salesloft

Bringing Your Authentic Self to Sales

February 20, 2019 By Barbara Giamanco Leave a Comment

In this interview, I talked with Amanda Georgoff, Enterprise Sales Rep at SalesLoft. She has 15+ years of frontline experience selling software and services to CFOs, CMOs, Heads of Sales and other functional executives at F500 companies across her time at SalesLoft, Xactly and CEB (now Gartner).

Our topic focus was about bringing our personal authenticity to our interactions with future and current customers. Being real and being you opens the door to strong relationships and better sales conversations. Decision makers can feel the insincerity of the reps focused solely on achieving quota.

Here is what I wanted to know when I sat down to talk to Amanda:

How Amanda defines personal authenticity.

The moment that Amanda first realized being more authentic in her conversations with potential customers was important.

She told me about the manager who “coached” her how to relax the scripted version of herself – the person she thought she was supposed to be – in sales calls. Amanda talked about the questions her manager/coach asked her that led to her making the shift to being more authentic.

You’ll find out when you listen to the interview, how Amanda realized that putting herself in the buyer’s shoes and raising questions or possible concerns they might be thinking about became a competitive advantage for her.

More than a few training companies insist that we (sellers) should NEVER bring up a potential problem, issue or objection that the buyer might have before they do. Amanda and I talked about how this assumption is a myth that doesn’t work against you. Amanda shared examples of what really happens when you bring up issues or concerns you think the buyer might be having.

We also talked about helping buyers stay engaged during our sales meetings with them. Let’s face it, we all know that buyers sometimes check out during our sales calls. Amanda discusses her strategy for re-engaging buyers when this happens.

Finally, we closed by talking about the advice Amanda has for women in sales roles who worry about being themselves for fear they’ll be described as “soft”, “weak”, “touchy feely”, and as a result try to act more like the guys.

BTW – Meet up with Amanda, me, 100+ speakers, and over 1,500 sales professionals at the upcoming Rainmaker 2019 Conference in Atlanta in March. REGISTER HERE

As always, another insightful interview! Listen and enjoy!

Apple Podcasts – Please subscribe so that you never miss an episode! Write a review for the podcast if you like the interviews.

Spotify Stitcher Google Play Don’t use any of these platforms to listen? Listen to the recording above.

About Amanda:

Amanda Georgoff is an Enterprise Sales Rep at SalesLoft; she has 15+ years of frontline experience selling software and services to CFOs, CMOs, Heads of Sales and other functional executives at F500 companies across her time at SalesLoft, Xactly and CEB (now Gartner). Amanda is known for taking a consultative, insight-based approach to selling, consistently over-performs quota and has won multiple Presidents/Chairmans Club awards. She loves working directly with customers, adores her team, and was skeptical of using video in meetings before she tried it. Amanda resides in Austin, TX with her husband, Michael, her son Gray (2.5 years) and baby girl Hayes (5 months). Her favorite Queso is from Torchys Tacos.

Connect on LinkedIn
Website

Thanks to our Sponsors!

This podcast is presented by our Elite Sponsor, Microsoft. Corporate Vice President and Channel Chief Gavriella Schuster, along with other female leaders in the company, are driving for change, trying to bring more women into the technology industry. Gavriella and Microsoft are committed to giving “young women better role models and a stronger voice to all women.” You can hear more from Gavriella and other Microsoft leaders, on the Microsoft Partner Network podcast. Or visit partner.microsoft.com

SalesLoft, the leading sales engagement platform. Join them this March in Atlanta for 3 days of learning, networking, and inspiration at their annual Rainmaker conference! With over 100 speakers and 40 track sessions, their annual Women’s Breakfast and a performance from Grammy winning band Blues Traveler, this conference is not one to miss. Get your tickets today at rainmaker.salesloft.com.

