Donald Kelly | 9 Major Sales Lessons from 1,900 Episodes of The Sales Evangelist

I’ve made it 1,900 episodes of The Sales Evangelist podcast. Not quite at 2,000 yet, but I’m close. But since I’m still going strong, I thought it would be a good idea to share the nine biggest sales lessons I've learned from hosting this podcast. Hopefully, one of these lessons will help you grow your sales pipeline too. 1. There's No One Way of SellingEveryone is always asking me, “What’s the number one method of selling?” If you want my honesty, there isn’t one.From all of my interviews, I've found that it’s best to focus on who you’re going to sell to and how to break through the noise to grab their attention.I also recommend just testing out the different sales methods we share on this podcast. If it works for you, great; if it doesn’t, then try another one. 2. Always Be ProspectingI’m a firm believer that a seller should always be prospecting, even when you’re closing deals. If you have options in the sales pipeline, great. But you should also always be figuring out how you can do a better job at sales prospecting to keep prospects coming to you. 3. Accountability Moves Sales ForwardI've heard this over and over again from my countless conversations: sales reps need that one-on-one time so they can stay accountable.I share a story about how an old manager of mine stopped her one-on-one time with me. This caused me to slip up and make little mistakes from not receiving coaching. 4. Be on LinkedInLinkedIn will always be a powerful tool in helping you find and close deals. I've found that when sellers aren't using LinkedIn correctly, they tend to struggle with prospecting.Connect, share, and engage on LinkedIn and see how your sales pipeline starts building. 5. Address Objections FirstIf you don’t handle the “nos” first, they’ll be an issue later. Going back to episode 446, Tom Gates shares how easing a customer’s objection can increase your win rate.Don’t be afraid to bring it up; doing so will let you circle back when the prospect is ready to close a deal or prevent having unnecessary clients in your pipeline. 6. Little Things WorkBob Berg shares details on how to get endless referrals, and he does this by just going the extra mile. Make yourself memorable by simply sending handwritten notes. The little things actually do work when trying to build your network. 7. Sales Is About RelationshipsThere’s so much information out there, and if you’re not making things personal, prospects aren’t going to connect with you.Go back to episode 1898; I share how relevancy and personalization give you a higher response rate. In the world of AI, no one wants robotic messages. 8. Make Buying EasyTransparency is everything in sales, and people want to know what they’re getting before they buy. Marcus Sheridan shares how giving the price upfront provides a mutual action plan that helps make it easier for prospects to buy from you. 9. Understand Your ICPWhen you know who you’re targeting, your message becomes clearer, and you have a higher closing rate. In episode 1625, I share why adapting to your ICP is important and how it