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.
Read the full transcript & show notes →
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