Thanks to our Media Sponsor. Women Sales Pros has a vision for more women in B2B sales and sales leadership roles where there are currently male-majority sales teams. We help educate companies on how to do this, and we champion women on what a professional sales career can be. We also showcase the very top women sales experts who are speakers, authors, consultants, trainers and coaches. People can sign up to get updates HERE and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WomenSalesPros

Putting the Customer First

February 11, 2019 By Barbara Giamanco Leave a Comment

In this interview, I talked with Sydney Sloan, Chief Marketing Officer at SalesLoft. You can meet Sydney personally at the Rainmaker 2019 conference here in Atlanta in March. Haven’t gotten your tickets yet? You still can. REGISTER HERE

Here is what you’ll hear in my conversation with Sydney about why putting the customer first is a significant business advantage.

We started by talking about an incredible book Aligned to Achieve: How to Unite Your Sales and Marketing Teams into a Single Force for Growth co-authored by colleague (and good friend of Sydney’s and mine) Tracy Eiler, CMO at InsideView. Given Sydney’s passion is in delivering customer experiences that wow, which includes how sales drives that experience along with marketing & service, we talked about sales/marketing alignment and the improvement opportunities that still exist.

You’ll hear Sydney’s point of view on how to prioritize sales and marketing alignment and some of the tactics she and her team employ at SalesLoft.

One of SalesLoft’s core values IS customer first. And while many companies still think about customer experience as what happens AFTER the sale is closed, Sydney believes that experience – positive or not so positive – happens at interaction with a prospect or customer. We discussed how Sydney and her team keep the value of customer first at the center of their marketing and sales efforts.

I knew before the interview that Sydney had been described – by people who worked with her and for her– as a creative, intelligent marketer who cares deeply about people and doesn’t hesitate to jump in to do the work. She is all about supporting her team members in getting things done. Sydney explains why that is so important to her and how her approach fits with the customer first mantra and vision at SalesLoft.

SalesLoft has grown exponentially in the last few years and was named one of Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 for the second year in a row. Given the growth distinction and accolades SalesLoft has earned, I asked Sydney if there was anything special that SalesLoft’s sales/marketing teams does to make the most of this momentum. You’ll have to listen to the interview to find out what they do!

Finally, you’ll get a sneak preview into what’s happening at SalesLoft’s Rainmaker 2019 sales and sales enablement conference in Atlanta March 11-13. With over 100 speakers and 40 track sessions, their annual Women’s Breakfast and a performance from Grammy winning band Blues Traveler, this conference is not one to miss. Get your tickets TODAY!

Listen to the interview and enjoy!Apple Podcasts – Please subscribe so that you never miss an episode! Write a review for the podcast if you like the interviews.

About Sydney

Sydney Sloan is Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of SalesLoft. As the company’s first CMO, she leads the company’s continued customer-first focus and go-to-market efforts as it continues to scale. She is passionate about SalesLoft’s vision for helping sales organizations deliver better selling experiences for their customers.

An accomplished marketing executive, Sloan has deep expertise across customer experience, product marketing, demand generation, and communications. She brings passion, skill, and a customer-centric focus to drive tangible results. Sloan is a global B2B enterprise marketing leader who previously served as CMO of Alfresco. She held similar leadership positions specializing in customer experience and product marketing roles for Jive Software and Adobe.

Sloan earned multiple business degrees at the University of Southern California, and also studied finance and financial management at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. Outside of work, Sloan can be found cheering for her kids at the soccer field and enjoying time outdoors.

Connect on LinkedIn

Thanks to our Sponsors!

Connect the Dots to Improve Customer Experience with Erin Bush

August 9, 2017 By Barbara Giamanco Leave a Comment

In this Women in Sales Leadership podcast episode, I talked with Erin Bush. She is the Director of Revenue Operations at SalesLoft, the platform for modern sales engagement. As we get into the conversation, you will hear how Erin’s career choices led her to where she is today.

Did you know?

A Walker 2020 report revealed that by 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as a key differentiator. There is no doubt that experience is a key priority for many organizations. Forrester reported that 72% of businesses say that improving the customer experience is their top priority. In a blog from NewVoiceMedia, their recent research indicates that companies lose more than $62 billion due to poor customer service. That’s a big problem!

I talked with Erin about how SalesLoft defines customer experience and who is involved in the experience process. From their point of view, it is a team effort between Marketing, Sales and their Customer Success team.

We talked about:

How the teams work together to create seamless experiences.
How they make sure that the team is well informed and hand-off points are clearly defined.
How technology and systems are key to a successful workflow.

Enjoy the interview!

About Erin:

Erin Bush is the Director of Revenue Operations at SalesLoft, the platform for modern sales engagement. In this role, she works with Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success to create systems to more efficiently prospect, win, onboard, and support customers.

Erin is a veteran sales leader in the Atlanta startup community. An innovator in sales operations, Erin specializes in building a connected sales practice utilizing modern sales technology.

Connect with Erin: LinkedIn Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Reflections of a Rainmaker

January 15, 2015 By Barbara Giamanco 4 Comments

Yesterday, I attended the inaugural Rainmaker 2015 event in Atlanta produced and hosted by Kyle Porter and his SalesLoft team. To say that I was impressed is an understatement. I’ve followed Kyle’s path since 2011 and have been incredibly impressed with all that he has accomplished in building his business. In fact, late last year, I had the opportunity to interview Kyle as part of my Sales Mastery podcast series. Take 20 minutes out of your day to listen to that conversation, because Kyle shared his thoughts on business acceleration and what it takes to move your company to new heights.

So, back to the conference. And, yes, that’s me in my Rainmaker t-shirt getting ready to make some phone calls.

What I loved about the conference was the passion, the energy and the high value speakers and presentations. There was a palpable buzz when you walked into the conference area. Everyone was there to talk all things sales development. That buzz morphed into energy overdrive as the conference was kicked off in one of the most unique ways I have ever seen. To get things started, we were treated to a presentation by the Atlanta Falcons drum line. Wow doesn’t even begin to describe how great they were!! With that amazing act kick starting our morning, you just knew that more goodness was on the horizon.

Rainmaker 2015 themes

The overarching theme was that business development is a critically important part of the sales process. But expecting sales reps to do the chasing and the closing might not be the most effective approach. Establishing a BDR (business development rep) team whose sole job is to find new opportunities and set appointments is what led to the fast paced growth experienced by the companies highlighted throughout the conference.

Other themes that emerged, which I was thrilled to hear, were:

You cannot wait for someone else to give you the information you need to succeed.
Buying lists is a waste of time, as they are generally out of date the moment you purchase them.
Don’t rely on marketing to understand the ideal buyer, business development reps need to own the buyer persona.
The best sellers understand human behavior and leverage clarifying and confirming when talking to prospects.
The best sellers do not talk about products and services. As Steve Richard of Vorsight said, these sellers talk about common truths, which mean you need to know what the buyer cares about.

Almost every single speaker talked about:

Identifying an ideal client profile, including both the account and the contact within that account.
Understanding how your target buyer buys.
Understanding the decision making process and when talking to a potential customer, you need to know exactly what phase of the decision process the prospect is in at any given time.
Determining your cadence for contacting potential buyers. You have to test, adapt, and test again to determine what’s right for you.
Message matters. Haven’t I said this for years? Personalize messages that speak to what your prospective customer cares about. That means doing some homework, and this is where tools like LinkedIn, Twitter and InsideView can play a huge role.

There was too much great learning to force into one blog post. Stay tuned for more highlights from the Rainmaker event in subsequent posts.

I’ll close with this final thought.

More than one speaker made a point to say that a key characteristic they look for in sellers is the openness to continual learning. Naturally, this is near and dear to my heart, because I believe that the most successful salespeople (well, people in general) are those people who devote time to learning something new each day. I’m often asked about age in relation to using social media as part of selling. People want to know if the younger folks are the ones who are most successful using social channels as part of their work life. After all, all things digital was their pacifier. My answer is absolutely not. Age has nothing do with it. Anyone can learn something new. The rainmakers in life embrace learning and never think they know it all.

Time is a precious commodity, and I’ve been to more than one conference that wasn’t quite worth the investment of time or money. Not Rainmaker 2015. Hats off to Kyle and his team!

Bringing Your Authentic Self to Sales

Putting the Customer First

Connect the Dots to Improve Customer Experience with Erin Bush

Best Sales Blogger

Top Blogger

Innovation

Sales Efficiency