Shifting to Virtual Sales with Lori Richardson

Episode 26: Just as we all have had to adjust to hybrid and remote work environments over the past few years, so too have sales organizations had to adjust their strategies for virtual spaces. In this episode, we’re discussing the ever-increasing shift to virtual sales and how sales managers and salespeople should alter their approach accordingly.  

Joining Dani is Lori Richardson. Lori is an author, speaker, and podcast host as well as the CEO, and Founder of Score More Sales, a nimble, award-winning sales enablement firm that helps mid-sized technology, distribution, and services companies grow front-line revenues in quick and focused ways. She hosts the podcast, Conversations with Women in Sales, which features women in sales who share practical advice for advancing one’s sales career.  

Together, Dani and Lori cover the continual shift to virtual sales in a few key areas, such as: 

• Why adapting to virtual sales has been so hard for so many 
• How everyone needs coaching. No matter how long they’ve been in sales. 
• And finally, how truly knowing the individuals on your sales team, and what motivates them, can be the secret sauce for sustained success and fulfillment 

CONNECT:

LeadG2: LeadG2: leadg2.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/
 
Dani Buckley:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniobuckley/
About: leadg2.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/dani-buckley
 
Shaye Smith:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shayesmith/
About: leadg2.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/shaye-smith

Lori Richardson:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scoremoresales/

TIMESTAMPS:
(02:31) Why has the continual shift to virtual sales been so hard for so many?
(04:35) There are two different types of folks
(06:23) Confusion around "sales enablement"
(10:31) The importance of good leadership
(11:34) "Everybody needs coaching. I don't care how senior they are."
(15:07) We still have less women at every level in professional selling
(16:57) Look for traits (not personality) when looking for sales talent
(17:53) Know the individuals on your team and know what motivates them

Transcript

Dani Buckley: 0:15

Welcome to Sell Smarter. Sell Faster. A podcast dedicated to helping sales organizations grow. Each week, we discuss proven sales enablement strategies and real life examples with experts and thought leaders from across industries. I'm your host, Dani Buckley, Vice President and general Manager at LeadG2, a sales performance agency,

Shaye Smith: 0:40

Just as we have all had to adjust to hybrid and remote work environments over the past few years. So too have sales organizations had to adjust their strategies for virtual spaces. In this episode, we are discussing the ever increasing shift to virtual sales and how sales managers and sales people should alter their approach accordingly. Joining Dani today is Lori Richardson. Lori is an author, speaker, and podcast host, as well as the CEO and founder of Score More Sales, a nimble award-winning sales enablement firm that helps midsize technology, distribution and services companies grow frontline revenues and quick and focused ways. She hosts the podcast Conversations with Women in Sales, which features Women in Sales who share practical advice for advancing one sales career together. Dani and Lori covered the continual shift to virtual sales in a few key areas, such as why adapting to virtual sales has been hard for so many, how everyone needs coaching no matter how long they've been in sales. And finally, how truly knowing the individuals on your sales team and what motivates them can be the secret sauce for sustained success and fulfillment. With that, let's get to the conversation. Dani, take it away.

Dani Buckley: 1:55

Thanks so much, Shaye. I'm excited to have Lori Richardson here today. Hi Lori, how are you?

Lori Richardson: 2:01

Hi, Dani. I'm doing great, thank you.

Dani Buckley: 2:03

Good. Well, I am, um, excited. We have lots of good, interesting things to talk about that I know our audience is gonna be excited to learn about. So I'm gonna jump right in. Um, so we're talking a bit today about virtual sales and um, you know, obviously everyone, I think everyone gets it now that there's been a shift to virtual sales over the last couple years. Um, and, and really even before that, I mean the pandemic obviously expedited everything, but, but we've seen this shift happening, um, here at CSS and at LeadG2. We've been doing virtual sales for a really long time cuz we've always been a remote company. Um, but for a lot of organizations they've felt that it's really disruptive. Um, and some are totally onboard and getting the hang of it and some are still really struggling. So, to get us started, I'm curious, just like what are some of the key things that you've seen that made this so hard for everyone to make this shift?

