Recommended Reading
There's a common thread that connects the passion of salespeople and it goes beyond the rush of closing a deal—it's the stories that drive us.
In this heartfelt conversation, we navigate the personal narratives behind the sales drive, such as the profound pursuit of familial respect, and how these stories deepen our understanding of wealth with Mike Esterday, Ceo of Integrity Solutions. Mike is also co-author of a recent sales book - 'Listen to Sell: How Your Mindset, Skillset and Human Connections Unlock Sales Performances'.
Paul asked Mike for advice on coaching salespeople to put their focus more on serving customers, being passionate, taking responsibility, and adding value. In response, Mike introduces the sales congruence model, which involves understanding a salesperson's perspectives on selling, their skills, and their values. Mike advises managers to go beyond surface-level knowledge of products and tasks, encouraging them to ask more probing questions to uncover their sales team's genuine motivations and goals. By aligning personal aspirations with professional responsibilities, managers can enhance their team's motivation and effectiveness. This approach also involves demonstrating the broader impact of sales efforts on customers' lives, which can serve as a powerful motivator for improved performance.
In this conversation, Paul seeks insights from Mike on driving cultural change within organizations to emphasize the impact of sales beyond mere techniques. Mike explains that instilling this mindset begins with senior leadership, who must champion a philosophy centered on serving customers and aligning sales efforts with company values. This involves not only training new hires and struggling employees but also ensuring that everyone understands and embraces the organization's approach to sales. Mike emphasizes the importance of aligning sales, marketing, and HR efforts to reinforce this culture. He highlights the broader applicability of these principles beyond sales, emphasizing their value in interpersonal communication and persuasion in various contexts.
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In this dialogue, Paul shares a frustrating incident where a planned meeting fell through, emphasizing the need for accountability and thorough pre-call planning. He reflects on the coaching process and its role in confronting objective truths about situations, stressing the importance of taking ownership for outcomes.
Mike reinforces this perspective by advocating for learning from every interaction and embracing responsibility for one's circumstances. He emphasizes the primacy of mindset over external factors in sales success, citing a study showing that attributes like passion and drive outweigh technical skills. Mike highlights the overlooked importance of mindset in sales training, noting its significant impact on performance.
Paul Fuller’s stated mission is to help others maximize their gifts by using his.
Paul has been a pioneer in the sales process and training, sales as a service, content marketing and CRM. As a previous founder and owner of multiple successful growth organizations in these spaces, Paul has effectively trained and led sales and marketing teams across the world to focus on and achieve dynamic growth.
He firmly believes sales is defined best in three categories:
• Service - helping other get what they need
• Leadership - guiding others toward their vision
• Wayfinding - navigating the path to success together
He is firmly committed to elevating the sales profession through coaching, leading, and empowering others through systems that enable strong performance.
Currently Paul leads revenue growth at Membrain.com - the top sales effectiveness CRM in the world. Working with his team, and a group of over 100 top sales consultant organizations across the globe, they are focused at creating scalable growth through sales excellence in companies and teams in over 80 countries.
Schedule a call with him here.
Find out more about Paul Fuller on LinkedIn
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