Are you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real. 

you sick of crickets? The pain of sales reps continually reaching out with phone calls and emails and not receiving a response is real.

85% of people prefer text over email and phone calls because they want to engage in a conversation. All text messaging is not equal. Customers respond to people, NOT BOTS. Be more like people and start having conversations that end in conversions. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com.

NetHunt CRM is a sales automation tool that lives inside Gmail. It covers a full set of features to manage leads, nurture customer relations, monitor sales progress, and automate sales and marketing workflows. With native-like Gmail and G Suite integration, you can access all the CRM data, launch bulk email campaigns, and set up automated sequences right from your inbox. NetHunt helps to move your leads down your sales funnel and never let the valuable prospects go untouched.

NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first 3 months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. 

Try NetHunt CRM today →  https://nethunt.com/tse

This course is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. “We value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our 2 mins survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. 

This episode is sponsored by:

1. Skipio - Get one month free on an Individual plan with code TSE, or, 2 free seats/licenses on Teams. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com.
2. NetHunt - NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first 3 months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. 

Welcome to the first episode of Selling in Color. In today’s episode, let’s talk about why people of color and sales match perfectly together! 

• When talking about sales, people immediately think about individuals who annoy customers. Many people have negative ideas about a sales job. 
• There’s always a general stigma around sales, people of color, and then people of color and sales. 

• IBM started recruiting black people in the 70s, and the turnout was good, but the rate of people of color in a sales job or white-collar jobs didn’t increase until today. 
• The jobs available for people of color were in retail. 
• Today, there are already several other sales jobs out there. In the next episodes, we will have other people of color who work in other industries and in different roles and positions. 

• It takes work before one can become a great salesperson. The barriers to sales, however, are way fewer than the barriers to other careers such as lawyers and doctors. 
• While those careers make good money, the road going there is long and steep. 
• On the other hand, sales also give you the same level of income, but the road isn’t as long and steep. You don’t need a master’s degree or doctorate degree to become a great salesperson. You only need to develop the right skills to become a great salesperson. 
• Sales allowed Donald to have a good lifestyle, take care of his family, and help other people as well. 
• With a better income, you are able to build generational wealth for your family. 
• When it comes to sales, you need to hustle and be creative. You need to stand up against the extreme competition. You need persistence and tenacity. There’s a need to have thick skin to be able to weather objections or rejections. 
• All these mental attitudes are common among people of color. 
• People of color continue to face challenges and oppressions. We understand difficulties. 
• Sales is how you can use that attitude and make the best out of it. 

Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is sponsored by:

1. Skipio - Get one month free on an Individual plan with code TSE, or, 2 free seats/licenses on Teams. Try Skipio at www.Skipio.com.
2. NetHunt - NetHunt CRM offers TSE listeners a 40% discount for the first 3 months along with free user training and a dedicated Customer Success Manager with any pricing plan. 

DeJuan Brown - Where Are All the Black Folks in Sales?

Sales is a huge industry and there is much space for everyone. Still, one could ask “Where are the black people in sales?” DeJuan Brown talks about this subject in today’s episode. 

Black folks in sales

• There are many black salespeople out there across industries. They are, however, below the surface because they’re not vocal on LinkedIn and other platforms. They are focused on hammering down the work and there are reasons for that. 
• The black community is rich with sales leadership but unfortunately, we don’t have many black salespeople in the tech industry. We don’t know where they are because we don’t necessarily hear their voice, they’re not putting out a lot of content, and they’re not doing other things aside from hustling year after year.

