Episode 75: Take The Lead with David Weiss

David Weiss a top-performing sales executive, leader, and strategist at ADP, one of the world’s largest and most experienced HR providers. David is an expert in sales strategy, sales operations, training, and the ways companies brand themselves to attract a target audience. As a sales manager, David was the #1 seller in his division as part of the Global Enterprise Sales team at ADP. Since he was last on the podcast, David has transitioned into a sales leadership role that suits his natural talent as a teacher and problem solver. As a leader, David uses a consistent approach which has made his teams among the most successful in the business.

In this episode, David talks about his transition into this new sales leadership role. He identifies three keys he attributes to his success. First and foremost, he credits his team for the majority of his success. This echoes David’s belief that a leader is only as good as the team that he/she is surrounded by. Second, he credits a methodical approach to sales. Finally, David knows he wouldn’t be as effective of a leader if it weren’t for the power of caffeine! David takes the audience through a typical day in the life of a sales leader, from one-on-one meetings with the five members of his team to up to twenty weekly meetings. David is passionate about working on projects that have a big impact as well as helping people learn and grow. It is this passion that has helped David blossom into an incredibly successful sales leader.

David provides actionable challenges to both quota carriers and sales leaders alike. He urges those working to reach the quota to be introspective and to fully immerse themselves into the magnitude of what it takes to close a deal. He suggests mapping out a plan to get better at honing their sales skills by exploring every possible avenue. Finally, for the sales leaders, David challenges them to make success about your people and not about yourself.

What We Covered:

00:24 – Scott takes a moment to thank today’s sponsor, Vidyard Go Video
00:40 – Scott Ingram welcomes back to the podcast, David Weiss
01:25 – The top three things David attributes to his success as a sales leader
01:31 – Number 1: David’s employees/team
01:46 – Number 2: A scientific-methodical approach to sales
01:59 – Number 3: An ample amount of coffee and espresso
02:11 – Building and inheriting an eclectic team
03:19 – Scott takes a moment to thank his sponsor, Vidyard Go Video, once more
04:37 – Making the change to a leadership role
05:12 – David’s sales success during the past year
07:24 – Why David decided to make this shift into leadership
08:19 – Advice David would give to someone considering entering a sales leadership role
09:41 – The difference between mediocre and great sales leaders
11:00 – The dynamic between underperforming and outperforming salespeople
13:09 – The process of continuous improvement
16:44 – Best practices for honing your sales skills
18:09 – The Ten Thousand Hour Theory
19:17 – David gives a preview of his presentation at the Sales Success Summit
23:57 – David describes a typical day in the life of a sales leader
27:19 – A problem-solver at heart
30:01 – The most impactful book David has read in the past year
32:33 – Working on his leadership style
33:20 – The importance of rigorous authenticity
36:02 – Managing to the number versus managing to the person
38:03 – David talks about the Sales Career Guide he and his friend recently wrote
41:54 – Scott teases a Webinar that he and David will be participating in
43:41 – David’s actionable challenge to the quota carriers
46:29 – David’s actionable challenge to the sales leaders
48:45 – Scott urges the audience to attend the Sales Success Summit

Tweetables:

• “I think people need to figure this out a little bit on their own. Where are you already great and super strong and how do you get better? And then where are you weak and then you need to spend the most amount of time to get yourself up to a fair baseline or above it.” (17:07)

• “One of the main reasons I got into sales is cause I like solving problems. Period.” (27:33)

• “There are so many people that, especially in business, especially as you get higher up in leadership, that play the game or try to say all the right things. That’s just never been me.” (34:38)

• “Make it about your people! It’s not about you. If your people are successful, you will be successful.” (46:33)

Books Mentioned:

Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership

What We Covered:

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