Consistency: Part 8 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales Professional

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Consistency – conformity in the application of something, typically that which is necessary for the sake of logic, accuracy, or fairness.

I’ve put consistency as the last ingredient on the list because it tends to be the final piece that makes all of the rest work together very well. Nobody, and I mean nobody, has had sustained success in anything they do including sales without being consistent in their approach and work ethic.

There are tens of thousands of examples of short term wins by sales reps or maybe even hitting or exceeding their quota in a given year but it is the consistent professional who time after time continues to chop away and stay in the ring long enough to get to the next round. A Rocky metaphor is apropos here. There are always going to be bad months or quarters but when you continue to hone your skills, build up your book of business, and bring the right attitude to your work then you will only continue to succeed.

It is the sales professional who thinks they have figured it out, has a few big whales padding their pipeline, or is arrogant about their current place on the team that ends up getting complacent and ultimately frustrated when others pass them. These are the folks that tend to churn out of organizations at around the 9-15 month mark when their “ramp” is over and they’ve been found out by the rest of the team.

Consistency allows you to do a few things:

Build Repeatable Systems

Having systems that you can go back to over and over again can only be useful when you are consistent in the way you work both internally and with potential clients. If you continually do a lot of the same things and build repeatable processes behind those then that can ultimately help you carve out some of that wasted time mentioned above. Repeatable systems might be crafting similar email templates that you can customize on the fly, document client information the exact same way (I used OneNote and the Description section in my specific Opportunity), or can ask similar/specific questions in client interactions. This helps make sure you are working toward the partnership in the right way versus missing key information from one call to the next. Building these types of consistent systems in place can do wonders for your productivity and partnership discussions

Create Sound Habits

When you are organized in your efforts and understand how your week generally flows it helps you put up barriers to corner your time and not let the “time robbers” get in the way of it. When you focus like this great habits start to take form like proper time for “pipeline hygiene”, prospecting time, administrative work, and ultimately more time to spend in front of potential clients working through great partnerships. Habits take time to build but if you put the right systems in place and then focus on how to tackle those and what new habits can help achieve better results like task lists, blocking time, batching emails, etc it all starts to come together nicely.

Keep Ahead of the Game

As I said earlier, you are going to have bad months and quarters (sometimes just bad weeks if you are lucky) but they are inevitable. If you don’t get complacent in your efforts and strive to out-pace projections then this can help set you up for success down the road and not get behind. If you have a few good months and try to coast through the rest of the year you are hurting yourself because since nobody can see the future you can’t predict if some of the partnerships you thought were coming in will actually come to fruition. Get ahead and stay ahead and this can be beneficial in more ways than one.

Consistency tends to get thrown around a lot like a thing that everyone wants to get better at. I believe that building systems to narrow your focus on all the different things you come across in a given week needs to be prioritized in order to be consistent. When this takes form, you begin to week out a lot of the wasted time and can spend it on the right things.

Then it’s rinse and repeat. It’s not sexy but it’s effective. It generally is the people that are the least flashy and stay head down on their goal that tend to win in the long run. They know that staying consistent will generally beat out almost every other person in the long run when others get tired, complacent, unmotivated, or in a rut.

Consistency is a skill that can be learned and it just means to suck it up sometimes despite many barriers. Ultimately, once those minor barriers get worked out you have achieved a lot more than you thought you could and are that farther ahead.

Keep your head down and keep moving forward!

Thanks for reading!

Carpe Diem,

Brian

Consistency: Part 8 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales ProfessionalBrian Ondrako2021-03-19T10:43:04-04:00

Respect: Part 7 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales Professional

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If you want to succeed in almost anything and you have to have others involved then having and gaining respect throughout the process should be a high-value focus item for anyone. In life, respect is so critical and as you get into a sales role when you are working directly with your peers and potential clients, it becomes extremely critical.

Respect – a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

Internally:

Looking inside of an organization, I have found that respect has had a profound impact on being able to get things accomplished and arrive at a better place as a collective organization. When you are respected by others you are able to have your thoughts and ideas echoed and cheered for which might have a greater impact on helping them get adopted. Remember, this doesn’t always mean every idea will be great or accepted but it gives you more slack to be able to offer up those ideas and speak through them. I’ve often found that the most respected individuals also had the loudest voice because they spoke their mind, professional of course, and came at whatever situation it was with passion and exuberance. Others see this and get on board with the mission because they trust and respect you are also looking out for their best interest as well. As a sales professional, you are on the front lines with potential clients and hearing the good and bad about the company, industry, landscape of the market, etc and your voice has to be heard. However, if you haven’t earned the respect of your peers then it is going to be challenging to have your spot to share and have your ideas accepted.

How do you gain respect as a new sales team member:

Respect others and be graceful and polite in your approach
Speak up and share ideas – it still may take time to gain respect but often the new people have a fresh perspective on the issues they see so others are willing to listen. When you have your chance, articulate what you are seeing, be thoughtful in your approach, and try to present a solution along with the problem. Doing this early on will start to plant that seed of respect
Offer help – the easiest way to gain respect is to show you care. Help other peers when you see them struggle, listen in on calls and be interested in how others perform their job, ask other departments to shadow them to learn about their roles to make the relationship better, etc.

These are just a few ideas but it is really simple. Come in with eagerness to learn and share and that starts to rub off on people. If you show you are a team player from day one then you gain instant street cred for being approachable and genuine in your dealings with your peers. If you act as you know it all and come in with all the answers, that won’t go over as well. Be mindful of the situation and the groundwork others have laid and try to build upon it and not tear it down.

Externally

I’ve mentioned other ways that respect starts to be gained in a client relationship. Honesty, Candidness, Punctuality, Humility, and so on. There is no secret answer here. It’s that you just want to be a good human being with good intentions and communicate in a way that helps your potential client get further ahead.

Being polite goes a long way. Simple things like:

Do you use their correct name or ask them the name they prefer (Mike vs Michael)
Do you interrupt or them off often
Do you regularly show up late for meetings
Do you avoid answering their questions and change course
Do you take forever to follow up on emails

These are a few examples but it’s basic etiquette. I boil it down to how you might act on a first date. You’re going to be your best self (i hope). Do that every time when working with a potential client. The more you do it the more it becomes a habit.

Remember, this should be an easy one to remember but it’s hard sometimes and that’s why I think these characteristics are so important to work on and improve. Respect is earned and by proving that you are an honest, trustworthy individual who is looking out for the potential clients best interest then you have the chance to build respect early on. When you gain respect, it opens up a new set of doors with the relationship.

More information gets shared, Your calls get answered or returned quickly. You are the first to know of any changes in timeline or scope. It makes it easier.

It doesn’t mean you will earn every partnership, far from it, as there are other factors at play. However, wouldn’t it be nice to know if you didn’t earn the partnership and why very early after the decision versus emailing and calling a bunch to finally get a bland answer.

Focus on building the relationship early and often and the level of respect you receive from your potential clients will be in line with others in your organization even family and friends. That’s when sales get really fun when you can have a mutually beneficial relationship with a potential client and cut out all the noise that sometimes gets in the way.

Thanks for reading,

Carpe Diem,

Brian

Respect: Part 7 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales ProfessionalBrian Ondrako2021-03-19T10:43:04-04:00

Punctuality: Part 6 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales Professional

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Punctuality – the fact or quality of being on time

There are so many different paths to success that really knowing the perfect combination is going to be hard to pinpoint. The attributes I’ve laid out so far are what I have observed and experienced myself that are cornerstones to top-performing sales professionals. Punctuality is probably one that can be argued either way but I’ll share why I think it is paramount to any successful person, sales, or otherwise.

There is a great saying that goes, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” I think it fits well into this example.

When you are on time it generally means that you are prepared and organized. If you are prepared and organized then one can assume that you are good at the work you do, thorough, and always follow-up through on expectations.

Those go a long way when serving your potential clients. They recognize the little things in your interactions with them. Politeness and punctuality are generally two of the most glaring. I’ll assume everyone knows how to be polite so we won’t focus on that here. Remember, selling is as much about the product fit as it is about a trusting relationship. You are an extension of the company you sell for and therefore if you are professional, polite, and punctual in all of your interactions with the potential client then they are going to assume that’s how the organization is run as well and they’d be a great long term partner to have.

