[SPEAKER_01]: This is The Sales Grady Podcast.
[SPEAKER_01]: Hi, I'm Jeb Blunt, guest-selling author, fanatical prospecting objection, sales EQ, and ink.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm here to help you open more doors, close bigger deals, and rock your commission check.
[SPEAKER_02]: Welcome back to the salesgrivvy podcast.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm Jepplen Jr. your host.
[SPEAKER_02]: And today we have one of my favorite people in the sales training and thought leadership field.
[SPEAKER_02]: She will be joining us at outbound conference in 26.
[SPEAKER_02]: So go get your tickets right now outbound conference.com.
[SPEAKER_02]: Ms. Helen Finucci, who's going to be joining us for the leadership day because this is her forte.
[SPEAKER_02]: Helen, I really appreciate you joining us today.
[SPEAKER_02]: Tell us a little bit about you and give some context for why we have you coming to outbound.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I think it's my sparkling personality.
[SPEAKER_00]: But actually, last outbound, I did a leadership of a workshop on how to get sellers to do hard things.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was very engaging.
[SPEAKER_00]: I guess I got good reviews and you invited me back.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this year, I think it's going to be awesome.
[SPEAKER_00]: We have a full day this year.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm super excited to talk about building
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, this is a really big focus for Outbound this year that we haven't had a ton of in the last few sessions of Outbound Conference.
[SPEAKER_02]: But because your session went so well, we wanted to build you into the 2026 schedule, which is focused on breaking through buyer resistance.
[SPEAKER_02]: want to understand from your perspective as a leadership consultant and someone who helps organizations from the frontline managers all the way to, you know, CEOs and people who are leading businesses, why is breaking through buyer resistance so important for leadership to focus in on in 2026?
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh, that is such a great question.
[SPEAKER_00]: And here's the deal is particularly in the age of AI.
[SPEAKER_00]: Buyers are really reluctant to make a positive decision to buy a new product or service.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the bar is a lot higher because trust or lack of trust is the core issue.
[SPEAKER_00]: One of my favorite people, Chris Beale says,
[SPEAKER_00]: to make a decision they don't trust themselves to make.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's a high bar for sellers.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have the buyers who come with their research that come informed to the sales cycle.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's raising the bar for the seller to be able to build trust be very credible and add value every step along the way so that the buyers are going to at the end of the sales
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, I want to buy from your company and it all starts with leaders because leaders set the tone and their first job is to build trust with their team and help their team be successful selling.
[SPEAKER_00]: So what that looks like is removing sales friction or maybe, you know, the seller is trying to get to a higher level of management in the prospect company.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you might be surprised to hear this, but Chief Financial Officers, they often don't want to meet with sellers.
[SPEAKER_00]: But they'll meet with the CFO of the company that's trying to sell them something.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so sometimes the sales leader needs to broker that relationship to get the CFO to meet with the CFO of the prospects company.
[SPEAKER_00]: Those are two examples of how leaders can set the tone and really help and support their team.
[SPEAKER_00]: Building trust with the sellers is required because they're really modeling the behavior of the trust building that they're expecting the seller to demonstrate with their prospect.
[SPEAKER_02]: I wanna focus in on that trust building aspect of your curriculum, how you are gonna help people understand this cycle that they can start building within their own organization to help sellers use that outside of the organization.
[SPEAKER_02]: that you want leaders to get from the session when they're in the room with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I want leaders to realize that building trust requires synchronous, that means you and I together in a conversation, synchronous human to human conversation.
[SPEAKER_00]: AI doesn't do that.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so there's a temptation right now to use AI for speed and scale, but I'd ask the leaders to consider is that AI building trust or eroding it?
[SPEAKER_02]: Hmm.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's so powerful.
[SPEAKER_02]: I see this a lot with sales organizations where especially in the last couple of years, I have been using a lot of these tools that seem to create a lot of efficiency, but I've noticed that more and more teams are coming to us and saying, we have a lot of volume, but we're not seeing a lot of traction.
[SPEAKER_02]: You've seen a lot of talking head conferences where people address these topics and they sort of speak from this stage and they have great conversations,
[SPEAKER_02]: outbound so different for you as a deliverer and someone who's sat in these rooms.
[SPEAKER_02]: How do you help people with creating connections beyond just understanding that AI can make you move a lot faster, even if it's bad, or a lot faster if it's good?
[SPEAKER_02]: When you're in the room with you, what is the difference between someone talking about AI and practicing real good practices when they walk away from the conference?
