Sales Pipeline Radio, Episode 343: Q & A with Gabrielle Blackwell

By Matt Heinz, President of Heinz Advertising and marketing

For those who’re not already subscribed to Gross sales Pipeline Radio or listening stay each Thursday at 11:30 am Pacific on LinkedIn (additionally on demand) you will discover the transcription and recording right here on the weblog each Monday morning.  The present is lower than half-hour, fast-paced and stuffed with actionable recommendation, greatest practices and extra for B2B gross sales and advertising professionals.

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This week’s present is entitled, “Motivation + Improvement = Gross sales Supervisor Success” and my visitor is Gabrielle Blackwell (aka GB) Creator of The One on One.  

Tune in to study to:

• Uncover why understanding somebody’s observe document of motivation is essential to their objectives and efficiency
• Learn the way being a chief who genuinely cares and fosters secure areas for workers to share their challenges can improve productiveness and engagement
• Uncover how empathy can flourish in digital settings, permitting managers to information, mentor, and help staff even in instances of worldwide uncertainty.

Watch the video, pay attention in under and/or learn the transcript under.

Matt: Alrighty. Effectively, welcome all people to a different episode of Gross sales Pipeline Radio. I’m your host, Matt Heinz. So grateful that you just all are right here becoming a member of us for an additional episode. In case you are becoming a member of us stay as a part of your workday, in case you’re becoming a member of us stay on LinkedIn or on YouTube, thanks very a lot for becoming a member of us. In case you are listening or watching this on demand, thanks very a lot for downloading, for subscribing, for listening. For those who like what you hear right now, that is what we do. We function a few of the greatest and brightest minds in B2B gross sales and advertising frequently.

And you will discover all previous and current and future episodes of this podcast on salespipelineradio.com. Tremendous excited to have right now, the creator of The One on One e-newsletter. She is also the co-host of the BDR espresso discuss program that’s co-hosted with 6Sense. Simply an all-around dangerous ass, Gabrielle Blackwell, higher identified to her mates as “GB” becoming a member of us right now. Thanks a lot.

Gabrielle: Yeah. Thanks, Matt. I’m so excited to be right here.

Matt: I’ve been in a position to watch and admire you from afar from the work you could have executed with the e-newsletter. You do a number of video work. You’re lively on social, with the BDR espresso discuss group you do with 6Sense. Give folks a bit spotlight of your background and the place you focus.

Gabrielle: It’s humorous as a result of I adopted you for some time within the background. I began off as an SDR in 2015 and I used to be working at this firm the place we bought a content material advertising answer for firms that had been translating into completely different languages and, I used to be like, okay, Heinz advertising, may’ve been in my territory. So, I used to be like, I have to know who Matt Heinz is. I have to know the place he’s going. So, I used to be a bit stalker woman for a short while and ended up being actually good at it. A lot in order that once I moved to a different firm, that they had promoted me as much as an SDR supervisor and I’ve simply not left since 2017.

So, throughout that point I’ve labored at firms that had been 50 folks firms that grew to 100. I’ve labored at firms like Gong and Airtable that went from 400 to 1000, now working at Tradition Amp as an SDR supervisor. So, I’ve seen all of it executed all of it. There’s not a lot that surprises me anymore. After which I get to after all have like The One on One content material model and the espresso discuss.

Matt: Positively encourage you if you’re a gross sales supervisor, gross sales chief, positively test it out.

A lot floor we may cowl simply when it comes to gross sales management, gross sales administration. I wish to discuss a bit bit about being a gross sales supervisor versus being a coach. However I believe {one of the} subjects that we had been speaking about earlier than is this concept of motivation.

What motivation appears to be like like for contemporary sellers versus completely different generations. Actually essential distinction to make. So, discuss what motivation means to you for a gross sales group. Then we’ll form of unpack completely different flavors of that.

Gabrielle: Once I take into consideration motivation or the issues that compel folks into motion, the extra we will perceive somebody’s motivation, the extra now we have our arms on the steering wheel, that’s form of the analogy that I give with my people, even making an attempt to grasp a prospect’s motivation and what compels them into motion.

Motivation goes to be completely different from one individual to the following. That’s crucial factor that we have to perceive as managers and leaders. And {one of the} issues I actually like to grasp is, what’s the observe document of motivation for this individual? As a result of if somebody says, “I’m motivated by cash.”

