"Start The Day Off Right" | Donald Kelly - 1915

Are your mornings setting you up for success? Or are they throwing your whole day off track? In this rerun episode, I’m diving into one of the most requested topics from the archive, how to structure your morning routine for consistent sales success. Whether you're an individual contributor or leading a team, these habits will help you focus, prioritize, and perform better every single day.Start the Day Off RightWhen I first started selling, I struggled with mornings. I’d roll into the day reacting to emails, jumping on calls, and chasing activity but not results. Everything changed when I started being intentional about how I began my day. These are simple but powerful strategies that help me stay focused and in control. In this episode, I’ll share the exact routine I follow and why it works.The Morning FrameworkClarity is key. I start with 5 to 10 minutes of reflection, this could be prayer, journaling, or just quiet thinking. The goal is to reset and get my mind right. Then I review my pipeline so I know exactly which deals to prioritize. I write down one to three clear outcomes I want to accomplish that day. I also get moving whether it’s a workout or stretching, that physical energy helps jump start mental clarity. And finally, I stay out of email and Slack first. That’s reaction mode. I want to start in creation mode. These practices help me take control of my time, my mindset, and my performance. If you’re in sales, this will help you take control of your results."Control your morning and you’ll control your momentum." – Donald KellyResourcesWant to build a strong morning routine? Grab our free guide: Start Your Morning Like a Top 1% Seller Join my Sales Mastermind Class and level up your productivity and pipeline. Thinking about starting your own podcast? Get professional support from Blue Mango Studios.Sponsorship OffersThis 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.&nbsp;&nbsp;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.&nbsp;&nbsp;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.CreditsAs 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, <a...

How do you take a company that’s been winning in the SMB and mid-market world and help it thrive in the enterprise space? On today’s episode, I chat with Adam Block, Chief Revenue Officer at Motive. Adam shares the exact strategies his team used to move upstream without losing their core customers. If you're thinking about scaling your sales motion to land enterprise-level clients, this one is a must-listen.Meet Adam BlockAdam Block is the CRO of Motive, a company that offers an AI-powered operations platform for the physical economy. Their platform helps businesses in sectors like logistics, construction, and energy run safer and more efficient operations. Motive is used by massive organizations such as FedEx, Halliburton, and Centos and they didn’t get there by accident. Adam and his team made a strategic decision to go enterprise, but they made sure not to break what was already working.Going Enterprise Without Breaking Your FoundationAdam shares that Motive's journey upstream started with demand from the market. Their technology was attracting attention from larger organizations across a variety of industries. But rather than jump too fast, the team took a thoughtful approach focused on three major pillars:Do No HarmThe team made a commitment to keep serving existing customers while building out the infrastructure for enterprise. This meant careful segmentation, performance tracking, and redefining metrics to ensure success across the board.Rewire the Business for EnterpriseFrom the sales process to customer support, Adam's team rebuilt their entire operation to accommodate longer sales cycles and more complex buying processes. They also rebranded from KeepTruckin to Motive to reflect their broader market.Hire the Right PeopleTalent was key. Motive built a team of top-tier sellers and developed a farm system for internal promotion. With a focus on RAD, Resilience, Accountability, and Discipline, they created a high-performing culture that thrives under pressure.Lessons from the FieldAdam shared practical tactics for leaders looking to move upmarket:Don't chase enterprise at the cost of your base. Segment carefully and let each part of your business do what it does best.Rebranding isn't just about a name, it's about a new story. Make sure it matches your long-term vision.Build internal mobility. Create opportunities for junior talent to grow into enterprise roles, which lowers hiring risk and strengthens your culture.“You have to be bold. But you also have to be intentional.” – Adam BlockResourcesTo learn more about Motive, visit GoMotive.comConnect with Adam Block on LinkedIn Thinking about starting your own podcast? Check out Blue Mango Studios. Want help improving your sales skills? Join our Sales Mastermind Class.Sponsorship OffersThis 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.&nbsp;&nbsp;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 <a href="https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/cx/20/09/sales-navigator-podcast?src=re-pod&amp;trk=tse&amp;veh=tse&amp;mcid=6897323946090332160"...

Should you email or call prospects? Which method is best for effectively reaching your clients? To find out, listen to my chat with Matt Tharp, the CEO of Hunter.io. He provides data and insights on why businesses should focus more on cold email than cold calling.Meet Matt TharpMatt might be perceived as biased towards email since he's the CEO of Hunter.io, but he was drawn to the company precisely because of its commitment to email.He enjoys working with fast-moving businesses that prioritize high velocity and product-led growth strategies. He believes this approach helps build a robust pipeline with marketing, while the sales motion supports and supplements that pipeline.Sales-driven models, heavily dependent on closing the next deal, can make it challenging for new sellers or businesses to find their footing. Relying solely on cold calling makes pipeline building particularly difficult, and the current business environment is only making cold calling harder.Matt shares his own experience as a decision-maker: if someone cold calls him unexpectedly, he's likely to get annoyed because it almost always interrupts something he's doing.Marketing Strategy for Email OutreachMatt and his team conducted research to determine which marketing strategy prospects prefer. The results showed that 61% prefer cold emails, while less than 10% prefer cold calling. He also found that individuals in the US prefer digital outreach 71% more than calling.To successfully begin email outreach, Matt suggests keeping two key things in mind:1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;How you build and segment your email list.2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;How you write your content.He advises against trying to reach everyone when building your list. Instead, personalize it and make it relevant to your target audience. Keep your audience segments under 100 contacts to help maintain message relevance.Subject Line TrendsTo create subject lines that generate clicks, Matt emphasizes the importance of addressing a problem the buyer is facing.It's better not to be overly playful. Instead, speak to a problem that prospects genuinely care about, and in the first one or two sentences, demonstrate that you are there to solve it. Then, explain how you will solve their problem. The final step involves adding a clear and easy call to action at the bottom of the email."Looking at current trends for business scaling investments, it's clear: phone calls are becoming less and less effective." - Matt Tharp.ResourcesIf you need help scaling your business with email outreach, consider Hunter.io (I highly recommend it).&nbsp;If you like more guidance with improving your sales skills, join my Sales Mastermind Class.Thinking about starting a podcast yourself? Learn more about Blue Mango Studios.&nbsp;Sponsorship OffersThis 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.&nbsp; 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 <a...

You have thousands of prospects coming to your website daily, yet 80% of them don’t even sign up for your newsletter. What can you do to turn this around?My guest, Dan Novaes, the founder and CEO of Mode Mobile, is here to tell you how in this quick chat. His advice will make your prospects give away their emails as soon as they click on your website.Meet Dan NovaesDan Novaes is the CEO of Mode Mobile and creator of the EarnPhone. Mode Mobile is revolutionizing the mobile industry with its “Earn As You Go” software, enabling millions of users to turn daily smartphone habits into passive income.Under Dan’s leadership, Mode Mobile achieved 32,481% revenue growth (2019–2022), earned the #1 spot in software on Deloitte's2023 Technology Fast 500 List, and pioneered a fundraising model leveraging 30,000+ everyday investors. Now, they’re on a mission to reach1 million shareholders while tackling a $1 trillion market opportunity.Turning Around Investor Page TroublesEven though his company’s landing page was doing well, he saw that his investor page was struggling to retain prospects. Dan provides the steps he and his team took to make the changes.Knowing that he doesn’t really know what’s going on in a prospect's world when they’re looking at the page, he decided it would be best to send reminders to entice their return.&nbsp;He also found that offering an incentive for returning entices prospects even more.Dan achieved a 600% return by applying this method to his marketing efforts. He spent $ 15,000 to start the efforts, and in a short period, he ended up with a $ 750,000 return.The Most Important ComponentsWhile conducting the marketing research, he discovered that certain components were most effective in achieving his goals.One was targeting the older demographics aged 55 and above. He found that boomers were more receptive than the younger generation.&nbsp;He also found that it is important to put a name to the face within the email.&nbsp;The last component Dan shares is how truly important copywriting is, even in this AI-driven world we live in today.&nbsp;“People don’t invest enough in copywriting. The message has to hit just right. You don’t want to just have AI write generate copy.” - Dan Novaes.&nbsp;&nbsp;ResourcesWant to learn more about Dan? Visit Invest.ModeMobile.com&nbsp;Consider using these resources for your marketing efforts: Retention and Beehiiv.&nbsp;If you like more guidance with improving your sales skills, join my Sales Mastermind Class. Thinking about starting a podcast yourself? Learn more about Blue Mango Studios.&nbsp;Sponsorship OffersThis 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.&nbsp;&nbsp;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 <a...

