The Exceptional Sales Leader Podcast

Darren Mitchell

You are a Sales Leader who wants to become an Exceptional Sales Leader. You are committed to developing a highly functioning & highly engaged team. You are committed to driving consistent, sustainable and replicable results. This podcast is designed to help you do just that, through 1) Attracting high quality sales professionals who will fit ‘hand in glove’ with a high performing sales culture, and develop a market leading level of influence. 2) Developing the team and sales professionals through laser focused coaching and mentoring, implementation of strategy and increased productivity., & 3) Delivering sustainable and replicable results through world class pitching and performance management strategies. The end result? An Exceptional Sales Leader who gets to enjoy more money, more meaning, and better sales results read less

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From Carpet Cleaning to Trading: Casey Stubbs’ Journey to Success

From Carpet Cleaning to Trading: Casey Stubbs’ Journey to Success

In this insightful episode of the Exceptional Sales Letter podcast, host Darren Mitchell engages in a deep and motivational conversation with Casey Stubbs, a veteran entrepreneur and investment educator with extensive experience in sales, marketing, and value creation. The podcast delves into Casey's multifaceted career journey, starting from his initial investments in the stock market at a young age to his venture into entrepreneurship through a carpet cleaning business and his eventual pivot back to the financial industry after military service. Casey shares valuable lessons from his career, emphasising the importance of positioning oneself strategically in the market and identifying the ideal customer avatar for successful entrepreneurship. The discussion dives into the challenges and steep learning curves faced by Casey, including his transition from the carpet cleaning business to investing in stocks and running an online business in a post-recession economy. Key themes arise as Casey emphasises the significance of perseverance, mindset, and the transformative power of self-investment. The conversation is rich with actionable advice for entrepreneurs and sales professionals alike, highlighting the importance of focusing on productive activities that move the needle and building a strong team culture.

Episodes

From Carpet Cleaning to Trading: Casey Stubbs’ Journey to Success

From Carpet Cleaning to Trading: Casey Stubbs’ Journey to Success

In this insightful episode of the Exceptional Sales Letter podcast, host Darren Mitchell engages in a deep and motivational conversation with Casey Stubbs, a veteran entrepreneur and investment educator with extensive experience in sales, marketing, and value creation. The podcast delves into Casey's multifaceted career journey, starting from his initial investments in the stock market at a young age to his venture into entrepreneurship through a carpet cleaning business and his eventual pivot back to the financial industry after military service. Casey shares valuable lessons from his career, emphasising the importance of positioning oneself strategically in the market and identifying the ideal customer avatar for successful entrepreneurship. The discussion dives into the challenges and steep learning curves faced by Casey, including his transition from the carpet cleaning business to investing in stocks and running an online business in a post-recession economy. Key themes arise as Casey emphasises the significance of perseverance, mindset, and the transformative power of self-investment. The conversation is rich with actionable advice for entrepreneurs and sales professionals alike, highlighting the importance of focusing on productive activities that move the needle and building a strong team culture.

Harnessing Augmented Intelligence With Nick Caruso

Harnessing Augmented Intelligence With Nick Caruso

It was the movie, Terminator, that brought the concept of artificial intelligence (ai) to people's awareness, albeit in quite a scary way. The reality is that artificial intelligence in some form has been with us for over 30 years, and is only now starting to exponentially accelerate in relation to the value it can add to businesses and organisations. The organisations that are able to leverage it effectively are the ones which will enjoy incredible success over the next few years. Whilst there may be some roles replaced with ai, the vast majority of roles, especially in sales, can be complemented by the use of ai. In this episode, I enjoyed a tremendous conversation with Nick Caruso, the Co-Founder & CRO of KnowledgeNet.ai, an organisation that has created a streamlined ai engine that reveals valuable relationship insights & provides actionable intelligence. In fact, Nick's approach is that true ai is 'Augmented Intelligence', which can enhance our ability to be truly effective and drive exceptional results. The organisations that capture this concept are the ones who will differentiate themselves from their competition. To connect with Nick and to learn more about KnowledgeNet.ai, please go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ncaruso/ Website - https://knowledgenet.ai/