The flip side, which I was reminded of just last week, is not where you want to be. I was on a first discovery call with a potential client and we had built rapport throughout and the conversation was fluid so when they brought up that they had been exploring some other products I made sure I pried in a bit more and here’s what came out.

Brian: That’s great you all are doing some exploration to see what’s out there, who have you looked at so far?

Potential client: Just one other one at this point…like Gov something..or you know I can’t remember their name exactly

Brian: (in jest) I guess they didn’t make a great impression then, huh?

Potential client: Oh you don’t know the half of it. We called and had a conversation and scheduled a demo of their product and then when the time came for it the sales rep didn’t show up. They didn’t send a message or anything. So we called in later to find out what happens and not only did they not have a good excuse they weren’t even remorseful for missing the call in the first place. Let’s just say they didn’t leave a good impression on us.

Going back to the dating analogy from a prior post, if you were to stand up a date and then not even feel bad about it when they called you do you think that relationship will progress anywhere? It’s disrespectful to the other person and shows that you are thinking about yourself more than them.

Besides scheduled meetings, being prompt with proposals, emails, etc are also very important. I don’t believe you have to reply the minute a message comes in but I like to at least get back to someone within a half of day or at worst by end of day. If the message comes in during the afternoon then certainly first thing the next morning. If you are needing to gain additional information internally prior to responding at least take a minute to acknowledge their email and tell them that you are on it and will return the message soon (or put a more defined time on it). This goes for proposals or other important documents. When you agree on a time then hold yourself accountable to that time (or earlier). It amazes me how simple this notion is but yet it can be missed without properly organizing your efforts.

I’ve written a lot about outward-facing activities when working with potential clients as it relates to these attributes but it should be noted that many of these, including punctuality, is extremely important when working internally with other teams. Showing up to meetings on time, being respectful of getting back to emails that ask for your guidance/insight, and completing tasks when your voice is needed are all things that show you care about the greater mission and are helping the other members of your team succeed.

Sales can seem like an individual sport but it generally takes a village to make you successful. Someone had to build the product, someone had to organize sales materials, someone had to define the ideal client that fits the product, someone had to sell and implement other partners before you so you had great references. Unless you have done this all by yourself, you need others around you to support your efforts and therefore it is important to show up for these types of activities or discussions even though it may not be your top priority. The company needs to hear your feedback in order to improve and it’s an opportunity for you to share your knowledge and help everyone get to the next level.

Remember, A rising tide lifts all boats. Start by being on time.

Thanks for reading,

Carpe Diem,

Brian

Punctuality: Part 6 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales ProfessionalBrian Ondrako2021-03-19T10:43:04-04:00

Persistence: Part 5 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales Professional

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Persistence: firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

I have to believe that persistence might be one of the attributes of top sales performers that won’t be questioned on this list. It’s real simple. You must have the ability to push conversations and stay on top of people to be successful because when working with humans there are a lot of commonalities that take place no matter which type of potential clients you are working with.

I could mention a ton fo them but will settle on a few of the major ones:

When They Say “No” Right Away:

This one took me a little while longer to figure out but when you understand the human psyche it actually makes perfect sense. People have been sold to in every which way throughout their lives so unless they are 100% actively searching for exactly what you say you offer then sometimes the early “no” or “not interested” is a reflex reaction that they don’t want to be bothered right now for a numerous amount of reasons you may not know about. This is where having persistence coupled with the fact that you believe you can really help the client based on the information you have can come in handy.

I had this situation come up on many occasions and one, in particular, was back in 2015 when I received a message back from an email that the person was not interested in what I was offering. Fair enough but I had some notes from conversations with this company in the past and really felt that we could help them make a difference with their business. I wrote a very professionally persistent email back explaining why a meeting for 30-minutes would be well worth his time and explained what I thought we could discuss. Long story short, he replied back and took the meeting and two months later they came in as a partner of ours. It was a great fit for their needs at the time and was a great partner and “logo” for our growing company. It turned out to be a win-win all around.

When They Say “Call Me Back In 6 Months”:

This type of conversation happens all the time and is very understandable if you are in the shoes of the potential client. This particular problem you solve is not a top priority at this time and they tell you to contact them back in 6 months or so. Happens a lot, right? Partly, this comes down to good documentation and organization of your accounts but it also mixes nice with a little persistence. Sure, you can wait 6 months and nobody would fault you for it. In fact, you’d be doing better than most sales reps who never call them back at all. However, if you know this should be a higher priority for them based on knowing their business then make a point to reach out 2-3 times over the next 6 months. Not to “check-in” but add them tremendous value. This could be an invite to a webinar that’d fit well for their business case, asking if they are attending a conference in their area, or anything similar to this. It shouldn’t resemble anything other than purely caring for them to improve and trying to help how you can. The reason this approach is helpful is most likely even though the problem you solve is not a high priority it still may be talked about internally and you should be seen as an advisor in their eyes, which makes it fitting on why you would be sending over additional information.

The Potential Client “Ghosts” You:

This should never happen if you have built a trusting relationship early on centered around respect and candor. However, in the case this does happen, use patience to first assess the situation and come up with the various scenarios as to why you haven’t heard from them. After that, persistence tempered by patience will be the winning formula.

You don’t need to “check-in” regularly

You don’t need to say “Hope you’re okay, haven’t heard from you”

You don’t need to tell them you’ve left several emails/voicemails and are following up.

They received them. They aren’t returning them for several reasons:

There is no new news
The timeline has been pushed back
They are swamped with other pressing matters at the moment
They are having some personal life challenges
And so on…

I tend to lean toward the side of logic in most cases and it’s probably that they are really busy with their actual day job that they get paid to perform at or they have had some challenging personal life things come up. Either way, if you come off as a pest from too many follow-ups you will seem desperate and that will lower your stock value. Continue to provide value in the ways we mentioned above but instead of every other month maybe it’s every couple of weeks especially given the timeline you might be aware of from past discussions. Keep them conversational and continue to back up the points you’ve agreed upon are important for them. Remember, if someone wants to buy something they will. If they don’t, they won’t. The need to remind them you’re there doesn’t help your case at all and can only put you in a worse position once you do get back in touch with them.

There are so many facets to persistence in personal and professional life and I firmly believe that continuing to push through when the times feel tough because you believe in what you are doing will end up paying huge dividends in the future by strengthening your relationships and adding new partners to the mix that didn’t seem possible before.

Thanks for reading!

Carpe Diem,

Brian

Persistence: Part 5 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales ProfessionalBrian Ondrako2021-03-19T10:43:05-04:00

Humility: Part 4 of 8 – The Evolution of The Modern Day Sales Professional

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humility: a modest or low view of one’s own importance; humbleness.

There is no question that humility has to be one of the characteristics of the best sales professionals. Additionally, one of the sub-categories that are almost certainly in line with people who are humble is confidence. There are certain people that may not be confident in themselves and still be humble, but in sales I’ve found that the ones who are successful in their role often times have a nice balance of humility and confidence.

Confidence is such a big key to being successful and setting your mindset on a positive track helps you get there much quicker. When you are confident in your ability and realize that you will continue to exceed expectations then it is much easier to be humble. The reason I say this is that if you look at someone who exudes confidence then most of the time (not always) they don’t need to be told “great job” or “you’re the best” or anything like that. They act like they’ve been there before. They generally are the ones who are consistent and expect those results.

Similar to this situation, look at how the top sales professionals act when they bring in new partners. I am not saying they don’t get excited or accept the praise, I am saying that they are much more humble because they realize the hard work it took to get there and they don’t take it for granted. They don’t get a big head about it and gloat because it’s not about an “I’m better than you” mentality. It’s that they are continuing to compete against themselves and try to get better at their craft. They are confident in their abilities but humble in their approach and that balance continues to be a winning formula.

On that note, let’s make sure we don’t forget the humility needed when working with potential clients. I’ve really been speaking about internal-facing interactions but I think that being humble during client interactions might be more important, actually, they have to be.

The potential clients you are working with are fairly savvy these days. They’ve used a lot of products and services and have a good tell that almost none of them are perfect. Neither is your product. We need to look at ways of communicating with the client that exude our humbleness while articulating what we can help them with and what we can’t. If we are saying we can do everything then that’s not only dishonest but also comes off as arrogant.

We’re the #1 ____ , We’re the Top ____, We are the industry leader in ____

All of this type of fluff and the stories around it don’t make us sound like we are trying to help the client. They are self-serving and arrogant and if you’ve ever tried to buy something and heard this touted you’d know what I mean.

Let’s take the approach that “we may” be able to help the potential client as we continue to look behind the curtain and find out what they truly need. I think it’s wise to be confirming that “we can help you here” but “may not be able to exactly help there” and walk them through a potential future-state where they can envision what is the most important and what isn’t.

A piece of this is also the real possibility that you may not be a good fit and have to tell the potential client that. There is a mix of candor in that but I believe you have to truly be humble to get to this level of comfort passing up on what might be a great “logo” to work with and focus on the fact that the partnership may not be the best fit, for a number of reasons.

A lot of this continually comes back to one tried and true principle of sales.

Are you trying to help the potential client or are you trying to help yourself?

If it’s the former, you win every time, even if you don’t win the partnership.

If it’s the latter, you might win sometimes or maybe more than sometimes but in the long run, you will end up losing because your reputation will be stained and your network of people that you could have leveraged for referrals and otherwise will be shrinking.

Start with humility and try to go into each potential client call with that same air of humbleness while still maintaining your confidence and I’m sure that your calls will be much more pleasant, more trust will be formed, and you’ll have a better chance of holding your head high, win or lose.

Thanks for reading!

Carpe Diem,

Brian

Humility: Part 4 of 8 – The Evolution of The Modern Day Sales ProfessionalBrian Ondrako2021-03-19T10:43:05-04:00

Candor: Part 3 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales Professional

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If you seek out the opinions and perceptions of others about who you are you will generally find a lot of consistency in those responses. If you can look at that objectively and take it for face value then it can be a true eye-opener to confirm the things you already knew about yourself or things that weren’t so obvious and you might want to consider working on to improve.

To that end, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly how I changed over the past handful of years but I knew I changed a lot especially in how I was speaking to all various types of people. I had one friend recently say that I had a great balance of “compassion and confrontation” which came off as very genuine and honest and they knew that I was trying to help.

That’s where I fell on Candor as a trait I believe has made me successful in sales and have seen this in many of the folks I have been lucky enough to be around in sales roles and otherwise.

Candor – the quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness.

I think it’s a 2-part equation to get there, though.

Growing up I remember hearing something on a TV show, and can’t recall the name of the person now, but I remember them saying that they don’t tell any lies at all and are completely truthful in most situations. When pressed, they added “I never have to remember my lies” and that clicked for me. I was sold. I’ve been that way ever since.

Am I going to sit here and say I haven’t lied, of course not, I certainly have at times but I’m not speaking about a “white lie” that we all tell to save a friend from embarrassment or our kids from the joys of Santa Claus. I am speaking about your communication of facts and information to the other people you are around, both personally and professionally. What has always been interesting to me is that we get upset when others deceive us or lie to us but then we can turn around and do the same exact t thing on a call to a potential client.

Deceiving a potential client to “get the sale” always comes back to bite you in the end. That could be if you are setting up an early discovery call, product demo, or bringing in the business, deceiving at all levels is a bad practice. Listen, we all know there are a lot of bad actors out there and one of the reasons why sales get such a bad rap. Don’t let that be you.

Answer questions about what your product can do completely honestly and be proud that you were able to provide the client with the correct information to make the informed decision. More times than not, that questions about features they need may end up not even being that important and they’ll appreciate your honesty in sharing the correct information. But if they needed that feature and you blatantly lied then that will be found out during implementation or early use of the product.

Remember, whether you believe it or not, most people don’t think you have the perfect product because they’ve been scorned in the past so don’t front and act like its the greatest thing in the world. It’s good to have a few warts and it’s okay to share those.

And that is why this is a two-part equation. Honesty is great but when used with Directness, it becomes much better.

Being direct has always been a skill that I’ve struggled with until much recently. I grew up a shy, unconfident, and an out of place kid and always had a hard time expressing myself to others. Additionally, when having conversations that were highly important I tended to succumb to the pressure of it all and give in. I never pressed the situation, I never came back and asked the really tough question, I crumbled.

My confidence grew slightly as I got on my own as an adult but I really don’t think the directness piece became a strength until just the last few years. I had the great fortune of being around a couple of key people that would shape the way I looked at interactions with others and how to communicate much more effectively. One of the things I learned from them is how to take my honest approach to sales, coupled with the relationships I was building, and be confident that I could make the room awkward and be okay with it.

That’s at least how I framed it. Being okay with the awkward silence or look by asking a very direct but needed question. Boy was this a tough task. But it was so needed and it was refreshing the more times I’d do it. Not thinking this would be the case, but people appreciated that I was asking the difficult questions and wanted to uncover all the issues even if they were difficult to talk about. The by-product of it was that I was also more respected when I left the room versus when I came in. My stock would go up in their eyes and merely because I was intentional about solving a problem, doing it in an honorable way, and doing it together.

For that to happen, you must inject honesty and directness into each and every one of your conversations or said more simply Candor.

The most important takeaway I want to share is that this might be the most difficult of all the attributes needed to be successful in working with potential clients. It generally is the most difficult because you may be good at one side of the equation versus the other. It doesn’t work so well that way.

As I shared above, honesty without candor is good in a way because you are giving truthful answers but if you can’t rephrase the question, pose additional prying questions, ask the importance of it all and do it in a way that comes of genuine, it can fall flat. If you take the opposite and just have directness without the honesty, then you may just come off like a complete a**hole. You haven’t shown that you are honest and trustworthy so therefore you don’t have the long leash to pry and prod deeper.

I’m not sure where I’d be without candor. It matches my personality so well but I didn’t realize I had it in me until surrounding myself with people who perfected it and helped me pull it out. That is why it is so important to listen to “top performers” on calls if you can. You are not so much trying to dissect what they say but how they say it and what the reaction is from the person on the other end. I can almost guarantee, if they are one of the top sales professionals, they have a tremendous amount of candor and you can too if you put in some time to focus on the simple equation.

Honesty + Directness = Candor

Thanks for reading!

Carpe Diem,

Brian

Candor: Part 3 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales ProfessionalBrian Ondrako2021-03-19T10:43:05-04:00

Patience: Part 1 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales Professional

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In Part One of this Eight-Part Series, I wanted to touch on what I feel is arguably the most underrated of all attributes to have as a sales professional, Patience.

I can understand why this is the case, though. For years the adage has always been to “sell, sell, sell” and “more, more, more” and it basically has been wired into our DNA that we aren’t doing enough and need to keep pushing harder. Although sales have changed drastically in the last decade, this mindset still exists.

It’s okay to move fast, there is nothing wrong with that as long as expectations are laid out but what causes a lot of issues is when we move at a different speed than the potential client and moreover when we try to push the accelerator when the potential client and we haven’t taken into consideration the true timeline of the potential client.

In any dealings with any human being, the quicker we can get to the right decision is always better. It means we can move forward to the next step and continue to grow. Nobody can argue that. I make sure I do that on (almost) every call with a potential client. We want to make sure we are on the same page in regard to where we stand. That’s fair. Where I messed up a lot early on with this is that if there is a needed break in the normal cadence or a timeline shift I might not have picked up on these cues and my “follow-ups” weren’t always on point. Luckily, I learned this early on and is still something I practice consistently.

You must not get happy ears when talking about the timeline and have to fully understand the next steps, future decision, evaluation process, or whatever other points on the map that need to be hit before a partnership is finalized. Patience is the secret weapon here. I’ve seen it all too often where we want to “get it in before the end of the month” and start to sound selfish and pushy. Generally, this has come with pressure from management to want to close business. This is where you need to really go with your gut. I’ve had this situation happen a lot. I always go with what I think is right. Except for a couple of times, and luckily I avoided disaster.

I’ll share a quick story that relates to this.

I was working a fairly substantial potential partnership that gave us the green light to move forward but had delayed multiple times due to internal hurdles. I had a great relationship with an internal champion and was getting fed a lot of intel so I knew where the hold-up might have been. In the meantime, they (my champion) was also dealing with a lot of challenges in their own role and things that had surfaced that were unforeseen. He went dark on me for many weeks which was uncommon. I respectfully reached out a few times here and there not being pushy and understanding what he was up against.

No answer. No response. Weeks piled up.

After about 8 weeks passed with no response, I started to get pressure from my manager as our expected close date was approaching even though I had been transparent all along where things were at. He asked me if we should reach out to someone else there, my Champion’s boss, to get an update. I refused and pushed back knowing that person was mainly controlling the budget but not too involved in the overall choice. If we overstep my champion that could put a serious “knife in the back” feel to my champion and alter the partnership altogether.

I knew they were partnering with us and things like this just come up. After repeated pressure over and over I finally caved and said I would call his boss and try to get an update. Fortunately, the day I called he was out of the office and I decided not to leave a voicemail. Before I called back another time days later, I reached back out to my champion and fortunately received a response. A little luck is never a bad thing.

But I was right. He apologized profusely for the lack of communication and shared what had been going on and how it’s been a nightmare over there due to some unforeseen business challenges with their organization. It wasn’t that he was trying to avoid me but he was just busy with his full-time job. We were all good and were able to proceed and keep the relationship going forward.

Luckily, that situation didn’t hurt me but it confirmed a valuable lesson.

When you are a sales professional and are responsible for a quota you have to own that quota 100%. You have to do what is in the best interest of the client and yourself and trust your judgment all the way. You also have to remember that the person(s) you are working with has 40 other priorities to deal with on their end not counting personal life issues and things you have no idea might be going on. Having the proper level of patience shows that you respect their situation and that you have a relationship built on trust and communication, hopefully, established early on, and that wins in the long run. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and trying to speed up something that isn’t meant to be sped up can put you in a bad position.

On that note, there is one other piece of the patience puzzle I wanted to touch on. The micro-side of patience.

The micro-side is something extremely important as well and it involves each and every interaction with a potential client.

How many times have you received an email later in the sales process and just replied straight back to exactly what they are asking for? I bet the answer is almost 100%.

But I’d suggest a different route. This is a great example of where patience can work in your favor. Why are they asking that question? What additional conversations have happened internally that posed that question? Does the answer, one way or another, change the direction? A question generally has much more meaning behind it and I always pick up the phone and try to get my potential client on a quick call to clarify. It allows us to make sure we are fully on the same page and we understand each other and it also recalibrates the next steps and timeline and confirms we are still in line with that as well.

Responding quickly just to get it done isn’t always the best approach and sometimes it takes additional time and energy to flush out a situation and learn the nuances and reasoning behind it.

This is most important when it comes to phone calls and the speed of your messaging, response to questions, and time on the phone. When you are trying to rush to just get through it you miss a lot of valuable information that is helpful during the partnership discovery.

Sales are like professional dating that if you build enough rapport and trust early on in the conversation you can go well past the intended endpoint. If things are going well, why rush through it. Be thoughtful, be insightful, ask deeper and curious questions, get to the bottom of something you don’t understand.

All of these things happen when you have a mindset focused on patience and an understanding that you are in control most of the time but the times that you aren’t you need to be okay with taking a deep breath and letting someone else lead even if it doesn’t match up with your expected timeline or path to finalizing the partnership.

Remember, patience is underrated so this might be one of the biggest areas you can find improvement in right away. Start to think about areas in your entire sales process, both internal and client-facing, where you can start to leverage a more patient attitude and style and I’m confident you’ll start noticing a big change in the overall structure of your sales pipeline, relationships, and eventual partnerships.

Thanks for reading!

Carpe Diem,

Brian

Patience: Part 1 of 8 – The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales ProfessionalBrian Ondrako2021-03-19T10:43:06-04:00

The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales Professional

sales professional

You don’t need me to tell you this but this is a TON of information out there on the sales profession and a million different opinions on what you should do and how you should do it. From prospecting new clients to navigating the sales cycle, to follow-ups and referrals, it’s borderline exhausting. It’s a big topic, I get it. But it can also be confusing for a lot of the new people that are trying to sell products whether you are “carrying your own bag” for an organization, are running your own business, or are pitching investors and gaining proof-of-concept in a start-up. I think there is an easier way.

I want to strip that all away for a moment and focus on the key characteristics that I feel are essential across the board for any sales professional to succeed. I’ve seen it first hand and it’s not complicated. It’s just logical and takes time to refine and sharpen. However, if you put the time into each and every one of these I am confident that you’ll be able to reach new heights in your career and start to understand the relationship element that is so vital in any partnership.

We are in a new era of sales with much more information out there for the buyer, and frankly, a much savvier buyer which I love. The reason I love it is because human interaction and relationships matter again. Honesty matters. Integrity matters. Respect matters.

I don’t think these things ever went away but a lot of software products were ahead of their time before the client could actually form an opinion and do thorough due diligence. Now, with much more information at their fingertips and the curve from innovators moving to the early and late majority there is more of a level playing field and buyers are back in control.

Times are changing and I feel this new age of sales is going to weed out a lot of those sales professionals that stick with the old way of doing it and fail to make the shift. You are going to have to have true empathy, you are going to actually put the client first, you are going to be professional and brutally honest in your responses when you can do something and when you can’t.

I think the hardest part about sales is all of the BS and bad habits people have learned for years that they try to wedge, fit, or shimmy into an already broken process. They drive to regurgitate what they learned in a book 10 years ago. It doesn’t work that way anymore. People are too smart. That all changes today.

I don’t have all the answers, far from it, but what I do feel I have uncovered is a clear path that new and old sales professionals alike can be cognizant of and continue to build on as they develop their “in-game’ skills. These are not tricks and tactics but the characteristics that will be paramount to future success. None of these should be a surprise but I hope they make you think a bit more about how you project yourself in your business dealings and where you can find areas to improve.

Here are the main areas I am going to focus on:

Patience
Empathy
Candor
Humility
Consistency
Persistence
Punctuality
Respect

Over the next 8-part series I’ll break into each of these areas, share some personal stories, and hopefully get you to focus inward on self-awareness and how we can improve in all of these areas. Like a video game, we all have different levels of each of these, and some rank higher in certain areas than others. I expect you to be strong in some and weak in others. What is important is that we know we can improve in all of these areas and my goal is to get you to think differently about each and every one of these and how it applies toward working through partnerships in your sales career going forward.

Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

Carpe Diem,

Brian

The Evolution of the Modern Day Sales ProfessionalBrian Ondrako2021-03-19T10:43:06-04:00

4 Things People Should Do Before Ever Reading A Sales Book

sales professional

Before you go grab the latest and greatest sales book, understand you already have most of what you need to be successful at sales. You’ll learn a ton through experimental trial and error but I think a few suggestions below can get you started on an easier path as well.

In my opinion, I believe there are a lot of things early on that make sales hard for newer folks that don’t have to.

There is:

Too much information – product knowledge, value statements, sales playbooks and frameworks
Too much bad direction – poor training, unproven sales templates, bad call scripts
Bruised confidence – Overwhelming expectations, high activity metrics, poor personality fit in the role

There are good intentions behind all of these, especially from organizations facilitating these practices, but oftentimes it comes in the form of misguided or misinterpreted information and that can cause a lot of uncertainty and anxiety for reps, especially new to the game. Now, throw in all of the sales books out there that sales reps are suggested as they start down this path. A lot of this information and the strategies or practices are outdated and what has worked for some that wrote the books may not work for all using its teachings.

I personally believe there are other things you can do first to help you get on your way and be a more well-rounded sales professional.

Learn How To Write

Most sales are done through phone or email so those are the two powerhouses, to begin with. This is not about “sales tactics” or anything like that. This is about proper grammar, word usage, paragraph length, bullet points, and all other things around professional writing. It’s vital because you will write thousands of emails and other documents in your career. Learn how to write in a clearer form and this will help when you start slipping in your sales language. Also, it translates well into your spoken word.

My Suggestion: First, I’d take a few writing courses online for free or jump on YouTube and type in How To Write Better. It also doesn’t hurt to download the Grammarly plugin for Chrome as this will help instantly as you begin to type. Next, I’d look at the emails you write to people and which ones tend to get the most positive responses. Remember, the tone is very tough to pick up in an email so how you write can be taken in multiple ways if not structured correctly. That’s why I say positive responses. Also, emails tend to grab your attention from people. Are they short, bulleted, bolded, etc? Chances are, if they catch your eye then they probably will to your future clients as well.

Learn How To Listen

Listening is hard and can be much harder when you are trying to think about the next question to ask without paying attention to someone. Stop that. You’ll have plenty of time to ask questions and a gentle pause isn’t so bad. Being able to dissect a conversation and pick up the undertones of the language as well as the social awareness piece all at once is a masterful skill to have.

My Suggestion: There are a lot of ways to do this and it could be as simple as turning on a Podcast to try and observe the conversation or you might call a friend or family member and interview them. Try to catch yourself when you lose focus and attention as well as when you start to think ahead too much and forget to stay present in the discussion. It can be much easier to lose focus over the phone without someone watching you being visibly distracted so keep an eye on this.

Learn How To Learn

When was the last time you actually learned something new that you knew nothing about the topic beforehand? It’s a No for most people, too. However, the great thing is you can start today. Pick something you are curious about and learn about it. For instance, during my Dozen Months of Discovery, I learned Spanish for a whole month. My sessions with the tutor were really difficult especially the first few days but it got me attentive and feeling like a beginner learner again. You may even sign up to do a demo of a product you are interested in. Whatever gets you into the mindset of knowing nothing and then having to take in information for the first time.

My Suggestion: When you are demoing a product, think of the person on the other end that has no idea what your product does, how it could help them, or is able to visualize use cases to help a problem they might not even know they have. You have to do a great job of communicating properly and simply and your messaging has to help them come along for the ride otherwise you’ll lose them. By going through this prior, you’ll be able to anticipate the challenges the future client might have during the call and it will help you navigate better. (i.e- Slowing down, fewer mouse clicks, reiterating key points, pausing to ask questions and get clarity, etc.

Learn How To Get Uncomfortable

The best sales reps and leaders I’ve been around have taught me how important it is to “own the room” in any conversation. Sales conversations can get uncomfortable really quickly. You need to be confident in yourself and believe that the product can truly help the client to solve a problem they have. This is tough when you are new to sales because you get nervous or timid or fearful or (insert appropriate word here). Heck, even I have these feelings every now and then and I’ve been doing this for a dozen years.

My suggestion: Figure out how to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Put yourself into situations when you get really nervous or anxious and try to navigate yourself through that process. Even if it’s a big struggle, you’ve grown a bit and it will help you on the next try. This could be as simple as asking a person out on a date randomly that you see out somewhere, taking an Improv class, or signing up for a Public Speaking course. Many of these options cost minimal dollars and the experience gained is priceless.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to deliberate skill practice and the beauty of all of these is that whether you choose to remain in sales or not, these are very transferable in almost any other career you go into.

So, think a bit differently as you look at a sales role. This can be valuable for anyone doing sales especially entrepreneurs or company founders and, yes, even seasoned sales professionals. You should always be looking to refine your skills and improve your communication and I hope some of this guidance will be a big help in your life.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions and I’m happy to be a resource.

Thanks for reading!

Carpe Diem,

Brian

4 Things People Should Do Before Ever Reading A Sales BookBrian Ondrako2021-03-19T10:43:06-04:00

Dale Dupree

DALE DUPREE

EPISODE 60: Founder, The Sales Rebellion

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Was really cool to have Dale Dupree of The Sales Rebellion stop by for episode 60 of the Podcast. I’ve been following Dale for a couple years and since we had so many mutual connections and I always enjoy reading his thoughts on sales, I had to have him on to share his journey and knowledge. This was a really interesting interview where we go all over the place talking about his new company, what he learned from his Dad, when he was touring in a band, and much more. Definitely think you all will enjoy some of Dale’s thoughts and his perspective on not only sales but life.

Dale also talks about two former Podcast guests on this episode that i’ll link up below:

Stu Heinecke – http://www.stuheinecke.com/

link to our interview -> https://brianondrako.com/podcast/stuheinecke/

James Carbary – https://sweetfishmedia.com/

link to our interview – https://brianondrako.com/podcast/jamescarbary/

Find Dale Online:

Website: https://www.thesalesrebellion.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/salesrebellion

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/copierwarrior/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salesrebellion/

About Dale:

To understand my Sales Rebellion, first you need to hear and acknowledge the role my Father played in my life. His legacy is one of integrity, perseverance, and service to others. I spent my life in the shadow of one of the greatest men to ever walk this earth and I am eternally grateful for his amazing example. I realized my calling in the Technology world through his business and also just how much fun I had being in a sales role. Copiers and Printers are pretty boring and usually not top of mind, they are also the most important piece of hardware in the office when they break, am I right? I enjoyed the challenge behind making them a fun piece of your business puzzle.

in 2017 I moved on from the company I had represented most of my career, after my Dad’s passing (see my shared articles for the saddest story I have ever told). I stayed in the copier industry for 2 more years before creating my Sales Rebellion. I have gone into sales training and develop for both individual contributors and entire sales organizations.

In 2019, The Sales Rebellion was born. My conquest of changing the game has expanded beyond my role as an individual contributor in the sales world, as The Copier Warrior. Now I am teaching the masses how to choose legendary for their sales career. No longer will the mediocre rule throughout our profession. It is time for a Sales Rebellion to rise.

I believe in Radically Educating your prospects on a first touch. I believe in Responses, good or bad, but never indifferent. I believe your Territory is your Community, we enable Sales Wanderers. I believe your Pipeline is Alive. I believe people are more than just a signature for your deal. I believe in fellowship over negotiations.

……..

If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Sales Leader, Kevin Dorsey.

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Dale DupreeBrian Ondrako2020-01-20T19:05:05-04:00

It’s Halftime…How Is Your Sales Year Going To End Up?

It wasn’t too long ago when everyone was at the same starting line. I don’t care what company you are at or how big your quota is. We all started from the big “goose-egg”. Sales, unlike many other careers, has very specific metrics to it. Generally, called a Quota, it’s a number the company gives you that in their estimation is how much revenue you should bring in for the given year. This number can be calculated a variety of ways and it depends on the company and their specific goals and projections for the year as a whole.

Bottom-line, You either hit it or you don’t. And all Sales reps know that going into each year.

If you’re not in Sales, that’s okay as some of the ideas I want to share can still help you think differently as you navigate a long year of work and goals that you want to accomplish.

For sales reps though, it’s pretty simple.

On the one hand, many are way behind there annual quota halfway through the year. We can come up with a number of reasons why but excuses don’t matter. Facts are facts. The numbers speak for themselves.

On the other hand, several are out ahead of the pack and well on their way to achieving and potentially overachieving on their goals.

And if you are wondering, there are a good chunk in the middle of the pack (like me!). On par and in a good position heading into the second half but still work to be done to keep pace.

So, 6 months in, which bucket are you in?

Here is the secret: it actually doesn’t matter which one it is. Because if life and sports has taught us anything it’s that there is still time on the clock. The game isn’t over yet.

Think back to the Super Bowl a few years ago when the Falcons were all but engraved the Lombardi Trophy heading into halftime. The scoreboard read 21-3 and Twitter was ablaze with reactions. That’s a stout lead especially when you are playing that well and the odds of relinquishing it are very small. Ironically, it’s a great metaphor for where we are at in the year and something all of us can learn from. Let’s observe some things that happened in that second half in hopes that it’ll help you attain your goals by years end.

Mindset is everything

Bill Belichick might be the best 2nd half coach we’ve seen in history. He is great at assessing the game and understanding where to make adjustments, if needed. However, the best thing he does (and he does this all season long) is to get his team to buy into the fact that the game isn’t over until it’s over. You must stay positive and level-headed through the good and the bad times. That consistency in mindset and focus on the steps needed to get back into the game is most likely the “X-Factor” that led to them making that historic comeback.

