23: Throw Down a Challenge with Dan Heffernan

Sales Tech Podcast

Throw Down a Challenge with Dan Heffernan

Welcome to Sales Tech Podcast, the show that talks about sales technology, what’s working, what’s not, and where the industry is going. In this episode, Thom sits down with sales guru, Dan Heffernan.

Dan is the Chief Growth Officer at Dale Carnegie, and he works with customers all over the world, helping them grow their teams and shape their cultures. Dale Carnegie is a unique company because they actually work in eighty-eight countries.

They do training in thirty-five different languages and they have over three thousand trainings. To say that Dan knows a little bit about sales, sales training and sales technology would be a gross understatement!

Today, Thom and Dan talk about the many offerings Dale Carnegie provides to their clients and customers. Dan expounds on his role as Chief Growth Officer and shares what he wishes everyone knew about sales technology.

Finally, Dan speaks to the impact the global pandemic has had on sales on B2B sales and the important role face-to-face interaction continues to play in sales.

What We Covered:

00:38 – Thom introduces today’s guest, Dan Heffernan, who joins the show to share his background in sales, sales training, and sales technology

02:12 – How sales managers can ensure sales professionals utilize the sales tech available to them

03:42 – Dan talks about the company he works for, Dale Carnegie, and some of the unique tools they offer their clients

06:02 – Dan expounds on his role as Chief Growth Officer and what he wishes more people knew about sales technology

07:33 – Areas where Dan hopes his organization can improve upon

08:17 – Social selling

10:05 – Dan talks about some of the most exciting innovations we’ve seen in sales tech and speculates on what the future may hold

11:12 – Tools Dan is currently using to sell to those in a buying cycle

13:01 – How a global company approaches sales technology

15:01 – How the global pandemic has changed B2B

18:23 – The importance of face-to-face interactions in sales

21:00 – What Dan wishes every sales leader understood about sales technology

22:33 – Thom thanks Dan for joining the show and let’s listeners know where to connect with him

Tweetable Quotes:

“No matter how big your company is, adoption is always a challenge because sales reps usually have their own flow and their own focus. They know what works for them and trying something new could get in the way of their production. And salespeople avoid that for obvious reasons.” (02:37)

“Sales reps and sales leaders that are effective are all doing the same thing. They’re testing something, making sure it works and they’re finding success and sharing that success quickly.” (07:19)

“Social selling is a world where buyers are doing most of the decision making independently before they have to engage with a salesperson. And so we need to make that easy for them.” (09:35)

“I’m excited about the whole idea that, as salespeople, we no longer should be wasting our time selling to people who don’t want to buy. And that we’ve got an opportunity to really just be selling to those who are buying because we know who’s buying now.” (10:33)

“If we’re feeling like our sales reps and our teams and our leaders are wasting time selling to people who will never buy our products then we’re definitely not using technology the right way.” (22:16)

Links Mentioned:

Dan Heffernan on LinkedIn

Dale Carnegie Website

Dan Heffernan's Email – [e-mail]