[Podcast] How to Elevate Relationships for Sales Results

Last fall I compiled and shared a list of some of my favorite sales podcasts. As someone who’s frequently on the go, I find podcasts to be an easy way to learn from top thought leaders.

I recently joined Donald C. Kelly on an episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast. He’s a proven sales professional with many years of success, and he is a positive force in our industry. But it wasn’t always that way for Donald. Early in his career, he struggled in the field– until he received the right sales training.  Now, his mantra is, “Everyone can learn to sell and DO BIG THINGS. Anyone can take control of his life and create a meaningful lifestyle he deserves.”

Now he has nearly 800 episodes of The Sales Evangelist podcast under his belt. In episode 783, we talk about the importance (and the how) of investing in your people to elevate your sales results. We also talk about some ways that sellers can build strategic relationships with decision makers – tips that will differentiate you and create sales momentum.

You can listen here

Here are some takeaway tips from our conversation:

• Equip sales teams with the right mindset, skill set and tools, and they then will elevate the organization’s sales results.
• In a sales force of five, there is one rock star, three “middles” and one “participation” trophy. If you invest in training the middle and improve their production, that’s where you have an opportunity to make a difference. The larger your team, the more this gets amplified.
• Look for a specific connection to your sales prospect. The more specific and relevant the connection is to them, the more you improve your odds of opening that initial door.
• Create and facilitate forums for your target groups. These forums aren’t for selling . . . they’re for creating value for them and helping them to build relationships. It’s a strategy that will develop business opportunities in the long run.
• Be a consistent connector. The best sales people are bridges between people and resources.
• Define what valuable sales results means to you — whether you’re a sales leader or a seller. Also know that the value of your sales results is a direct result of the value of your relationships.

You can also listen to episode 783 on iTunes, PodBean, Podtail, TuneIn and Stitchr.

Thanks to Donald for hosting me, and for continually evangelizing strategies to help modern sellers do their jobs better. You can follow Donald on Twitter to stay up to date with his podcast.

For more relationship tips for modern selling, tune into my podcast appearance on the B2B Growth Show.