“The power of silence is incredible.” Join your host Chris Smith and guest, John Lund, Founder, and Executive Coach, as they discuss his sales coaching and training journey. Over his career, sales coach John Lund noticed a pattern of frustration between salespeople and business leadership, leading him to start MYB2BCOACH. Through MYB2BCOACH, John and his team offer training and coaching to struggling salespeople, empowering them to work at a “confident and comfortable level.” John has a passion for helping small and mid-size firms grow by providing solutions that make his clients more profitable.  In 1995, John Lund founded OFFWIRE Inc. Twice recognized as one of Omaha’s fastest-growing businesses and three times on the INC 5000 fastest-growing companies list. Recently, OFFWIRE completed a successful sale to a world-renowned distributor. John is also passionate about entrepreneurship and is heavily involved with the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), supporting over 10,000 members in 138 chapters worldwide. What does John wish he were taught when he got his first job? Quoting from one of his inspirations, Dr. Bell, John wishes to “to listen from nothing.” Additionally, John talks us through his blog, “Power in Silence” and expounds upon the lost opportunities when we fail to listen, and instead are too busy planning our response.  If you’re considering a transition into a sales leadership role, John warns against simply pursuing a promotion. To establish whether you’d make a better sales leader or salesperson, there are a few key questions to ask yourself, “Do you like coaching? Do you like listening? Do you like holding people accountable for their goals?” These natural leaders may well be better suited to a role as a sales leader. For those starting out in sales leadership, John recommends two books. The Coaching Habit - Box of Crayons and Kiss Theory Goodbye by Bob Prosen encourage sales coaches to get people to set their own goals and hold them accountable to them. Effective leadership is about understanding the individual and what motivates them, and as John explains, “it’s rarely money”.  Chris and John go on to discuss the AI software John and his team designed for sales training. John likens his AI software to GolfTEC’s golf simulation practice: you watch your swing and the software tells you what corrections you need to make, then with a help of a coach you can learn how to make those adjustments. It’s the most effective way to improve a skill.   So what does the AI software analyze? John lists and explains what is measured and why they’re each important for sales: The speed we talk, talk time vs listening time, quality of open-ended switches, triggering for next steps, stall words, filler words, missed buying signals, and the quality of initial cold call sales pitches. John then outlines common mistakes that sales leaders make when they first transition into the role. “They want to be the hero for all the salespeople” instead of letting their salesforce develop and learn. It’s a common mistake that John himself admits to having used in his early days as a sales leader.  John shares a funny story - what happened when your luggage with all your clothes and sales training guides don’t get loaded onto your plane? A wardrobe malfunction and a very tired hotel concierge. But John didn’t break a sweat. Don’t miss John’s answer to Chris’ final question: “CRM, do you love it or hate it?” and remember to check out the MYB2BCOACH YouTube channel, a great resource for anyone in a leadership role. You can find John on LinkedIn and via email: links below.  Quotes: “[But if you want to] be the hero that catches the ball and spikes it in the end zone? Then be a salesperson.” “If you can define what winning looks like for the team, and what winning looks like for an individual in their own words, they want to win. [...] give them a game plan with metrics and milestones with what winning looks like.”  “The AI software is a really huge tool as part of the coaching.” “Being human is really good for sales.” “The goal is not to know everything and show that you’re the smartest cat in the room. The goal is to ask smart questions, listen, and if your solution is a good fit, then move forward with the next steps.” Links: John Lund: Power in Silence The Coaching Habit - Box of Crayons Kiss Theory Goodbye - Bob Prosen [email protected] John W Lund LinkedIn MYB2BCOACH YouTube   Empellor CRM Website [email protected] Empellor CRM LinkedIn   Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing  

“If you see someone helping unsolicited someone else [...] you can see it in your team. Some protect their patch, and some are willing to share”. Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Sales Dog podcast with your host, Chris Smith. On today’s show, Chris talks to Scott Vince, VP of Sales and Marketing of Capricorn Diversified Systems, an international company providing an array of technological services to big-name clients such as Microsoft, Costco, Domino’s Pizza, and General Motors. Scott begins by reflecting on some key moments in his career: the people who most inspired him and his feelings upon closing his first major sale. When asked what he wished he had known when he started his first job in sales, Scott replies, “The ability to listen is a critical component in any sales situation[...] to have empathy for the people that you’re trying to listen to so you can understand and reiterate that into some kind of solution for them.” With a wealth of experience in sales coaching in sales training in leadership roles, Scott shares advice for people starting out in sales and for those who are looking to step into a sales leadership role. Perseverance, managing your time and building your relationships, and managing them correctly are all important attributes for a successful salesperson. But what makes a leader stand out in a salesforce? Selflessness. Seeing someone go above and beyond to offer sales coaching recommendations to a member of their team.  Next, Chris and Scott discuss simple and timeless sales training advice. What kind of questions should your sales team be asking? How do you control first impressions and convey a professional approach? What daily habits should you cultivate in your salesforce?  At a time when many people in sales are experiencing rejection and delays, Chris asks Scott how he coaches his sales team to deal with rejection.  “You’re always going to have doors that are closed in your face, and you’ve to have a thick skin and the ability to understand that the next one is going to be a success.” This attitude, as Scott explains, is distilled into what has become somewhat of a mantra amongst Scott’s organization: “a positive approach gets positive results.” Adopting this point of view increases an organization’s chance of success.  In the final part of the show, Chris asks Scott about leveraging CRM in organizations. Scott affirms that CRM is a cornerstone of any successful organization. It helps him and his team manage their sales pipeline in an organized manner. It’s particularly useful as a sales leader to see clear metrics on how your team is doing. Scott stresses the importance of full commitment to CRM training. In order to see real ROI on your investment, you have to make sure your whole team is dedicated to using the tools correctly. “And that’s true with anything,” says Scott. Scott emphasizes the importance of fully training your sales team, whether on Microsoft Excel or Dynamics 365.  Stay tuned to hear Scott’s keys to getting the sales team engaged in CRM. It all comes back to this idea of empathy and understanding the motivations of your team: “Showing [your salesforce] how they can be more successful, creating efficiencies in their ability to manage their ‘patch’ and understand how that toolset can lead to their success and create more time and energy towards that success, it’s easy once they see that.” Quotes:  “The ability to listen is a critical component in any sales situation.” “Have empathy for the people that you’re trying to listen to so you can understand and reiterate that into some kind of solution for them.” “Some protect their patch, and some are willing to share.”   Links: Capricorn Diversified Systems Website [email protected] Scott Vince LinkedIn Empellor CRM Website [email protected] Empellor CRM LinkedIn Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing