Episode 144: Oracle Sales Rep of the Year - Brad Harmon - Stop Selling & Start Listening

Brad Harmon is the top Strategic Account Director at Celonis, an organization that helps companies reveal and fix inefficiencies they can’t see, enabling them to perform at levels they never thought possible. Brad is a dedicated, self-starter sales professional who takes a highly customer-centric approach to sales. He is a results-oriented leader who takes a value-based and consultative approach with a drive to be the best for his customers. Brad will do whatever it takes to help a customer succeed and maximize on their investments.

Today, Brad and Scott talk through Brad’s sales journey, his sales style, and what motivates and drives him both personally and professionally. Brad provides three key factors that he attributes most to his success. These include Brad’s relentless, never-ending prospecting plan, the never-ending pursuit of personal and professional development, and focusing on being customer-centric. Brad shares his highly competitive nature and recalls his favorite sales stories which highlight this competitive fire and will to win. He discusses the importance of knowing how to navigate large sales organizations as he had to learn at Oracle. Brad also speaks to the importance of managing your time effectively and splitting time between internal and external sales.

Brad takes the audience through a typical day in the life which normally begins around 6 am every morning where he takes care of his dog first. After feeding him and going on a three-mile walk, Brad is ready to hit the office around 7:30 am where he works on his weekly prospecting plan, blocks his calendar for outreach when he doesn’t have meetings, and focuses on any other administrative tasks. Brad always tries to make himself available to customers day or night. After the day is over, he goes on another walk with his dog, eats dinner, tries to exercise on his Peloton bike, and then focuses on his Master’s work. Finally, Brad issues an actionable challenge to the audience. He urges them to take risks, get uncomfortable and ask new and difficult questions. Getting outside of your comfort zone is a key aspect to success. Think outside the box of how you can change and how you can go to market.

What We Covered:

00:01 – Scott takes a moment to thanks today’s sponsors, Vidyard, Outreach, & Gong
00:38 – Scott introduces today’s guest, Brad Harmon
00:56 – The top three things Brad attributes to his success
01:07 – Number One: Brad’s relentless, never-ending prospecting plan
01:33 – Number Two: Never-ending personal and professional development
02:38 – Number Three: Being very customer-centric
03:30 – Brad’s sales origin story, including his current role at Celonis
06:23 – Brad’s first foray into sales
09:48 – What Brad would do differently if given the chance
12:06 – Brad’s prospecting plan and approach
15:22 – Scott takes a moment to thank one of today’s sponsors, Vidyard
15:56 – Brad’s favorite sales story
19:55 – Splitting time between internal and external sales
23:25 – Navigating large sales organizations
25:00 – Scott recalls his favorite story about Oracle
31:31 – Brad’s proudest accomplishment
33:48 – Obstacles and challenges that Brad has overcome throughout his sales career
35:05 – Brad takes the audience through a typical day in the life
37:48 – What goes into Brad’s Sunday Prospecting Plan
40:13 – Scott takes a moment to thank one of today’s sponsors, Outreach
40:41 – Other habits and routines that are critical to Brad’s success
43:04 – The human element of sales
47:16 – How Brad sets himself up for a successful year
50:33 – Scott takes a moment to thank the final sponsor of today’s episode, Gong
51:08 – The books, news, podcasts, and trade information that Brad consumes
53:29 – Brad’s tech stack
57:55 – Brad’s consultative sales style
59:32 – The components of Brad’s success plan
1:04:25 – Advice Brad would give to an upstart sales professional
1:06:10 – What motivates and drives Brad
1:07:15 – Advice Brad would give to a struggling sales professional
1:09:04 – Scott takes a moment to discuss the upcoming 2022 Sales Success Summit
1:11:43 – Brad expounds on his investment strategies
1:13:15 – What Brad wants to know about top sellers in other organizations
1:14:35 – Final words of wisdom from Brad
1:15: – Brad issues an actionable challenge to the audience

Tweetables:

“I think every sales rep, regardless of what role you’re in, should always be never-ending prospecting.” (14:23)

“I look at every loss as an opportunity to learn. But I’ll tell you something about me personally. I hate to lose more than I like to win. So, I take losses personally.” (16:08)

“I think, mentally, you just have to have the mindset that you are going to make this day the best you can and get the most out of it as possible and continue to not only drive revenue and pipeline for the company but for yourself.” (34:04)

“My sales style is not driven by Challenger, Sandler, or MEDDIC. My sales style has evolved over time to be a mixture of my personality along with some of the best things I’ve seen along the way, from a sales standpoint, that work. I think keeping that human and personal element and being empathetic as a part of your sale is a key differentiator to yourself.” (42:15)

“I’m all about collaborating. I’m all about networking. I think it’s one of the best things in business that you can do.” (53:19)

“Never-ending feedback and criticism are always fine to accept” (1:08:35)

Sponsors Mentioned:

Outreach
Gong
Vidyard

Episode 144: Oracle Sales Rep of the Year – Brad Harmon – Stop Selling & Start Listening

What We Covered:

Tweetables:

Links Mentioned:

Sponsors Mentioned: