How to Be a Modern Sales Leader

In this recap from a recent episode of RevShow, Rob and I discuss how to be a modern sales leader. Whether you are a brand new sales professional or a sales leader that is looking to take your craft to the next level, you can use the tips and strategies outlined here to take your game to the next level. If you would like to view the discussion in its entirety, go ahead and click on the play button above. Enjoy the discussion!

Let me ask you an important question:

Are you using a modern approach to your selling?

If not, I have an important message for you. You want to be the “now” of your selling approach, not the “then.” 

In this video, we are going to help you transform the way that you sell and market in the new world. This is all part of the idea of how to be a modern sales leader. A modern sales leader is someone who has key advantages over other sales professionals. He or she can better communicate with their prospects, develop deeper relationships with those prospects, and generate more conversions.

Ultimately, no matter what sector or industry that you are in, the world is getting increasingly competitive. Rather than relying on old-school, archaic sales tactics, you need to adapt to the modern world. Incorporating the following tips and strategies into your sales repertoire is a fantastic way to reach your sales and marketing goals.

So are you ready? Let’s jump into this discussion of how to be a modern sales leader. 

What Isn’t Modern

Before we can talk about how to be a modern sales leader, I think it is critical to talk about what doesn’t constitute the modern sales leader. After all, if we can know what not to do, it will make it that much easier to avoid mistakes and capitalize on everything that the modern sales professional offers.

One of the first things that are not modern is when you approach sales from a one goal perspective. It is an extremely antiquated and outdated way of interacting with your prospects. But let’s back up for one moment. What do I mean by a one goal perspective? Essentially, I am talking about this idea that the sales professional only has their goal in mind. Most often, this one goal is financial. They want to hit some sort of sales quota so that they can get a bonus or some other type of compensation. I’m not saying that compensation isn’t important. As sales professionals, we need to generate sales to feed our families. At the same time, if we are laser-focused on getting the sale and getting paid, we are holding ourselves back. We are actually making it much more difficult to reach our financial goals. It is counterintuitive, but it is a fundamental truth in sales. 

When you are selling in the modern approach, it is about building that relationship. It is about truly understanding where that client or prospect is going. What you want to do is have that client or prospect see the same mountain that you see. Ultimately, you want to be on the same path. If you are simply approaching the relationship by getting the sale and only accomplishing your goals, you will never have a relationship. This is critical to avoid because in today’s era of selling, relationships are more important than anything else.

In the end, I encourage you to keep this in mind as we discuss how to be a modern sales leader. Avoiding this overarching focus on getting the sale and reaching your financial goals is a fantastic first step. By remembering this throughout the discussion, you will be miles ahead of many other salespeople.

The Abundance Mindset

One of the things that you will often hear in this discussion is the idea of an abundance mindset. In sales, having an abundance mindset is one of the most powerful things you can do. 

Why is this? The abundance mindset allows you to think big. It prevents you from being fear-driven or having a scarcity mindset. You start to actually think, “What is the connection that I can make?” instead of “Who is it that I need to close today?” You start contemplating the relationships that you can develop. 

An example is helpful. Let’s say that you were pitching a prospect and you received some bad news. The prospect said that they really liked your product or service, but they couldn’t purchase that product or service right now. A scarcity mindset would lead you to think that you needed to push on with this prospect and try to close them—regardless of what they told you. The thinking would be that there are only a certain number of prospects for your product or service, so you need to close them right now. On the other hand, an abundance mindset will help you recognize that there are plenty of other prospects that you can target. After all, your product or service provides value to your customers’ lives. There are always more people to meet, build relationships with, and deliver value through your product or service. 

If you can adopt this type of philosophy, you can not only supercharge your sales work, but you can supercharge your entire career. You will start to recognize that there are always massive opportunities around you. It is a game-changing attitude that can both help you accomplish your goals and make you happier. 

So remember: think big and think abundantly. Your future self will thank you. 

The Power of Video

Another old, antiquated way of communicating is text-based communication. It is all around us and we rely on it to reach out to our prospects, customers, and colleagues. That being said, text-based communication isn’t as effective as video. There are several reasons for this. 