show notes

I hope you enjoyed my funny intro, because it would be nice if you could call on Ghostbusters when prospects decide not to follow up with you. In the last few episodes, we've focused on strategies to ensure prospects attend scheduled meetings.&nbsp;I'm exploring this topic more with my guest, Steven Schneider, CEO &amp; Co-founder of TrioSEO. He shares what he and his team are doing to keep clients from ghosting appointments.Meet Steven SchneideSteven Schneider collaborated with two fellow sales experts to help scale multiple businesses into 6- to 8-figure enterprises by optimizing their SEO keywords on their websites.Even though he runs a multimillion-dollar SEO agency, he still struggles with clients who frequently fail to show up for appointments. He's sharing tactics that you can use in your sales approach.How His Company Handles Ghosting ProspectsNo matter how much you prepare for the follow-up or how many reminders you send, sometimes prospects simply don't show up for the meeting.&nbsp;I asked Steven how his team is handling this common sales problem. He says that people often ghost sellers because they're actually too busy to respond, or they're shopping around to find the right product.Steven shares that he keeps this in mind and realizes that he is low on their priority list.So, he tackles their pain points and dives deep into them to show prospects why they need his assistance or product.He also shares how he views each client as a unique case study if they're not following up. He goes to their website, sees why their traffic has dipped, and sends a screenshot of it.&nbsp;Then, he shares his follow-up proposal with the prospect again. This is how he digs into the pain point and shows why working with him is valuable. Often, ghosting prospects will follow up with him after he sends this email.During the Follow-Up MeetingAfter he successfully gets a ghosting prospect to attend the meeting, he begins by asking questions to help them uncover what they already know.&nbsp;Then, he shows them the website mistakes that are causing them to lose potential leads and money.It's a strategy that works so well for him that he's able to close deals right then and there.Handling First-Time Leads with No Prior ContactSteven has a unique method to help keep first-time leads, who are in the very beginning stages of the sales funnel, from ghosting.&nbsp;He shares how his website provides a contact form with questions to filter out whether prospects are a good fit for his company's services. This lets him know who is serious and who isn't.Once they’re able to schedule a meeting, he sends an email sharing a little warning of why they must not forget to attend it.&nbsp;How Individual Sellers Can HelpThe first two examples focus on collaboration between the marketing and sales departments to tackle ghosting clients. But what can an individual seller do to help?Steven suggests it's a good idea to share a case study to illustrate what success will look like if prospects attend the meeting. He recommends including this in follow-up emails to confirm appointments and demonstrate the value of the service.“Treat every client as a unique case study to learn something new.” - Steven Schneider.&nbsp;ResourcesConnect with Steven on LinkedIn.Learn more about TrioSEO here.<a href="https://trioseo.com/b2b-seo-services/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

shownotes

Thank you, Martin, for going back in time with The Sales Evangelist podcast. Thanks to him, we're going back to episode 1177 where I deep-dived into why leads are creating more work for us.In this episode, I share why many small organizations struggle with their inbound sales and how to fix it. The challenge is always deciding who should follow up on them and how to do it effectively.The Sales TeamAssume that a sales team is composed of three people: the marketing person who does almost everything, the junior assistant who helps with content creation, and the outsourced person who does the marketing strategies. Among the three, who should follow-up the lead?&nbsp;Not all leads are created equal. This means that before deciding who will follow up the lead, the lead should be evaluated first.You don’t want your salesperson pitching to a lead that in the end would go to another competitor.Do a Pre-QualificationDo a pre-qualification in your organization to know if the people you are going to have the conversation with are ready to consider the deal. Set a benchmark and rules for what you consider a marketing quantifiable lead. Consider the following questions:&nbsp;What is considered a sales qualified lead?What is the KPI of your organization?&nbsp;How many new inbound leads do you want to get per quarter/per month?How much money do you want to generate from those leads?The answers to those questions will lead you to your ideal customer. It would also help you identify the triggers that qualify them to be a marketing quantifiable lead and a sales qualified lead.&nbsp;The work is far more efficient because when a lead comes in, your salespeople can vet them and follow the pre-qualification factors you’ve set to see if the lead can generate new business for the organization. This is also helpful in maintaining your current customers.&nbsp;Create a SystemCreate a system to efficiently manage the workload. The marketing team can do the pre-qualification to increase the odds of the lead being converted into something real. Whenever a lead comes in, let marketing take a look at it and check the website and the title of the person.&nbsp;Then let the intern or junior marketing rep take over the other tasks like looking into LinkedIn, HubSpot, Marketo, or other platforms you have to find the data that you can transfer into your CRM.&nbsp;Marketing can help fix the problem of having to go back to the beginning of the funnel and pre-qualify the leads again because they’re not yet ready at the moment.&nbsp;Website Leads MatterThe sales team sometimes takes for granted the leads that they didn’t hunt for. A good example is leads coming in from the websites.&nbsp;It is disheartening when a sales rep doesn’t take that into consideration when a lead comes in via the website.&nbsp;Whenever an inbound lead comes in, it is best to use your flow process to follow-up particular prospects. It should be written and put in your company’s playbook so that everyone can read it and use it with every inbound lead that comes in.Follow-up Right Away&nbsp;A stat from insidesales.com said that a lead that’s contacted within five minutes is 100 times more likely to convert than leads that are followed-up 90 minutes later.When a lead comes in, follow up right away. You’re more likely to convert than if you wait.&nbsp;The sales team can take a quick visit to the person’s website, check their LinkedIn profile, and the pages they’ve visited on your site.&nbsp;Focus On The People That...

Are you relying on crystal balls, bones and feathers, and teabags to know whether you will hit this month’s goals or not?Well, been there and done that and I’m telling you, “voodoo selling” just doesn’t work because you can’t quantify it.In today’s episode, I am talking with Robert Harper and together we will shed light on the repercussions of voodoo selling and what you can do to ultimately be HIGHLY effective in sales. I have talked about this over and over, and again, PROCESS is key. Rather, GREAT PROCESS is key.More About My Special GuestRobert is a serial entrepreneur who currently owns five companies, four of them are in the midwest that do B2B integration, like access controls and CCTV, making buildings safe and comfortable.&nbsp;His other business endeavor is a virtual company that provides virtual solutions to business owners.What Is “Voodoo Selling?”Voodoo selling is based on guessing and hope rather than on planning, implementing strategies, or using metrics.Salespeople forget that they’re creative thinkers which makes it harder to do proper planning when prospecting.&nbsp;It makes us less interested in the process of selling and thinking of sales as a science since we tend to think of it as more of an art.Robert shares how voodoo selling is a waste of time because you’re trying to sell to people who CAN’T say no to you.How to Better Gain Scientific Concepts in Your Sales PresentationsSell to somebody who can say no. If they say no, do it as quickly as possible so you stop wasting time. Break the theory and move on to the next.Determine your budget on how much you’re going to sell. Instead of targeting “X” amount of dollars a quarter, target how many phone calls or meetings it would take you to make that dollar amount.Start today. Start keeping track honestly of:How many phone calls you make?How many of those phone calls will get you a meeting?How many of those meetings will get you a proposal?How many of those proposals will get you a sale?Tracking your information allows you to introduce a change into your process and see how it affects those numbers.Have the process for the actual sale itself.Analytics and a great process are keys.Know your customer’s pain pointsBring out the numbers and give precise informationLook at the metricsProvide real data to the customerA Special Tips for Sales ManagersDon’t talk about the numbers. Don’t judge people based on how many phone calls they’re making. Otherwise, your people will lie on those forms. The numbers are for them and not for you to judge them.Don’t ever be afraid to ask every prospect if they have the ability and if they are willing to say no if this isn’t a good fit for their company. But, if it is a good fit, are they able to say yes?For every sales meeting, have an agenda and send it to your prospect at least 24 hours before the meeting. In the agenda, go over what you want to cover and leave room for them to edit it for what they want to cover. During the meeting, follow the agenda. Ex: budget, decision process, the decision maker.“There’s no way to improve if you’re using your crystal ball.” – Robert Harper.&nbsp;ResourcesConnect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message for more help with cold outreach, or send me an email: [email protected] you need more help elevating your sales game, join my Sales Mastermind...

I’ve made it 1,900 episodes of The Sales Evangelist podcast. Not quite at 2,000 yet, but I’m close.But since I’m still going strong, I thought it would be a good idea to share the nine biggest sales lessons I've learned from hosting this podcast. Hopefully, one of these lessons will help you grow your sales pipeline too.1. There's No One Way of SellingEveryone is always asking me, “What’s the number one method of selling?” If you want my honesty, there isn’t one.From all of my interviews, I've found that it’s best to focus on who you’re going to sell to and how to break through the noise to grab their attention.I also recommend just testing out the different sales methods we share on this podcast. If it works for you, great; if it doesn’t, then try another one.2. Always Be ProspectingI’m a firm believer that a seller should always be prospecting, even when you’re closing deals.&nbsp;If you have options in the sales pipeline, great. But you should also always be figuring out how you can do a better job at sales prospecting to keep prospects coming to you.3. Accountability Moves Sales ForwardI've heard this over and over again from my countless conversations: sales reps need that one-on-one time so they can stay accountable.I share a story about how an old manager of mine stopped her one-on-one time with me. This caused me to slip up and make little mistakes from not receiving coaching.4. Be on LinkedInLinkedIn will always be a powerful tool in helping you find and close deals. I've found that when sellers aren't using LinkedIn correctly, they tend to struggle with prospecting.Connect, share, and engage on LinkedIn and see how your sales pipeline starts building.5. Address Objections FirstIf you don’t handle the “nos” first, they’ll be an issue later. Going back to episode 446, Tom Gates shares how easing a customer’s objection can increase your win rate.Don’t be afraid to bring it up; doing so will let you circle back when the prospect is ready to close a deal or prevent having unnecessary clients in your pipeline.6. Little Things WorkBob Berg shares details on how to get endless referrals, and he does this by just going the extra mile. Make yourself memorable by simply sending handwritten notes. The little things actually do work when trying to build your network.7. Sales Is About RelationshipsThere’s so much information out there, and if you’re not making things personal, prospects aren’t going to connect with you.Go back to episode 1898; I share how relevancy and personalization give you a higher response rate. In the world of AI, no one wants robotic messages.8. Make Buying EasyTransparency is everything in sales, and people want to know what they’re getting before they buy.&nbsp;Marcus Sheridan shares how giving the price upfront provides a mutual action plan that helps make it easier for prospects to buy from you.9. Understand Your ICPWhen you know who you’re targeting, your message becomes clearer, and you have a higher closing rate.&nbsp;In episode 1625, I share why adapting to your ICP is important and how it