Better Leveraging Sales & Marketing with Sam Shaper

Better Leveraging Sales & Marketing with Sam Shaper

In many business organisations, there is almost an unwritten 'ground rule' that sales & marketing are internal competitors of each other. When sales are not converting prospects into customers, it is often marketing's fault, and when marketing provide what they consider to be great leads to sales that do not get converted, it is sales' fault. To be sustainably successful, organisations need to take a more strategically aligned approach and that is where Sam Shaper comes in. Sam is a Fractional RevOps specialist, and helps support businesses through creating and implementing peak performance systems to improve revenue efficiency, enable businesses to keep more profit in their pockets, as well as help create exceptional buying experiences. It is a fantastic conversation filled with value.

Mandi Ellefson – The Hands-Off CEO

Mandi Ellefson – The Hands-Off CEO

A key element of being in business is to grow, be profitable, and to add significant value to the marketplace. This is a key focus of almost every business on the planet. The fact that not every business achieves this is very often down to the leaders running the business as well as their ability to create and maintain a high performing environment. Too many CEO's and leaders unfortunately are the reason why their business is not growing at the rate they expected and not achieving the outcomes they expected. This is where Mandi Ellefson comes in. Mandi is The Hands-Off CEO and specialises in helping businesses scale without the heavy dependency on the CEO. We enjoyed a fantastic conversation where Mandi shares nuggets of gold for any CEO, Senior Leader and Sales Leader grappling with the challenge of scaling and growing a profitable business. This is an episode worth listening to more than once. To connect with Mandi, as well as to grab a copy of her book "The Hands-Off CEO", go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandiellefson/ Website - https://handsoffceo.com/ Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/hands-off-ceo/id1432688023

Sales Redefined with Abbie White

Sales Redefined with Abbie White

Even though sales is one of, if not, the oldest professions on the planet, it continues to evolve. Customers today are more savvy and educated than ever before, which means organisations and sales people need to evolve and adapt as well. Research suggests that 53% of organisations have made a buying decision before they even decide to engage with a service provider. This means that as sales people we can no longer lead with our product or our service, as sales is being redefined. In today's episode, I enjoyed a terrific conversation with Abbie White, Founder & CEO of Sales Redefined, and a person with a very successful sales and sales leadership background. In this episode, Abbie shares powerful ideas on how we can redefine our approach to sales, be more relevant to our marketplace, and ultimately drive exceptional results. To connect with Abbie and to learn more about Sales Redefined, please go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbiecwhite/ Website - https://salesredefined.com.au/

Strong Sales Leadership with Anna Glynn

Strong Sales Leadership with Anna Glynn

For many sales leaders, the path to the position of leadership often comes through being an exceptional sales individual contributor. This is almost the first pre-requisite. Some then consciously choose to take on a leadership role, yet for many, it is a responsibility that is bestowed upon them, or dare I say, forced upon them, based on their levels of performance. For many, it is an opportunity that is very difficult to say no to. Unfortunately not many people are then provided with the blueprint or playbook to make the transition to leadership a successful one, and often, leaders flounder. In today's episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Anna Glynn, Sales Leadership Specialist, Speaker, Coach & Author of the new book "Strong - How The Best Sales Leaders Engage, Achieve & Thrive". Based on research, experience and positive psychology, Anna has put together the blueprint that many sales leaders can utilise to drive outstanding success. It is a conversation well worth listening to more than once. To connect with Anna and to grab a copy of her book, please go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-glynn-mapp-0797b639/ Website - https://annaglynn.com.au/

Reputation Is Everything With Luis Garotti

Reputation Is Everything With Luis Garotti

When working with sales leaders and their teams, I often share with them the important message around creating and maintaining a terrific reputation, both from a company perspective, and especially from a personal perspective. People want to do business with people who they know, they like and they trust, and as sales people, as business people, we cannot ever take that for granted. Reputation is everything. In this episode, I had a tremendous conversation with Luis Garotti, the Founder of 292 Creative, and a man who has built a solid and successful business on the back of a great reputation. As you'll hear, a huge percentage of Luis' business is referral based, and this does not happen unless you have a terrific reputation. I trust you enjoy the episode. To connect with Luis and to learn more about 292 Creative, please go to : LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisgarotti/ Website - https://292creative.com.au/ Socials - Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/292creative/, https://www.facebook.com/292creative

Leveraging The Power of LinkedIn to Drive Sales with Amy Smith

Leveraging The Power of LinkedIn to Drive Sales with Amy Smith

Business owners, organisations, sales leaders, and sales people all share one common challenge - finding effective ways to gain access to their ideal future customer and then determining how to provide tangible value, so that the customer raises their hand and a business relationship can be formed. Many organisations adopt the hope and pray strategy, where they use multiple marketing channels to spread the word, hoping that some of the 'mud' sticks. One of the most effective channels to leverage is LinkedIn, but, unfortunately, many do not use it to its fullest potential. In today's episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Amy Smith, Founder of Aligned Tribe. Amy has been able to leverage the power of LinkedIn over both a corporate career, and now as a business owner and entrepreneur, and in this episode, she unpacks a number of key insights that can help sales leaders and their teams take full advantage of LinkedIn to drive exceptional sales performance. To connect with Amy, and to learn more about what she does, including grabbing a copy of her LinkedIn Blueprint, please go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amylsmithcoach/ Website - https://amylsmith.com/blueprint/

Whale Hunting with Barbara Weaver Smith

Whale Hunting with Barbara Weaver Smith

In B2B sales, many sales people love to be part of the big complex deals, the ones that often have a great deal of prestige and status attached to them, because, more often than not, they include iconic brands or industry leaders. The challenge though is that many sales teams and organisations are not set up well enough in order to build a compelling proposition to attract the big sale. They lack planning, they lack strategy, and they lack effective execution. In today's episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Barbara Weaver Smith, Founder and CEO of The Whale Hunters, an organisation that specialises in helping companies build a winning strategy for big complex deals, to maximise their opportunity to land the 'big whale'. If you are focused on landing deals with the big end of town, then this episode is an absolute must. To connect with Barbara and to learn more about The Whale Hunters, including The Whale Hunters Institute, go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaraweaversmith/ Website - https://thewhalehunters.com/ Email - barbara@thewhalehunters.com

The Seller’s Journey With Richard Harris

The Seller’s Journey With Richard Harris

I firmly believe that sales is one of the most fulfilling and satisfying careers available, and yet, when speaking with sales people, I often hear them describe their role as Customer Success Manager, Account Director, Customer Experience Manager, amongst other 'titles'. Why don't people simply say "I'm in Sales"? Whether we like it or not, sales is central to every business and every organisation, and whether you carry a sales target or not, everyone is in sales. In today's episode, I enjoy a terrific conversation with Richard Harris, Founder of the Harris Consulting Group, and an exceptional sales leader. We talk about the seller's journey, why the 'buyer's journey' is a fallacy, how to maintain your value despite customers asking for discounts, as well as other sales gold. I hope you get as much out of listening to this episode as I did having the conversation. To connect with Richard, as well as grabbing a copy of his book "The Sellers Journey", which by the way Richard offers a money back guarantee on, please go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rharris415/ Website - https://www.thesellersjourney.co/the-sellers-journey https://www.surfandsales.com/ Richard's mobile number - +1 415 596 9149

