Accelerate! With Andy Paul

Lisa McLeod is the author of "Selling with Noble Purpose: How to Drive Revenue and Do Work That Makes You Proud". It's an important book and should be required readying for all sellers and sales leaders. On today's episode Lisa and I discuss what it means to sell with purpose.

Ryan Gottfredson is the author of "Success Mindsets: Your Keys to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership." In this episode Ryan and I talk about how our mindsets dictate the thinking, learning, and behavior that drive success.

Jon Miller is the CPO at Demandbase, and previously cofounder at Engagio and Marketo. In this episode I talk with Jon about his journey from being a physics major at Harvard to playing a significant role in creating two huge product categories. First, how as a co-founder of Market he helped to transform marketing automation. And then, as founder of Engagio, how he’s helped drive the account-based marketing phenomenon. We also dig into what Jon sees will be the next big transformation in marketing and sales.

Ralph Barsi is the Vice President of Global Inside Sales at tray.io and a great rock drummer! In this episode we discuss Ralph's four Standards of Excellence for sales (Performance, Process, Proficiency, and Professionalism). We dig into the story of how Ralph developed these standards and why they’re important. Plus, importantly, he shares how to implement and measures his sellers against these standards in his organization.

Jeff Thomas is the founder at Predictably.pro. In today's episode we discuss the current crisis in sales hiring and how to solve it. According to Jeff’s research, 55% of sales hires fail in less than 2 years. But we both agree it doesn't need to be that way. We dive into Jeff’s methodology for hiring and dig into how you can use a scorecard based process to eliminate the biases that most affect sales hiring decisions.

Anthony Iannarino is one of the most thoughtful people I know and author of the book. "The Lost Art of Closing: Winning the Ten Commitments That Drive Sales." On today's episode we get into why closing isn’t a single event, but a whole series of events that span the entire buying process. Plus, we explore the closing mindset. And talk about how to become a person of value. This interview was recorded in 2017.

Alexandria Smith is the Head of Sales Development at Headspace, the mindfulness and meditation app. Alex has had a very unconventional path to her current position. Lots of adventures, like living and working in an ashram. Talk about foreshadowing! Alex did something that more sellers should do. Go out and experience the world before diving into your sales career. Go explore and meet a range of people who aren’t like you. You’ll learn how to connect with people with whole different perspectives and experiences. It’ll help to you be more human. And to have interesting conversations with strangers. Which is our business.

Lori Harmon is the Vice President of Global Cloud Sales & Customer Success at NetApp and the author of a book titled, "42 Rules for Building a High-Velocity Inside Sales Team". In this episode we get into the nitty gritty with Lori’s recommendations and advice about structuring a high-velocity inside sales team. We talk building your sales process, how to handle inbound vs outbound, hiring and enabling sales managers and so much more.

Sean Sheppard is the founder of GrowthX and today we talk about the challenges of starting a company during a pandemic and selling to customers that are more risk averse. We also dive into Sean’s vision for a Professional Sales College. That’s right. Sales College. In Sean’s vision this will be the first fully accredited for-profit, post-secondary school for professional sales education. It’s a big dream. And as you’ll hear, perhaps one whose time is finally here.

Tiffani Bova is the Global Growth Evangelist for Salesforce. On today's episode we dive into why selling has always been more about the buyer than the seller. Plus, we explore why the funnel is no longer an applicable metaphor for the buying process. And talk about the four parallel streams buyers actually work through to arrive at a purchase decision. This interview was recorded in 2018.

Jeff Koser is the founder and CEO at Zebrafi. In today's episode we talk about an article Jeff wrote titled, "During The Pandemic, Is It Still Okay To Ask For The Order?" Plus, we talk best practices (and the nuances) of virtual selling.

Ernest Owusu is the Senior Director of Sales Development at 6sense. In this episode we talk fatherhood, football and performance based professions. We dive into Ernest's unusual journey from professional football to professional sales, plus he shares some of the disciplines he still carries on form his athletic career. Including one I really love: You have to practice with the same intensity you play.

Olivier L'Abbe is the President of MetaData.io and in this episode we talk about the challenges of growing sales teams at high growth companies. We also dig into the challenges of recruiting, hiring and onboarding during this uncertain era. Plus, we go deep on how to improve sales manager performance.

Lolly Daskal is a global leadership consultant and author of, "The Leadership Gap". On today' episode we dive into the importance of leaders “pinpointing” what they don’t know. Plus, we get into how to recognize your leadership archetype. This interview was recorded in 2016.

Daniella Bellaire is the Head of Sales at Shopify Retail and in this episode we talk about the future of work, remote work for sales specifically, and why Shopify was the first major company to announce the end of what their CEO, called "office-centric work." Plus, we talk about changing the culture in B2B sales, Daniella shares her story about how she was reluctant to consider a career in sales because she didn’t anyone that looked like her, and we’ll get into the culture she’s building on her team.

Amy Volas is the Founder and CEO of Avenue Talent Partners. In this episode, we dig into the state of B2B sales recruiting and hiring. We explore what Amy calls the 3 myths of hiring enterprise sales candidates, and discuss the continuing lack of diversity in B2B sales.

Jeb Blount is the multi-bestselling author of books such as "Fanatical Prospecting." In this episode we were meant to talk about negotiation and his excellent book titled "Inked: The Ultimate Guide to Powerful Closing and Negotiation Tactics That Unlock YES and Seal the Deal." But, as is our habit, we ended up talking about something else altogether. In this case, we dig into the ins and outs of virtual selling.

Leslie Venetz is the New Business Development Director for Procurement Leaders. Occasionally I have the pleasure of meeting people who have a genuine passion for sales and helping others become the best they can be. That are giving back to the sales community. Leslie is one such person. In this episode we talk about her inspiring professional journey in sales.

Jeff Riseley is the founder of the Sales Health Alliance. Howard Brown is the founder and CEO of ringDNA. Today on SEP we continue a conversation we started in a recent episode about the importance of mental health in sales. Both guests bring unique perspectives. Jeff speaks to his own experience with mental health and the challenges that many sellers are facing today. And Howard, a former clinical psychologist and licensed therapist, shares his personal perspective from working with patients that struggled with the same anxiety, depression and additional challenges that so many sellers are confronting today. This is an important conversation. If just one person listening to this show is inspired to take action, to seek help and deal with their mental health challenges then we’ll have done our job. 

On today's episode, Jill Konrath. Usually I have a few sentences introducing the guest. But, I’m thinking, do I really need to do that with Jill? She’s been one of the leading sales experts of the past 20 years. She’s authored multiple best-selling books. She’s a fabulous speaker. And, quite frankly, she was my role model as I got into this business of writing and speaking about sales. Now when I asked Jill to come back on this show, I had to make her a promise that we wouldn’t talk about sales. Or sales advice. No “how-to” stuff. Instead, we talk about Jill. Her career. Her life. Her successes. Her work in helping support and enable generations of women to pursue careers in sales. As much as we can learn about sales from the “how-to” tips and techniques, we can equally learn from the examples of successful people in our field. People who have taken chances to succeed on their own terms. And who have inspired others to do similarly.