Episode 175: Selling Human: The Importance of Making Others Feel Seen with Alex Smith

Alex Smith is a top Senior Account Executive at Docebo, the world’s most powerful learning platform, built for the business of learning. Docebo helps organizations around the world deliver scalable, personalized learning to customers, partners, and employees, driving productivity, engagement, revenue, and growth. Alex is also the host of the ‘Sell By Being Human’ podcast, a show that helps listeners hone their human skills, understand subtle similarities between non-sales people and salespeople, and show how we all can learn from both groups the next time we need to create change and sell by being human.

Alex believes that all people want to be heard, seen, and understood. But how do we get people to hear, see, and understand us effectively? That was one of his personal challenges as he set out on a career in Sales. Today, Alex joins the show to share his incredible and amazing story, one that involves loss, setbacks, failures, comebacks, triumphs, and a never ending search for fulfillment. Alex attributes nearly all of his success in his career on the fact that he genuinely seeks to understand people. An understanding strategy is his sales strategy. Alex’s relentlessness isn’t driven by his product or a sales number. He is intrinsically motivated by digging deeper to discover the “un-discovered” problem. His approach to Sales is guided by attuning himself to what someone’s entire world is like, actively listening without any agenda, being genuine, and putting them first. It’s a practice he calls, ‘Selling Human,’ and it’s one that we can all practice daily.

Today, Scott and Alex discuss Alex’s ‘Understanding Strategy,’ his philosophy of ‘Selling Human,’ and the ways in which Alex is able to find uncommon ways to make people feel seen. They talk about the importance of community and connecting with those in your community. Alex broaches the topics of hidden potential, comparison, and the differences between freedom and fulfillment. Finally, Alex issues an actionable challenge to the audience. He suggests finding someone in the Sales Success Stories Community that you respect and reach out to them. Give them a call and connect. There’s something about personal connection that is so great. We’re all dealing with something, so reaching out to start a dialogue can help us all to learn something we didn’t realize. Scott also reminds listeners to consider attending the Sales Success Summit.

What We Covered:

00:01 – Scott thanks today’s sponsor, The Sales Collective
01:01 – Scott welcomes to the show Alex Smith
01:35 – The top three things that Alex attributes to his success
02:04 – Number One: Alex’s ‘Understanding Strategy’
02:39 – Number Two: Selling by being human
03:05 – Number Three: Finding uncommon ways to make people feel seen
03:42 – Alex expounds on his ‘Understanding Strategy’
08:09 – Sell by being human, a podcast and a lifestyle
13:47 – Alex quantifies his role at Docebo and his sales results
15:51 – Alex’s quest to become the number one sales performer
26:26 – Alex’s sales origin story
34:06 – The importance of finding your ‘people’
42:40 – How Alex landed at Docebo through networking and the Sales Success Stories Community
45:32 – What Alex would do differently if given the chance
48:09 – 406 days unemployed
51:36 – Alex’s favorite sales story
57:29 – Alex’s proudest accomplishment
1:00:52 – The biggest challenges Alex has faced in his career
1:03:29 – Alex takes the audience through a typical day in the life
1:09:36 – Alex’s information diet
1:11:21 – Alex’s tech stack
1:13:20 – Alex’s favorite Sales Conference ‘hacks’
1:22:25 – Honest outreach
1:23:50 – Alex’s sales philosophy and style
1:26:31 – What drives Alex
1:27:39 – An average sales professional’s belief that Alex thinks is crazy
1:32:32 – One of Alex’s beliefs that the average sales professional would think is crazy
1:37:00 – One specific insight Alex treasures from his podcast
1:38:14 – Advice Alex would give to an upstart sales professional
1:39:17 – Advice Alex would give to a struggling sales professional looking to find that next level
1:40:56 – Alex thanks Scott for having him on
1:41:25 – Alex issues an actionable challenge to the audience

Tweetables:

“I find uncommon ways to make people feel seen and to show them that I truly get them and know them. And I think it’s the uncommon things that I do that make me successful in Sales.” (03:07)

“I feel like part of selling by being human is understanding you as a human, and who you are, so that you show up. And when you show up, you’re consistent.” (12:46)

“There’s a difference between freedom and fulfillment. With freedom, we all want to make a ton of money and be happy and think that money is freedom. You have to find enjoyment and fulfillment. I don’t look at it as work-life balance. I look at it as life-work balance. I want to live a fulfilled and happy life.” (23:04)

“Ask yourself those questions: ‘Who do you want to sell to? Why? What for? What do you personally get out of it?’” (50:20)

“I like to say I’m a situational learner, not just a lifelong learner. And what I mean by that is whatever gaps I’m trying to close or whatever I’m looking for, I like to seek that out.” (1:10:34)

“It’s not enough to just gain the knowledge from this podcast, or books, or methodologies. It’s about deciding when in your process you need to implement those things. Every situation in Sales is different, so you need to know when to bring things in and be intentional about what certain things need.” (1:26:02)

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