On this episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs Podcast, Alice speaks with Julie Thomas, CEO at ValueSelling Associates. Overhauling the sales structures at ValueSelling required many layers of changes. From finding ideal independent contractors to introducing direct sellers, Julie has made collaboration between teams a top priority. Julie shares the best decisions she's made as CEO and some tips for fellow CEOs to learn more about the sales side of things. She adds that there are unique challenges in her channels but also forecasts that being adaptable to technology is the top skill of the future.
HIGHLIGHTS
01:27 Julie as an "accidental entrepreneur" and rebuilding the structure of ValueSelling
09:37 Challenges with recruiting passionate people and translating languages
14:18 Figuring out the ideal profile for ValueSelling's independent contractors
18:37 Company culture has a direct effect on a channel's effectiveness
21:18 Strengths and obstacles: Collaboration and adapting to change and technology
29:53 Hiring direct sellers alongside independent contractors
35:53 Future forecast: Adaptability is the number one skill
40:11 Advice for CEOs to get more involved with sales
QUOTES
11:37 "We also then put in place some incentives for my existing channel to go clone themselves and go find people that would help. So that became some of my recruiting arm."
22:22 "As we've grown in scale, some of the processes that worked when we were a company of 10 or 12, no longer work when you're 60, 70, 80 people, right? So we've had to change some business processes. Everything today is technology-enabled."
26:37 "It doesn't matter what you're going to do. You should learn accounting, you should learn finance. because every business needs that. And every business decision, you need to understand the language and finance."
35:16 "They have got such a fertile referral network that all they have to do is nurture and maintain and invest in that network, and the business is coming to them. We're going to tap into that in any way, shape, or form."
41:23 "When we flip what we think selling is from pushing to creating that pull with people, where they're leaning in, tell me more, I want to learn more, I think you can help me. That's where I think CEOs can add the most value."
Connect and learn more about Julie Thomas in the links below.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieathomas/
You can learn more about Alice Heiman by visiting the links below.
Website: https://AliceHeiman.com
LinkedIn: