Leveraging Referrals Positively Impacts Productivity with Joanne Black, Ep #190
Release Date: 04/22/2020
Simple Fitness Changes for Salespeople on the Go, Ep #481
Sales Reinvented
Ian Cartwright thrives on maintaining headspace through disciplined organization, both physically and mentally. Drawing inspiration from his training routine, he likens his approach to rowing—focusing on executing every stroke perfectly rather than worrying about the outcome. For Ian, success in sales, much like athletic performance, comes from controlling the controllables: dedicating time to preparation, fitness, and structure. By keeping his environment and routines in order, Ian believes the desired results will naturally follow.Joining me is Ian, a New Zealand-based sales coach,...
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Small Fitness Habits, Big Sales Wins, Ep #480
Sales Reinvented
There’s a powerful link between physical fitness and professional sales performance, and my guest, Nick Kane, founder and managing partner of Janek Performance Group, joins me to dig into the details this week. With over 25 years of experience, Nick shares compelling insights on how building healthy habits and maintaining physical well-being can sharpen your focus, increase energy, boost confidence, and fortify resilience—essentials for thriving in the demanding world of sales. From morning routines and movement throughout the workday to the importance of treating health as an investment,...
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Morning Routines That Boost Sales Energy and Focus, Ep #479
Sales Reinvented
On the show this week, I’m joined by renowned sales expert Mark Hunter—also known as "The Sales Hunter"—for a dynamic conversation about the powerful link between physical fitness and sales performance. Mark shares personal stories and actionable insights, drawing from decades of experience, including his global speaking and best-selling books like "A Mind for Sales" and "High Profit Prospecting." We explore how daily fitness habits foster energy, resilience, and relentless discipline—essential ingredients for thriving in the demanding world of professional sales. You’ll hear...
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How Fitness Habits Drive Sales Success, Ep #478
Sales Reinvented
Karen Kelly’s approach to corporate sales has always gone beyond scripts and talk tracks—it’s rooted in her personal commitment to fitness and wellbeing. Early in her career, Karen set herself apart not just through her expertise, but through the discipline of starting each day with a run. Her colleagues quickly came to recognize that when she arrived fresh from her morning exercise, Karen was “unstoppable.” This daily ritual gave her mental clarity, energy, and stamina for the long days and tough meetings ahead. Unlike others who needed a caffeine boost by midafternoon, Karen found...
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Why Strong Bodies Build Better Sales Careers, Ep #477
Sales Reinvented
This week on the show, we welcome Denis Champagne—a trilingual sales coach, elite athlete, and creator of the Body Business Balance framework—for a powerful conversation all about the link between physical fitness and sales performance. Drawing on over 35 years of experience in international sales leadership and coaching, Denis shares how athletic discipline, strength training, and healthy lifestyle choices can transform not only your personal well-being but also your professional sales results. From the value of discipline over motivation, to practical advice on building resilience...
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Managing Stress and Burnout on the Road Through Healthy Habits, Ep #476
Sales Reinvented
Renowned negotiation strategist Dr. Keld Jensen—ranked among the top three negotiation experts globally and author of 27 books, including the upcoming "The Smart Negotiator" joins me on the show to shine a spotlight on the powerful link between physical fitness and professional sales performance. As someone who spends more than 200 days a year on the road advising governments and Fortune 500 companies, Keld brings invaluable personal insights on how exercise, nutrition, sleep, and even fasting keep him sharp, resilient, and creative—no matter the demands of travel or high-stakes...
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Improving Sales Results With These Simple Daily Fitness Habits, Ep #475
Sales Reinvented
Brandon Cornthwaite’s story is one of discipline overcoming distraction. Growing up in South Africa, a country shaped by military rigor, Brandon’s journey took him from the world of elite cycling to a life in the military. Throughout his varied career, Brandon discovered that maintaining physical fitness wasn’t just about health—it was key to unlocking energy, focus, and professional success. Living with ADHD, Brandon dedicated himself to exercise as a way to boost cognitive performance, manage neurotransmitter balance, and avoid the need for medication. His commitment to staying...
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Fitness Habits That Elevate Your Sales, Ep #474
Sales Reinvented
Kristie Jones — sales consultant, B2B SaaS expert, and author of "Selling Your Way In”- discovered that her best workouts aren’t defined by the time of day, but by consistency. After long, sometimes challenging days at the sales office, Kristie prefers to “defrag” with evening exercise sessions, finding them the perfect way to unwind and recharge. Rather than chasing morning routines, she focuses on fitting in activity at least five days a week, motivated by the endorphin boost each session brings. For Kristie, the most important part of fitness is enjoying the process and staying...
