Summary:
In this episode, David interviews Jeremy Leveille from Navisite. Jeremy shares some tips and tricks which will help you succeed in the world of sales development. He shares his own journey into become a better salesperson and the particular resources and actions that have contributed to where he is today.
He’ll outline the importance of growing comfortable in your own skin, developing a knack for talking to complete strangers and taking advice from mentors—all strategies that will help you improve your selling skills. Tune-in to hear the KEY lessons Jeremy takes from his successes and more importantly, his failures.
3 Key Points:
1.Three recommended ways to improve as a salesman: be yourself, learn to be comfortable while
talking to strangers and get advice from a good mentor.
2.The SDR rep AND leadership need to be proactive in helping improve sales numbers.
3.Be TRANSPARENT and AUTHENTIC while putting out content; always check in with the authors whose work resonates with you before sharing their ideas with others.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
- 00:00 – Talk to the experts at Inside Sales Team for all your sales development needs
- 00:31 – David introduces Jeremy Leveille
- 01:47 – Tracing Jeremy’s journey so far
- 01:47 – Was in a sales development/business development role for The Chameleon Group for two and a half years before joining Navisite
- 02:17 – Got let go from four different sales jobs before joining The Chameleon Group
- 02:31 – Graduated from college in 2008 when the economy was pointing south; has improved upon his sales skills considerably since then
- 03:25 – Had to figure out the intricacies of Navisite’s business when he joined them 15 months back
- 04:20 – After hitting his quota for 10 months in row as a BDR, Jeremy got a chance to move up within the organization when a position opened in the channel sales team
- 05:52 – What helped Jeremy evolve into a good salesman
- 05:52 – Lesson #1: Be Yourself
- 05:52 – Was performing miserably at his first job as a sales rep at PC Connection
- 06:06 – Be yourself and let your personality shine through
- 07:06 – Lesson #2: Get comfortable talking to strangers
- 09:09 – Lesson #3: Get advice from a mentor
- 10:02 – His manager listened to his calls and gave advice on what worked, what did not, deciphering pain and buying signals, opening a conversation, recognizing a window of opportunity and closing with confidence
- 12:47 – SDR’s need to make a conscious effort to improve if they are not hitting their numbers; listen to podcasts, read books and blogs and talk to people in order to learn to sell better
- 13:34 – At the same time, the SDR leadership needs to take it on to themselves to coach SDR’s and get them where they want to be
- 14:17 – Progressed from BDR to Channel Sales Manager by going ABOVE and BEYOND his call of duty; would often work till 9 pm
- 15:45 – Listening and watching the CXO talk podcast helped him to get better
- 19:35 – Most people stumble into sales and have little PASSION for the product they are selling; better off finding another product to sell or getting into another field altogether
- 20:31 – Talk to the experts at Inside Sales Team for all your sales development needs
- 22:36 – Talking to your product team, discovering your product’s USP, talking to your manager and customers, and reading case studies will help you DISCOVER your PASSION
- 25:51 – Get a firm grasp on who your ideal customer is and what their world is like
- 26:36 – Found out about the CXO talk podcast from a comment that someone had posted on his LinkedIn profile; the POWER of putting yourself out there is immense
- 27:40 – Connecting with people and building your network takes time and effort
- 27:58 – As a channel manager, Jeremey is dealing with resellers now and has started listening to a new podcast called Channel Outlaws
- 29:55 – Be TRANSPARENT and AUTHENTIC when putting out content
- 31:00 – Put out content using quotes from CXO talk after getting permission from the host, Michael Krigsman
- 32:48 – Get inside a client’s head, understand what they are dealing with and then put out content that RESONATES with them
- 34:06 – If you are successfully managing to overcome a particular objection by providing a response, you can write a blog post around it
- 35:54 – Writing on particular topics boosts your confidence
- 38:11 – Did not get selected for the account executive role at Navisite since they were looking for someone with more closing experience; as a channel manager, his role is less about selling and more about enabling his partner to sell
- 39:28 – Check out the shows transcript on the David Dulany website
- 39:43 – Recommended Business Books: Sales acceleration formula and Fanatical prospecting: The Ultimate Guide for Starting Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, E-Mail, and Cold Calling
Resources Mentioned:
- Navisite – Where Jeremy works as Channel Sales Manager
- Sales acceleration formula – Business Book
- Fanatical prospecting: The Ultimate Guide for Starting Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, E-Mail, and Cold Calling – Business Book
- CXO talk – A podcast that has helped Jeremy get better at selling tech products
- Channel Outlaws – A new podcast that has helped Jeremy in his role as a channel sales manager
Sponsored By:
Credits
- Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
