Episodes

As sales leaders, we all want to increase our level of influence – people in the team, our peers, key partners, customers and certainly senior executives. Interestingly, many believe the way to do that is through telling, through providing information, and in many cases, through trying to convince and impress people. This may work for some, but often this influence is short lived. The secret to influence is realising that it is not about you – you don’t have to try to impress or convince, just b...

Over 100 years ago, James Allen wrote the incredible book ‘As A Man Thinketh’ and in it he described the principle that we become who we think about. It was perhaps one of the first personal development books that delved into the power of mindset, attitude and emotional intelligence. The principle is still true today as it was over 100 years ago, and as sales leaders we must be constantly vigilant over the thinking patterns we choose to employ and the actions we take from those patterns. And cl...

In working with sales leaders and their teams, I am constantly fascinated by what separates the average performers from the exceptional performers, especially when it appears, on the surface at least, that they have equal levels of talent, capability and opportunity. I have come to understand more and more, the power of the conversations we have in the 6 inches between our ears. Our inner voice is super powerful, and it can either massively enhance our ability to perform, or if we listen to it, ...

In many organisations, high performing sales people are often gifted with sales leadership responsibility based on their level of performance and level of potential – they sit in the ‘top right’ quadrant. It is often the next logical step in their sales journey. The challenge though is many high performing sales people are not prepared for the opportunity when it presents itself, and as such, feel thrusted into a leadership role without the transition blueprint or game plan. Many of them had no...

One of the key challenges for sales leaders and their organisations is being able to identify their key market differentiation, what makes them unique, and then identifying how to exploit that differentiation to disrupt the market. Not many succeed. In today’s episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Evan Montero, the Co-Founder and CEO of DIY Blinds, a fully Australian-owned and made eServices start up that has achieved a $100m+ valuation in less than 5 years. We chat about the importance ...

If there is one key differentiator that separates Exceptional Sales Leaders from their peers, it is their ability to build high quality connections. They genuinely care about their people and everyone they come in contact with, and through this process, become almost like a lightning rod to attract talent and build a high quality and an elite performance culture. They especially become Masters of 5 key principles which I discuss on today’s episode.

Sales teams are made up of different people, with difference characteristics, different attributes, different experiences and different strengths. We hear a-lot about sales leaders conducting SWOT analyses and then focusing their attention on identified weaknesses, and building strategies and plans to turn those weaknesses into strengths. How about we instead hone in on the strengths and encourage people to play to these? That’s that topic of discussion in today’s episode.

In working with sales leaders and their teams, I come across lots of different people, with many different behaviour and communication styles. What intrigues me though is the number of leaders and aspiring leaders who compare themselves to others, and often in an unhealthy way. They look at senior leaders or leaders who have more experience or who appear to have more ‘success’, and either wish they could be like them, or in some cases, hold them up as an example to which they could never step up...

As a sales leader, there is a huge responsibility that sits on your shoulders, including driving an engaged culture, driving high performance, coaching, mentoring, as well as being able to articulate a strong message to your senior stakeholders. The expectation that senior leaders have is that you must know your numbers, and if you don’t, you seriously run the risk of diminishing your credibility, which can impact your profile, reputation, as well as hindering the ability of the team to deliver....

When working with leaders, I often encourage them to become feedback machines. There are countless opportunities on a daily basis for feedback, and exceptional leaders are constantly maximising them. Creating an environment where feedback is not only expected, it is demanded, is one of the keys to high performance. What’s fascinating though is that many leaders, for some reason, have a level of trepidation about 360 degree feedback. They say that feedback is important, are more than happy to re...

If there is one characteristic that separates exceptional leaders from their peers, it is their ability to flex their leadership style depending on the current situation and the people in it. Being able to adjust communication style based on either the personal style or behaviour style of the person in your team is vital to build credibility and ultimately trust, and the vast majority of leaders can do this almost intuitively. How often though do we stop to consider where a member of the team ...

What is interesting as I observe leaders, especially in sales, is that many of them are driven by certainty, have a need to follow a proven formula and possess a relentless focus on achieving the numbers. Many of them unfortunately do not acknowledge that this approach is, in many cases, actually preventing them from becoming exceptional. They are following what they consider to be a tried and true pathway, and yet, they are not achieving the results they desire or the fulfilment and satisfacti...

Following on from yesterday’s episode, I have just enjoyed a great conversation with Ryan Warriner on his Podcast, The Professionally Speaking Podcast, about communication, effectively influencing and the importance of being authentic. Being someone who you are not is tiring and exhausting, and often puts pressure on to remember how to behave in certain situations. In today’s episode, I share some thoughts on how to be authentic and what can happen when we are.

As a sales leader, it is critical that we build and maintain a multi dimensional team if we are to have the possibility of achieving sustainable success. Unfortunately far too many sales leaders build one dimensional teams – teams filled with people who are almost carbon copies of each other, which over time, only stifles potential, growth and ultimately, results. A challenge for many leaders is to become more of a chameleon, a person who is able to adapt their style to suit the environment they...

Last week I recorded a podcast on emotional intelligence & how important it is as a sales leader to develop that EQ muscle. Today I want to go a little deeper and address a topic that I see & hear a-lot of sales leaders partake in, and it is not healthy. I’m really big on listening skills, so the title of this episode may be a little counter intuitive – I want to encourage you to stop listening and start talking – please listen to this episode to find out why.

As sales leaders, we must understand that we are being watched like a hawk. Our team are eagerly watching everything we do, as well as watching what we don’t do. They are also listening to what we are saying as well as listening to what we are not saying. It is therefore critical that we are clear on our intentions. With this in mind, how often are you intentional with the impression you are wanting to create, in every interaction? Even with people we know really well, we are constantly creatin...

Emotional Intelligence is becoming more and more critical to the ability of leaders to be exceptional. Companies are no longer simply looking at a person’s performance track record, or how smart they may be, as an indicator of their employability. They are now looking deeper into the cognitive abilities of the leader, can they think on their feet, can they regulate their emotions, and can they remain calm in difficult situations. If we are to lead in 2023 and beyond, and if we have the desire to...

One of the key areas I focus on when coaching and mentoring Sales Leaders is the behaviours and actions that must be taken in order to deliver exceptional results. Far too many sales leaders revert to driving relentless focus on the numbers often at the expense of the behaviours, which can often result in poor outcomes, or at best, short term spikes in performance. If we are to oversee an exceptional team and become in the process an exceptional sales leader, then we must learn to step back and...

Many leaders ‘fall’ into a leadership role after being recognised as a high potential and high performer, and yet often do not have the guidance or blueprint to make the transition a smooth one. This can often lead them to considering whether the role is right for them. Having access to a leadership and career coach can definitely help in this area. In today’s episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Sonja Price, Career & Leadership Coach and Founder of Dynamo Careers, and we discuss a num...

If there is one key area the vast majority of sales people could improve, as could many Sales Leaders, it is their in call performance. Irrespective of the industry, product or service, it is incredible how many sales people lead the conversation with information, providing a plethora of amazing features of their product or service, and in many cases, not noticing the eyes of their customer glaze over. They end up walking out of the call thinking they have delivered a high quality sales call, an...

Interesting conversations this week with sales leaders and sales directors, all around sales and the unrelenting focus on numbers. Depending on who you talk to, the numbers are king and all conversations are geared around the number, which can often be overwhelming for sales people and create incredible pressure. There is a better way, and this is what I discuss on today’s episode. Enjoy.

One thing I have realised over the years is that not everyone is suited to leadership. With leadership comes responsibility and my belief that has been formed is that a person must want to take on a leadership role in order to have an opportunity of being successful, and not have the role simply thrust upon them. Unfortunately too many people are thrust into a leadership role based on their performance as an individual contributor, and find it challenging. In today’s episode, I discuss some of t...

As leaders, one of the key responsibilities we have is to communicate a message to our team, to our business, to key stakeholders, to customers, as well as to the market. Unfortunately many leaders do not spend enough time considering their message and more importantly, how that message needs to be delivered. The result? Often the message falls flat, and even worse, the receiver of the message not taking the action we want. We need to get better at delivering our message, and in today’s episode,...

Working with lots of teams and aspiring leaders, many of then seem to have an interesting view of what leadership is about, almost an idealistic view. They think leadership will come with prestige, status, influence and accolades, all the positive stuff. However, they often do not look at the other side of leadership – the grind, the hard conversations and the uncertainty. There are no medals in leadership.