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From Burnout to Breakthrough Sales Success Through Wellness, Ep #473
Sales Reinvented
There’s a powerful connection between physical fitness and professional sales success. Bob Woods, a leading LinkedIn and social selling strategist, best-selling author, and Chief Product Officer at Social Sales Link, shares how fitness energizes and builds resilience—key ingredients that help sales professionals shine in their roles. From his personal journey of losing 120 pounds to the daily habits that keep him sharp, Bob offers practical strategies and real-world examples of how movement, sleep, and consistency fuel both business achievements and personal health. Whether it’s treating...
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Uplevel Your Sales with Fitness and Mindset Routines, Ep #472
Sales Reinvented
Laura Hayton, Head of Business Development North at Transicon and a passionate advocate for the power of physical fitness in boosting sales performance, is with us on the show this week. Laura opens up about her personal journey, revealing how strength training helped her overcome anxiety, build resilience, and unlock a new level of professional success—all while balancing the demands of her career and being a single mother to neurodivergent twins. We explore the direct connections between physical well-being and high performance in sales, and discuss the practical steps sales professionals...
info_outlineStaying productive is an ever-evolving problem as a sales professional—but leveraging the power of referrals could help. Salespeople wear many hats: they prospect, write proposals, work with internal teams, handle customers, and more. Utilizing any tactic to help smooth the process can be a gamechanger. In this episode of Sales Reinvented, Joanne Black joins Paul to share her take.
Joanne Black founded No More Cold Calling 23 years ago and has been helping sales leaders drive revenue for their teams ever since. She is a referral consultant, speaker, and author of multiple books on sales. Her goal is to help sales professionals ensure qualified pipeline leads and shorten prospecting time and increase close rate.
Outline of This Episode
- [0:19] Joanne Black joins Paul!
- [054] What is productivity?
- [2:00] Salespeople need to focus on discipline
- [3:43] Do what’s closest to cash every day
- [5:55] Attributes of a productive salesperson
- [7:13] Joanne’s #1 recommendation
- [9:45] Top productivity dos and don’ts
- [11:32] Joanne’s favorite productivity story
Sales professionals must face a hard truth
Joanne doesn’t mince words—she believes many sales professionals are lazy and lack discipline. She notes that salespeople do everything they can to avoid prospecting and connecting with customers. Salespeople resist CRM and systems because it is more work. It’s expected that marketing will source and send leads down the pipeline.
But sales professionals are accountable for what they produce. They must take a long hard look at their behaviors and systems in place. Society as a whole wants the end results without the work that goes with it. Sales professionals must work hard to overcome the preconception that people have that they’re lazy. That starts by learning to be disciplined and staying accountable.
Do what’s “closest to cash” every day
Joanne’s mantra is “do what’s closest to cash every day”. What do you have to do to move things along and meet your quota? Is it writing a proposal? Do you have to corral a team and strategize? She points out that your job is all about prospecting and proposal writing—and whatever it takes to move forward.
To stay focused, you must prioritize and time-block what’s important. Limit how often you’re checking email and don’t get lost in the social media time-suck. She also recommends exercising and eating healthy. If you are tired and unfocused, you won’t be able to do your best work.
STOP cold-calling and embrace referrals
According to Joanne, it takes at least 8 touches to reach someone with cold calling. But if you get a referral? It’s one phone call and you’re in a conversation with someone who wants to speak with you. Her #1 recommendation to be more productive is to STOP cold calling and embrace referrals.
This allows you to spend less time prospecting, shortens the sales process, and helps your conversion rates soar to over 70%. How? Trust. When a client refers someone to you, they have already forged a level of trust with that person. That bond of trust gets transferred to you and completely changes the conversation you have.
Focus on what customers are saying (or NOT saying)
Joanne believes many salespeople are so bent on “doing” that they don’t think to ask what customers actually need. Every customer needs and wants different things and you can’t assume you know what those needs are without listening first. Joanne believes, “Every individual has a different need to know at a different time”. It’s your job to find out what that need is and provide a solution.
You also need to be able to know when a client is giving you the brush-off—by understanding their silence. Joanne worked for a company that was contacted to submit a proposal for what would have been a million-dollar deal. They were looking for some advanced sales training and their current vendor didn’t offer what they needed. But her contact gave her the runaround and Joanne ended up losing the deal.
The constant stalling and dodging of calls was a red-flag that Joanne missed. Be sure you’re paying attention to a potential client to get a concrete answer—”maybe” or “not sure” isn’t good enough. Getting a concrete “yes” or “no” will keep you from wasting your time and lead to more productivity. Listen to the whole episode for all of Joanne’s strategies to stay productive!
Resources & People Mentioned
- The SPEED of Trust by Stephen Covey
- No More Cold Calling by Joanne Black
Connect with Joanne Black
Connect With Paul Watts
Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK
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