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Episode 97 - Women Paving the Way in Technical Sales (feat Shari Begun)I am excited to have Shari Begun as a special guest on this week’s A Life You Love Podcast.  Shari is the Vice President of IOT and Consumer Sales at Renesas Electronics. She is recognized as an ROI-driven Sales Executive with global experience across multiple countries, leading sales strategies focused on large multinational Tier 1 customers and penetrating new and emerging markets. Shari brings a deep understanding of multi-level, complex sales cycle management processes and builds world-class sales organizations. Let's connect on LinkedIn

Episode #96 - Nurturing a Prospect for the WinLead generation has more and more moved away from a transactional activity or generating single events for sales reps, to initiating and maintaining a relationship that leads the buyer to the best choice (ultimately your product or service). Implementing an effective lead nurturing strategy can have a huge impact on your prospecting activities. The process of nurturing your leads involves purposefully engaging your prospects by offering them relevant information, supporting them in any way they need, and maintaining a sense of delight throughout every stage of the buyer’s journey.  Let's connect on LinkedIn

Episode #95 - How To Work Through a Sales SlumpSo you’re in a slump. It happens to all of us and it’ll happen numerous times throughout your career. One minute we’re hitting home runs out of the park, and the next minute, we’re swinging and missing - every time. A sales slump is especially unfortunate because making sales is how you make your living. If you’re not making any sales, you’re not making any money. Frustration, disappointment, nervousness, and confusion are all symptoms of a sales slump. When you’re “in the slump” you may feel like the cosmos have aligned just to deny you deal after deal. However, a slump isn’t the result of supernatural forces. You can shake it off and get back to your A-game! Let's connect on LinkedIn

Episode 94 - Having Sales Courage to SucceedThinking through the skillset you need to prospect, close, listen, handle objections, storytelling, and improvising – I would say that the number one trait sales professionals need is COURAGE! You need courage to pick up the phone and make that phone call when prospecting. Courage to put yourself out there and possibly get rejected, over and over again. Courage to keep going even after you stumble, stutter, and maybe say the wrong things. Courage to be able to improvise when the unexpected happens, you're flustered, sweating and your face becomes red – all things that have happened to me too! Let's connect on LinkedIn

As we are halfway through February, most of us have already had our kickoff’s, we’ve got quotas and budget numbers that we need to hit, and we need to be heads down prospecting!  And we all know how no one likes to prospect. Sales reps continue to dream of a world where new business just happens to find it’s way to each of us. Our phones are ringing off the hook with inbound new business – what a beautiful world.  But then it’s time to wake up from that dream and get to work. It’s time to pick up the phone and make outbound prospecting calls.  Outbound prospecting calls is a fast, cost-effective, and powerful part of the B2B sales process. A prospecting strategy is essential for B2B.  Let's connect on LinkedIn

Episode #92 Meet Alfred - Sales Automation for the WinMartin Martinez, founder and CEO of Meet Alfred. An Australian serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits, Martin Martinez created Meet Alfred to scratch his own itch of trying to automate daily tasks on Linkedin.  Since launching Meet Alfred in November 2017 (formally known as Leonard), Martin assembled an incredible team of software engineers and support personnel that’s led them to become one of the largest automation products in the market.  MeetAlfred is a LinkedIn automation tool that offers campaign management, analytics, CRM, team management, and social media scheduling services. Let's connect on LinkedIn

For stellar sales reps, their approach to work goes much further than hitting their number each month. If you’re ready to knock your sales career out of the park, it’s time to put yourself in the mindset of an entrepreneur, managing your sales market the same way you would manage a business. First, let’s talk about what it means to think like an entrepreneur as a sales rep. Whether you manage a specific territory, customer account, or service, there is likely a segment of your company’s business that you are responsible for when it comes to generating revenue. That’s a big responsibility, especially in a competitive landscape, but I know you’re up for the challenge. As the business owner of your territory, your attention should be on more than just your monthly quota. You should have a solid understanding of your target market, how current and world events may be impacting your industry and customer. Let's connect on LinkedIn

Episode #90I am excited to have Andie Jewett as a special guest on this week’s A Life You Love Podcast.  Andie Jewett has been in the marketing/advertising industry for over 12 years. Now at AMP Agency, she oversees business development. Andie is passionate about using storytelling in the sales process, and she has exceeded growth targets YOY, contributing to AMP’s growth over the past years. You do not want to miss this episode.You can connect with Andie on LinkedIn Let's connect on LinkedIn

Episode #89 - Bouncing Back from Sales BurnoutOften there comes a point in sales when you feel emotionally drained and stuck at a single place with no hopes to move ahead.  You feel engulfed with negativity. Even simple sales tasks feel like a dramatic undertaking.   You aren’t able to focus. You don’t have enough energy to be consistently productive.  Suddenly the sales quota that you were able to achieve earlier now seems like an albatross around the neck. Well, these are all the classic signs of “Sales Burnout”.  Let's connect on LinkedIn