If you’re behind, remember what has gotten you there before. We all get into slumps but it’s the positive attitude and confidence that we can do it again that ultimately pulls us out of it. Stay focused and keep a level head and the good times will just be around the corner. If you panic and get frustrated, it will be hard to overcome future obstacles and maybe make you lose that partnership you had in your grasp because you got desperate or impatient.

Do Your Job

This is Bill Belichick’s classic mantra. Know your role and get your job done. Don’t let the noise and celebrations around you knock you off your perch. Think back to the Falcons and some of their biggest mistakes. They went away from what was working. They were running so well but yet late in the game they decided to call a pass play and had Matt Ryan drop back to throw which lead to a sack. That play-call kept them out of field goal position. However, The Patriots stuck to their game plan and never wavered. They knew there was time on the clock and they knew what made them successful all season long. It was only a matter of time before it clicked and they continued to chop away at the lead (which by the way ballooned to 28-3 late into the 3rd Quarter, if you remember.)

You know what needs to be accomplished to continue building value and guiding your future clients down the right path for them. Additionally, you can’t forget about the early part of the funnel and your prospecting efforts. You’ll win some and lose some but having a healthy and flowing pipeline will ensure that you have opportunities to finish strong. Now, if you’ve started out of the gate strong and are in a rock solid position, you can’t get complacent. You can’t think that you can take your foot off the pedal just because you’ve had a few good months. Things can change quickly if you don’t watch it. Don’t all of a sudden switch things up just because you’ve had certain results up to this point. Yes, some things may have to be adjusted but most of the time it’s small tweaks and not the grandiose ideas we like to think are going to be the difference.

Make Your Own Luck

Hey, we all need a “Julian Edelman type of catch” every now and then. I’ve noticed in my sales career we all get at least one of these a year, maybe more if we are opportunistic.

However, you have to be in the right position to get those breaks. Are you creating enough pipeline? Are you building great rapport? Are you progressing partnerships forward? Are you bringing in the right people that are making the decisions? All of these questions help you get to a position where you can succeed and sometimes the timing just happens to be right.

That’s life, it happens, and you want to be on the right side of it but the only way you get there is to put yourself in those positions. Take a good hard look at your performance and where there might be one or two small tweaks you can make. If you were being honest with yourself, where have you fallen short? Where have you whiffed on some opportunities? Start there and make some subtle movements in the right direction. Maybe you have done zero call review or role play and need to get back to the fundamentals. It could be the “X’s and O’s” on your sales process need a retooling or slight shift. It could be something else. Like I said above, you don’t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Have some self-awareness and make some great halftime adjustments to put you back in the game.

Just like with Football, in the end there are two things that generally win out. Talent and Work Ethic. Some only have one, few have both. But either way you need to recognize where you fall short and what you personally need to do to crush your second half, whether you are way ahead or dragging near the bottom of the pack. As cliche as it sounds, the first half of the year “is what it is” and you have to remain hyper-focused on the path ahead and do what you need to do to get to that mountain top. It’ll be different than others around you. Don’t get sidetracked. Focus on yourself and your abilities and have the mindset that when you are ringing in the New Year, you know you’ve given it everything to make this past year the best one yet.

Carpe Diem,

Brian

It’s Halftime…How Is Your Sales Year Going To End Up?Brian Ondrako2021-03-19T10:43:07-04:00

Selling Like a Human – One Mic with Brian Ondrako

BRIAN ONDRAKO

ONE MIC: Selling Like a Human

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On this episode of the One Mic series I start the conversation around Sales especially as it relates to people who have never had to “sell” before. This idea was originated from a great conversation I had up at the Next Gen Summit in NYC this past weekend. A lot of Start-up Founders have many talents and skills but one of the challenges a lot have is actually understand sales and the sales process of pitching VC’s, selling their first clients, etc.

I’m going to turn this into a multi-part series but wanted to give a taste of how I look at Sales and what has helped me become successful in the world of Sales.

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Selling Like a Human – One Mic with Brian OndrakoBrian Ondrako2021-03-19T10:42:29-04:00

Mark Green

MARK GREEN

EPISODE 55: Author, Speaker, Business Growth Expert

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Episode 55 features Business Growth Expert, Mark Green. Had a tremendous conversation with Mark about his journey and how his passion for helping others led him to coach CEO’s and other business executives. Mark shares many stories that can help aspiring entrepreneurs, business owners, and future executives how to look at their personal and professional situations and take the necessary steps to evolve and get better. Mark recently launched his 1st book, Activators: A CEO’s Guide to Clearer Thinking and Getting Things Done (link below). I hope you all enjoy the conversation and are able to gather a few takeaways to help you on your own journey!

Find Mark Online:

More about the book here: www.activators.biz

More about my coaching practice here: www.performance-dynamics.net

More content on LinkedIn (please connect with me) at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachmarkgreen/

About Mark:

I am a speaker, author and business growth expert who works with business leaders to help them implement a proven, easy-to-use framework to run and grow the firm faster and more profitably, while expending less effort and less time.

Our clients are CEOs with $50-400 million in revenue who are stuck in the “Growth Trap” (more on the Growth Trap: http://tinyurl.com/25mtvx4). Already successful, they are obsessed with creating growth, but cannot predictably generate the growth, financial, or quality of life results they want through their organization.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could implement a proven, sustainable, straightforward framework to run and grow the business faster, more profitably, expending less effort and less time?

That’s exactly what we help our clients do! Here are a few reasons our clients choose us:

1. We have a comprehensive, proven, straightforward approach to permanently overcome the root causes (http://tinyurl.com/25mtvx4) of the “Growth Trap.”

2. We implement crisp accountability and organizational alignment – fast.

3. The results are measurable.

4. We have a satisfaction guarantee and a “short pay” guarantee to lower risk and ensure a return on investment.

We seek referrals to business leaders who are:

1. Open to new ideas that drive profitable growth, or

2. Frustrated that they are in the “Growth Trap,” or

3. Tired of hiring great people who, over time, fail to deliver, or

4 Seeking real, sustainable behavioral change and improved performance

We are a Certified Coaching Partner with Gravitas Impact Premium Coaches (formerly Gazelles International). I am a member of the Global Core Advisory Team for Gravitas Impact Premium Coaches, the Master Trainer for practice development and a Coach / Mentor for other coaches worldwide.

Specialties:

+ Strategic & business planning

+ Executive & team coaching

+ Scaling Businesses using the Four Decisions™ Methodologies

+ Sales force hiring, evaluation & development

+ Keynote presentations

……..

If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Bryan Wish, Founder of BW Missions.

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Mark GreenBrian Ondrako2020-01-28T01:46:55-04:00

David Schnurman

DAVID SCHNURMAN

EPISODE 54: CEO, LawLine | Author, The Fast Forward Mindset

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Episode 54 brings by David Schnurman, CEO of LawLine and Newly Minted Author of “The Fast Forward Mindset: How to Be Fearless & Focused to Accelerate Your Success.”

Had a phenomenal conversation with David about his entrepreneur journey and how “doing his own thing” almost never happened. He shares stories about learning from his Dad, going back to Law School, and how he got LawLine up and running. Additionally, we take a walk down the path to becoming an author and the launch of his new book. Was an extremely rich interview sprinkled with breadcrumbs to help any entrepreneur looking for guidance and help in their own journey.

Find David Online:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidschnurman/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidschnurman

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidschnurman/

Lawline website: https://www.lawline.com

His New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Fast-Forward-Mindset-Fearless-Accelerate/dp/1645708799

Listen to David’s recent Ted Talk – https://youtu.be/bb2T1Snm6QA

About David:

David Schnurman is the CEO of Lawline, the leading provider of online Continuing Legal Education (CLE) in the country. The company recently celebrated serving over 130,000 attorneys with over 3,000,000 courses completed. David is also the current president of Entrepreneurs Organization New York.

David is also the author of the book “The Fast Forward Mindset: How to Be More Fearless & Focused to Accelerate Your Success.” This book shares his personal entrepreneurship journey – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and how he applied a very simple formula to overcome the mental, physical, and professional obstacles that arose on his path to where he is today.

