An intense curiosity about the people and forces within the world of sales

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Bonus video: Are you spending too much time LOSING deals?





The Ideal Discovery Mindset
Over the years I’ve found that the mindset of the healthy skeptic is ideal for discovery because it reduces the tendency for confirmation bias. In contrast to “happy ears”, a salesperson acting as a healthy skeptic enters the discovery process assuming that the customer likely doesn’t need or isn’t willing to pay for their solution, and looks for evidence that they do.

They approach the opportunity as though they’ve already made their quota, they’re independently wealthy, or they don’t need the business. Almost like having a small sandwich before going to an all-you-can-eat buffet. You’re still hungry but you’re more likely to select only the items you’re truly craving instead of gorging yourself on every dish in the line.

If this mindset sounds like it requires too much emotional willpower to muster for the average sales rep (or you’re the type of person who can’t control your appetite at all-you-can-eat buffets…I hear you!), don’t worry!Have you ever felt like the universe had a secret plan for you? Like over time it kept dropping subtle queues and hints? Creating opportunities to express your passion through both triumph and adversity? Bringing amazing people into your life at just the right time? As if to say “this is what you were meant to do“? Well, that’s precisely what’s happened to me!

As a former research scientist, life-long learner and jordan telegram data someone who got into sales accidentally (like most of us), I’ve found selling to be an exceptionally interesting and engaging profession. I’ve been a Sales Engineer, sold services, been sales rep #1 at a start-up, built teams and playbooks from scratch, and been grateful to lead several incredible sales crews in many different cities over the past 20 years. But as a self-confessed introvert, I never had a strong desire to strike up random conversations with strangers (as anyone who’s sat beside me on a plane knows). I did have three things though:

The gift of synthesis so I could explain #1 to others
Exceptionally high conviction about any product or service I found valuable (which I’ve learned is the secret to building both sales pipeline and new ideas).
After three start-ups, two acquisitions, and an IPO, I ended up spending five amazing years at Salesforce (through acquisition #2). It was there that the concept of Cerebral Selling started as a passion project I called the Sales Leadership Academy. As I’ve described in the past, the journey was never about pounding the phones or lamenting the unsavory images conjured up by traditional, stereotypical salespeople. The catalyst was a genuine interest to share my curiosity and conviction for modern-day sales and leadership by telling its story so it could help others.