Carson V. Heady's Blog, page 47

Work-Life Rythm as a Healthy Sales Leader – with Robert Washington, Jason Fry & Carson Heady

In today’s world, people have a lot on their plates – especially those in sales. Being a healthy sales leader is about being healthy mentally and physically while grappling with the challenges of being in sales. To find out how to manage work-life stress and maintain a healthy balance between personal and professional lives, the HealthySalesLeader podcast welcomed two guests – Jason Fry and Robert Washington.

This message is powerful, especially in today’s society, where people often prioritize tangibles over intangibles. By prioritizing relationships, people can find a balance in their lives and be healthier, happier, and more fulfilled. The message that relationships are the key to a healthy life is likely to resonate with a lot of people, as many people are feeling disconnected and isolated in today’s world.

Overall, this podcast offers a lot of valuable insights and advice for anyone looking to improve their mental and physical health while navigating the challenges of sales. It’s a must-listen for anyone looking to become a healthy sales leader.

Selling Through Tough Times: Lessons from Paul Reilly, on Salesman on Fire

In a recent interview with Paul Reilly, author of “Selling Through Tough Times,” he discussed the importance of having a certain mindset during challenging times, regardless of their nature. He explained that tough times, while painful, can lead to positive change and generate good outcomes. Tough times are good because they build a foundation of resilience and catalyze positive change.

Reilly provided examples of companies that were founded during tough economic times. Microsoft, for instance, was founded during a recession. He emphasized that tough times are good because they create a foundation of resilience and foster positive change. While tough times are painful, they can lead to personal and professional growth.

The pandemic has been a challenging time for everyone, and many people have had to develop resilience and endurance. Reilly suggested that we should focus on our personal growth and development and compare ourselves to who we were yesterday. We should strive to move forward and continue to grow despite the challenges we face.

Reilly’s personal experience during the pandemic provided him with a unique perspective on the importance of resilience. As a speaker, author, and sales trainer, Reilly had to dig deep and remember his personal mission statement. He doubled down on his purpose and focused on positively impacting the lives of others.

During the pandemic, Reilly spread hope within the sales community by reaching out to his clients, offering to get together with their team, and providing inspiration and ways to positively impact their lives. Reilly emphasized that relying on your principles and personal purpose is critical during uncertain and challenging times.

Reilly shared a personal experience where he unexpectedly found himself looking for work, which was out of his control. He wished he had doubled down on his network earlier in his career, realizing that “your network is your net worth.” Reilly encourages others to stay central to their purpose while fostering meaningful relationships.

In conclusion, the pandemic has taught us the importance of resilience and a growth mindset during tough times. Reilly’s book, “Selling Through Tough Times,” provides guidance on how to navigate tough times by relying on personal purpose, principles, and relationships. While tough times are painful, they can lead to positive outcomes and personal growth. We should embrace tough times and use them as opportunities to catalyze positive change.

Mastering Video Sales: Connecting with Clients in the Digital Age

In the digital age, video has become an essential tool for salespeople. It allows them to connect with potential clients in ways that were not possible before. However, many salespeople are struggling to adapt to this new medium, and the result is often a disconnected and unengaging experience for the buyer. In this article, we will discuss how sales professionals can leverage video as a sales platform, while maintaining eye contact and optimizing the video experience.

Julie Hansen, an expert in sales and public speaking, has recently published a book on how to use video as a sales tool. According to Julie, the key to mastering video is to make it as close to an in-person experience as possible. However, this requires a different approach from the one used in face-to-face meetings. Salespeople need to understand that video is a new medium, and they must adjust their communication style accordingly.

Julie draws an analogy between sales and acting, where a professional actor needs to adjust their performance when transitioning from live theater to film or TV. Similarly, salespeople need to adjust their style when transitioning from in-person to video meetings. They need to understand that the camera reads things differently, and many of the things that were easy to communicate in person may be lost or miscommunicated on camera.

Carson Heady, a sales professional, agrees that transitioning to video is not comfortable for everyone. People are used to a certain way of doing things, and when that changes, it requires them to pivot everything about what they are doing. However, Carson argues that salespeople must adapt to the new reality, as video is not going away anytime soon. They need to lead with the camera and show that they are ready for the meeting, willing, able, and want to forge that connection as strongly as possible.

One of the challenges that salespeople face when using video is that buyers often turn off their cameras, leading to a lack of engagement. This is where maintaining eye contact becomes essential. Salespeople need to adjust their camera settings and position themselves in a way that allows them to maintain eye contact with the buyer. They should also be mindful of their body language and facial expressions, as they communicate everything that they were able to do in person.

Another challenge is the “resting business face,” which is a flat demeanor that many people show up with on video calls. This is due to the fact that people are more in a receiving mode when sitting in front of a screen. However, salespeople need to be aware of this and adjust their communication style accordingly. They need to show enthusiasm, energy, and engagement, as this will help them connect with the buyer and make the experience more engaging.

In conclusion, video is a powerful tool that salespeople can use to connect with potential clients. However, it requires a different approach from the one used in face-to-face meetings. Salespeople need to understand that video is a new medium, and they must adjust their communication style accordingly. They need to maintain eye contact, show enthusiasm, energy, and engagement, and be mindful of their body language and facial expressions. By doing so, they can create a more engaging and connected experience for the buyer, which can lead to more successful sales.

How to Construct an Award-Winning Sales Year

Creating an award-winning sales year is about planning and being intentional about the relationships you need to create and the resources you will need to win. Sales excellence is about understanding the playing field, proactively creating relationships, arriving with a unique perspective, and obsessing over people and process. Here are some steps to follow in order to create an award-winning sales year:

Focus on relationships: Build relationships with your leadership team and determine what a win for them would look like. Communicate your intention to have an award-winning year.Establish what your brand will be in 2023: Determine your unique strengths and how you can leverage them to help others win.Be intentional about growth and learning: Determine what impact you want to have and what outcomes you want to drive, both with customers and internally. Determine how you can parlay your unique strengths into wins for others.Prospect with quality, quantity, and consistency: Be intentional about your prospecting efforts and focus on quality, quantity, and consistency.Track progress: Keep a journal of contributions you make, impact you have, and outcomes that result. Pick KPIs, go down your list every day and ask yourself what you need to do on each account, project, or priority. Develop daily non-negotiables and ensure progress on key milestones.Control the controllables: Say yes to opportunities, understand the resources at your disposal, and create and nurture meaningful relationships.

In the face of rising customer costs, inflation, hybrid work, and supply chain challenges, there are still opportunities to succeed in sales. Control the quality of your messaging, meet people where they are, control the quantity of your outreach, and maintain consistency in your engagement. Focus on building relationships grounded in transparency and trust first and foremost.

Creating an award-winning sales year takes consistent execution of a process over time. Focus on building relationships, being intentional about growth and learning, prospecting with quality and consistency, tracking progress, and controlling the controllables. With these steps, you can construct the best year of your career.

Transforming Your Mindset: Insights and Advice from Larry Long, Jr. on Salesman on Fire

In this conversation, Carson Heady talks to Larry Long, Jr. on Salesman on Fire about transformation and how to achieve it successfully.

Larry starts by emphasizing that transformation begins in the mind and heart. He encourages people to focus on what they can control and take steps to elevate their game, both personally and professionally. Larry also talks about the importance of the story we tell ourselves and the need to overcome fear, uncertainty, and doubt. He suggests that we can practice our mindset and improve it over time, leading to a more positive outlook on life. Larry also highlights the importance of giving back and being a go-giver, not just a go-getter.

Transformation is a popular topic, especially as people set goals for the new year. However, as we get further into the year, some people may have faltered on their goals. Larry encourages people not to give up and instead focus on what they can do today to take themselves up a notch. He stresses that the key is to focus on what actions you are taking and what steps you are making to improve.

Larry talks about the importance of the story we tell ourselves. Often, we may have negative self-talk that tells us we’re not good enough or not smart enough. Larry calls this voice “FUD” – fear, uncertainty, and doubt. He suggests that we need to pop this voice out of our heads and replace it with positive self-talk. By changing the story we tell ourselves, we can overcome these negative thoughts and move forward.

Larry also emphasizes the need to focus on what we can control. There are many things in life that are out of our control, but we can control how we react to them. By focusing on what we can do, we can take steps to improve our lives and achieve our goals.

Finally, Larry talks about the importance of being a go-giver, not just a go-getter. He suggests that we need to give back and add value to others’ lives. By doing this, we can make a difference in the world and become a more positive force.

In conclusion, transformation is a process that begins in the mind and heart. By focusing on what we can control, changing the story we tell ourselves, and being a go-giver, we can achieve our goals and improve our lives. It’s important not to give up, even if we’ve faltered on our goals. Instead, we should focus on what we can do today to take ourselves up a notch. By taking small steps every day, we can transform ourselves and become the best version of ourselves.

Love Your Team, A Survival Guide for Sales Managers in a Hybrid World – Helen Fanucci

The sales management role has always been a crucial one, but the hybrid work revolution has taken it to a whole new level. With remote and hybrid work becoming the norm, sales managers must find new ways to retain top talent and build high-performing teams. That’s where Helen Fanucci’s new book, Love Your Team, A Survival Guide for Sales Managers in a Hybrid World, comes in.

