Carson V. Heady's Blog, page 46

Leading Through Turbulent Times + Mastering Social and Enterprise Selling: Insights and Strategies from Mike Weinberg’s Latest Podcast Episode with Carson Heady

I’ve followed Mike Weinberg for several years and love his books & podcast: his candid take on the beautiful arena of sales is profound and makes me better. Honored and thrilled to have been on the latest episode of his podcast.

Please check out the episode here: https://lnkd.in/eBmS4mgJ

First, thank you to Mike for the friendship, lessons and incredible opportunity.

I’m also grateful to everyone who has reached out since the episode aired yesterday – your support has been overwhelming.

During this show, we talked about a lot of important topics:

• The very real exhaustion our sales leaders and professionals face right now
• How to maintain focus and keep a steady hand on the wheel during challenging times
• The importance of building community around what we do
• How these crucibles cause heroes to emerge, and they make us better

• Develop a personal brand that can sustain a rough year
• Control the controllables

• Be intentional and diligent in creating and nurturing relationships, knowing your superpowers and how you can elevate the superpowers of others

And finally, when things get overwhelming, land the step in front of you. Slow it down, gain confidence, reach out to people who can help you and make you better.

I hope you enjoy the show!

#SalesLeadership #SalesProfessionals #PersonalBrand #RelationshipBuilding #Superpowers #CommunityBuilding #Controllables #Focus #ChallengingTimes #SalesTips #SalesStrategy #MikeWeinberg #SalesPodcast #BusinessPodcast #SalesHeroes #ProfessionalDevelopment #SalesCoaching #SalesTraining #SalesSuccess #MindsetShift #CareerGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #SocialSelling #Podcast #Sales #LinkedIn

5 Musts to Motivate Your Sales Team

Motivation is a critical aspect of success in any field, but it is especially important in sales. A motivated sales team can drive revenue growth and help the business achieve its goals. However, finding and maintaining the right level of motivation can be challenging for sales managers. In this article, we’ll explore the key factors that contribute to a motivated sales team and what sales managers can do to keep their teams motivated.

Know Your Team

The foundation of a successful sales team is built on mutual respect and partnership. As a sales manager, you must know your team members individually, including their strengths, areas of opportunity, aspirations, and what motivates them. Take the time to understand what makes them tick and how they like to be coached. The key is to tailor your approach to each unique personality you train and manage. Also, be aware of how you would want to be managed if you were once in their shoes.

Show Respect

Showing respect to your sales team is critical to gaining their trust and buy-in. Avoid making drastic changes without seeking their feedback or input. Instead, solicit their opinions on how things should be done, and consider their suggestions before making a final decision. Remember that your team members have earned their positions, so until they jeopardize them, don’t impose your way of doing things. Instead, be there to eliminate legitimate obstacles to their success and be ready to call them out when they make excuses.

Agree on Positive Change

Sales managers should meet with their team members regularly to figure out who can move and make a difference, who needs to stay on track, and who needs to move into other roles. Acknowledge their prior successes and areas of opportunity, and lead by fear or criticizing only if you want them to shut down. Instead, focus on guiding and helping them achieve their aspirations. Collaborate with them on a strategy that gives them a higher probability of success in execution. Remember that positive results are a result of a strong process, not just barking orders.

Follow Through on Commitments

A sales manager’s commitment to their team is essential in keeping them motivated. Deliver on the initial and ongoing training and support promised to team members. Be responsive, available, and willing to help with legitimate obstacles. Your commitment will increase their trust and belief in your leadership, even if they don’t always live up to their end of the bargain.

Work to Get Them What They Want

Many sales managers fear supporting their top producers because they might lose productivity. However, promoting those top producers can inspire others to rise to the challenge and strive to be the top producer. Similarly, don’t abandon team members who aren’t a good fit. Instead, provide them with the training and answers they need to succeed in another role, whether internal or external.

In summary, maintaining the happy medium of motivation in sales requires sales managers to know their team members, show them respect, agree on positive change, follow through on commitments, and work to get them what they want. By building mutual trust and respect, sales managers can help their teams stay motivated and achieve their goals.

What Makes a Great Coach?

Coaching is a great responsibility and privilege that needs to be done intentionally and with clear purpose.

