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Improve Performance, Provoke Thought, Think Critically.

You are constantly striving to improve.  You are looking for practical tips you can apply to your daily work that will impact your performance.  You are looking for advice from professionals who do the work. You want to engage with professionals who have been in your shoes.

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The Find My Catalyst Podcast is published weekly.  We take listener questions at @catalystsale on twitter or hello@catalystsale.com via email.

Topics discussed - Revenue Operations, Customer Success, Goal Setting & Execution, Mindset, Performance, B2B Sales, Sales Training, Product Market Fit, Growth, Hiring, Recruitment, Sales Process, Business Acumen, Startups, Leadership.

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  2. Sell Without Selling Your Soul with guest Liz Wendling - 124

Sell Without Selling Your Soul with guest Liz Wendling - 124

Jan 8, 2019

Sell Without Selling Your Soul - with author Liz Wendling

Liz Wendling is a sales coach and consultant for women, sales professionals, and a few smart men.  Liz is also the author of Selling Without Selling Your Soul

Bringing integrity to the sales world was Liz's inspiration for this book. Since we are all selling something, Liz thought it was time to drop the baggage, and focus on the thing that keeps us in business - Sales.

I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

Questions Addressed

  • Sell without selling your soul why?
  • You choose how you want to sell - why is this important?
  • Why do we struggle with identity and confidence?
  • What are some common mistakes we all make?
  • Why is it important to be authentic?
  • What can we do if we struggle with being ourselves?
  • How does technology play a role in sales?
  • What does Liz's execution process look like?
  • What is the Knowing/Doing Gap?
  • What are some skills that we can focus on that will help us be better sales professionals?
  • What are some of the skills that people resist?
  • What does Liz's research process look like?
  • How do we build out our own process?

Key Takeaways

  • It is time for women to reframe what it is to sell, create influence, and generate confidence
  • We can't avoid the thing that keeps us in business - SALES
  • Focus on how you want to be.  We get to choose this, we should lean into this.
  • Sales many times is a love-hate relationship
  • Love the work, but hate the idea of stepping into the role of the salesperson.
  • When we step into this mindset, we create a fatal business strategy
  • If you are reluctant to sell, or have a hatred toward it, it means you are doing it wrong.
  • Common Mistakes
    • Feel like you have to talk about yourself - Best way to combat this - ask questions, listen, relax.
    • Showing up as self-serving rather than self-confident
    • Don't get stuck up in your head.
  • Within the first few moments, the client may decide "you are not it".
  • Authenticity is not a strategy.  You don't learn to be authentic.  You are, or you are not.
  • If you have crappy skills, it does not matter how authentic you are.
  • You have to be you.
  • If it does not feel right, it likely is not.
  • You have an option to change your language. 
  • Stop, figure out a way that resonates with you.
  • If you are using words or a process that is not yours, it's like running around with someone else's clothes.  You'll never feel comfortable.
  • The human element will always be a part of the process.
  • Think Heart to Heart instead of just Head to Head
  • Fit - "we are a good match"
  • Inspired Action - what can I do that can inspire me right now to do what I need to do to move things forward.
  • "If it's on paper, it is something that I thought was important"
  • Knowing/Doing Gap - I know what I need to do, but I'm not doing it.  Break the problem into multiple pieces, smaller parts.
  • Too many people drop the ball because they do not want to stay in the process.
  • If you are going to do the activity, build a process around it to ensure success.
  • People Skills/Communication Skills - We are human beings talking to other human beings.
  • People do not like "being closed", they do like buying things, and solving problems.
  • Empathize from your heart, not your head.
  • Drive-by empathy does not make an impact.
  • Hone/refine your prospecting skills.  Is your prospecting approach a cold-call version of an email?  Are you barging into their inbox?  If so - this is a virtual sales pitch that will get you nowhere.
  • Differentiate yourself.
  • When prospecting - leave out all of the stupid stuff that makes people roll their eyes.  Know the pains, challenges, issues, headaches, heartaches.  Get in their world.
  • Make it about them, their world, not your world.
  • Follow-up - These days people are either failing to follow-up or using improper follow-up - This is the main reason sales pros are losing sales.
  • "You want to give yourself a raise? Improve your follow-up" Liz
  • After the 10th follow-up, they just give up.
  • Follow-up is not a task, it is a process.
  • Honesty is always welcomed - this is an expectation you can set.
  • Ask better questions - GOOD, emotional, questions.
  • Your process is personal.  If you have closed business, you can map out this process. 
  • Create the steps, what does it look like when you pull the path apart, and put it back together?
  • Don't drop the ball in your process.
  • Don't make the prospect feel like they are being forced through your process.
  • Take a personal approach, remember the 1:1 relationships, don't make assumptions, ask better questions.
  • If you don't get the sale - get the lesson.  See if there was a lesson you were supposed to learn.  Assess the situation.
  • There is a nugget in there you can apply to the next sale.

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In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal.  There is a Catalyst.  We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high-growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. 

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