This episode features Nora Edmonds, top senior account executive at HubSpot, an organization that specializes in building marketing, sales and service software that powers small to mid-sized businesses. Nora has had quite the interesting tenure at HubSpot. After not enjoying her role as an account manager, Nora quit her job in search of something new. However, only two weeks elapsed before she realized how much she missed the people, the product and the learning opportunities at HubSpot. She reapplied and went back to work for them right away. Since then, Nora has become one of HubSpot’s top performers and biggest advocates.
In this episode, Scott and Nora talk all about her role at HubSpot. Nora provides an inside look at her sales background, what she enjoys most about working at HubSpot, and her proudest accomplishments. Scott and Nora discuss the culture of sales and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people in order to grow sales knowledge. Nora is a proponent of seeking out new learning opportunities in order to become the best seller she can be. This strategy has helped Nora to build an impressive business acumen over the course of her career.
We hear from Nora about her earlier career, and what she would do differently if given the opportunity. We take a deep dive into the sales metrics Nora uses to track her own success. Every day she sets a goal to create three new opportunities with a total average amount of six hundred dollars in recurring revenue. Needless to say, Nora has set the bar high. These lofty expectations that Nora has set for herself has contributed to her becoming a top seller in her field.
Scott and Nora also have a deep discussion about success. Nora identifies the three things she attributes to her success, which include her belief in HubSpot’s product and mission, her customer-centric approach, and her genuine curiosity. Nora takes listeners through her typical day, from prepping for the day ahead and prospecting to sales calls and demos. Finally, Nora leaves listeners with parting words of advice. She encourages the audience to engage with customers early and often and to be authentic in those conversations. Nora urges listeners to be resilient and to never let discouragement get in the way of success.
What We Covered:
00:24 – Scott Ingram welcomes to the podcast, Nora Edmonds
00:39 – Scott encourages the audience to take advantage of a tremendous offer
01:02 – The three things Nora attributes to her success
01:11 – Number 1: Belief in HubSpot’s product
02:23 – Number 2: Customer-centric approach
03:13 – Number 3: Genuine curiosity
04:30 – Nora discusses her roles at HubSpot and how she became a top performer
06:57 – The two-week hiatus Nora took from HubSpot
08:59 – The three things Nora most appreciates about HubSpot
09:41 – What Nora would do differently in her career if given the chance
11:42 – Nora quantifies her sales results and shares what it takes to be successful at HubSpot
12:38 – Nora shares her favorite sales story
15:24 – Scott promotes the 2019 Sales Success Summit
16:42 – The accomplishment Nora is most proud of
18:22 – The key to Nora’s consistency
19:56 – How Nora strategizes in order to hit her sales number each month
21:20 – Digging into Nora’s specific sales numbers/Sales metrics Nora uses to track her own success
23:36 – How Nora structures the time she spends prospecting
24:35 – Tools and apps that Nora uses on a daily basis
25:42 – Nora describes a typical day in the life
27:53 – Other essential habits and routines that are vital to Nora’s success
29:43 – Nora describes her typical weekly run
30:38 – The importance of flexibility
32:01 – Nora recounts a time she felt the most challenged
33:28 – The importance of motivation
34:08 – Nora’s belief that every salesperson should shadow Customer Success
38:03 – The industry trades, news, podcasts and books that Nora consumes
39:00 – Nora explains why she doesn’t subscribe to a specific sales philosophy
41:29 – Where Nora gets her motivation
42:48 – The value Nora places on having a sterling reputation
44:09 – Why recognition is more important to Nora than money
46:08 – One of Nora’s beliefs that the average sales professional would think is crazy
47:12 – An average sales professional’s belief that Nora believes is crazy
47:57 – Advice Nora would give to an upstart sales professional
50:21 – Advice Nora would give to struggling, middle-of-the-pack salespeople
51:53 – Nora’s approach to internal networking
53:22 – What Nora would want to know about other top performers
54:14 – Nora’s ‘Why’
55:06 – Nora’s challenge to the Sales Success Stories Podcast audience
56:42 – Scott announces that this will be the last show of 2018
Tweetables:
• “I think just having that native curiosity, wanting to learn about people, wanting to learn how businesses are growing, what choices they’re making, how that’s impacting their bottom line, that’s what really excites me.” (03:04)
• “When I talk about prospecting, when I think about activity, my major point that I track is opportunities and dollar amount of those opportunities.” (22:37)
• “Moving to HubSpot as our own platform has not only legitimized my conversations that I’ve been having, but it also is an awesome tool. It’s easy to use.” (25:09)
• “I have a problem where I put my whole heart and soul into everything I do. I can’t half-ass anything. So, going into work, going into my marathon training, it was really full 120 percent dedication.” (29:24)
• “I think not having to respond to anyone else but myself is what holds me accountable.” (31:50)
• “I don’t necessarily believe that the more activity you put in the better the outcome is.” (46:20)
Links Mentioned:
Sales Success Summit
Nora’s LinkedIn Profile
Sales Success Stories Book
HubSpot’s Website
Podcasts Mentioned by Nora:
How I Built This with Guy Raz
Y Combinator’s Startup Podcast
Books Mentioned on the Podcast:
Selling with Noble Purpose: How to Drive Revenue and Do Work That Makes You Proud
Selling Boldly
Pillars of the Earth
The Challenger Sale