The Great 8 Pillars with Chris Peer

The Great 8 Pillars with Chris Peer

When it comes to marketing, many organisations adopt the 'hope and pray' strategy, where they throw a heap of information into the marketplace hoping some of it will stick. And when the sales team is unable to convert the leads that come from this strategy, often they blame marketing for providing poor leads, and marketing blame sales for their inability to convert. Organisations that are able to build a more tangible and intentional marketing strategy, and ensure that both sales and marketing are aligned in that strategy, achieve much better results. In today's episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Chris Peer, the Founder & CEO of G8P & SyncShow, and Chris takes me through the Great 8 Pillars of marketing, that when followed, can significantly improve the results of any organisation. It is a fascinating conversation and one that I trust you enjoy. To connect with Chris and to learn more about G8P & SyncShow, including grabbing a copy of his book "The Great 8 Pillars", go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispeer/ Websites - https://chrispeer.com/ , https://g8p.co/ , https://www.syncshow.com/

Sell Like a Cockatoo With Gail Kasper

Sell Like a Cockatoo With Gail Kasper

Just about every sales person on the planet is looking for a way to differentiate themselves from their competition, and for the most part, they look for product or service differentiation. Not nearly enough salespeople look inwardly and consider what it is about themselves that can become the catalyst for differentiation and hence miss out on the opportunity to become exceptional. Gail Kasper is on a mission to change that and in today's episode, Gail shares what it means to sell like a cockatoo, to be able to differentiate against the competition and to be able to amplify a sales process to drive exceptional results. To connect with Gail, and to grab a copy of her upcoming book "Sell Like a Cockatoo - How to Master The New Way of Selling in a Rapidly Changing World", go to: Website - https://gailkasper.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gailkasper/

Creating a Profitable Revenue Engine With Tom Kaiser

Creating a Profitable Revenue Engine With Tom Kaiser

When it comes to selling in the B2B marketplace, not only can selling become quite complex, it also requires involvement and buy-in from multiple stakeholders in the selling organisation. Whilst the sales team may take the lead on strategy development and sales execution, there is a role to play for multiple people within the organisation, so that the organisation can create a profitable revenue engine, that is also sustainable. In today's episode, I enjoyed a terrific conversation with Tom Kaiser, President at SeaVista Management LLC and Co-Author of the book "The Great Wheel of Sales Success". Tom covers the 12 key catalytic conversations that sales organisations must have in order to create a profitable revenue engine. To connect with Tom and to learn more about the revenue engine, please go to https://www.masterfulcoaching.com/

The Sale Only Starts After The Sale Is Made

The Sale Only Starts After The Sale Is Made

I love asking teams, especially sales teams about their perceptions of sales. Many of them, especially those not directly involved in a sales role, often have less than savoury things to say about sales - perceptions such as pushy, sleazy, untrustworthy, inauthentic. Very rarely do I hear positive perceptions, which is disappointing. I often share with teams that I truly believe that sales is the ultimate form of service, and can be not only very lucrative, it can also be a profession of high integrity, authenticity and trust. And one of the key pillars around this is understanding that the sale actually doesn’t start until after the sale is made. This is what I explore in today's episode.

Mistakes Are Rarely Fatal & Failure Rarely Final

Mistakes Are Rarely Fatal & Failure Rarely Final

It’s amazing when talking with sales people, the number who share with me that they are so conditioned by their Sales Manager &/or business to not make mistakes, they rarely take a chance. Often the feedback when they get something wrong is so negative and discriminatory, it discourages them from even trying. Not a great environment to operate in, wouldn’t you agree? And unfortunately a byproduct of this environment is lack of progress, and lack of results. Which in many people’s eyes is ‘failure’. In this episode, I share why mistakes should be encouraged. In fact, mistakes are a key part of becoming successful.

