- Advice for anyone getting into marketing today.
- Trends in marketing like email/marketing automation platforms.
- What today's social media landscape looks like and how that applies to sales.
- Sales and marketing alignment the effect that alignment (or non alignment) impacts customer experience.
- Tools still useful in sales... like the telephone.
- The real scoop on social media vanity metrics and if they really matter when it comes to driving revenue.
- 2016 marketing and sales predictions.
The 21st Century has ushered in the information age, and with it a new set of rules for success. In this current episode, I talk to Keenan about his new book – Not Taught. What it Takes to be Successful in the 21st Century that Nobody’s Teaching You.
Not Taught shares how the rules of 20th century and the industrial age no longer work and that if you want to be successful you must learn the new rules of success. Get ready for a dose of reality about work today and offers clear strategies on how to be successful in this crazy information-driven world.
We talk about:
- What’s changed in business today and why you need to change too.
- The new keys to succeeding in today’s digitally driven world.
- How to be deliberate in managing your career and your brand.
- What happens when you digitally anonymous.
- Why your degree doesn’t have that much relevance today.
- Why experience is far less important than expertise and hard work.
- The fastest way to start ramping up new skills.
In his blunt, motivating and passionate style Keenan tells you why doing what you’ve always done is no longer an option!
Enjoy the interview. Then go buy the book!
About Keenan:
Keenan, is CEO of A Sales Guy Inc., a sales consulting and recruiting firm. He’s a Forbes Columnist, a Top 50 Sales and Marketing Influencer, author of the popular sales blogA Sales Guy and is a highly sought after speaker. Keenan is the father of three crazy (but in a good way) girls, a PSIA Level 2 ski instructor for Vail Ski Resort and a finder of the elephant in the room.
Sales teams who are the most successful sell differently, not just more effectively. Largely, according to George, this is being spurred by global competition and the internet. Makes sense that salespeople need to be able to differentiate themselves from the competition. You can do that by helping your salespeople become skilled at consultative selling, which is married together with a solid sales process that is consistently followed. Avoid the common temptation to simply measure activity, because the right activities should be progressing the sales opportunity forward.
During the conversation, we talked about:
-Why sales organizations need to institute a solid on-boarding learning and development process for their people. Get beyond teaching product features and don't assume your salespeople really know how to sell.
-Setting salespeople up for success by starting with a clear set of expectations. Don't assume salespeople know.
-Key reasons why salespeople need to follow a process and stop killing deals by skipping important steps in that process. Did you know it can take 60% longer to lose a deal and that's the result of not following a process consistently. Your salespeople need an actionable checklist that they can follow.
-Sales coaching and why that's critical to ensuring that salespeople not only follow the process, but that you keep reinforcing the skills and behaviors that will help them achieve their sales objectives.
Finally, learn how the Membrain platform drives the right sales actions with a solid sales process. I've started to use the platform myself and love it!