S3 Ep23 - Navigating Guidelines and Authenticity with the VP of Business Development of The Sales Collective, Eric Iannello

Today's episode of Hopp on Calls welcomes Eric Iannello. Eric is an experienced mentor and practitioner of sales, currently most focused on business development and coaching for GTM positions as well as providing SaaS implementation services.

Eric kicked off his sales career working as an outbound agent selling gym memberships. Before he embraced sales for the first time, he would gain his first coaching experience by mentoring clients in rehabilitation and personal training for almost 10 years. Currently Eric is focusing on providing private training and coaching for all GTM positions. Eric's current position is VP of Business Development at The Sales Collective and he is also an involved member of RevGenius.

The conversation underscores the significance of having a structured approach to cold calls, leveraging personal connections, and adapting to different situations to achieve successful outcomes in sales.

In this sales conversation the difference between the art and science of cold calling is touched upon. Kevin emphasizes the need for a structured approach to cold calls and suggests using a script as a handrail to guide the conversation. The metaphor of a handrail on stairs helps illustrate the importance of having a process to get from the beginning of a call to its desired outcome. 

Eric is more partial to the adaptive conversation style during cold calling. While he values the use of guidelines and scripts, he believes these are more fit for newcomers in cold calling. The different perception of the cold calling approach leads to valuable insights from both participant’s perspectives.

Eric leads his calls by emphasizing his expertise in assisting companies with improving their outbound sales processes and generating leads. He mentions his specialization in implementing processes rather than just coaching, and his selling point is the ability to refine outbound structures, inbound processes, and the top-of-funnel approach.

Eric: "The necessity of using a script for an outbound agent depends on comfort level and their ability to have a conversation. If they are able to spark up a conversation at a bar with a total stranger, I guarantee that they can rinse and repeat the same process on a phone call. If they are a bit gun shy and need a bit of assistance, then they might need guidelines. I find better success when I don't have guidelines, expectations and lined up processes. I get better conversations and deal structures this way." 

Timestamps: 

[00:04:48] The false negative impression.

[00:11:17] Letting go of the ego.

[00:19:25] Raw cold calling experience.

[00:24:00] The way of the dialler.  

[00:26:35] Setting up a demo call live.

[00:41:39] The magic line of conversation flows.

[00:44:40] Using a handrail to close calls.

[00:50:00] Science of sales.
[00:57:06] Becoming a SaaS killer on the phone.

Connect and learn more about Eric through this link:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-iannello/

Connect with Kevin:

Kevin Hopp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khopp/

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