tools like Otter AI to capture the conversation, allowing for a thorough post-call analysis. Targeted Validation: Following up with insights gained during conversations to show genuine interest and appreciation for the client’s input. Essentials of Convincing
Chip & Adele share the importance of convincing and how sellers can improve. Convincing Continuum Point of Agreement: Starting with a mutual agreement to lower initial defenses. Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD): Addressing these components comprehensively to alleviate client concerns. Cliffhangers: Leaving clients with intriguing, open-ended statements or questions that encourage further engagement and follow-up. Personal Convincing Styles: Identify whether you and your client are emotional or fact-based convincers and adjust your approach accordingly. "You're listening for a deeper understanding of who you're talking to. And you get that by understanding what their emotions are. What are they passionate about? Where do they have energy?" — Adele Gambardella.
Forensic listening is the art and science of analyzing a conversation after it's happened. Because what we say is words leave clues." — Chip Massey
Resources
Book: “Convince Me" 
Training So Good, It's Criminal
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.
2.            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.
3.            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
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What are three things you can do to become a top-performing seller? My guest, Eric Hamilton, will reveal the answer in this episode.
He uncovers what sets top performers apart in the challenging world of sales. Also, you'll hear insights from his latest book, "The Sales Blueprint: What Winners Do Differently." Listen to gain actionable strategies to help you excel even in tough economic times.
Eric Hamilton's Background
Eric Hamilton is a seasoned sales leader and the author of "The Sales Blueprint: What Winners Do Differently."  Throughout his successful career, Eric has emphasized the importance of disciplined, consistent sales processes.  Eric's systematic approach aims to provide a structured, repeatable framework that new and seasoned sales professionals can leverage to achieve consistent success. Key Ingredients of Sales Success
Eric breaks down sales success into three main components:  Preparation Mindset Execution The Power of Preparation
Eric explains that being prepared days, even weeks, in advance is crucial.  Preparation involves everything from understanding the client's business to setting agendas and confirming meeting details.  This approach ensures that sales professionals are not just winging it but are strategically ready for every interaction. The Right Mindset
Eric discusses how being mentally prepared can instill confidence and command in a sales meeting.  Techniques like the Wonder Woman pose are suggested to foster a powerful presence. He also shares his personal routine of mindfulness and meditation, which helps him start the day with a positive mental state. Execution: The Final Piece
From beginning a meeting assertively to effectively managing the conversation flow and nailing the next steps, execution is where preparation and mindset culminate.  Eric stresses the importance of setting agendas, controlling the meeting, and transitioning to the next steps well before time runs out. ‘It's important to have the mindset that you will succeed in anything you do.But that goes hand in hand with preparation. If you're not prepared, you won't be mentally ready to deal with whatever you have to deal with.’ - Eric Hamilton.
Resources
"The Sales Blueprint" by Eric Hamilton
Eric Hamilton on LinkedIn 
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.
2.            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.
3.            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.

There’s a sales enablement evaluation going on. Are you ready for its changes? 
In this episode, I chat with Shane Evans, the Chief Revenue Officer at Gong. Together, we explore the rapidly evolving world of sales enablement and its challenges. Discover actionable strategies to improve your sales performance and productivity.
Guest Introduction: Shane Evans
Shane Evans is the Chief Revenue Officer at Gong, a role that involves overseeing anything that touches customers or prospects interested in Gong.  His team includes sales development reps, solution engineers, implementation consultants, and customer success representatives.  With a focus on creating high-performing sales teams, Shane brings unparalleled insights into how data and technology can transform sales enablement. The Problems in Sales Enablement
Shane reveals some alarming statistics that highlight problems in the current state of sales enablement: 77% of sellers' time is spent on mundane tasks like data entry. Sellers are hitting only 30% to 35% of attainment, affecting their motivation and overall company performance. Only 1% of data from sales interactions makes it into CRM systems. The Role of Revenue Intelligence
Shane discusses how Gong’s focus on revenue intelligence addresses these challenges: Activity Capture: Gong automatically captures data from Zoom meetings, phone calls, emails, and Slack messages. This allows more comprehensive and accurate data to inform sales strategies. Targeted Coaching: AI analyzes interactions to offer pinpointed coaching on areas like competitive knowledge and effective questioning. This helps sales leaders provide real-time guidance to improve performance. Success Stories
Shane shares compelling success stories from Gong's clients: Upwork: Using Gong, Upwork improved its forecast accuracy to over 95%, significantly impacting its stock performance. ADP: The payroll giant uses Gong to enhance their win rates, average contract values, and overall productivity. The Future of Sales Enablement