And I say, okay, “cool”. Inform me a couple of time the place you had the chance to earn more money and also you modified how you use–you made a special choice. You will have left a spot, no matter. And in the event that they don’t have a observe document of it, a minimum of three examples, I query whether or not it is a true motivation. So I at all times simply form of begin off with understanding…

Give me some examples, some tales that illustrate what actually drives you. And let’s begin from there. After which additionally, I wish to perceive, who’re leaders that you just’ve labored for or lecturers that you just’ve realized from or coaches, from a sports activities perspective, that basically stored you motivated and pushed in these arenas. And the way do they present up? What had been the primary behaviors?

After which this then provides me form of a playbook, proper to have the ability to function with them. I believe one other factor that’s actually essential is recognizing that motivations change over time, relying on what’s happening in somebody’s life.

At one cut-off date, somebody may’ve been motivated by “I need to earn more money”, however then they could have youngsters, they’ve a household, one thing adjustments of their household they usually say, “truly what I actually care about much more is flexibility and independence”. I believe simply being very, very attuned to the truth that individuals are advanced they usually change over time.

Matt: How a lot is motivation impacted by an organization’s tradition or a gross sales workforce’s tradition? Your first reply there may be very a lot– motivation is a person, private factor. Is it largely private or is it pushed additionally by form of workforce dynamics as properly?

Gabrielle: I believe your atmosphere has a lot affect over the way you present up, proper?

In case you are in a relationship with somebody they usually pour into you and then you definately’re like, “All proper, cool. I’m getting loads from this relationship”. You’re going to maintain on going again to the properly.  For those who’re in a relationship with somebody, they take and take and take from you and also you’re like, “Oh, wow, hastily I really feel like” it’s to not say that I’m not motivated. It’s simply that “I truly am operating on empty”.

For those who’re in an atmosphere that’s not aligned to your values and what it takes so that you can thrive in an atmosphere, it makes a number of sense why you’re simply surviving right here.

I believe in addition to a supervisor, {one of the} issues that we have to be actually conscious of and that’s why I counsel asking that query about who’re the leaders or lecturers or coaches or whomever else it’s. How do they present up for you that influenced you or impressed you to point out up extra and carry out higher and keep motivated and productive? As a result of if we’re not assembly folks’s wants on that facet, then it could make a number of sense why hastily we begin to see some disengagement from them.

Matt: Is it tougher to attempt to drive and impression that motivation in a digital atmosphere? I don’t know the way a lot time you’ve spent in a gross sales ground with folks in individual versus doing it digital. Any adjustments to the way you drive motivation and might impression motivation in a primarily digital atmosphere?

Gabrielle: I believe I’m nearing in the direction of majority of my administration expertise is going on in a digital or hybrid world. However the first two and a half years of managing was all in an workplace. I’d say that it’s been simpler in a digital setting. And I believe a few of it’s because individuals are at residence. They’re a bit bit extra snug. We’re not face-to-face. And for no matter purpose, it’s like we’re in a position to join a bit bit extra deeply than we might if we had been in an workplace and other people should prepare, dress, present up, placed on and have a façade there.

I believe if managers are prepared to construct up that degree of professionally secure intimacy with their folks in a distant setting, you’d begin to see that you just’re truly attending to know your folks a lot deeper and way more than you’d in case you had been in an workplace.

On this bizarre world the place like actually, the world’s burning proper now. There’s a number of issues which can be taking place. And so in these settings, too, I discover that individuals are prepared to have these conversations with me about “I’m struggling. I’m making an attempt to determine how does work truly match into all of this whereas it looks like the whole lot is burning to hell?”.

I believe there’s a possibility for folks to be greater than managers and actually be like, mentors and guides, particularly for people who’re earlier on of their profession.

Matt: I believe that’s a reasonably large distinction. And I wish to double click on on that a bit bit round how earlier generations got here to work and the conversations that occurred at work that right now, whether or not we ask them to or not, individuals are bringing their complete selves to the workplace.

And it could be in-person or digital and, you recognize, the issues that they’re interested by, anxious about in life impression work. The place are the traces on that? When it comes to particularly from a gross sales administration standpoint, I imply, if one thing’s happening in somebody’s life or within the headlines, you may’t assist, however that impression, how do you tackle all of that holistically with somebody the place the target from a administration standpoint is clearly manufacturing?

You want an output as an employer from a gross sales rep, however you continue to have to deal with the actual human behind them as properly. That seems like a really sophisticated combine.

Gabrielle: Yeah. There’s a ebook someplace in my residence about gross sales teaching and it talked about The Efficiency Formulation.

So it was like efficiency equals some set of variables and a few of the variables had been like, you want order, you want a bit little bit of chaos, proper? You have to have route as properly, however then {one of the} massive variables that confirmed up that has the most important impression is your relationship. The connection between the supervisor and their individual, proper?