Lori Richardson: 2:51

Yeah, for sure. People have discussed this topic many times over the years and it, it was interesting because I distinctly remember pre pandemic how there were some companies that were just absolutely certain that they would not let their sales people work remotely. And it was, I happened to know a number of those companies. Some were manufacturing, some were in tech, and they were adamant. And so it was most interesting to see some of those change. And then now with companies doing everything they can but stand in their head to get people to come back into the office. And I mean, if you don't have an hour or two commute anymore and you're productive, you know, it's, it's kind of a tough one for, for some of us. I, I've always had, I, I've been remote for the last 20 years, so it, it was never an issue for me. But in fact, when you ask about challenges, there are some folks who don't work well remotely and there are some leaders that don't work as well remotely. So I, it is one thing you can do is self check and see how did productivity change, how did results change in the last number of months? And, you know, couple of years because if productivity's up as some companies have reported, and if revenue is up, then you really need to think about it. And, and I know there some companies like Chili Piper's, one that comes to mind that I work with who said we're all virtual forever. That's it. And the story. And, and I really think there are two different types of folks. I think there are the people who want to work remotely for some very valid reasons, including commute time, Uh, also because they might be parents or they might be helping to care for older folks. Uh, you know, there's so many different reasons and, and then there are the people who say, Yeah, I can do a hybrid thing. I like going into the office once or twice a week. Probably not more, much more than that. And, and then those that can go in, you know, once a week or a couple times a month. And, and I really think there will be two different types of folks. And, and if you're all virtual, um, then you're not gonna come into my office probably. You're just not gonna do it.

Dani Buckley: 5:24

Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. And it's, it's really like figuring out who is on your team, who do you need on your team. Yeah. Like there's so much, it's not just taking the old process and now making it virtual<laugh>.

Lori Richardson: 5:37

Right. And, and the idea that you now have a worldwide, uh, pool to, to new candidates from is really incredible in a lot of ways. Mm-hmm.<affirmative>. So it really depends. I don't think one is right or wrong. I there's room for both and on all hybrid virtual, going back full time five days a week, I just don't see it.

Dani Buckley: 5:59

Yeah, Agreed. Um,<laugh>, so let's talk sales enablement. That's kind of what we, we focus on a lot here when it comes to, I mean, all selling, I mean we're, we're kind of talking a little bit about virtual selling here today, but, but all this is applicable to, to just sales. I think. Um, what is the role of sales enablement? Um, and, and, and how does it, how what, what makes it important in virtual selling in particular?

Lori Richardson: 6:23

I was an early participant in the, the sales Enablement society. And the reason that group came together in the beginning a handful of years ago, maybe 5, 5, 6 years ago, was because of the massive confusion over the term sales enablement. So when people talk about it and, and there's so many different layers to enablement, but basically people were taking a sales enablement role and then the company would just dump more stuff on them. You'd organized training you, you know, help with the, we bought this new tool, you help roll it out, all these different things. And I, I really admire what they did in the beginning to try to set some definitions rather than just letting vendors do it. Cuz that's the way it was in the past was vendors were saying, Oh, this is sales enablement, this is what you need. And there were people in sales enablement roles who were very unempowered in terms of, you know, the, these are my duties, this is what my skill set is and this is how I wanna work it. There was a lot of problem in that area. So when you, you know, when we talk about it, I, I like to start with that because I think there's still some confusion. Maybe not in enterprise size companies, cuz it's very much a department and it's very, uh, fairly organized in most the companies I see. Uh, but I think the, the big thing for virtual selling is really in helping teams have the tools and processes that they need at every point to, to be successful and to help with the culture of, you know, working as a team and, and then just helping people feel empowered. Uh, I, I believe sales enablement can do that even though they may think it's a little more about tools and tech and processes. Uh, there's a, there's a human element that's really important.

Dani Buckley: 8:30

Yeah. Yes, absolutely. And, and you know, it's like, I, I agree with you. It is a, a very kind of ambiguous definition or word and a lot of times, right? Cause it's like, well, sales table, that's sales, right? You should be doing that. But there is, there is something different. And when we're talking virtual selling, even more so do they need to have access and know how to find things because they can't just yell down the hall or ask the person in the cubicle next to them, or, you know, it is different in that way of, um, of, of how we used to do things. And yeah, everything needs to be easy to find, needs to be accessible, needs to be provided to them. So no matter what hours they're working, cause maybe you're in different time zones, they can find it. Um, and they haven't. Yeah.