You can be visually impactful with video. You can tell compelling stories, whether you are recording a video from your office or recording a video when you’re on your way to work. Using a tool like Dubb, your videos can be pure signal in a world that is full of noise. You can entertain, educate, and deliver value—all at once. While you can do so with text-based communication, it is much harder. The impact just isn’t there. 

Also, text-based communication isn’t as effective in delivering the message that you want to deliver. When someone actually sees and hears you speaking about your product or service, your message becomes amplified. You build a connection through the power of your message. In other words, your audience is much more likely to actually envision how your product or service is going to change their lives. It will become so much more real for them, which dramatically increases your chances of making a sale.  

Ultimately, your message needs to be impactful. Sending a text-based SMS or email implicitly makes you hide behind the text. Your emotion, true meaning, and essence as a human being aren’t evident in the way that it is on video. By using video, you can make your messages much more impactful. 

I want to give an example of this here. First, you are going to want to download the Dubb mobile app. You can find it for both iOS and Android devices. Once you do that, you can open the Dubb mobile app and record a quick selfie video. It can be something like, “Hey, this is Ruben from Dubb. I just wanted to send you this quick personal video and say I really look forward to having a conversation. Meeting you last week was wonderful. I can’t wait to have coffee with you and talk about how we can work together in this synergistic relationship. It would mean so much to have that cup of coffee with you. I’m super excited to do it and I look forward to seeing you next week.”

Just think about this. Isn’t it way more impactful than sending a text-based message? Further, doesn’t this type of video make more of a connection in today’s world of modern selling? Ultimately, it is about being a connector. It has never been more important to connect, and an easy way to connect is by leveraging the power of video. 

The Modern Approach to Selling

So now that we have discussed what the modern approach to selling is not, I want to talk more about what the modern approach to selling is. Ultimately, it comes down to several important points.

The first point is that the modern approach to selling is visually impactful. One of the strongest things you can do in a modern approach to sales is to put yourself out there in an authentic, visual way. 

Think about it this way: when someone sees the word “video” in the subject line of an email, the open rates go up anywhere from 10% to 20%. It gets even better. When someone sees a nice, smiling animated GIF preview of your video in the body of their email, you will see your click through rates increase anywhere from 30% to 300%. 

Isn’t that amazing? Doesn’t that tell you something? It tells you that people want video. They don’t want text-based communication. Because of this, when you are making your videos, make them visually impactful. Shoot with a purpose. Say what you mean and mean what you say. While this is an old expression, using it through the modern lens of video will get you more responses. It is that simple.

Next, let’s talk about relationship building. Building relationships is much more than a sales tactic. It is a brand message. In fact, if you focus on consulting people and helping people, it permeates into what people say about you and your clients. If you want to put a positive message out there that gets more referrals (which we will speak about soon), make sure that you are relationship based. Be consultative and don’t be closing. Rather, be opening. Ultimately, the best marketing department and sales representatives that you can have are your clients. What you want is for them to tell their friends how helpful you and your company are.

Now, when we think about the greatest benefits of being a modern-day sales professional, we often come across a benefit that is really striking. That benefit? You can communicate with your clients in a very casual way. Your communication does not need to be stilted and formal. 

This is especially relevant when you are making video content. In the old ways of selling, you would need to hire expensive actors and get expensive sets for your video to look “professional.” It would almost be cost-prohibitive to certain companies and organizations. But with modern-day technology and the power of your smartphone, you can make professional content whenever you’d like. While it may not have the polished look that you would see in your standard car commercial, your video can resonate with your audience (which is really what the ultimate objective is).  

The fact that you are being empathetic to your prospects’ needs and goals means that they won’t be irritated to hear from you. In fact, sending an SMS message to your client is something that a modern-day sales professional totally benefits from. This is because it is a two-way conversation that is rooted in advocacy, education and support. 

One of the improvements to the Dubb platform that we’re working on right now involves two-way SMS messaging directly from the Dubb dashboard. This will change the way that you communicate with prospects. Just think about it: when you are sending an email, it is sometimes tough to get a response back. There are plenty of reasons why someone won’t email you back, and some of those reasons don’t necessarily have to do with your product, service, or company. Most often, they are busy and simply can’t get back to you. On the other hand, if you are sending a prospect an SMS message, you may have a higher chance of getting them to respond to you. After all, we are all constantly on our phones and constantly texting our friends, family, and colleagues. If you can reach your audience in a place where they communicate the most, chances are that you are going to get a response.