Helen Fanucci is an MIT-trained engineer who has managed teams responsible for billions of dollars of quota at top tech companies like Apple, Sun Microsystems, IBM, and Microsoft. In her book, she outlines step by step what sales leaders must do to retain top talent and build high performing teams. The key, according to Fanucci, is to shift focus from merely hitting sales goals to putting sellers first—as people and performers. This means making YOU the reason they join, stay, and win.

The book is based on the 17 critical conversations and skills that sales managers need to master with their sellers in order to be successful. Fanucci breaks these conversations down into five categories, including conversations of connection, which is all about building trust and connection with your team from the start.

One of the biggest challenges of remote work is the lack of face-to-face interaction with both customers and teams. As Fanucci notes, this makes sales leadership roles even more important because they set the tone for how the team will act and what the team culture will be. Instead of relying on micromanagement, Fanucci recommends creating a culture that attracts and retains talent by putting people first.

Fanucci’s approach to sales management is refreshing and much needed in the current hybrid work environment. Love Your Team, A Survival Guide for Sales Managers in a Hybrid World is a must-read for any sales manager looking to build high-performing teams and retain top talent. So if you’re a sales manager struggling to adapt to the new normal, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book. Your team will thank you for it.

The Art and Science of Selling: Lessons Learned from 20 Years in Sales

Sales can be a challenging career that requires discipline, perseverance, and the ability to overcome rejection. In this video, Podcast Host and Investment Monitor Sales Director Charlotte Lloyd and Carson Heady discuss the nuances of a sales career, sharing insights they have gained from their own experiences in sales. Charlotte, who has been in sales for 20 years, explains that sales has taught her the value of discipline and being tenacious, while also being open-minded and adaptable. She emphasizes the importance of doing all the work necessary, even if it’s not enjoyable, to ensure successful outcomes.

Carson agrees, adding that discipline and perseverance are critical in sales, and it’s easy to get a false sense of security when starting out. He likens sales to sports, with a focus on understanding the parameters of the playing field and making small tweaks to improve the sales process. He believes that probability plays a significant role in sales, and that it’s important to understand the metrics and key performance indicators involved.

Charlotte enjoys the unpredictability of sales and the wins it brings, but she also appreciates the analytical side of sales, which she believes brings out her analytical side, even though she is typically an extrovert. She notes that AI tools are helping salespeople to analyze their whole cadence and ensure successful outcomes.

Both Charlotte and Carson agree that sales is a challenging and rewarding role that requires hard work, perseverance, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. They emphasize the importance of doing the work, even if it’s not enjoyable, to ensure success in the long term. Sales may be unpredictable and challenging, but it’s a field that offers many opportunities for growth and learning, making it a great career for those who are willing to put in the effort.

Unleash Your Job Search Potential: Insights from a Microsoft Recruiter on Boosting Your Chances of Success

What are the 3 secrets to boost your job search, straight from the recruiter’s mouth? Microsoft‘s Thibault MARTIN joins Carson V. Heady on the Salesman on Fire podcast to reveal all.

Thibault outlines how recruiters work, how important your LinkedIn profile is, how to climb to the top of recruiters’ search results, and how to get their attention.

Remember: A recruiter’s objective is to find a candidate for a specific job (not the other way around). #LinkedIn is a key resource & structured search is used – making your profile & keywords vital.

If you consider LinkedIn as a marketplace, sell yourself as a product – you are your own brand. Develop a keyword strategy. Ensure your headline and summary articulate your value, impact & superpowers.

Your network is your net worth; focus on developing and engaging with a top-notch, diverse network and creation of impactful content.

Thibault Martin, a recruiter at Microsoft, recently appeared on the Salesman on Fire podcast with Carson V. Heady to discuss the secrets to boosting your job search. Thibault provided insight into the world of recruiters and how they work to find the perfect candidate for a specific job. He also emphasized the importance of LinkedIn in the job search process and how it has become a key resource for recruiters.

According to Thibault, recruiters primarily work on LinkedIn and use structured search to find the right candidates. The goal is to identify passive candidates, or those who are not actively looking for a new job but may be a great fit for a specific role. To increase your chances of being found by recruiters, Thibault suggests considering LinkedIn as a marketplace and promoting yourself as a product. This means developing a keyword strategy and ensuring your headline and summary effectively communicate your value and impact.

In addition, Thibault emphasizes the importance of building a top-notch, diverse network and creating impactful content. He suggests thinking about LinkedIn as a platform for search engine optimization (SEO) and using keywords to increase your visibility.

Thibault’s advice for job seekers is to focus on building relationships with recruiters and reducing the risk involved in the hiring process. He points out that relationships can play a major role in getting noticed by recruiters and increasing the chances of landing a job.

In conclusion, Thibault’s insights into the world of recruiters and job searching are invaluable for anyone looking to boost their chances of success. By understanding the role of recruiters, optimizing your LinkedIn profile, and building a strong network, job seekers can increase their visibility and improve their chances of finding their dream job.

Becoming a Success Multiplier: Insights from Top Sales Leaders on Building Success in Your Role

How can you not only build success in your role, but become a multiplier who makes everyone around you better? Skyler Radcliffe, top Business Development-Team Lead at Salesforce joins Microsoft’s #1 social seller and sales leader Carson V. Heady on Salesman on Fire to discuss.

Starting a new role can be a daunting experience, regardless of how much experience you have in the industry. It’s natural to want to know everything right away, but the reality is that it just doesn’t work that way. Success in a new role requires a well thought out approach, and a focus on a few key areas.

Drop the notion that you’re going to pick everything up right away. You can’t beat yourself up if you don’t hit your monthly metrics in your first week or two. Sales is a tough business, and it takes time to get up to speed.Focus on meeting setting activities. When you first start, you’ll be overwhelmed with resources from the company, but it’s important to remember that your primary focus should be on setting meetings. If you’re on the phones and prospecting, you’re on the right track.Be a listener, not a talker. The best salespeople are the best listeners. If you’re talking the whole time, you’re probably not in the right place. Ask open-ended questions, and focus on staying curious.Know the playing field and the players. You’ve earned the right to be in the role, but you need to know the landscape and the key players before you can start driving results. Spend time mapping out the resources and relationships that will be most important to your success.Focus on one step at a time. You’ve got to get the conversations going first. Once you’ve started to build a foundation, you can then focus on other areas of the role, but it’s important to stay focused on the task at hand.

These are just a few tips for starting and building success in a new role. It takes time, effort, and dedication to reach your goals, but if you keep these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to success.

The Evolving Landscape of Sales in the Enterprise: Navigating the Shift towards Solution Selling, Building Relationships, and Staying Relevant

Microsoft General Manager – Global Strategics Chad Kammeraad joins Microsoft Director & #1 social seller Carson V. Heady on Salesman on Fire to discuss the evolving landscape of selling in enterprise. Chad and Carson share tangible ways to think about and do things differently in our quest to earn the right to be trusted advisor, from focused to scale approaches and developing impact statements. How can salespeople stay at the pulse of their customers, show up with unique and distinct value, and ask questions that illuminate better paths forward? How do you resonate? How are you relevant? What is your unique value proposition? We have to be mindful from the beginning of the customer’s landscape and every resource at our disposal with which to serve them. To find true mutual success with customers, get comfortable being uncomfortable, learn everything and earn the right to be a trusted partner.

The Role of Sales in the Enterprise Space

In today’s business world, the role of a salesperson has shifted dramatically. With the growth of technology and access to information, customers are expecting more from salespeople. They want to work with someone who can help them think about their business in a different way and provide them with valuable solutions. Gone are the days of simply taking orders and offering products. The role of sales has become much more technical, requiring individuals to be knowledgeable and well-versed in a variety of areas.

The Importance of Solution Selling

One of the key changes in the sales landscape is the shift away from solution selling. Customers today want to work with someone who can provide real solutions to their business challenges. They don’t want to hear about a product or service that might help, they want to hear about something that will make a real impact. This means that salespeople must do their homework and research their customer’s business in depth. They need to understand the challenges that their customers face and have a good understanding of the industry in which they operate.

The Power of Relationships

Another key aspect of sales today is the power of relationships. Salespeople must be able to build strong and meaningful relationships with their customers. This means that they need to show up with value and provide real solutions to their customer’s challenges. They need to ask the right questions and be able to open their customer’s eyes to new potential paths of revenue and transformation. This requires salespeople to be proactive and not just reactive. They need to be able to engage customers in meaningful ways and be able to differentiate themselves from others in the industry.

The Importance of Relevance

In order to build strong relationships, salespeople must be relevant to their customers. This means that they need to be able to connect with their customer’s on a personal level and understand what matters to them. Salespeople need to be able to follow their customers, understand their business and industry, and subscribe to industry newsletters to stay at the pulse of what matters to their customers. By doing this, salespeople can find ways to meaningfully engage with their customers and provide valuable solutions to their challenges.

The Call to Action for Salespeople Today

The call to action for salespeople today is to focus on building meaningful relationships and being relevant to their customers. Salespeople need to invest time in understanding their customers and their challenges, and be able to provide real solutions that will make a positive impact on their business. They need to be proactive, not just reactive, and be able to differentiate themselves from others in the industry. By doing this, salespeople can form real and valuable partnerships with their customers, helping them to achieve success in their business.

In conclusion, the role of sales in the enterprise space has changed dramatically in recent years. Salespeople must be able to provide real solutions to their customers, build meaningful relationships, and be relevant to their customers in order to be successful. By doing this, salespeople can form valuable partnerships with their customers, helping them to achieve success in their business.