Jeb Blount on the Positives & Perils Leading Sales Teams Through a Pandemic
Mike hosts Jeb Blount on Episode 5 of the Sales Management. Simplified. Podcast to discuss the positives and the perils of leading a sales team through the first pandemic of our lifetime.
Jeb is known as “the hardest working man in sales.” He’s a world-renowned speaker, CEO of Sales Gravy, a founder of the OutBound Sales Conference, and the prolific sales author of nine powerful books including the long-time bestseller, Fanatical Prospecting, and his latest blockbuster, Virtual Selling.
Jeb shares why the “State of the Sales Profession” is strong and that there is tremendous long-term benefit for sellers and sales leaders who’ve gone through the crucible of selling and managing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mike and Jeb also discuss what the very best salespeople are doing today and the emotional toll that being locked down has had on many (particularly younger) salespeople.
A few highlights
- 7:57 – The State the of the Sales Community
- 10:40 – The benefit for sales pros who’ve “gone through the crucible” of selling and leading teams during the pandemic
- 16:57 – Jeb’s critical decision (while taking a shower)
- 21:58 – What has NOT changed between pre-pandemic selling and selling virtually?
- 22:52 – The #1 reason for failure in sales (empty pipeline due to lack of prospecting)
- 24:53 – Selling is still (and always will be) “human to human”
- 28:52– Blending Communication Channels – choosing channels that produce the highest chance of success at the lowest cost of time, energy and money
- 30:38 – The chasm between top and average performers in sales has never been bigger
- 34:12 – Mike asks Jeb for one piece of advice to help sales managers increase effectiveness leading their teams during this unique and challenging time
- 38:31 – The mental and emotional toll the pandemic has taken on sellers and managers
- 41:27 – We can balance being human, empathetic, and caring while still maintaining high expectations and a high-performance sales culture
Links
- Jeb’s company: salesgravy.com
- Fanatical Prospecting and Virtual Selling on Amazon
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