For those who shouldn’t have a relationship along with your folks, then that’s at all times going to impression productiveness and efficiency. They’re not mutually unique.

I’ll go to work and I’ll run by a wall for a supervisor who I believe truly cares about me and offers a rattling about me and can go there and have these conversations with me versus somebody who I believe is simply having a transactional engagement with me.

I believe crucial factor is, no matter’s happening on the planet, you continue to should be the chief. You continue to should be that one who instills a degree of confidence and who conjures up a sure form of fearlessness, even when the world is crumbling and it’s actually arduous to promote.

I at all times advocate no matter’s happening, making an attempt to come back at it from a classes realized perspective and giving folks or inspiring folks the imaginative and prescient to maintain maintain of whereas the whole lot could be actually powerful.

However I additionally suppose it’s realizing your boundaries too. I’m a folks chief, however I additionally am someone who’s not a licensed therapist.

And there are particular conditions the place I’ve to say, “Hey Matt, I may also help in these areas, however I believe one thing that’s gonna maximize what we’re doing right here is discovering someone who may also help you in these methods”

Particularly when you’ve got any form of worker help programming by, like, Fashionable Well being or BetterUp or no matter, however I say “I like to recommend you speaking to our therapist and our coaches” to my workforce like each single week and I see folks benefiting from that and bringing that again into the workforce settings too.

Matt: I believe typically simply empathy, proper? To your level, you’re not anticipated to be a counselor and resolve these issues, however to acknowledge that they’re there.

And empathy just isn’t fixing the issue. It’s sitting there with them and saying ” I see you and this, I do know that is arduous.” And simply that alone may be so highly effective for somebody even in knowledgeable atmosphere, it seems like that they’re heard and supported.

Gabrielle: Yeah. In majority of engagement surveys that I’ve seen, {one of the} primary questions that I see is ” do you’re feeling like your supervisor cares about you?”.  If that’s {one of the} first questions it’s in all probability {one of the} largest predictors of somebody’s degree of engagement and due to this fact potential for efficiency.

The flexibility to only to take a seat there and be current with somebody and say “clearly that is actually arduous for you. And that’s regular.”

Matt: Speaking right now on Gross sales Pipeline Radio with Gabrielle Blackwell, “GB” to her mates, who’s a gross sales supervisor and likewise the creator of The One on One, a incredible gross sales e-newsletter.

Go to workweek.com, in case you scroll down you will notice a headshot of her that appears like it’s Scotch taped subsequent to her identify, you may click on on that and subscribe to her e-newsletter. Extremely advocate it.

So I used to be studying, a couple of previous points and {one of the} belongings you discuss is this concept of  the way you present up as a pacesetter. We will discuss concerning the conversations we wish to have. We will discuss concerning the depth and element of what that’s, however what does it imply to point out up as a pacesetter and the way do it’s a must to be ready to do this properly?

Gabrielle: Good query. The phrases which can be popping up for me:  Now we have to be ready to fulfill the second no matter that’s. And so there are occasions the place for me, let’s say it’s in a one-on-one setting and my rep is sharing or venting or no matter and I’m like, “what’s happening?” What am I doing? Typically it’s simply  taking a second and asking a query—what’s one of the simplest ways I can meet the second for my rep proper now?

And asking the questions, “Hey, what’s one of the simplest ways that I can present up for you? Do you simply want me to pay attention? Wouldn’t it be useful if we simply soundboarded this? Or do you might want to inform me what to do?

What’s one of the simplest ways that I can present up for you?

So, in a one-on-one setting, it may be like that. And there’s typically the place I see my workforce in a gaggle setting, we’re going to a spot that could be very unproductive and I’ve to be the one that goes, “hey, we’re hitting an out of bounds line proper now. I hear you. I perceive but additionally we’re shifting in the direction of right here.

So once more, how do we have to present up? How does every individual want to point out up on this scenario to assist get us there? It’s one half asking. It’s like being a coach, asking inquiries to your folks that can assist you determine what’s one of the simplest ways to point out up to your people.

Nevertheless it’s additionally ensuring you’re difficult your people to point out up higher in the event that they’re not doing what they should do or they’re not displaying up in a approach that’s gonna be productive for them. That to me is absolutely what I take into consideration once I say present up because the chief.

Matt: That’s a two-way road. While you do efficient one-on-ones, each individuals are coming with their greatest selves, each individuals are coming totally current for the second. Each individuals are coming ready for the dialog they wish to have.

When you concentrate on preparation for these one on ones, what ought to a gross sales rep carry to that dialog?

What ought to a supervisor or gross sales coach carry to that dialog?