Episode 88: Mastering the Sales MindsetMany people think that being successful in sales means being extroverted, pushy and loud. Or that you need to innately be a great public speaker and presenter. But the truth is that traits like these will only get you so far. You might make a few sales or land a coveted job – but from there, you’ll need to develop the mindset of a successful salesperson. It’s only the power of mindset that will propel you toward sustainable growth in sales. Keep in mind that the salesperson mentality isn’t just for traditional, cold-calling, hard-selling salespeople. If you’re an entrepreneur, freelancer, investor or one of many other professions that relies on networking, learning how to adopt the sales mindset is essential to building your career and growing your revenue streams. Let's connect on LinkedIn

Today’s opportunities are won through a series of steps. In most cases, the deal journey path will twist and turn, potentially reversing course at times. When sales reps follow a linear sales process blindly through the journey, they can end up lost. A pivot mindset keeps sales reps on track, equipping them to move deals forward with the best next action. Sales pivoting is key to maintaining alignment with the buyer and across the multiple influencers in the buying organization. Sales Reps need a new toolset, skillset, and mindset to execute modern opportunity management. This all starts with an adaptive methodology based on pivots. The best answer to when you should pivot your sale strategy is when it becomes necessary. As to how to do it, pivoting requires careful planning and deliberate execution. Let's connect on LinkedIn

Sales Trends in 2023As I dive into this week’s anniversary episode, I’m going to discuss a few sales trends that will be front and center in 2023. We’re not the same people we were a year ago. Back then, we thought that the pandemic was the biggest challenge we had to face. Today, we’re staggering over the abyss of the upcoming economic recession. Right now, we’re going through what might be the last days of calm before the storm. Yet, nonetheless, we haven’t been staying still for the whole year. In 2022, we saw an unprecedented number of emerging trends making their way into sales: the rise of AI, the increasing importance of creative sales, the automation of various sales processes, and more. If you missed your opportunity to be the first mover and shaker in 2022, here comes another chance to revamp your sales strategy and keep your goals on track and afloat. This time, it’s a must. 2023 is forecasted to be a tough year, but those who come prepared will have it significantly easier than those that don’t. Sales Trends: Creativity is the new sales hack Implement value-based selling Social selling is essential Customer success over customer support Relationship building associated with proper customer success Bring your teams closer together Multi-channel, personalized experiences Let's connect on LinkedIn

As I sit here today recording the last podcast episode of 2022, I’m excited to be coming up on my 2-year anniversary of hosting A Life You Love: Sales Tips with Jennifer Fisher and I want to say a huge thank you to all my listeners who have supported me throughout the last 2 years. I’m very humbled by the support and amazing feedback I’ve received – thank you, thank you, thank you! As I reflect on this past year, I want to take the time to highlight a few of my top episodes from 2022.  The first one is The Art of Discovery Questions, Episode 65Next up is my episode on A Beginner’s Mindset, Episode 51Lastly, I want to showcase my episode on Creating a Sales Movement, Episode 66As I close this week’s podcast, I want to thank all of you, my awesome listeners for an amazing 2022. I hope you have a Happy New Year and I look forward to all that 2023 has in store. Let's connect on LinkedIn

How to Stop Being an Order TakerWhat makes someone a good seller? Is it their ability to prospect, how they can deliver a sales pitch, or being a master at the upsell? All of these traits and more can make you a better salesperson. When it comes to professional development for salespeople it can also be helpful to discuss traits that can hinder your growth, which is what we are discussing today. One-way salespeople can strive to be more effective sellers is to avoid falling into the trap of being an order taker. In sales, an order taker is someone who addresses customer inquiries (also known as orders) but does not proactively engage in activities that would increase sales, such as finding new prospects or upselling to existing customers. Now you may be wondering, what’s so bad about being an order taker? Ultimately it depends on your role, and where you want to take it. For example, those who work in retail environments can approach their sales role as more of an order taker. In this role, the salesperson is not responsible for generating new leads — they are responsible for giving the customers who do approach their business a positive experience to land the sale. Ultimately in this scenario, the customer is driving the conversation. On the other hand, if you work in B2B sales, being an order taker is not the approach you want to take. If you are comfortable sitting back and hoping all of your customers magically find you and are ready to buy on the spot, then go for it. But in the real world, especially in today’s business environment where competition is stiff and most buyers are somewhere between 57 to 90% through their decision-making process before they engage with sales reps, chances are you don’t have time to sit back and take orders. Sales professionals who are able to remain effective despite market fluctuations and other challenges are often considered order-getters or makers because they create orders and opportunities by taking initiative to facilitate the sales process. Think about the difference between Order Taker vs. Order Getter If you want to be an order-getter instead of an order-taker, 1. Be intentional with your prospecting efforts. 2. Focus on customer relationship building to influence the sale. 3. Keep your customers coming back for more. Being an effective salesperson who generates new business for their company’s bottom line requires working smarter and being proactive.  Salespeople’s job is to influence the sale. It's not to be an order taker. It's not to react to whatever the prospect says or demands. That's order-taking.  Here are my three tips to stop being an order taker: 1.      Prospect, prospect, prospect – you must continually bring in new opportunities to fill up your sales funnel 2.      Start influencing the sale  3.      Consult and become a trusted advisor It's time we start taking more stock of the influence we have in the sale. Salespeople are not paid to be order takers. We're paid to influence the sale, to provide information, insight, support, guidance, and advice that increases the opportunity for the buyer to choose our solution over the competition or the status quo. Let's put an end to order-taking and earn our keep by being powerful, knowledge-driven influencers. It's what we're paid for. Let's connect on LinkedIn