As a coach, you are an advocate and evangelist for your team. You are responsible for uncovering their “why” – what motivates them, what they care about, and what they want to achieve. Some people care about getting paid, while others care about winning and achieving success. Whatever it is, it’s your job to understand their needs and help them achieve their goals.

One of the most critical elements of coaching is building trust and transparency. As a coach, you need to understand where your team members are in their learning and career journey, what they want from you, and how often they want to meet. You need to establish a plan together and work towards it, whether that involves taking on a new role, being promoted, or improving their brand.

Communication is also vital in coaching. You need to over-communicate and send a lot of information to ensure that your team members understand the processes, see behind the curtain, and feel trusted and included. A good coach ensures that there is trust and transparency between leaders and teams, enabling them to do their best work.

At the heart of coaching is helping team members achieve their goals. This involves setting milestones, working towards goals, and being proactive in achieving them. A great coach is clear about expectations, sets goals, and proactively works towards them.

Finally, being a great coach also means being a good person, treating people with respect, and earning their trust. The best coaches lead by example and inspire their teams to achieve great things. Whether you’re a new coach or a seasoned veteran, at the heart of it all is just being a good person and treating people with respect.

Living Your Why: Finding Purpose and Fulfillment in Life

Living a fulfilling life is all about knowing your why. It’s that one thing that drives you every single day, keeps you motivated, and helps you stay on track towards your goals. But how do you figure out your why? And once you do, how do you make sure you’re living it to the fullest?

Whether you’re leading a team or just trying to find your own way, understanding your why is essential. As a leader, it’s important to understand the motivations of your team members. What drives them? What are their ultimate goals? Understanding their why will help you keep them motivated and engaged, and it will also help you identify ways to help them succeed.

For me, my why has changed over the years. When I was younger, it was about making my parents proud. Later, it was about achieving success in my career. And now, it’s about making a positive impact on the world around me. But no matter what my why has been, I’ve always tried to live it to the fullest.

Living your why means being true to yourself, even when faced with difficult decisions or challenges. It means staying focused on your goals and making choices that align with your values. When you live your why, you’re able to contribute to the world around you in a meaningful way.

So how do you find your why? It starts with asking yourself some key questions. What are your ultimate goals? What drives you to succeed? What do you want to achieve in your career, your personal life, and your relationships? When you have a clear understanding of your why, you can start making choices that align with it.

Living your why is a lifelong journey. It’s not something that you figure out once and then forget about. Your why will evolve and change over time, and that’s okay. As long as you stay true to yourself and keep your focus on what’s most important to you, you’ll be able to live your why to the fullest.

In conclusion, knowing your why is essential to living a fulfilling life. It helps you stay motivated, focused, and engaged, and it allows you to make a positive impact on the world around you. Whether you’re leading a team or just trying to find your own way, take the time to understand your why and make choices that align with it. You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve when you live your why to the fullest.

Transparency in Sales: Building Relationships & Earning the Right to Be a Trusted Advisor

Sales is often associated with closing deals and achieving excellent sales results. However, true sales excellence is not just about hitting numbers, it is about becoming a student of all the variables and parameters involved in the playing field. This starts with building relationships and utilizing resources. The ultimate goal should be to become a trusted advisor to your clients, and deals and sales results will come as a byproduct of these relationships.

To build strong relationships, honesty and sincerity are essential. Instead of rattling off a list of the great things about your product or service, acknowledge the limitations and show a willingness to learn about the client’s needs and priorities. By doing so, you will stand out from other sellers, and your authenticity will help build trust with your potential clients.

The importance of transparency in sales cannot be overstated. Whether you work for a small or large organization, acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses is crucial. Conducting a SWOT analysis on your competitors and yourself can help you identify gaps in the market that you can fill. When reaching out to potential clients, be open about any investment they have made in your company, and show them how you can provide additional resources to maximize their investment.

Another crucial element of transparency in sales is being open about the deals you offer. By showing clients what levers you can pull to bring resources, provide funding, or offer discounts, they will see that you are working in partnership with them, and they will be more willing to engage with you. Understanding their budget, priorities, and buying process will also make you more in tune with their needs and increase the likelihood of a successful partnership.

In conclusion, sales excellence is not just about closing deals and achieving excellent sales results; it is about building strong relationships with clients and being transparent about your strengths and weaknesses. By becoming a trusted advisor to your clients, you can create long-term partnerships that benefit both parties. Remember, transparency is not just essential in sales, but in life as well.

Mastering Sales: Elevating Brand, Impacting Results, & Controlling the Controllables

In today’s world, social media has become an integral part of building and nurturing relationships in the business world. As a social seller, I have been able to create meaningful global relationships, amass a significant social following, and even get recognized as the number one social seller in my company, Microsoft. In this blog post, I want to share with you some of the insights and tips that have helped me achieve this.

It’s crucial to understand that sales is a people and process game. It’s all about relationships and resources. Therefore, it’s essential to invest in building relationships with the people who matter most, both internally and externally. These relationships can benefit customer relationships and career growth. With the help of social media, you can engage with the right people and build lasting relationships.

Social selling is a probability game. Just like gambling, you need to understand the probability behind your actions. The quality, quantity, and consistency of your outreach and engagement are critical factors that you can control. Understanding the metrics and statistics of your actions will help you optimize your efforts and achieve better results.

Control the controllables. There are many variables in sales that we cannot control, such as competition undercutting prices. Focusing on the things that we can control, such as the quality of our outreach, the quantity of our engagement, and the consistency of our execution, is paramount.

It’s essential to be a student of the game. Sales is a constantly evolving field, and you need to keep up with the latest trends, tools, and techniques. You also need to build a playbook that outlines your accounts, investments, and milestones. By understanding the playing field, you can position your resources and investments strategically.

Sales is not just about closing deals but building relationships – creating and nurturing them while delivering value are keys to success. Understanding the motivations and needs of customers and colleagues is crucial to building these relationships.

Technology has also empowered salespeople in the digital workforce, allowing them to be in front of customers with the press of a button. It empowers and enables us to show up with more insights, show up better and open doors we would not be able to open otherwise. Balancing this with face-to-face work where it makes sense and is mutually agreeable is the present state and future of sales.

To develop mastery of sales, understand and develop your unique superpowers and personal brand, whether your desired outcome is promotion, a paycheck or meaningful impact in your organization.

How to Lead From Every Seat

What does it mean to lead from every seat? That we can all be leaders, no matter what our job title is. More than ever, it is so important to focus on building our personal brand, discovering our passions, and finding ways to contribute to others regardless of title.

We all have the ability to lead from every seat, by sharing best practices, seeking out mentorships and relationships, and proactively solving problems that our leaders may face.

Being a leader means more than just achieving individual success. It means looking for ways to increase our impact and outcomes for everyone we touch, whether that’s our customers, our team, or our colleagues.

By nurturing relationships and investing in others, we can become ambassadors for our brand and trailblazers for our field.

As someone who has worked in both leadership and individual contributor roles, I know that there are always opportunities to do more, to take on stretch projects that fuel our passions and lead to wins for others.

When things don’t go exactly as we want them to, we can also consciously choose to hit the challenge head on and embody the qualities of a true leader.

So, let’s seek those opportunities for broader impact, to build community, and to be the servant leaders that make a real difference. When we focus on creating value for others, we all shine brighter and achieve even greater success.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. What qualities do you think are most important for leaders, regardless of title? Let’s continue to support each other and build a community of true leaders.

#LeadFromEverySeat #PersonalBrand #Ambassador #Trailblazer #ServantLeadership #Mentorship #Relationships #StretchProjects #CommunityBuilding #ValueCreation #TrueLeaders #LeadershipQualities #Collaboration #Impact #Outcomes #Success #Passion #CareerDevelopment #CareerGrowth #Leadership #Management #GrowthMindset #LifelongLearner

What is YOUR Superpower?

What is your superpower? The unique attributes you have whether a talent, skill or just a way of thinking, your superpower can help you transform and infuse passion into everything you do.

It can be challenging to find “the perfect job” or easy answers on your life and career journey. But if you tap into how your superpower can make everyone around you better, it can elevate your fulfillment exponentially.

It’s amazing what you can achieve when you combine your passion with your work.

It’s also about finding the superpowers of others and helping them amplify their strengths. By forming mutually beneficial relationships and adding value to each other, we can all win together.

So take some time today to think about your superpower and how you can bring it into your work. And don’t forget to look for the superpowers of others and help them shine!

What’s YOUR superpower?