Relentless Sales With Jon Alwinson

Relentless Sales With Jon Alwinson

If you have been in sales for any length of time, you would appreciate that whilst it can be a very fulfilling and lucrative career, it is not easy, and it can present numerous challenges. It is therefore so critical to have a great Sales Manager or mentor in your corner to help guide you, assist you and also challenge you, as well as developing competency and confidence in a number of key areas. In this episode, I have a fascinating conversation with Jon Alwinson, Senior Regional Sales Manager at Boston Scientific, and author of the recently released book "Relentless Sales - the Skills, Mentality & Faith Needed To Be Great in Sales". We talk about a number of the key principles in the book, and how mastering these can keep us on the path towards becoming exceptional. To connect with Jon and to learn more about him, including grabbing a copy of his book, please go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-alwinson-4599ab46/ Website - https://jonalwinson.com/

Scaling Sales Using The 10X Framework With Solomon Thimothy

Scaling Sales Using The 10X Framework With Solomon Thimothy

Every organisation relies on sales for its success, however, many organisations utilise the 'hope & pray' strategy, where they implement a marketing or sales campaign, throw as much 'mud at the wall' as possible, and hope that some of it will stick. And many organisations have no clear mechanism from which to measure the effectiveness of their strategies, hence they keep throwing mud. Whilst sales can be a game of numbers, there is a better way - a way to target the ideal future customer and to capture demand in the environment where that customer hangs out. In today's episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Solomon Thimothy, the Co-Founder & CEO of IMS & Clickx, a leading inbound marketing and sales agency, which helps businesses increase their revenue utilising the 10X Framework. It is a fascinating conversation, which I hope you enjoy. To connect with Solomon and to learn more about what he does please go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/solomonthimothy/ Website - https://www.thimothy.com/

Preparation & Progress Is Key To Success – Jason Criddle

Preparation & Progress Is Key To Success – Jason Criddle

What is the key to success? Many people ask that question, and there are a multitude of different answers. From being in the right place at the right time, to having a 'killer' product or service, or having the financial backing of a large company. There are many perspectives on what it takes to be successful, and yet, often people look for the easy road, or the quick road. The reality is there is no such thing - becoming successful takes work, it takes persistence, a strong self belief and it takes patience. In today's episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Jason Criddle, Managing Director of SmartrHoldings, Founder of SmartrCommerce and SmartrMarketing, a father, investor, weight loss expert, international best selling author, endurance & strongman competitor. Jason has forged a successful career through preparation and progress, and he shares a number of powerful lessons for all of us to help fuel us on our own success journey. To connect with Jason, and to learn more about him, please go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncriddle/ Website - https://jasoncriddle.com/

From Psych Ward to Shark Tank – Akeem Shannon

From Psych Ward to Shark Tank – Akeem Shannon

I am a big fan of the Hero's Journey, and have come to understand that every single one of us are on our own Hero's Journey and will be at different stages. In today's episode, I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with Akeem Shannon, the Founder & CEO of Flipstik, and a man who has been on an incredible journey. From being bullied at 15 for being different, to flunking out of college at 19, being admitted to a mental hospital at 23 and appearing on Shark Tank at 28, Akeem's journey has been one of persistence, of confronting his challenges, and the importance of having incredible people in your corner to help & guide you along the way. This is a must listen for anyone looking to take their performance to a new level. I hope you enjoy the conversation. To connect with Akeem and to learn more about him and Flipstik, please go to: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/akeemshannon/ Website - https://www.akeemshannon.com/ Website - https://www.getflipstik.com/ Mobile - +1 314 789 9005

Stop Chasing 2 Rabbits At A Time!!

Stop Chasing 2 Rabbits At A Time!!

Confucius said “The person who chases 2 rabbits, catches neither”. This is so applicable to sales and sales leadership - are you & your team guilty of chasing too many rabbits at once? Perhaps it is pressure from senior executives to deliver the numbers in the short term that can lead to this behaviour. And we can get caught up in the busyness of chasing that we end up burning energy for not much return. Intuitively we know that focused action and attention on the right customer can deliver results, and yet, we have probably all been guilty of chasing multiple opportunities at once, hoping that we will hit the jackpot. In this episode, I unpack 10 principles to help you be more focused, and lead to better conversions.