The Sales Evangelist: Sales Training|Speaking|Business Marketing|Donald Kelly

Imagine doubling your close rate and cutting your sales cycle in half. That's not a hypothetical. It's exactly what Pieter Leenhouts and his team did at Tax Guard, a Cogency Global company that sells to banks and financial institutions. Pieter walked me through exactly how they pulled it off, and it wasn't magic. It was math, structure, and a relentless focus on the front end of the pipeline.Why Their Sales Cycle Was So Long To Begin WithTax Guard's solution was new to the financial institutions they sold to, so reps had to spend real time educating buyers before those buyers even understood why they needed it.That education requirement, combined with deals that stalled out with the wrong contacts, created a long sales cycle and a lower close rate.Fixing it started with the pipeline itself, not with pushing reps to work harder.Give Every Rep the Right Size Pipeline, Not Just More DealsPieter's team found that around 120 opportunities was the right pipeline size for most of their account executives, though the

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Sales and marketing are supposed to work together, but in most companies, they don't. Not to the level your revenue actually needs. In this episode, I sat down with Mark Kapczynski, co-founder of Kontrol Media and author of Everyone Sells, to talk about practical, sometimes unconventional ways to get these two teams pulling in the same direction.Why Sales and Marketing Still Don't Work TogetherTraditional marketing was built around brand awareness, not revenue. That history still shapes how a lot of teams operate today.Marketing budgets are getting cut because leadership now expects marketing to prove its impact on revenue, not just visibility.Sales and marketing need to see each other as one team working toward the same goal, not two departments with separate scorecards.Give Sales and Marketing One Shared GoalMost companies still measure marketing on traffic and awareness, while sales is measured strictly on closed revenue.Mark says both teams need a shared goal tied to revenue, whether that's new logos, hig

This wraps up our four part LinkedIn Response Series. Over the last few episodes, I covered your headline, your banner, and how to turn profile views into real conversations. In this final episode, I'm showing you how to take those conversations and turn them into booked appointments.Never Pitch FirstThe fastest way to kill a new LinkedIn conversation is to pitch right away.When someone replies to you, keep the conversation focused on them before you bring up your product or service.Make The Conversation About ThemOne of the easiest ways to find something to talk about is to look at what the person posts on LinkedIn.I'll drop a prospect's profile link into Claude or ChatGPT and ask for ideas on how to start a natural conversation with them.If they post about something like running marathons or self improvement, use that as your opener. Ask a real question about it.Use Voice And Video MessagesVoice and video messages inside the LinkedIn app get far better replies than plain text.Record them natively in the Lin

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Getting a notification that someone viewed your LinkedIn profile can be exciting, but most sellers don't know what to do next. In this episode of the LinkedIn Response Series, I am sharing how to turn profile views into meaningful conversations that can lead to appointments and new business. Instead of ignoring those notifications or sending an immediate sales pitch, I'll show you a simple process that helps you engage interested prospects the right way.Why Profile Views MatterA LinkedIn profile view is often a sign that someone is interested in learning more about you or your business. They may have found you through your content, received a connection request from you, or be researching your company before reaching out.In many cases, prospects are doing their homework before booking a meeting. That makes profile views an early buying signal that should not be ignored.Avoid the Wrong ResponseIt is tempting to react in one of two ways: send an immediate sales pitch or do nothing at all.Neither approach is eff

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How do you handle competitor questions without sounding defensive, desperate, or unprofessional?In this solo episode, Donald C. Kelly shares three practical strategies for talking about competitors with confidence and credibility. Instead of attacking another company, he explains how to use customer stories, thoughtful questions, and your prospect's own insights to position your solution as the better fit.If you're in a competitive sales environment, this episode will help you navigate competitor conversations in a way that builds trust and moves deals forward.Episode Breakdown with Timestamps:Why You Should Prepare for Competitor Conversations (00:00:31 – 00:01:30)Donald explains that prospects are often evaluating multiple vendors at the same time.Rather than being surprised by competitor questions, sales professionals should prepare their messaging ahead of time and understand where their solution stands out.He emphasizes that preparation gives sellers confidence when those conversations arise.Lead With Yo

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