Leslie Venetz, Founder, Sales Team Builder

JB: How’d you get into sales?

LV:

Didn’t think I was going to be in sales, but looking back in Model UN, Debate and the art of rhetoric and listen deeply I guess I had been practicing in sales much of my life, but didn’t know it 

I thought I was going into non-profit management and boy is that different

At the end of the day the crux is HELPING

Been able to sell across products, sales cycles, price points and the end of the day one thread that has held through those different types of sales is the ability to HELP!

JB: Less hustle culture - what is the skill set needed for sellers today?

LV:

Moving towards a new culture in sales evolution, more empathy, ability to storyteller. Not just in sales, also happening in finance and other areas. 

As a professional community we are all moving towards a way to connect authentically and engage. 

Hustle Culture can be toxic. Sales historically has been seen as aggressive, I will close this at all costs. All about the 80 hours working hard enough and you win. Very dangerous narratives we need to LEAVE behind!

When I started in sales it was the SELLING JOURNEY, THE SALE PROCESS, now it’s the BUYING PROCESS and put it in the customer’s view. 

Talking about soft skills, working smarter not just banging your head against the wall.

JB: Lots of burnout in sales. What does working smarter mean?

LV: 

Conversation with friend Eric Smith - The Lowly SDR

Lots of newbies burning out in sales that don’t have the experience. 

So common for SDR/BDR to be given list of names...or maybe no list at all...with the expectation that you go out and pound the phones making 200 calls/day or just send 500 emails/day and hope you get a couple of replies

Eric- ‘ If you do enough of the same thing you’ll find some success.”

When I think about the types of teams I want to work for, the types of sales people I want to engage with...it’s not 500 emails...maybe it’s 50 well crafted emails you want to get as a customer

JB: Sales training and the evolution, where’s it come from?

LV:

Andy Paul - thought about writing a book about sales? Hasn’t everything already been written?? 

He encouraged me to go to my bookcase, find all of the sales books that weren’t written by a middle aged white man! Couldn’t find a single book about sales not written by a middle aged white man. 

Every piece of sales training I’ve ever had in my career has come from the philosophy of middle aged white men, which has inspired me to help people find their own unique voice and bring more of being a woman or being a minority to the phone! That will allow them to sell better and connect better. 

JB: You mentioned jumping into TikTok as a powerful move for you, tell us about that journey?

LV: 

Committed to doing this for 3 months, have a video with 250,000+ views. 

The reason I decided to use TikTok as a channel related back to the dominant white middle aged male voice. LinkedIn has been my primary channel, I love it, it’s an incredible tool but as I realized where all my training has come from, which feels mis-aligned to my values. I was seeing the same things on my LinkedIn braggadocious, self-promoting, this is the only way to sell on my news feed. 

I realized LInkedIn wasn’t going to be the right place for my message, at least today. 

I realized the group of people I want to connect with is the next generation of sales professionals. I wanted to connect and create community with the 18-24 year olds and I was MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE BRINGING A DIFFERENT VERSION OF MYSELF TO TIKTOK, sharing stories and giving advice that I would never feel comfortable putting on LinkedIn.

I’ve seen a tremendous response which tells me that there are people out there looking for this, there’s a need and space for this message and grateful where I can tell people it’s OK to think or want to sell differently

JB: Talking about playfulness in sales and I think there is such a better way to show up, take care of ourselves and our mental health. You mentioned being a SoulCycle fanatic - and a quote from an instructor you shared with me before that has been really powerful for you. Can you share that and how you refresh/renew and bring mindfulness to sustain your performance in sales. 

LV:

Soulcycle fan, a way to be in a cult without telling someone. 

One of my favorite instructors gave me my mantra “Progress over perfection”

It has given me the freedom to try things, to do new things and not be perfect. 

Reading the Transparency Sale by Todd Caponi

Perfection has been idealized - in reality not everything has to be perfect.

People are less likely to buy if it seems too perfect. Giving myself a bit more grace to not be “perfect” all of the time.

People don’t see working out as a form of mindfulness. When I think about SoulCycle I do a few things. I make it a ritual, I get myself ready to ride, I light a candle, I want it to be special, I dim the lights.

Beyond that, I remove my vices from the room and give myself the space to focus for 45 minutes to be in the moment and focus on the activity on hand.

I’m a very habitual person, I love routines, it makes me feel good. I love the act of habits and routines. I take long baths and make my bathroom a sanctuary, light a candle, epsom salt, and have some lavender. 

I routinely protect time and prioritize those activities. 

Calm.com & Headspace for sleep stories and guided meditations. Or even when I’m working on a tough project, put on a bubbling brook stream noise in the background

JB: Such a great point about so many people seeing mindfulness as woo woo and not something that could be accessed through working out.  But it doesn’t need to be sitting in a cave in India for 45 minutes.  Creating habits and rituals is such a great way to to that and seeing how working out for 30 days straight you will increase BDNF in the brain! This is how we evolve past just a hustle culture. 

LV: 

So difficult to give myself the space and time. If I’m not busy somehow I should feel guilty that I’m not doing enough. This is still something that’s a progress over perfection for me. 

The more I practice protecting the mindfulness, ritual, wellness times, the easier it becomes, it’s getting me close to where I want to be and further away from the busier you are the more productive you are. 

That’s nonsense it’s deeply engrained, it’s not as easy to let it go as you would hope, it’s a work in progress.

JB: Progress over perfection is awesome to come back to.  School has taught us we may be failures if we don’t get an “A” on the test we are failures. It hasn’t encouraged a growth mindset. I really love the content from  James Clear Atomic Habits about building just a bit better. 

LV: PLAY we have been taught to be ashamed of play and we lose that as we get older

That is part of the foundation of this mindfulness transformation, it’s OK to HAVE FUN at work, to be playful in conversations with customers and your peers.
Now it’s just a matter of embracing it. 

JB: Spending time around young kids and it’s fascinating to see how much curiosity they have, the ability to explore and play.  Mindfulness allows us to move to this Beginner's Mind approach vs. I know everything. 

“A parachute only works if it’s open, it’s the same thing with our MIND”

LV:

Scooter tour, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. How often in life do you get to do things for the very first time?

Way to frame that in a way that really resonates with me.
When I think about that in sales, we can embrace the opportunity to embrace something new and leave behind the way it’s always been done. 

If we want to make sales, really any job, more inclusive, diverse we need to embrace play

JB: Skills and qualities of your favorite leaders?

LV: 

Setting clear expectations of what success looks like

Somebody who

JB: What does success mean to you?

LV: 

FREEDOM I love sales, I’m passionate about the profession, I have a great job. I don’t show up everyday to work because I want to do the 9-5. I show up and commit and lean in because I want the freedom piece to get on SoulCycle or go to Montana and be with my family or go on a holiday and spend some time exploring. 

Success to me is working hard enough to gain the freedom to live life to the fullest

JB: Where can our listeners find you?

LV:

SalesTipsTok

Unleashed B2B Sales Playbook

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