The struggle of people of color in sales

• There is a problem with mobility within sales for black people. 
• There need to be more black people, black sales leaders, and black sellers because the more diverse a team is, the more profitable it becomes. 
• The ability to have diverse thoughts, perspectives, and ideas within the team improves the performance of everyone in the team. 
• It takes a long time for black sellers and black leaders to get to the level of social credibility and that is a problem in itself. 
• Black people can speak of a subject matter and post it without getting any invite to any platform. It’s different for white people. They’d post one thing and all of a sudden, they’re invited to all the platforms. 
• Even when a black sales leader has proven his/her work for a long time, there will still be others who’d remain doubtful. Even when heshe has years and years of experience, you’d still be considered a risk to work with. 
• Some companies are trying to fix the problem and starting to invest money in taking away the implicit bias in job descriptions and other hiring practices, promotional practices, and speaking engagements. 
• While the work on fixing the issue has begun, we still have a long way to go towards diversity. 
• There is a good community out there where the black people congregate and help each other out. Along with DeJuan and others, they sharpen their tools in sales, and they put each other in a position where they can understand the waters and become successful. 
• It’s important to broaden our scope on how and where we’re recruiting from and how we view talent. 
• It’s essential to broaden your network and to always be on the lookout for the people on your contact list and the people you connect with on LinkedIn. Be intentional in diversifying your network and the people you speak to and learn from. 

“Where Are The Black People In Sales?” episode resources

Check out Sales for Culture that’s about to launch on February 1st. It’s a space, not only for sales leaders but for everyone who wants to be empowered. It’s a community to help others improve your skills and hone your talent in sales. It’s a place where black tech sellers, leaders, and more congregate. 

Connect with  DeJuan Brown, Marcus Knight, and Jacob Gebrewold on LinkedIn. Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

As sales leaders, do we ask ourselves how we can help those coming into sales after us to find success? Sales is difficult if you are without a mentor or coach. In this episode, Jacob Gebrewold talks about the importance of helping new salespeople to succeed. 

Jacob’s beginning in sales

• Jacob didn’t get into sales on his own. It was a team effort in the sense that a lot of people rallied to lead him to where he is right now. 
• He started his first sales development rep role when he was 18 and went on to become an account executive after that. 
• His passion is tied to helping people solve their problems and there is no greater industry where he could solve problems at scale but in the tech space. 
• It wasn't originally his plan but he was tapped by some people on  LinkedIn. He got help from many people on how to navigate the interview process and how to best articulate what he is bringing to the table. 
• Having diverse people in the team who use different methods in solving problems based on their life or work experiences makes the team better. They add value to the team. 

Challenges that hold people from getting into sales

• Oftentimes, people are not aware that a B2B sales career is an option. 
• Some white people who previously didn’t know about tech roles still end up in the tech sales space because of their network and the community they are in. It’s different for black men and women who probably do not hang out at the Golf and Country Clubs. Most of the black people do not have those established social numbers. 
• Generally, there’s a misconception about sales and what salespeople do. 
• It’s also difficult for black people to walk in a space where they don’t see that many people who can relate and understand their experiences. There are some conversations that black people can’t relate to and vice versa and that may leave them feeling lonely and without a sense of real belonging. 

Helping others understand the opportunity in sales

• Black salespeople should be disproportionately equipped out of anyone in any career path to speak about what you do. 
• While money is not the only measure of success or value, it’s still nice to have an impact on your income and sales have that. Many people in sales put in more effort and they are rewarded incredibly. 
• Targeted communication to black folks about what they’re hoping to get done will be helpful. This is something that black sales leaders should be excited to bring to the black community. 
• Sales is a career where you don’t need that tertiary education but would still be able to earn six figures. This truth should be communicated more to the community. 

The Sales for the Culture community

• It’s a community of black sellers for black sellers to make sure that black people are attracted to, empowered in, enabled for, and included in the tech sales profession. 
• Sales for the Culture community is created to make sure that the black folks don’t do the sales game alone. 
• It partnered with a non profit organization called Re:work Training. They tag people from untapped backgrounds, especially the black folks. They give them free training and get them up to speed on how to get a tech sales job. 

“How Can We Help Those Coming Into Sales After Us Find Success?” Episode Resources

Connect with Jacob Gebrewold on LinkedIn. Speak with Donald directly for more sales talks. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.