#Superpower #Passion #CareerJourney #Strengths #Skills #Talent #PersonalGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #Motivation #Inspiration #Success #Collaboration #Networking #Mentorship #Leadership #Teamwork #Empowerment #CareerAdvice #CareerTips #CareerGoals #Career #Leadership #Management #GrowthMindset #LifelongLearner

How to Become a Thought Leader or Influencer in Your Industry

Have you ever wondered how some people become thought leaders or influencers in their respective industries? It all comes down to intentionality: understanding your audience and creating content with the intent of adding value and starting conversations.

Becoming an influencer takes effort, dedication, and a willingness to learn and listen. Here are some tips to help you become a thought leader or influencer in your industry:

Share Perspective, Learn and Listen

The key to becoming a thought leader or influencer is sharing perspectives, learning, and listening. Unfortunately, there is not much learning and listening happening in certain circles of social media these days. It’s critical to practice thoughtful contemplation, consideration, and genuine communication to meet people where they are.

Creation of Content

Creating content is a critical aspect of building your brand. You can’t just reshare or repurpose other people’s content. Instead, create your own unique content and share it on various platforms. Experiment with different mediums, such as blogging, videos, and podcasts, to find out what works best for you.

Look for Different Perspectives

To grow and learn, you need to find people who have different opinions, perspectives, and experiences than you. Engage in conversations with these people, and listen to what they have to say. By gathering different perspectives and opinions, you can become a thought leader in your industry.

Communication is Key

Not everything you do or create will be successful, but if you can infuse your unique talents and passions into your work, you will stand out. It’s essential to communicate with your audience, engage in conversations, and ask questions. By doing so, you will gain a better understanding of where people are coming from and what they want.

Connect with People in Your Industry

If you want to become a thought leader or influencer, you need to connect with people who are doing what you want to be doing or following people and topics you want to be known for. Follow people you respect in your industry, engage with them, and start conversations. By doing so, you can learn from them and build your brand.

In conclusion, becoming a thought leader or influencer takes time and effort, but it’s not impossible. By sharing your perspective, learning, listening, creating unique content, seeking different perspectives, communicating effectively, and connecting with people in your industry, you can become a thought leader in your field. Remember that it’s all about people, so be genuine, authentic, and open-minded, and you will be on your way to success.

The Importance of Coaching and Investing in Your Team as a Leader

As a leader, one of the most important things you can do for your team is to invest in them through coaching. However, one of the biggest mistakes that managers and leaders make is forgetting the importance of this investment. It is essential to pull your team members out of the field occasionally and invest time in their growth, as it will pay dividends in the future.

Whether you are working in a call center, a business-to-business environment, or in the field, it is crucial to keep your hand on the pulse of your team. Your primary responsibility as a leader is to figure out how you can positively influence your team’s execution. By understanding their needs, identifying gaps in their skills and knowledge, and eliminating obstacles that prevent them from succeeding, you can help them become better at what they do.

One of the biggest obstacles to coaching is the reluctance of leaders to pull their team members off the job amidst busy schedules or demanding expectations for results. However, it is important to understand that burnout is a real issue, and investing in your team’s development is crucial to their long-term success. It is worth the time today to help your team become better at their jobs, so they feel valued and glean valuable feedback.

To be an effective coach, you need to understand that every relationship is the same from the customer to the sales representative, to the sales manager, and so on up the chain. You must identify the needs of each individual you connect with and seek to serve, helping them win and overcome their obstacles. However, coaching is not just about identifying issues and providing solutions. It is also about positively influencing your team to adopt new approaches to career and their role on their quest for mastery.

One of the biggest challenges in coaching is the two-way street of accountability. It is common for team members to try something new, but then revert to comfortable ways of mediocrity or failing when they don’t see immediate results. However, as a leader, you need to encourage your team to step out of their comfort zones and embrace change. Old habits are comfortable, but it is essential to encourage your team to take strategic risks and embrace change if they want to achieve their goals.

Coaching is not a one-time event; it is an ongoing process. It is important to follow up regularly to ensure that the plan is working and that your team members are making progress. It is essential to be organized and keep track of what is working and what is not so you can adjust your coaching accordingly.

In conclusion, coaching is an essential investment that leaders must make in their teams. By identifying the needs of your team members, eliminating obstacles, and providing ongoing support and guidance, you can help your team members become better at what they do. By doing so, you can create a culture of continuous improvement that will benefit everyone involved. So, invest in your team today, and you will reap the benefits for years to come.