He is the recipient of the EO Rockies Award for Resourcefulness, a Fastcase 50 winner and a finalist for SmartCEO’s Deals of Distinction Award. David is a frequent speaker to business organizations, colleges, and high schools on topics ranging from entrepreneurship, mindset, leadership, and culture, and has published articles on these topics in Forbes. His success has been recognized by his peers in entrepreneurship and the legal industry, and has been featured in e Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur.com, Crain’s NY, the New York Post, and Law.com

Lastly, David has a love for adventure and discovery. He has run several marathons. He has hiked the mountains of Patagonia, paraglided in the Colorado, gone skydiving, and taken flying lessons. He currently lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn with his wife Kelli and three beautiful children.

……..

If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Business Growth Expert, Mark Green.

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If you enjoy this episode I’d be grateful if you would leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, if you believe I’ve earned it. Thanks for listening!

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David SchnurmanBrian Ondrako2020-01-28T02:01:46-04:00

Derrius Quarles

DERRIUS QUARLES

EPISODE 53: Co-Founder & CEO, Million Dollar Scholar

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Had an extremely deep and inspiring talk on episode 53 with Derrius Quarles and we called this “Part 1” as we just scratched the surface of his journey. We went deep into his upbringing and early years around foster care and how we got out of that situation to get over a Million Dollars in scholarship money to go to college. Ultimately, that drive helped propel him to start Million Dollar Scholar and kick-start his entrepreneur career.

Some sites Derrius suggests to check out for Scholarships:

Scholarships.com: https://www.scholarships.com/

Scholly – https://myscholly.com/

Find Derrius Online

Personal Website: https://www.derriusquarles.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derriusquarles/

Breaux Capital Website: https://www.breauxcapital.com/

Million Dollar Scholar Website: https://www.milliondollarscholar.com/

Million Dollar Scholar Book: https://www.amazon.com/MillionDollarScholar-Winning-Scholarship-Derrius-Quarles/dp/1257647342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520356784&sr=8-1&keywords=derrius+quarles

About Derrius

Born and bred on the South Side of Chicago, I marched through 13 years of foster care after losing my father to violence and being separated from my mother to become a first-generation Ivy League graduate.

Experiencing poverty first-hand provided all the motivation I needed to hustle. Selling snacks at Kenwood Academy High School freshman year would spark my passion for building businesses. Since then I have leveraged technology to grow multiple companies that are currently improving the lives of various marginalized groups . My first book, Million Dollar Scholar: Winning The Scholarship Race has helped thousands of students across the globe increase their knowledge of how to make higher education more affordable through scholarships and grants and my business ventures have collectively impacted the lives of over 15,000 marginalized youth in America.

As the Co-Founder and CEO of the financial services company BREAUX Capital, I assist the 70% of Black millennials who would not be able to afford a $1,000 financial emergency enhance their financial health through a powerful combination of software that automates savings behavior and education through a peer community. As the Founder and CEO of Million Dollar Scholar, an education technology social enterprise, I help low-income high school students acquire scholarships to pursue higher education. As the Founder and Brand Architect at DQ and Partners, a web design agency, I partner with emerging business and influencer brands that are improving communities in the fields of education, technology, health, art, and equity.

A driving force behind my inspiration is a humbling honor I received from Harry Belafonte at the 2012 Common Ground Gala hosted by musician and actor, Common. Mr. Belafonte said to the audience that “Derrius is the dream Dr. King and I, as well as so many others, fought for…”. Since that evening, I have decided to carry the metaphoric torch that he handed to me.

In 2015, I was honored by Barack Obama at the White House for his activism in expanding educational access and named to Black Enterprise’s 100 Modern Men in 2017. Beyond these awards, my work has been highlighted by Time Magazine, The New York Times, Associated Press, CNN, HuffPost, MTV, and BET amongst others. Most recently, I was an Entrepreneur in Residence at TED where I delivered a dope TED Talk discussing the role large banks have played in economically marginalizing Black Americans and the innovation BREAUX Capital represents in the marketplace for Black millennials.

……..

If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Co-Founder of Next Gen, Justin Lafazan

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Derrius QuarlesBrian Ondrako2020-01-28T02:05:41-04:00

Rita Serra

RITA SERRA

EPISODE 52: Author, “Diary of a Blonde Vagabond”

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Episode 52 features newly minted Author, Rita Serra! Had an incredible conversation with Rita that takes us all over the world and explores her journey traveling and writing her book of poetry.

I am always fascinated by people who can just go out on their own and travel to exotic and interesting places without thinking twice about it and Rita is certainly one of those people. Her stories about traveling to Europe and southeast Asia are incredible and excited for everyone to listen through this episode and get to know Rita a little more.

Find Rita Online:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritaontherocks/

Her Blog: https://thatblondevagabond.com/

Her Book: https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Blonde-Vagabond-Rita-Serra/dp/1095991744/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_4?keywords=diary+of+a+blonde+vagabond&qid=1556710110&s=gateway&sr=8-4-fkmrnull

About Rita:

Heyyo! I’m Rita, a funky, free-spirited, often forget… Full of life, writer. This blog focuses on my escapades as a solo, female, budget traveler who lives an alternative lifestyle constantly in transit.

When I first set out into the world, I had a simple eight month trip split between Europe and Asia in mind. After about 48 hours of being in Asia I knew normalcy was forever adversary and I was destined to be a renegade revolving on the backside of reality. I decided perma-vagabond was the life for me.

If you DREAM of traveling the world but don’t think you have what it takes, think again! You don’t have to be an epic hero to travel the globe. I’m much closer to being Clark Griswold than Odysseus. Don’t believe me? Once I managed to walk 40 minutes down the street before realizing my backpack was unzipped, and when I finally did I no longer owned a raincoat. Later that same day, I left my Firkenstocks ($5 “Birkenstocks”) behind in a different city. This brought my lost ‘n wandering soul count to five pairs of sandals in five months. Yeah…

Now that I’ve put my (probably bare) foot in my mouth, I hope I conveyed: if I can do this, anybody can.

Despite never ceasing to put the blonde in that blonde vagabond, I’ve been surviving and thriving alone, and on the road for over two years. I am chock-full of travel tips and have self-deprecating stories galore. That’s right, the laughs on me and I won’t even charge you my two cents… Oh I should probably mention, I like to pepper in puns to spice things up. So call me Hootie, because if you hold my hand, I’ll take you to the promise land.

……..

If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Lauryn Evarts of The Skinny Confidential

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Rita SerraBrian Ondrako2020-01-28T02:12:22-04:00

Erin Dimond

ERIN DIMOND

EPISODE 51: Founder, Erin Dimond Fitness

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Episode 51 features Erin Dimond, Fitness Professional and Founder of Erin Dimond Fitness. Erin is also the Co-Host of the Flow State of Mind Podcast with Jordan Dugger https://www.instagram.com/duggaesthetics/

Erin’s journey is a tremendous one for all entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, or any ‘preneurs out there. She took a personal challenge of running a half-marathon back in college and turned that into competing at fitness competitions and starting her own fitness coaching business. We talk through her journey, advice for business owners, and much more!

Books Erin recommends:

War of Art – Steven Pressfield – https://stevenpressfield.com/books/

Expert Secrets – Russell Brunson – http://www.russellbrunson.com/hi

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck – Mark Manson – https://www.amazon.com/Subtle-Art-Not-Giving-Counterintuitive/dp/0062457713

Find Erin Online:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erindimondfitness/

Transformation Program: https://www.transform2gether.com/lets-go

Flow State of Mind Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/flowstateofmindpodcast/

……..

If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Lauryn Evarts of The Skinny Confidential

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Erin DimondBrian Ondrako2020-01-28T02:14:12-04:00

Jackie Serviss

JACKIE SERVISS

EPISODE 50: Certified Executive Coach

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Episode 50 was a blast to be speaking with Certified Executive Coach, Jackie Serviss. Jackie has had quite an interesting journey throughout her life from coming up through the ranks of competitive swimming, to scaling up the corporate ladder, to having her life turned upside down by a medical diagnosis. It’s all come full circle and now she is helping other individuals see their potential and perform at their best.

