Today, Keely Flood joins us on the pod.
Keely is a ten-year corporate sales veteran. During that time, he earned multiple President’s Club awards in the SaaS and recruiting spaces. About a year ago, he started his own company, The Honest Salesperson, which provides sales coaching services to staffing and recruiting firms.
Keely opens up about his unorthodox career path—from college football coach to corporate sales to entrepreneurship—and all the sales lessons he learned along the way. Throughout the episode, we delve into various aspects of sales, leadership, and the importance of taking a systematic approach to achieving business growth.
So, get ready to take notes on Episode 14 of the Systematic Selling Podcast. And check out my Top 6 Takeaways 👇
Key Takeaways
1. Empathy and Humility in Sales
Keely emphasizes the importance of seeking to understand the client's perspective and being open to different viewpoints. His background in studying religion taught him to appreciate diverse interpretations, which translates well into the sales process. Instead of pushing a one-size-fits-all solution, he listens actively and recommends alternative options if his offering is not the right fit.
2. Prospecting and Inbound Systems
Keely leverages LinkedIn as a powerful prospecting tool. He engages with people who view his profile, connect with him, or interact with his content. By thanking them for their time and offering to help, he initiates conversations that can lead to potential business opportunities. This approach showcases how to extract value from inbound prospecting efforts.
3. Discovery and Goal Alignment
During Discovery Calls, Keely seeks to understand the client's current situation, desired future state, and the missing pieces to achieve their goals. He aligns his goals with his clients' goals, ensuring that his efforts contribute to their success. This alignment fosters trust and sets the foundation for a productive working relationship.
4. Building Trust and Saying No
Keely emphasizes the importance of building impeccable trust with prospects and clients. He shares an example where he turned down a potential client because he wasn't the right fit, even though it meant declining a sizable paycheck. This decision exemplifies putting the client's interests first and building trust for long-term relationships.
5. Overcoming Founder Challenges
As a founder, Keely candidly discusses the challenges of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and the fear of failure. He highlights the importance of having a supportive community, particularly a spouse or partner, who can provide reassurance and perspective during difficult times. He also shares strategies for combating these challenges, such as reminding himself of his "why," reflecting on past successes and embracing his ability to outlast competitors through perseverance.
6. Advice for Founders
Keely advises founders to accept feelings of fear, doubt, and imposter syndrome as normal human experiences. Denying or fighting these emotions can spiral out of control. Instead, he recommends acknowledging these feelings, relying on support systems, and focusing on processes and systems that have proven successful in the past.
Additional Highlights:
Keely's background as an offensive lineman in college football instilled a team-oriented mindset and a willingness to grind in the trenches, traits that have served him well in sales and entrepreneurship.
He emphasizes the importance of setting specific goals with clients and holding them accountable, ensuring that their objectives remain a priority amidst the demands of running a business.
Keely shares his journey from coaching college football to transitioning into corporate sales, highlighting the transferable skills he leveraged from his recruiting experience.
He advocates for an "always be learning" mindset, adapting strategies based on market feedback and continuously improving sales processes.
The Bottom Line
Episode 14 provides valuable sales insights for founders, owners, and sales professionals. It covers topics such as building trust, prospecting strategies, discovery processes, goal alignment, overcoming challenges, and maintaining a growth mindset.
In the meantime…
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This is where you can learn how to build, fix, and maintain the 10 systems every business needs to produce more consistent, predictable, and—most importantly—profitable sales growth.
I’ll leave you with this:
Always remember…When you fix your systems, you’ll fix your sales.
See you next time!
Sean
About the Host: Sean M. Lyden is the founder and CEO of Lyden Communications LLC, an Orlando, Florida-based sales training and media company for founders looking to systematize their sales and scale their business.
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