Phill Keene, the Director of Sales at Costello, sells technology to salespeople in order to solve critical sales problems. A 2017 Top AA-ISP inside sales professional, Phill shares how he took huge risks to progress through his career. He shares the importance of being laser-focused, the value of a militant work ethic, and why surrounding yourself with a dynamic team eggs you on to do your best.
He also discusses the importance of reaching out to other SDR players in order to learn from each other. Tune-in to discover how cultivating the right habits and adopting tactical strategies can help you succeed in the world of sales development.
3 Key Points:
1. Being with a dynamic, hardworking team will push you to work harder; surround yourself with a great team and avoid toxic people.
2. Reach out to knowledgeable folks in the SDR world to understand the fallout of different hypotheses.
3. Normally, the best prospector gets promoted to an AE role; unless you have someone to fill your position, you should not take this promotion as it will harder for you to hit your sales numbers.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
- 00:16 – Introduction to the Sales Development Podcast
- 01:03 – Introducing Phill to the show
- 03:12 – Phill co-hosts the Real Sales Talk Podcast
- 04:14 – Tracing Phill’s journey so far
- 04:23 – A sales professional of 10 years, he started his career as a BDR with TinderBox
- 04:59 – Prospected clients from 9pm to 2am every day
- 05:53 – Started blogging about sales development which eventually turned into his website
- 07:31 – Set a goal of having 50 coffees aka business conversations in 2015
- 08:55 – Important to STAND OUT in a horde of people; engrain a militant work ethic to facilitate this
- 10:13 – Phill’s mentor at Boston College was the first to point out that he had the potential to be the CEO of a company some day
- 11:30 – In spite of putting in long hours every week, Phill makes his family top priority; wishes to do something that his family is really proud of
- 12:37 – Turned down a great offer to work at BestBuy with his colleagues and business mentor
- 13:51 – Took a huge RISK by taking an 80% pay cut to work at the company of his choice
- 14:02 – Having kids puts a mirror in front of you and pushes you to do your best
- 15:03 – Important to think what LEGACY you are going to leave behind
- 16:13 – Important to be laser-focused and productive instead of just bouncing around without making any progress
- 17:16 – Responsibility of parents to make their kids realize their immense potential
- 18:21 – Being with a dynamic, hardworking team eggs you on to work harder and put in your best
- 19:17 – Be deliberate about the people you surround yourself with; cut off TOXIC people from your life
- 20:11 – Approach sales development problems with logical reasoning and back it up with repeated tests using different scenarios
- 21:04 – Reach out to knowledgeable folks in the SDR world to understand the fallout of different hypotheses
- 21:21 – Recognize the trend and use minor tweaks to get the desired outcome
- 23:42 – Reach out to industry players who have already solved the problems that you are facing via LinkedIn
- 24:58 – Always responds to a genuine caller that tries to help out; cares about sales and would like to share his knowledge
- 26:40 – Get a good, high-level view of the company and its operations by being the Director of Marketing
- 27:10 – Being at the top of the corporate ladder enables him to help people to grow
- 27:55 – Made a lifelong commitment to learn—Phill is constantly figuring out ways to get better and help people
- 28:30 – Companies that are unwilling to change are bound to fail
- 28:41 – Journaling is critical – important to pen your thoughts down
- 30:35 – Started working at Costello since he got an opportunity to sell sales tech to sales people to solve their sales problems
- 31:03 – Costello attempts to identify GAPS in your work
- 32:33 – Shows data that helps you understand how you are progressing through your sales process
- 34:50 – Need to cultivate the skills to have a sales conversation
- 36:13 – An SDR needs to have experience of at least eighteen months before being promoted
- 36:52 – Important to develop your prospecting abilities; the only person who is responsible for your sales numbers in YOU
- 38:22 – A recent study concluded that the longer you stay a SDR, the higher the chances of success as an AE
- 39:09 – Normally, the best prospector gets promoted to AE; unless you have someone to backfill you, you should not take this promotion as it will harder for you to hit your sales numbers
- 39:39 – Connect with Phill via his email or LinkedIn
Resources Mentioned:
● Costello – Phill’s organization