Lori Richardson: 9:10

And I, I, I'm one of those people who greatly benefited from being part of a team that was in person in my sales years and I learned so much from the veteran folks that were around me. And so we have to have ways to replicate that as best we can. Virtually, like you said, considering time zones and considering the tools that people are using. Uh, but it's, it's probably easier now with all the tech that we have Yeah. In terms of listening to calls after the fact, which can be extremely valuable. And, and really just hearing how your peers are dealing with situations. And sometimes you just have a frustrating day and, and you need to hear someone with a, a really great value prop or, you know, just handle an objection that you're like, Oh wow, that was really great. I gotta remember that and write that down. Yeah. So it's good to have those folks around you in, in whatever manner you can make happen.

Dani Buckley: 10:09

Yeah, absolutely. So I mean, you specialize in helping sales people, helping sales organizations, you know, sell more<laugh> as we do. Um, let's talk about mistakes. Um, what are some of the big mistakes that you're seeing? Where are sellers dropping the ball? Where are they still not adhering to, like tried and true best practices? Like what are you seeing currently, um, that seems really common that people should be aware of?

Lori Richardson: 10:31

Well, you may wanna talk about leadership after this, but I, I have to start with leadership because it doesn't really matter what mistakes the sellers make if they, you know, if, if they're not off to a good start by leadership. And leadership sets the tone, leadership creates the, the value proposition and helps with the compelling reasons. It shouldn't be up to sales people to figure that out. And yet I've had many roles as a seller where it was, it was on my shoulders. I created my own materials. I, you know, I i I honed my value because I didn't quite get it or wasn't clear from leadership, you know, what we were selling. That has to be first, that's got to be in, in place. The big vision, you know, what we're working for are why as people talk about it now. And, and those are so important. And then sales managers need to really lead the team and coach and, and help people grow. Everybody needs coaching. I don't care how senior they are. I don't care how long they've been around, if you ask'em. And you know, we always use athletes as a reference point that the top athletes have coaches and trainer. Yeah. And so that has to be important. And then it, then it comes to the sellers, you know, seller needs a growth mindset. Um, we we're hired to grow revenue. So if we're not doing that, that's an issue, right? Mm-hmm.<affirmative>, it's very clear. That's why I've always liked sales because it's very black and white. The job, what's wrong? What's happening? How can I get better? Um, if there's a problem with, like I said, with the value proposition or the market or the company or, you know, whatever it is, I need to find that out or is it me? And, and so having that mindset of, of ab testing and, you know, shifting and being open to get feedback from buyers who don't go with us or colleagues who think we're I might be missing the mark is very important. So, uh, bottom line is, you know, if numbers aren't being hit, then we need to really take a hard look cuz that's what I was hired for.

Dani Buckley: 12:55

Yeah. Yeah. I like that you say that it really is black and white. I mean, it, it's, it's not easy, but it's simple<laugh>. Right,

Lori Richardson: 13:02

Exactly.

Dani Buckley: 13:03

Yeah. And sometimes we try to complicate it, uh, a lot I think in the industry and just, and it, it does come down to like, is it working? Are you getting the results you need? Okay, what else can you do differently? Explore different strategies and tactics. Like what, what are, what best practices are you not hitting on? Cause usually it comes down to that. It's like the really simple basic stuff isn't happening and

Lori Richardson: 13:24

Assuming it, Yeah. Assuming that the leadership knows what the right best practices are, that's a big issue. You, you all probably see that too, is that if you're not well managed or, or well led, if there's so many companies we work with that there wasn't a strong, um, set of goals or, you know, set of overarching, uh, issues and targets and it was more like, you know, we're kind of in this together to figure it out in, in a lot of the tech companies and then manufacturing sometimes, you know, they dismiss the mark and distribution has to distinguish themselves from others. And so that's really not the salesperson's job. It's, it's, it's the, the company needs to set that before they bring salespeople in.

Dani Buckley: 14:16

Yep. Yep. Agreed. So trends, current trends, it's 2022, um,<laugh> and, and we've been through a lot the last few years and things have changed. There's, you know, the trends are changing more rapidly than they ever have before, what's working, what's not. So what are you seeing, what are some of the things right now, like going into this next year that tactic strategies, types of content technology, What are you excited about and what are you wanting people to know about?