As the world of sales continues to change and evolve, so has the number of sales tactics and various technologies to help teams close new business and retain current business. Many of the old-school sales tactics don’t always necessarily work and having too many new ones in place can also cause challenges. It’s a tough world for salespeople, especially in B2B. But there is also a wealth of knowledge and techniques out there that will help sales teams achieve success and reach their goals. While it is easy to be inundated with information, thanks to the internet and the thousands of sales gurus saying different things — there is still one sales tactic that every salesperson should still master: relationship selling.Here are a few stats in the B2B space that stood out to me: 82% of B2B decision-makers think sales reps are unprepared. In B2B, 68% of opportunities are lost because of indifference or perceived apathy by the sales rep. According to Gallop, only 46% of customers said vendors deliver on what was promised. Yikes, that’s not good. Those kinds of stats show why focusing on relationship selling and generally showing an interest in more than “just the sale” is important. Plus, with all the tools and sales technology it can be distracting for the sales rep and make it seem that those items are enough alone to win business. Here are my three tips for building strong relationships: 1.      Authenticity is key – be authentic! 2.      Engage in active listening – really listen to what your clients and potential clients have to say. 3.      Do not fake it until you make it – be yourself  It just makes sense, building positive working relationships will be key to closing a new deal, retaining current customers for the long haul, and developing trust that can lead to new referrals. Let's connect on LinkedIn

Shruti is the former CoFounder-CEO of Wingman (now Wingman by Clari), which is an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. As the founder of Wingman, Shruti was also their first salesperson who sold their first million dollars in revenue single-handedly. Despite being an outsider to the SaaS ecosystem and to the US, Shruti has managed to successfully scale the business, been selected to the prestigious YCombinator program, raised funding, and hired a team of 40+ talented folks. Connect with Shruti on LinkedIn Let's connect on LinkedIn

Just Have Conversations to Close More Business (feat. Kevin Snow)The co-host of the top 100 Apple Podcast, Growth Mode; COO of Success Champions, and the owner of Time On Target, Kevin Snow is a sales expert and a serious technology geek who knows how to help his clients take their automation game to the next level. Part entrepreneur, part salesperson, part networker, part technology master, and part Star Wars fan… Connect with Kevin Snow on LinkedIn, Time On Target, and Sales Success Champions Let's connect on LinkedIn

How to Get Motivated & Build Your Personal Brand (feat: Donnie Boivin)Donnie Boivin is a motivational speaker, author, podcaster, businessman, and coach that helps to change the game in mindset and success. His book “How to be a success champion: Business Strategy for Badasses” is a story of his own life that has inspired thousands to get out of their own way and go for it. Donnie Boivin has launched his career, from being a corporal in the US marine corps and spent over 2 decades mastering sales and marketing to becoming a Founder and CEO of the Success Champions family of companies. Success Champion Consulting, Growth Mode Podcast, Success Champion Magazine, the Badass Business Summit, Success Champion Networking, and an award-winning professional.  And you know what – he’s an all-around nice guy!Donnie is opening up Champions 90 to all my listeners:It's a 90-day business development challenge.5 activities to get you dialed in and doing the things that will grow your business and it's free.No catch, No Upsell, No WebinarIf you are up for the challenge, sign up hereConnect with Donnie on LinkedIn Let's connect on LinkedIn

Leveraging the Skill of Influencing to Win Business (feat Douglas Cole)I’m excited to have Douglas Cole as a guest this week on A Life You Love. Douglas is the author of The Sales MBA published this past summer where he focuses on the skill of influencing as well as the mindset advantage – what best-in-class sales professionals understand about likeability, mutuality, and objectivity, and how to use these qualities to supercharge your success. Douglas ColeThe Sales MBA Let's connect on LinkedIn

How to Grow Your Pipeline Faster and Easier (feat Jamie Shanks)Jamie Shanks is a global innovator of social selling, pioneering a method of B2B selling in the digital landscape that no one has implemented before. Jamie co-founded and operated Sales for Life, the largest sales training agency in the world. Over the past decade, Jamie and his team have trained and mentored over half a million sales professionals in social selling and smarter prospecting. And now he’s automating smarter prospecting signals to help salespeople even more. He’s committed to making your pipeline growth easier, faster, and possible with the help of Relationship Signals.Jamie ShanksPipeline Signals Let's connect on LinkedIn