[SPEAKER_00]: I've seen a lot of technology evolution and one of the things that remains the same is its people selling to people.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so there's the tendency to think that the technology is going to do the selling for you and it doesn't happen that way.
[SPEAKER_00]: It really requires the fundamentals of human to human connection and the thing that's so brilliant about outbound is you have practitioners who have been there done that and who are still
[SPEAKER_00]: perfecting their craft.
[SPEAKER_00]: So for example, you know, I work with leaders that AI is just not producing the results that, you know, it did at the beginning.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so even highly personalized emails, sometimes seem like noise to the prospect on the other end because there's so much volume.
[SPEAKER_00]: So how do you break through with that?
[SPEAKER_00]: So one of the things is you have the good old fashion
[SPEAKER_00]: And what I'm seeing now is that the people picking up the phone, they're asking, are you a human?
[SPEAKER_00]: To the cold collar, because the bots are now calling and they're not disclosing that their bots.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's a trust eroding phenomenon.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it really gives the edge to the human beings
[SPEAKER_00]: But you've got to do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a high craft endeavor to do cold calling well.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the thing that I love about outbound is you have people that are doing it and know it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you also have a group of people who attend outbound who are very, very engaged in one thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's how do we get better at our craft?
[SPEAKER_00]: How do we learn new things?
[SPEAKER_00]: And they're more open-minded, collegial.
[SPEAKER_02]: You brought up some really great points about the room that you're going to be in when you come to Outbound.
[SPEAKER_02]: The people that you're going to engage with if you are talking to a leader right now who's on the fence and they're listening to this and they think the sounds are really good But they're not quite sure if they want to take the leap.
[SPEAKER_02]: What is a reason that you should stop all the negative thoughts and buy your ticket and come to Outbound?
[SPEAKER_02]: What are some of the reasons that you've seen in your experience that make it so worth it to join us in November and 2026?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, it's a combination of the quality of the attendees in terms of really their seriousness and focus, but also the diversity.
[SPEAKER_00]: People are in different businesses and different stages of their career.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the depth of conversation, both some equality and also kind of new perspectives really make it very unique.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I know that, you know, some people are on the fence, it's a time out of their day, but if you're not taking time out of your schedule to hone your craft, then you're just kind of talking and you're talking to the same people or worse yet, just talking to yourself, you don't get those external ideas that could really help move your business forward.
[SPEAKER_02]: We are going to be focusing on three particular pillars at outbound, especially in the leadership sessions.
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's, of course, prospecting pipeline velocity, so moving things to the pipeline and productivity.
[SPEAKER_02]: If a leader fixes just one of those things at the summit, and even if they're walking out of just your session and fixing one of those things, how does that change their forecast?
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that question because good forecasting requires a trust relationship between the leader and the seller.
[SPEAKER_00]: And some leaders may not think about that or recognize the depth of why that's needed.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because if you want your seller to be upfront with you and transparent when things are going off the rails, let's say I'm a deal.
[SPEAKER_00]: You want them to be able to speak up quickly, so that as a leader you can help get it back on track.
[SPEAKER_00]: So where I see forecast accuracy failing or not being as good as expected is often because the sellers are afraid of telling the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: like it's safe to deliver bad news, frankly.
[SPEAKER_02]: It seems so simple.
[SPEAKER_02]: You say it like it's like it's something you could flip a switch on, but I think we anyone who's experienced leadership and understands the dynamics of a sales team that it is simple but not easy.
[SPEAKER_02]: How do you plan to address the challenge that leaders will have to go through if they choose to adopt what you teach them in 2022, 6 going in in
[SPEAKER_00]: It's actually what they do, and it is what they teach.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it starts with understanding what your cellars care about.
[SPEAKER_00]: Have a human to human personal conversation.
[SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever asked your cellars what are their ambitions?
[SPEAKER_00]: What do they care about?
[SPEAKER_00]: What are they?
[SPEAKER_00]: Where do they see their career going?
[SPEAKER_00]: Find out what matters to them.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then figure out how you as a leader can help them achieve their goals on their terms and connect the dots between what their ambition is and what their current job is.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because they're in the job for a reason, and they may want to learn new things and learn from you, they may want to get promoted.
[SPEAKER_00]: So can you give them opportunities that may be our
[SPEAKER_00]: Or maybe for them, they just want to maximize their income.
[SPEAKER_00]: So maybe you can expand their territory.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of things the leader can do.
[SPEAKER_00]: But what I have found is many leaders are so focused on the job at hand.
