What to Expect
Hello sales queens and kings! Today, you are reading my first ever written interview featuring one of my favorite sales leaders Richard Harris.
Richard is currently the Director of Sales Consulting and Training for SalesHacker and is a regular speaker at Sales Hacker workshops and SalesStack conferences. He has over 20 years of experience and over 57,000 followers on LinkedIn.
He is the founder of The Harris Consulting Company which provides real-world sales, sales training, leadership, and operational experience to companies interested in growing their revenue. I strongly encourage you to check out his Podcast, “Sales Rants,” in addition to his webinars and Ebooks!
So without further ado, here is my written Interview with Richard Harris.
The Interview
Question 1: Share a brief summary of your sales background and experience.
Teaching sales reps how to earn the right to ask questions, which questions to ask, and when is the primary driver for Richard. He brings 20+ years of experience, having done all the roles, SDR, AE, Manager, Director, VP of Sales, and Director of Sales Ops to the table. His client list includes Fortune brands as well as start-ups, including Zoom, Salesforce, Human Interest, Dusty Robotics, Gainsight, and more. He’s also the co-founder of Surf and Sales as well as the host of the Surf and Sales Podcast and his newest podcast, Sales Rants with Richard. He lives in Northern California with his wife, Cathy, sons, Riley and Bodhi, and two Cavapoos, Lola and Luna.
Question 2: If you could go back to the start of your sales career what is one habit you would have incorporated into your daily route?
Have a more curious mindset about learning the craft. Reading books, asking for help, taking courses.
Question 3: Summarize AI Sales in 2 sentences or less.
The ability to increase the EQ of all sales reps by using it to create a feedback loop. Meaning using AI to help someone get better at all stages of the sales funnel including prospecting, discovery, and negotiating. Even deeper, using AI to learn how to have a conversation with someone from Security departments or certain titles, negotiation of pricing, and speaking with procurement departments, etc.
Question 4: What are some top action items young sales professionals can start doing TODAY to increase their pipeline?
1. Treat yourself as an LLC and work on your branding. Start now and it enhances every part of your career, including pipeline.
2. Join communities to learn from others.
3. Stop saying things like, “Does that make sense in a demo”. Start asking, “how does that compare to your current state?”
4. When delivering price keep it simple and ask one particular question
—- Price is _____, how does that feel?
5. Stop trying to ask for the decision maker. Instead ask one thing, “Hey ____, I know you are going to take this conversation back to your team, I am curious, who is the most skeptical person on the team when it comes to making these kinds of decisions?”
Question 5: A quote (it can be sales-related or unrelated to sales) that has had a big impact on your career?
The brain is like velcro for negativity, Teflon for positivity (I think it’s from Dr. Rick Hanson).
Final thoughts – go check out The Harris Consulting Company and be sure to follow Richard on LinkedIn. I promise you won’t regret it!