 
Shane believes the future of sales enablement lies in utilizing data effectively to provide ultra-personalized coaching and support.  He stresses the importance of capturing contextual data to improve sales performance, regardless of the organization's size. "Enablement is no longer about just creating generic documents and pumping them out for people to try and act on. It's identifying the skills and behaviors where people have gaps and then being very targeted in the moment to give them the coaching and the information they need to be more effective." - Shane Evans.
Resources
Shane Evans on LinkedIn
Gong.io  
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.
2.            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.
3.            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 an

Capturing your prospects' attention is more challenging than ever, thanks to our distracting world. So, how do you cut through the noise and effectively engage with potential clients? 
In this episode of The Sales Evangelist Podcast, I speak with Alan Versteeg, a seasoned sales leader and head of Growth Matters. Hear his insights and strategies for grabbing your prospects' attention and turning it into meaningful business opportunities.
About Alan Versteeg
Alan Versteeg is the mastermind behind Growth Matters, an organization dedicated to enhancing sales management development.  His mission is to provide sales leaders with the tools they need to improve their game and, by extension, help their sales teams excel.  In this episode, Alan emphasizes the critical role of sales managers in driving sustainable sales performance and the importance of mindset in successful selling. The Importance of Mindset
How important is mindset in sales? According to Alan, you can’t sell anything unless you have this specific mindset to make it in the sales industry. He suggests that sales professionals should view their roles as noble and genuine efforts to help customers. This conviction translates into clarity, confidence, and, ultimately, competence.  Alan points out that many top salespeople become mediocre sales managers because they lack this foundational mindset. Relevance: The Currency of Value
Alan shares how to engineer relevance into your sales conversations by doing meticulous research and personalization.  He argues that generic sales messages won’t cut it, especially with AI generating compelling scripts at scale.  Instead, salespeople must tailor their outreach to demonstrate a profound understanding of the prospect's industry and challenges. Practical Strategies for Gaining Attention
Alan offers a practical framework he calls the Initial Value Promise.  It involves crafting a message that immediately signals relevance to the target prospect. This sales approach is based on the neuroscience behind the Reticular Activating System (RAS), which filters information based on its relevance to us. Navigating Rejections
Always welcome rejections and see them as opportunities to reposition your efforts.  Alan advises that if a prospect says no, it's best to thank them and move on rather than trying to convince them otherwise.  Instead, focus your energy on those who find your value proposition relevant. “Relevance is the currency of value.” - Alan Versteeg.
Resources
Growth Matters International 
The Catastrophic State of Sales Coaching
Alan Versteeg on LinkedIn 
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.
2.            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.
3.            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

Are you excited to enter the world of sales? In this episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, I chat with Jay Johnston, an expert in tech sales and job placement. 
We explore the vital steps aspiring sales reps need to take to land their first job. Jay shares his insights on the three crucial elements every seller must master to secure their dream job. Additionally, he offers practical advice from his own experience and how he successfully navigated the tech sales landscape.
Jay Johnston’s Background
Jay Johnston is a seasoned professional with a remarkable background in the tech sales industry. 
Having achieved significant success at Dell, Jay advanced through four different roles in just two and a half years.
He is now dedicated to helping others land competitive roles in tech sales through his company, where he serves as both a coach and mentor. 
Importance of Good Documentation
Jay Johnston emphasizes that your resume and LinkedIn profile are more than just documents; they are your Trojan horses. These documents often create the first impression and strongly influence hiring managers' perceptions of you. 
Jay shares tips on crafting a visually appealing resume and a compelling LinkedIn profile that stands out. 
Power of Proper Preparation
Preparation is key to crushing any job interview. 
Jay details his approach to categorizing potential interview questions into three sections.
He explains how different types of questions require different preparation strategies. 
Asking Amazing Questions
The ability to ask thoughtful, insightful questions can set you apart from other candidates. 
Jay discusses the importance of doing your homework and crafting questions that show your interest in the company and demonstrate your analytical skills. 
Asking questions that reveal your awareness of the company's goals and challenges can make a lasting impression on hiring managers.
“How can you show the characteristics a hiring manager cares about without being dull and boring like every other candidate?" - Jay Johnston. 
Resources
EliteTechSales
Jay Johnston on LinkedIn
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.