Jonathan Ball is a top Global Key Account Director in the Life Sciences space. Jonathan is a highly accomplished sales executive with over eleven years of experience in both Clinical Oncology & Life Sciences with over $200mm in reimbursable assays, research collaborations, and life sciences partnerships generated. Today, he joins the show to discuss his sales journey, the importance of sales culture, and his role as an intentional individual contributor.
Jonathan talks about his role, speaks to his favorite sales story, and shares his thoughts on what makes a great Sales culture. Jonathan dives deep into today’s sales environment and provides insights on young sales professionals and how they can be even more successful. For Jonathan, it’s all about quality over quantity, which is probably why he’s the top seller despite ranking dead last in the amount of emails sent in a recent end-of-year survey.
Jonathan shares the top things he attributes to his success, including insistent personalization, his ability to ask for the business, and forgoing the company’s best interests for the clients’ best interests. Jonathan and Scott dive deep into culture, retention, and ‘stay interviews.’ They talk about the importance of preparing to listen, rather than preparing to pitch during sales calls. Finally, they talk about charm, how to use it to your benefit, and the value of having intrinsic motivation.
What We Covered:
00:24 – Scott introduces today’s guest, Jonathan Ball
00:38 – The top three things Jonathan attributes to his success
00:55 – Number One: Insistent Personalization
06:25 – Number Two: Asking for the business
10:00 – Number Three: Forgoing the company’s best interests for the client’s best interests
17:01 – Jonathan expounds on his role
25:03 – Culture, Retention, and ‘Stay Interviews’
28:59 – Jonathan defines what a great sales culture is
31:48 – Jonathan’s sales origin story
37:10 – Jonathan’s autograph process
39:22 – Prepare to listen, don’t prepare to pitch
39:56 – Understanding charm and how to use it
50:14 – What Jonathan would do differently if given the chance
54:37 – An intentional individual contributor
58:56 – What motivates and drives Jonathan
1:07:03 – Jonathan’s favorite sales story
1:11:23 – Jonathan provides final thoughts and words of wisdom
Tweetables:
“I found extreme success when I actually lowered my volume of emails significantly, but had a hit rate of fifty or sixty percent. It’s funny, I got an email yesterday because we’re doing our end-of-year rankings and I was ranked dead last in the amount of emails, but number one in revenue and bookings.” (02:15)
“The more we train our young salespeople to get out of this awkward phase of, ‘would you like to move forward,’ and more into this mindset of, ‘I’ve got a great product. I am providing an immediate need. You need me, not the other way around,’ you’ll start to see this confidence in the representatives selling their product. You’ll also see this same type of shoulder build-up on the client’s end because you’re providing a streamline process.” (08:15)
“I would argue that any high performer has a problem with process, because exceptional people are different, by definition. To be exceptional, you have to do things differently.” (20:28)
“Prepare yourself to where you listen to everything they need, and you have the materials at hand, and you understand the materials at hand to personalize the sale.” (39:43)
“I feel like this is what I was meant to do. Put me in front of people. I want to do it because I believe in the product and I know it’s helping someone.” (54:29)
“I’ve now gotten to a point in my career where the money is less important. I want to be recognized for having influence and that’s what I’m after.” (58:37)
Links Mentioned:
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