Everyone has a superpower. Lisa Palmer is that she’s an “outside-in thinking” strategist who leads executive peers to envision and surface business value from technology investments. She does this through the intersection of her four primary lenses: Seasoned IT Practitioner, Enterprise Software Leader, Executive Advisory, AI for Enterprise Researcher. Lisa is a builder who loves to create, retool and modernize. She loves to create harmony from chaos, to excite and onboard her colleagues, partners, and customers about envisioning, designing, and implementing change.
In today’s special BONUS episode, Scott and Lisa share in a rich and engaging discussion on fostering the growth of your sales career. Lisa expounds on the dangers of having unattainable quotas set forth by your manager, the power that your frontline manager has over your ability to succeed as a sales professional, and the importance of focusing on internal relationship building. Scott shares some personal examples of how either he or friends of his have navigated the complex challenges that a career in Sales can often bring. Lisa speaks to how long it should take to get to a level of competence within a new organization and the ability to recognize the right path for you.
Scott and Lisa also touch on timelines and how they are a critical component of progressing in your sales career. It’s not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ world and that is particularly true when it comes to Sales, whether you’re an SDR aspiring to become an AE or if you’re looking into Sales Leadership roles. Lisa continues by discussing the importance of developing into your role and co-branding yourself with the organization you choose to work for. She speaks to the value of investing in yourself and the benefit of working at organizations that invest in you. Finally, Scott and Lisa discuss culture and best practices for identifying companies that align with your values. Lisa explains that you have to look for organizations who are actively committed to building a culture that is designed around lifelong learning and professional growth. If they do not have that external commitment, they don’t have it internally either.
What We Covered:
00:01 – Scott thanks today’s bonus episode sponsors, Outreach, Gong, & Sales Hacker
00:37 – Scott introduces today’s guest, Lisa Palmer, who joins the show to discuss taking risks in your career
07:26 – Scott tells a quick story about a close friend
10:31 – Lisa talks about the dangers of unattainable quotas
11:25 – The power that your frontline manager has over your ability to succeed as a sales professional
13:46 – Understanding who your frontline manager is and the importance of focusing on internal relationship building
26:29 – How long should it take to get to a level of competence within a new organization?
30:41 – Commitment and recognizing the right path for you
35:04 – Timelines: From SDR to AE
39:55 – Co-branding ourselves with the organizations we choose to work for
44:38 – Investing in yourself and the benefit of working at organizations that invest in you
46:28 – Development and Culture
48:41 – Lisa speaks to the way Gartner develops their sellers
50:59 – Lisa shares final thoughts and insights
53:48 – Scott thanks Lisa for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with her
Tweetables:
“My biggest learning in my first sales gig was really about how do we marshall all of these internal resources? How do you find the right people? How do you push through when you come up against barriers from a process perspective? What are some of the tools we have to work from?” (04:45)
“So many frontline managers in today’s world have very little experience and almost no training or understanding as to how to coach from a deal perspective or how to coach from a team-building perspective. There’s just a dearth of experience in these frontline managers about how to manage things like helping you overcome quota challenges.” (11:46)
“When I think about onboarding in a new role, a key element has to be the focus on internal relationship building.” (17:03)
“In some ways, one year feels like a long time. But our reality is that Sales is a very complex profession. And it requires time and commitment to building all of the relationships and foundation that we need to be successful.” (33:13)
“We are choosing to co-brand ourselves with the organizations that we choose to work for.” (39:55)
“You have to look for organizations who are actively committed to building a culture that is designed around lifelong learning and professional growth. And if they do not have that external commitment, they don’t have it internally either.” (51:59)
Links Mentioned:
[email protected]
ALL Enterprise Sales Episodes
ALL Sobriety Inspirational Episodes
ALL SDR Episodes
2022 Sales Success Summit
Lisa Palmer on LinkedIn
Gartner
RepVue
Lisa Palmer Onboarding Intros Spreadsheet