Sharleen Vincent is the top strategic client executive at Workfront, the first modern work management application that connects enterprise work, collaboration, and digital content into an Operational System of Record (OSR). Sharleen is a fiercely passionate salesperson who has earned her way to the top through tenacity, dedication, and loyalty. After nine years with Workfront, Sharleen still holds the record for the single largest transaction in her organization’s history – one that netted out at sixteen times the selling price of the average deal at Workfront.
In this episode, Sharleen speaks to her hybrid sales role and how it has evolved over the years. Sharleen sells to large existing accounts, such as Prudential and Disney, while simultaneously working to prospect new accounts. Sharleen opens up about her life as a single mother and why the proudest accomplishment of her career has been building a great life for her and her daughter. Sharleen shares the three things she attributes to her success, including her ability to connect with her potential customers as people first, think strategically, and be comfortable with being uncomfortable. She has leveraged these skills to create unparalleled success within her organization.
Sharleen continues by detailing a typical day in the life from waking up early and cooking breakfast for her daughter every morning to exercising, mentally preparing for the day and building a pipeline of sales/revenue. She shares some of her best travel tips, including reading, utilizing her time efficiently and knowing when to shut down for the day. Sharleen is a staunch proponent of self-care and continuous improvement which is reflected in the books and other media she consumes. Finally, Sharleen issues an actionable challenge to the audience. She encourages them to actively seek out feedback. That feedback can come from anywhere, be it a co-worker, friend, manager or even someone you respect within your organization. Taking that feedback and incorporating it into your routine as a salesperson will greatly increase your chances at success.
What We Covered:
00:24 – Scott welcomes today’s guest, Sharleen Vincent
00:38 – The top three things Sharleen attributes to his sales success
00:48 – Number 1: Looking at her potential customers as people first
01:47 – Number 2: Thinking strategically
03:40 – Number 3: Being comfortable with being uncomfortable
05:59 – Sharleen’s role at Workfront
07:39 – Sharleen speaks to the hybrid nature of her sales role
12:06 – Sharleen quantifies her sales results
15:41 – Sharleen’s sales origin story
20:21 – What Sharleen would do differently if given the opportunity
22:11 – How Sharleen leverages being with the same company for nine years
24:25 – How Sharleen’s sales results were impacted by leadership within her organization
27:05 – Sharleen’s favorite sales story
32:15 – Sharleen’s proudest accomplishment
33:21 – What motivates and drives Sharleen
38:01 – Obstacles and challenges Sharleen has had to overcome throughout her career
42:17 – Sharleen describes a typical day in the life
46:38 – Sharleen’s best travel tip
49:53 – Insights Sharleen has gleaned by working from home during this time
51:48 – Other habits and routines that are critical to Sharleen’s success
52:45 – The books, news, podcasts, and trade information that Sharleen consumes
56:37 – Tools and apps that Sharleen uses on a daily basis
1:01:35 – Why Sharleen does not subscribe to a specific sales philosophy
1:02:49 – One of Sharleen’s beliefs that the average sales rep would think is crazy
1:04:07 – Sharleen provides advice on how sales reps can work to improve themselves
1:21:08 – Advice Sharleen would give to an upstart salesperson
1:22:35 – Advice Sharleen would give to a struggling salesperson, especially in this time of crisis
1:26:44 – Sharleen speaks to The Champion’s Sales Playbook
1:31:23 – Final thoughts from Sharleen
1:34:14 – Sharleen’s actionable challenge to the audience
Tweetables:
- “You can’t get comfortable in your selling role because that’s when you stop growing.” (04:16)
- “If I’m helping people then I get to help myself.” (33:51)
- “I will tell you this. I think you should work on yourself more than you work on your business. And, if you’re doing the work on yourself, the results are gonna show not only in your professional life but in all aspects of your life.” (1:03:03)
- “There’s really three main things a company’s trying to do. They’re trying to increase revenue, reduce cost and maybe improve customer satisfaction.” (1:18:04)
Links Mentioned:
[email protected]
2019 Sales Success Summit Videos
2020 Sales Success Summit
Sharleen Vincent on LinkedIn
Tools Mentioned on the Podcast:
SalesForce
Groove
Gong
Waze
Google Maps
Google
Books Mentioned:
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
The Power of Intention
The People Code: It’s All About Your Innate Motive