Ultimately, stay tuned for more information about this new feature. We are extremely excited about it and know that it will provide immense value to anyone who wants to communicate with their prospects through SMS messages. 

The One Click Delete Option

We live in a society with a one click delete option. What does this mean? Essentially, people can delete you by clicking on one tiny little X button next to your name. They can delete your contact, emails, text messages, and more. 

Once your prospects or customers do this, it is hard to recover. You can try to apologize your way back in. In some circumstances, this may work. Chances are, however, that you have been rage quit by these people. Rage quit is a place where you don’t want to be. As a salesperson, this means that you have not only lost business from this particular person, but you probably have lost business from their friends, family, and colleagues. 

So what can you do? Remember that the way to get into people’s graces is to think like you are their friend. For example, you need to act this way when you are asking for the sale or asking them to purchase something. In fact, if you have done your job correctly (meaning that you have consulted them, been their advocate, and educated them), you probably don’t have to ask them to purchase your product or service. They will probably ask you. 

That is when you know that you are a modern-day sales professional. You don’t have to ask if people want to buy. They choose to ask you when and where they can buy. This is extremely powerful and signals that you are operating at another level. 

Making the Transformation

The reality is this. As a sales professional, you don’t really have an option but to transform into a modern sales professional. If you don’t, your competitors will do it for you. The great news is that being a modern sales professional gets you results. It will help you make connections, have great conversations with prospects and clients, and get you more sales conversions. 

Remember: as a modern sales professional, you are a trusted advisor. You aren’t just a sales professional, even if you think of yourself that way. By adopting this attitude, you set yourself apart from your competitors. You build that valuable trust that all sales professionals are looking to build with their customers, prospects, and audience members. 

As part of this transformation into a modern-day sales professional, it is critical to remember that the before is the after. The reason we say this is that the first impression that you make is your progression. Think about it this way: when you first meet someone, you choose to adopt this attitude. You impress your prospect with the fact that you care about the relationship. It isn’t solely about the transaction. You aren’t laser-focused on just getting that sale and moving on to another prospect in your queue. Instead of that, you genuinely want to help the prospect improve their life. By doing this, you progress to the next stage of the sales cycle (and you do this in a meaningful and authentic way). 

Remember: in thinking about how to be a modern sales leader, it isn’t about the meeting. It is about meaning. The meaning behind everything is when you feel like you’ve met with someone and you are impressing on them the meaning of what the meeting is all about. By the time you are done with that, you will likely have a sale on your hands. 

This just goes back to the idea of treating your prospects like human beings. Yes, the meeting itself isn’t irrelevant. You need to sit down with the prospect and work to generate the sale. That being said, if you are so focused on the sale that you lose sight of the actual meaning behind the meeting, you are probably going to fall short. It is going to be disappointing. 

Focus on the Lifestyle Enhancement

I have a guitar that I really enjoy playing. The guitar sales professional who sold me the guitar knew something really special. He knew that he wasn’t selling me a guitar that was made out of wood, metal, and rubber. He also knew that when I picked up this guitar, I would feel something. I would be inspired to write something new, to learn a new song to play, or something else. 

In effect, what he sold me was an experience. It was a lifestyle enhancement. The best sales professionals are not selling guitars. They are selling experiences. They are focused on bringing substantial value to their prospects’ lives, whether or not they actually make the sale. Even if they don’t make the sale right now, they are focused on building long-term relationships. These are the marks of a modern-day sales professional, and by following these ideas, they are setting themselves up to be extremely successful.

So if you have been wondering how to be a modern sales leader, I encourage you to incorporate the lessons and tips above into your process. You don’t even need to take any substantial steps right now. You can simply go into your next meeting focused on meaning and value. Taking small steps like this can make a huge difference, so I encourage you to get started today. I can’t wait to hear about your successes!

At Dubb, we love thinking about and discussing topics like how to be a modern sales leader. If you have any questions about any of the topics we discussed in this post, I encourage you to contact our team. You can also click here to learn more about Dubb and click here to sign up for a free 14-day trial of our premium plans.