Lori Richardson: 14:42

Yeah, not so much on new technology cuz we have so much of it.<laugh>. If you ever see those charts that show all the different tech tools that that's, uh, to kinda make your eyes go around around, I love the new push on empathy, on greater empathy and stronger communication, listening skills, things that women, by the way are, are very strong in. And we still have less women at every level in professional selling. Uh, you know, that there's so many opportunities for, for growth in that area to have more, uh, sellers that look like who are buying audience is Yes. More diverse, uh, selling teams. So I'm a big advocate of that. And I have incorporated a process where we evaluate existing sales teams and we look for core sales competencies and sales management competencies. And then we also help companies hire better that way too, to find people who are coachable and who have a strong will to succeed and not just, you know, I know what consultative selling is Yeah. But I actually have the will and, um, the determination and the grit to be successful at it. The, the, that's what sales teams need. Uh, because we don't have the luxury of having extra weight on our teams anymore. This is a time where we have to have the right people in the right roles. And that's, that's what I have the pleasure of helping companies to figure out. And it's extremely rewarding and it makes a difference in the bottom line and, and how quickly revenue ramps up.

Dani Buckley: 16:30

Yes. Yeah. We, you know, part of our, our parent company, the Center for Sales strategy, we, we call it the, you know, talents, those things that you're just kind of born with and, um, and that makes someone a great seller. You can teach'em the product, you can teach'em how to use the crm, you can teach'em, but do they have the things that you're talking about, um, that are really going to allow them to succeed and not actually have to like, try to completely change their personality or characteristics, um, in order to do

Lori Richardson: 16:57

That. Yeah. And act actually personality is a bit misleading because personality tools, in my opinion, don't work to Yeah. Find top sellers. But there are some traits that we're looking for, like what you say in your head. Yeah. And because if, if you teach me all the consultative selling skills or how to sell value, but in my mind, I'm sure that it's not gonna work and I'm sure I'm not gonna be successful. Guess what? I'm not gonna be successful. And I think that that's one of the reasons why sales training is, you know, a multi-billion dollar industry and yet sales don't go up in, in a lot of companies.

Dani Buckley: 17:35

Yep. Absolutely. So, great. We, we've covered a lot. I i, to kind of close this out, is there anything else that you wanna pass on? Any words of wisdom, um, to, you know, sales leaders, business leaders that are listening, um, that you think are, is important as they're kind of heading, heading into this fourth quarter and thinking about hitting those goals?

Lori Richardson: 17:53

<laugh>? Yeah, I think it would be to really know the individuals on your sales team for leaders and to know what motivates'em. Because different things motivate different people. Some of us are more internally motivated and some are more externally motivated. I got into sales for the money because I was a single parent, so I'll take a cash f all day long. Um, but a lot of sellers are not motivated in that way, uh, anymore. They want recognition and they, they want to do a good job. And it's much more important than any, uh, you know, money is a piece of it, but it's not that the overarching reason that they're doing their role. So really understand your team and, and know how to, um, motivate them and, and just, you know, how to, how to make it fun. I I've always done things in my selling career to make it more enjoyable. And because, let's face it, it can be hard to sell, right? Sales can be a tough gig. So if you have awesome people that you're around, if you have a great mission, a great vision, really cool services that are changing business, then, then it makes it much more rewarding. And, and I would encourage people to really kind of do an overview of what they have to offer and that will help them to secure stronger candidates.

Dani Buckley: 19:16

I love that. Thank you so much, Lori. I, I'm sure we could talk all day about this stuff, which<laugh> I tend to be able to do. But, um, but this is really great. I really appreciate your time. Thank you for joining us. Yeah,

Lori Richardson: 19:27

Thank you Danny.

Dani Buckley: 19:29

And is everyone listening? Um, be sure to connect with Lori. We've got her contact information, her businesses and the show notes, everything that you can find and, um, link to and get more information. And, uh, we look forward to seeing you all in the next episode of Sell Smarter, Sell Faster. Until then, happy selling. Thanks for joining us on Sell Smarter, Sell Faster. Be sure to click that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. And visit us on Sell Smarter, Sell faster.com to access tons of resources on the topics we cover on the show, or to get in touch with Shay or myself. And of course, you can find us on social media, including our personal pages on LinkedIn and Twitter. We'd love to connect and hear from you.