Gabrielle: I do two, one-on-ones with my workforce per week. One is concentrated on a numbers evaluate, however it’s extra so specializing in what do you might want to accomplish this week to set your self up for achievement for the quarter.

After which what’s gonna enable you to? And what’s gonna be a hindrance? After which relying on what’s gonna assist or what’s gonna hinder, that turns into our focus for our teaching dialog on the second one-on-one of the week.

First one-on-one that now we have, crucial factor is, we have to perceive what’s happening in your online business. You have to have command over that. So now we have a pacing formulation that helps us perceive what can we predict when it comes to efficiency. What are the primary issues which can be influencing these numbers? What’s going very well. After which additionally what are your objectives have to be this week? After which coming in ready with, right here’s like my step-by-step of how I’m going to perform my purpose.

If I perceive my rep’s numbers and I’m coming in ready with that and my rep is coming in ready with, right here’s my objectives for the week and right here’s how I’m going to perform it we will spend much more time teaching on what’s your technique for execution. And also you’re going to be approach forward versus, displaying as much as a one on one on a Tuesday and spending 20 minutes simply filling out a spreadsheet. You might be lacking out on half-hour of teaching each single week in comparison with the one that’s coming in ready.

Matt: That’s proper. Superior. Effectively, {one of the} belongings you wrote on LinkedIn, for these of you aren’t following GB on LinkedIn, positively try her content material there as properly. It’s {one of the} belongings you talked concerning the starting and finish of a one on one.

To start with, identical to ask, “how are you?”

And typically it’s a must to ask that query twice, proper? “How are you?”

And other people say, “I’m tremendous”. No, no, no, no. How are you? Proper. I imply, actually give that house and oxygen to have that dialog as a result of in case you don’t, it’s there anyway, and it’s gonna shade what they’re prepared to share within the dialog as you go.

So your recommendation is begin with “how are you” in shut with “I recognize you”.

Gabrielle: Sure.

Matt: We discuss a bit bit about appreciation and that gesture, which is simply three phrases, however how essential that’s for folks to be seen whether or not they’re hitting their quantity or not.

Gabrielle: Yeah, I believe that’s crucial piece is that once we’re in a performance-based position, typically we solely wait till someone hits their quantity to really say, “Hey, you’re doing a fantastic job”. However there’s so many issues that occurred earlier than that. And so if individuals are solely associating their value or their degree of appreciation with their efficiency, you’re in all probability in a poisonous tradition.

Like, that’s my sincere perception versus somebody the place it’s like, “all proper, I have to encourage you. I want you to imagine”, proper? I’m going to encourage you as a result of that’s going to be the issues which can be going that can assist you carry out over time.

So simply reminding folks whether or not you’re performing or not, I imagine in you and I recognize you, I recognize your presence.

It’s essential. You’re essential.

Matt: It’s tremendous essential. Hey, final query earlier than now we have to wrap up. Like I stated, positively try her e-newsletter, The One on One, try her content material on LinkedIn. You’re a prolific creator.

Who’re a few of the creators that you just take heed to? Who’re a few of the folks, gross sales leaders and in any other case that proceed to show and encourage you?

Gabrielle: Among the early people for me had been Kevin Dorsey. He’s been a mentor of mine has been extremely influential as properly. And provides a shout out to Scott Leese to all Austin people the place I’m in Austin, Texas. I’ve simply, I’ve appreciated his degree of vulnerability, but additionally difficult folks. Ralph Barsi is one other mentor of mine.

Actually, they’re simply so many mentors like Nate Vogel. However I believe there was folks like Nikki Ivy and Sarah Brasier once I was first began creating. I believe one of the stunning issues is to see someone that you just actually admire and respect and scroll again three, 4 years and see the place they began, proper?

It’s so useful to know that everyone begins from the identical place and also you simply discover they’re simply actually constant. I’m going to offer a shout out to, I believe that was like 5 – 6 folks.

Matt: And I like that they had been excellent on prime of your head, proper? I imply, folks that you just’re interested by the folks; we’re all studying from one another. And I believe that that continuous studying course of– – no person has all of the solutions since we’re all simply form of figuring this out and rising in actual time.

Effectively, GB, thanks a lot for becoming a member of us right now. Thanks for being a part of Gross sales Pipeline Radio.

Gabrielle: Thanks, Matt. Admire you.

Thanks everybody a lot for becoming a member of us. We’ll be again subsequent week, each week, 11:30 Pacific, 2:30 Jap on Thursdays. This has been one other episode of Gross sales Pipeline Radio we’ll see you subsequent week. Take care.

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