
Hosted by Donald C. Kelly · EN

Do buyers lie? The short answer is yes and I’m going to tell you why in this episode. I’m also going to tell you how to get the truth of their issues out and close the deal. Why Do Buyers Lie?Buyers don’t always lie intentionally. However, there’re three main reasons why they do:They feel uncomfortable saying “no.”They’re not interested but don’t want to hurt your feelings.They want to “think about it,” often as a way to avoid further discussion.Key Strategies for SellersIf you find them lying to you, try these strategies to get the truth out of them: Seek honest answers by asking tougher, more direct questions.Never assume a prospect’s motives, instead get to the real issue.Practice probing with family or friends to build confidence.Avoid desperation and maintain control throughout the process.Don’t wait. Address hesitations immediately rather than letting deals linger.“Why in the world do we hoard horrible deals? Is because internally we believe that there's still hope. But I'm telling you not to do that. Cut them and go to the next one. Don't be afraid of losing something.” - Donald KellyResourcesKeep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Join the LinkedIn Prospecting Course to improve how you use LinkedIn and book more consistent, high-quality sales appointments.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content. Sponsorship OffersThis episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.CreditsAs one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

SDRs and BDRs are having to become more strategic and more technical to close deals. You would think that in a world of AI, their jobs would become easier or even be replaced. But buyers are more informed, and they know when a seller is not putting much effort into personalization. Joining me in this episode are two sales professors, BJ Allen and Kristie Jones, to discuss how we can better prepare sellers for these changing roles.The Evolution of Sales RolesThe role of SDRs and BDRs is changing as buyers become more independent and better informed through AI and easy access to information. Sales is no longer just about cold calling and emailing. Today’s sellers need stronger critical thinking skills, deeper product and industry knowledge, and the ability to add value much earlier in the buying process.AI’s Impact on Sales ProcessesAI is reshaping sales, from prospect research to reviewing discovery calls. This shift is pushing teams to be more intentional about their processes and committed to continuous learning. Kristie encourages both students and sales teams to experiment with new technology, even when it does not work perfectly, because that is where growth happens.Soft Skills Take Center StageWhile technical skills are becoming more important, we agree that soft skills still separate good sellers from great ones. Kristie highlights the importance of building trust, negotiating effectively, and handling objections. As more routine tasks are automated, sellers who can connect with buyers, educate them, and solve real problems in a personalized way will stand out.Advice for Educators and LeadersThe focus should be less on rigid outreach sequences and more on creative problem solving, personalization, and value-driven conversations. Try to prepare your students for modern sales roles by blending technical knowledge with strong communication skills throughout your curriculum.“Everything's changing about the seller, because everything's changing about the buyer.” - Kristie Jones ResourcesFind Kristie Jones on LinkedIn or visit kristiekjones.com.For more sales education resources, listen to “Sales 101: The B2B Sales Classroom.”Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Join the LinkedIn Prospecting Course to improve how you use LinkedIn and book more consistent, high-quality sales appointments.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content. Sponsorship OffersThis episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.CreditsAs one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Forecasting (and really all parts of selling) grows more successful when you communicate value. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald is joined by Tom “The ROI Guy” Pisello. As an entrepreneur, speaker, and author of the book Evolved Selling™: Optimizing Sales Enablement in the Age of Frugalnomics, Tom specializes in value to get the most out of your efforts. Three big trends characterize the post-pandemic era of sales: First, there’s a tremendous amount of sales turnover. While the Great Resignation is not news, sales will struggle to retain top sellers in favor of faster-growing companies. Second, the buyer is changing. They’re in control of the buying process, cautious of the seller, and more economically focused than ever - it’s the decision by risk aversion. Third, we’re in an environment where sales is understaffed, you need engagement, the buyer is more challenging to sell to, and predictable revenue is decreasing. How do we find (and retain) great talent? Growing a team will be challenging. Of course, throwing money and benefits at it is part of the equation, but you also must provide intangible benefits like career development to make your position seem worthwhile. What is the purpose of your organization or group? And more importantly, how can you include new personnel to feel that they actively work towards that purpose? Create an atmosphere of authenticity that suits your personnel to retain talent. It’s not just a long game for selling; it’s a long game for hiring. Overcoming the ice-cold buyers: Buyers have incredible access to resources and information than ever, even compared to a few years ago. Sellers used to be in control, but now it's the opposite. In that, they have information overload. And great salespeople guide prospects through this challenge. The curated content a salesperson supply is an excellent direction for the next generation of salespeople. If you can show that pain is worth addressing (and that you provide a uniquely differentiating solution), you demonstrate a fiscal reason to make a decision. Tackling the issue of predictability: The old way of leveraging spreadsheets and expert resources within the organization no longer works - only 17% approach forecasting scientifically. We now have systems that track multiple criteria, but they act in silos. Aggregating data points to develop a more comprehensive and data-driven forecast will yield more accurate results. Know what “good” looks like so you know what to focus on. What works to close a deal, and what are the associated steps? Visualize patterns to prioritize to understand the correlations and next best actions. Episode Resources: For more great content from Tom, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit evolvedselling.com. Listen to Tom’s podcast, The Evolver’s Podcast, and read his book, Evolved Selling, on Amazon. Check out his past episode on The Sales Evangelist here: Episode 1076. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn Sales Navigator. The Great Resignation has become the Great Reshuffle, meaning it can be difficult for sales professionals like you to find leads and close deals. Luckily, Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is here for you! Sales Navigator from LinkedIn is the only tool that uses real-time alerts and up-to-date insights to help you know when prospects are ready to buy. And, with over 30 advanced filters, sales professionals can quickly find genuine leads with the intent to purchase. Gain the advantage of accurate, quality lead generation data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. You can get a 60-day free trial of Sales Navigator at www.LinkedIn.com/TSE. This episode is brought to you in part by Skipio. Are you sick of crickets? As a salesperson, the pain of reaching out with phone calls or emails and not receiving a response is real. But all text messaging is not created equal. 85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation, not listen to bots. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in the conversions you want. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com. This course is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Certified Training Program, designed to help new and struggling sellers master sales fundamentals and close more deals. Help elevate your sales game and sign up now to get the first two modules free! You can visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals or call (561) 570-5077 for more information. We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings for each episode you listen to! Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore their huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Our awesome guest today is “The Sales Whisperer,” Wes Schaeffer. Where did that term come from? You probably guessed it right. He was watching the “Dog Whisperer” and saw Cesar saying that he rehabilitates dogs and trains the owners. Well, rehabilitating and training are definitely a part of Wes’ expertise. He rehabilitates salespeople and trains […] The post TSE 184: Wes Schaeffer, The Sales Whisperer! appeared first on The Sales Evangelist.