[SPEAKER_00]: They forget it's the human being, on the other side, the seller.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the one performing that job and find out what they really care about.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's the first step to building a trust relationship.
[SPEAKER_00]: and have regular conversations, offer to support them, do what you say you're going to do, do all the basic kind of human interaction, and sometimes leaders are really just so wrapped up in this month's revenue that they forget the human side of it, and frankly, to their peril.
[SPEAKER_02]: Hmm, I am so excited for your session at Leadership Day and outbound conference.
[SPEAKER_02]: I have some lightning round questions for you.
[SPEAKER_02]: So these are some really fun ones.
[SPEAKER_02]: First one is really simple.
[SPEAKER_02]: You've been to outbound several times, so I'm very excited to hear your answers about this one.
[SPEAKER_02]: But could you describe outbound conference in exactly three words to the best of your ability?
[SPEAKER_00]: Exciting, invigorating, and thought provoking.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I guess that's four words, Deb.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sorry.
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll take it.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll take those three words.
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_02]: Next lightning round question is, what is one thing in a tindi should pack besides a notebook?
[SPEAKER_00]: Flat shoes.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're on your feet a lot.
[SPEAKER_00]: I go for that number one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Flat shoes.
[SPEAKER_00]: No high heels.
[SPEAKER_00]: And a set of clubs.
[SPEAKER_02]: Ooh, and a set of clubs.
[SPEAKER_02]: Why should you bring a set of clubs, Helen?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm guessing that golf may be an option and it's such a great opportunity to have different kinds of conversation and play golf with folks and be paired with people you might not normally meet, and it's just fun.
[SPEAKER_02]: I absolutely think you should bring your cloth clubs.
[SPEAKER_02]: We are going to be an amazing event at Red Rocks Resort off the strip in Las Vegas, and there is a golf course readily available.
[SPEAKER_02]: Next, enlightening round question.
[SPEAKER_02]: If someone can attend only one day, why should they make it the leadership summit?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, one to hear me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Two, there's amazing, amazing presenters, workshop leaders on that day, and it all starts with leadership.
[SPEAKER_00]: Leadership sets the tone and the direction, if you,
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing I love about leadership is it's the pivot point between the companies, ambitions, and goals, and the action that happens with customers, and there is no business without revenue, and leaders are the pivot point to make revenue happen.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so the leadership day is where it's at.
[SPEAKER_02]: I, that's a really strong answer.
[SPEAKER_02]: Now complete this sentence.
[SPEAKER_02]: You belong in outbound
[SPEAKER_00]: The same old, same old, come and hear new ideas and be inspired.
[SPEAKER_02]: Next question, I am fanatical about...
[SPEAKER_00]: I am fanatical about sales leadership.
[SPEAKER_02]: Hmm, of course you are.
[SPEAKER_02]: I knew that was the answer.
[SPEAKER_02]: I love that.
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, um, what is your pump-up song before you step out on a stage or you get into a training session?
[SPEAKER_00]: brown-eyed girl.
[SPEAKER_02]: Ooh, that's an interesting, not a pump-up song most people would pick, but I respect it because it's not a lot of people would pick it.
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, last question, what is the best advice you've ever received from another outbound speaker?
[SPEAKER_00]: I would say it's to stay the course.
[SPEAKER_00]: Be persistent.
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that that is a common thing among all of the outbound speakers.
[SPEAKER_02]: They are persistent and fanatical and they always are pushing to be better than they are today.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I love that about all of the people that are coming, including Helen.
[SPEAKER_02]: I've got quick little questions here for the end of this.
[SPEAKER_02]: If you only had five minutes to spend with a leadership team, what would be the one thing you would focus on?
[SPEAKER_00]: I would focus on understanding what their top challenge is and more often than not their top challenges top of funnel and then I would tell them number one go to outbound because it's all about driving demand and top of funnel and if you don't fix your top of funnel, everything else falls apart.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that would be my advice and then I'd dig into that with that team.
[SPEAKER_02]: Hmm.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm excited to have you at Outbound.
[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to see you in November.
[SPEAKER_02]: That would be the ninth through the 12th in Las Vegas at the Red Rocks Resort.
[SPEAKER_02]: Go get your tickets now to see Helen at outboundconference.com.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's outboundconference.com.
[SPEAKER_02]: We are only bringing up 400 people to this conference.
[SPEAKER_02]: So go to outboundconference.com and get your tickets right now.
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much for joining us on the salesgrabby podcast.
[SPEAKER_02]: Helen, we can't wait to see it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for having me and I'm back at you, I can't wait to see you either.