Find Jackie Online:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackieserviss0728/

https://www.instagram.com/jackieserviss/

https://www.facebook.com/js.unconditioned/

https://twitter.com/JackieServiss

About Jackie:

HEY! I’m Jackie. A former Corporate Executive turned Coach with a passion to optimize human potential. In today’s rapid paced environment, our ability to have real & authentic conversations is limited. In fact, as humans we often move through our days on autopilot thinking the same thoughts, creating the same experiences and having the same results.

The majority of our conditioned behaviours and thought patterns leave us determined to gain success, happiness and recognition outside of ourselves. Believing that the new car, job title or relationship will create our fulfillment and happiness. We seek recognition and approval from society, communities, parents, friends and loved ones – yet we live a life with internal chaos, high levels of stress, often feeling overwhelmed and anxious. That’s where I come in.

Bringing conscious awareness to the limiting belief systems and conditioned behaviours will allow you to shift your perspective and make empowered choices. As a coach, I use a hybrid approach leveraging my background in Corporate Human Resource, Executive Coaching, Neuroscience and Spirituality to create forward momentum for those that are feeling stuck. Each program is designed to meet you in your current reality and is focused on quieting the mind, simplifying life, creating realistic boundaries and clear action plans.

……..

If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Lindsey Schwartz, Founder of Powerhouse Women

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Jackie ServissBrian Ondrako2020-01-28T02:22:14-04:00

Kevin Dorsey

KEVIN DORSEY

EPISODE 49: Top Sales Leader | VP of Sales at PatientPop

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Excited to welcome Kevin Dorsey to the Just Get Started Podcast. Kevin has been ranked as a top Sales Leader across the industry and is currently the VP of Sales at PatientPop. Been wanting to speak with Kevin for a while on all things sales…and of course other tangents popped up…but had a great conversation about a lot of the hot topics in sales today and I know that sales folks as well as any leaders and business owners would benefit from his insight.

Find Kevin Online:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kddorsey3

Books Kevin recommends as an avid reader and learner:

Gap Selling by Keenan – https://www.asalesguy.com/gap-selling/

Radical Candor – https://www.radicalcandor.com/the-book/

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek – https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/1543614620

Methods of Persuasion by Nick Kolanda – https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Persuasion-Psychology-Influence-Behavior/dp/0615815650

The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor – https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Advantage-Principles-Psychology-Performance/dp/0307591549

……..

If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Morgan J Ingram, Host of the SDR Chronicles Podcast

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Kevin DorseyBrian Ondrako2020-02-12T03:01:45-04:00

Joshua Peach

JOSHUA PEACH

EPISODE 48: Founder, Be Au Sm | Evangelist @ Dude Solutions

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On Episode 48 I sit down with a great guy and someone I’ve gotten to know well over the past year, Joshua Peach. Peach is a Corporate Evangelist at Dude Solutions and shares the great message of the company across the country with many events and speaking engagements. Additionally, Peach started a movement called Be Au Sm that is swiffering the nation and bringing a positive message that is much needed in our world today.

About Peach:

Twenty-seven years ago on my 16th birthday, my mother dropped me off at the local Shaw’s supermarket to apply for a job. I landed the job of bagger/carriage wrangler and quickly learned how important customer service is to an individual’s shopping experience. The smiles and services provided by the employees were just as, if not more, important than the items on the shelf or competitive pricing the store offered. At 17 years old I was named the Employee of the Month for three months in a row. Although there have been the expected bumps in the road that two plus decades of working brings, for the most part I have carried the idea that a positive attitude can change an entire day.

For the last fifteen years I have been a part of a dream team at Dude Solutions, Inc. I spent the first twelve years in sales, starting out as a client representative and eventually becoming a National Strategic Sales Leader. Three years ago my role transitioned and I became the first Corporate Evangelist at Dude Solutions. I have the pleasure of speaking to tens of thousands of people and the ability to attempt to make a positive impact on as many of those people as possible. Along with my speaking engagements for Dude Solutions, I am in the process of releasing a weekly podcast as well as a book titled “Be Au Sm: The Essential Elements to Kicking Ass”.

Find Peach Online:

Website – https://beausm.com/

Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuapeach/

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If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Joel Runyon, Founder of IMPOSSIBLE HQ and Endurance Athlete

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Joshua PeachBrian Ondrako2020-02-01T19:33:20-04:00

Morgan J. Ingram

MORGAN J. INGRAM

EPISODE 23: Motivational Speaker | Sales Coach | Host, The SDR Chronicles

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Had an awesome time connecting with Morgan on Episode 23 of the Podcast and we covered a lot of ground in a short period of time. Morgan provides some great insight into how he leveraged his learnings from being on 2 State Championship Basketball Teams to help him be a better coach and mentor to young sales professionals. We also discuss how he started his SDR Chronicles show and some different ways he’s developed his chops as a sales professional which might be helpful to younger sales reps out there. I know you all will love the energy and positivity Morgan brings to the show!

About Morgan:

Morgan J. Ingram is a motivational speaker who has been nominated to the final round for TEDxSBY and TEDxUGA. His clients have begun to nickname him the “Liberation Sensation” because of his powerful messages.

An avid fan of social media and communicating on-line, Morgan has been featured in the Red and Black and OnlineAthens for a previous startup company Collegiate Gaming LAN, written college articles for CampusSports, and has done sales and marketing research for a start up shoe store that Dunta Robinson started and has also done Partnerships for a start up music company which helped promote artists in Athens,GA such as Judah and the Lion and the Shadowboxers.

In addition, Morgan won two state championships in basketball during his high school years.

Morgan’s mission now is to liberate others from their negative thoughts to turn them into positive thoughts by using motivation and social media. Through his speeches Morgan teaches students how to remove negative thoughts from their head and to cleanse their environment to unlock their potential to strive for excellence as a scholar.

In Morgan’s free time, he enjoys a good book, watching The Flash or Arrow, and going on a hike.

Books He’d Recommend:

“I Got My Dream Job and So Can You” by Pete Leibman

“The Law of Success” by Napolean Hill

“15 Invaluable Laws of Growth” by John C Maxwell

Where to Find Morgan Online:

Website: https://www.morganjingram.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morganjingram

Twitter: https://twitter.com/morganjingram

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganjingram

SDR Chronicles: https://soundcloud.com/thesdrchronicles

……..

If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with John Barrows, Founder of JBarrows Sales Training

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Morgan J. IngramBrian Ondrako2020-02-12T03:00:19-04:00

John Barrows

JOHN BARROWS

EPISODE 19: Founder, JBarrows Sales Training

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In Episode 19 I get a chance to talk sales with one of the most well sought out after Sales Trainers out there, John Barrows.

John has provided sales training and consulting services to some of the world’s fastest growing companies like Salesforce.com, Google, LinkedIn, DropBox, and many others. His previous experience spans all aspects of Sales at every level from making 400 cold calls a week as an inside sales rep to a VP of Sales at his first start up that was sold to Staples.

He’s an active sales professional who has learned a lot about what works and doesn’t work in Sales and loves sharing the tips and techniques he has found to have had an impact along the way. His main goal is to improve the overall education and quality of Sales by sharing ideas and techniques that work.

In this episode I get to talk with John about his upbringing and how he came about to become a sales trainer, insight for sales professionals and how they should look at their careers, and one of the biggest differences between top performing sales professionals and the rest.

Links / Quotes in Episode:

12 Guiding Principles of Sales Success eBook https://app.box.com/s/41vaelagx0108zdle0ci

“The Creative Curve” by Allen Gannett – Link to Amazon

“The Unfair Advantage: Selling with NLP” by Dr. Duane Lakin – Link to Amazon

The Acronym Him and His Daughter Discuss Every Day – E.A.T – Effort, Attitude, and How to Treat People

Find John Online:

“Make It Happen” Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/jbarrows/

Website – https://jbarrows.com/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/JohnMBarrows

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

……..,

If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Kevin Dorsey, Senior Sales Leader

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John BarrowsBrian Ondrako2020-02-05T21:51:46-04:00

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DALE DUPREE

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Mindset is everything

Do Your Job

Make Your Own Luck

BRIAN ONDRAKO

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MARK GREEN

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DERRIUS QUARLES

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RITA SERRA

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ERIN DIMOND

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KEVIN DORSEY

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