In this episode Scott talks to Mike McDonough. What makes Mike remarkable is that he only started in sales 4 years ago when he took his first ever sales role as a Client Development Rep at Seismic. Formerly a firefighter and paramedic, Mike started with a blank slate and rapidly learned the skills necessary to become the top enterprise sales rep at Seismic.
Mike talks about the things he did in the early days at Seismic that have contributed to his success, his progression through 4 different roles (Client Development Rep, Inside Sales Manager, Enterprise Sales Director, RVP Enterprise Sales) with the company and the importance of advocating for yourself.
- What Mike did when he started at Seismic that helped to build his success (01:29)
- How mentors were crucial for Mike, in becoming proficient in sales (04:11)
- The development of Mike’s views and strategies on sales (09:14)
- The different sales roles he has had at Seismic (10:33)
- How failure has played a role in Mike’s success (13:42)
- The journey from firefighter to sales person (16:05)
- The advice Mike would give himself when he started in sales (21:42)
- How Mike became the top enterprise seller at Seismic (24:07)
- How Mike mitigated the risk of putting most of his energy into 1 deal (26:18)
- The importance of advocating for yourself and how to do that (28:47)
- Some lessons Mike learnt from being an enterprise sales rep (30:47)
- The importance of having confidence in what you know when trying to sell (36:40)
- How Mike’s biggest challenge was resisting the change that arose as the company evolved from 30 people to 500 people (40:03)
- What Mike’s day looks like (41:55)
- The differences in stress as a firefighter and a sales person and how he deals with it (45:33)
- How Mike deals with work at the weekend (47:50)
- Mike’s travel tips (51:07)
- What books Mike has been reading and where he gets his information from (52:50)
- How Mike doesn’t have a specific selling philosophy and the importance of continuous learning (55:15)
- Mike’s approach to selling (58:26)
- His style as a Regional Vice President (61:47)
- Mike’s advice for someone who wants to become a Regional Vice President (64:01)
- The main things that influence Mike’s selling process (66:25)
- What motivates Mike (69:48)
- The opinions and behaviours which make Mike unconventional in sales (71:54)
- What Mike would like to be able to learn from other people in sales (79:04)
- Tools that Mike uses (79:00)
- The most important sales people, Mike knows (82:41)
- Mike’s challenge (83:40)
Mike’s recently read sales books:
To Sell is Human
The Challenger Sale
The Psychology of Selling
Brilliant Selling (Brilliant Business)
Seismic
Sales Success Stories Book
Mike on LinkedIn
Mike on Twitter