#WomenInSales Month 2023 with Lauren Cooley

We’re so proud to be celebrating Women in Sales Month once again.

For each week in October, we have an amazing slate of women sales leaders who will be sharing their unique insights.

From offering advice for sales managers new and more experienced to surveying the anticipated landscape of sales in the years ahead, when it comes to Improving Sales Performance, these ladies know how it's done.

Today, our guest is Lauren Cooley, Chief Revenue Officer at ExpertVoice.

Lauren brings so many awesome points to the table. Such as: 

• How the pandemic challenged us and changed us for the better. 
• Why you shouldn’t want a team of “you,” but, instead, a team of people who are authentically themselves.  
• And, finally, how, even with the rate at which the world is changing, there’s still no substitute for spending time with your people.

LINKS:

Lauren Cooley

Stephanie Downs

Matt Sunshine

The Center for Sales Strategy

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Improving Sales Performance and Leadership

Matt Sunshine 0:15

Welcome to Improving Sales Performance , a podcast highlighting tips and insights aimed at helping sales organizations realize , and maybe even exceed , their goals . Here we chat with thought leaders , experts and gurus who have years of sales experience from a wide range of industries . I'm your host , Matt Sunshine , CEO at the Center for Sales Strategy , a sales performance consulting company .

Stephanie Downs 0:43

We're so proud to be celebrating Women in Sales Month once again . For each week in October , we have an amazing slate of women sales leaders who will be sharing their unique insights From offering advice for sales managers , new and more experience , to surveying the anticipated landscape of sales in the years ahead . When it comes to improving sales performance , these ladies know how it's done . I'm Stephanie Downs , Senior Vice President and Senior Consultant at the Center for Sales Strategy . I'll be joining Matt Sunshine on the show for the entire month of October . Today , our guest is Lauren Cooley , Chief Revenue Officer at Expert Voice . Lauren brings so many awesome points to the table , such as how the pandemic challenged us and changed us for the better , why you shouldn't want a team of you , but instead a team of people who are authentically themselves . And , finally , how , even with the rate at which the world is changing , there's still no substitute for spending time with your people .

Matt Sunshine 1:55

All right . So from Lauren , from your point of view , what are the things you look at specifically in the sales department that let you know that things are on track ? I mean , said another way , are there three to five KPIs key performance indicators that you're specifically paying attention to ?

Lauren Cooley 2:18

Yeah , absolutely . I think we can break that down into the data that we look at and then outside of the data . So in the dataset I look a lot at pacing because I really want to understand where are we now to finish , versus what did we do last year ? What's changed ? What will impact that ? How long are opportunities staying in stages , knowing that if we don't move that velocity and if something's been there really long time , it's probably more of a wish than something that we can expect . And then , absolutely , the just activity level . So , are we talking to enough customers ? Are we in front of them enough ? What are we doing to engage ? But aside of that , do we really know what problems we're solving for our customers and are we clearly able to articulate what problem they have and how our solution can solve that problem ?

Matt Sunshine 3:24

Yeah , it's funny . Let me just follow up real quick . It's funny . I was just like earlier today having a conversation with the sales leader and we were similar conversation not exactly the same , but the time and stage we got deep into that that's a really big deal . I think it's one of those really important leading indicators that maybe people don't pay that much attention to , so I'm glad you called that out .

Stephanie Downs 3:55

Yeah , so , staying on the topic of things you pay attention to a little twist to that , but think about what should sales managers , or what do you as a leader of an organization , pay attention to more from like a big rocks ? Thinking about like the highest priorities ? We know revenue , of course . What else outside of that ?

Lauren Cooley 4:17

Yeah , I mean , I actually think that goes back to the non-data part of the first answer and that if we don't know very clearly what problem we're trying to solve and do we have a solution to solve that problem , then we're going to be stuck . But beyond that , do we have collateral and materials and have we equipped our team ? With the stories to be able to explain that to our customers .

Stephanie Downs 4:46

Yeah , I'm interested on that , so tell me more about that . When you say , like the collateral to support the team and to help with that part of the process , what would some of that be ?

Lauren Cooley 4:56

Yeah . So when I think about a great product offering that we have and we can sit in the room and talk about how amazing this would be for our brand and what it would unlock and really understand it . But if we can't story tell , if we can't explain to a brand exactly what they can expect and how it solves their need and how it can make them not stay awake at night and worry , then that's a real miss . So I think our role as a sales leader is to understand how we can document that in easily digestible ways so that both in the meeting , when we're having a conversation with the customer , and then as a leave behind , when we know that they're passing it on to other folks within the organization , have we clearly summarized the root of what we're trying to sell here .

Matt Sunshine 5:45

Yeah , I'm sure you have , but I am curious maybe if you could expand on . Do you capture common objections or common challenges or common desired business results , and then is that what you use to build out the collateral that you need ?

Lauren Cooley 6:14

Yeah , absolutely , and we've recently actually put something in place that's been remarkably helpful in market to show the stages of a product lifecycle and what different challenges you would have before you release a new product to market versus at the end when you're trying to liquidate old inventory . And what solutions do we have along that cycle that can solve those needs . So it's as much for the sales team to really understand and contextualize how our offerings fit in based on those client needs , but then also , with our customers , we show it to them to say there are a whole lot of different ways that you can use all of these tools . So us understanding what you're trying to accomplish will then unlock the right solution to meet your needs . Solution .

Stephanie Downs 7:10

Yeah , yeah . So shifting gears . Just a little bit on that , or just a different topic in general , think about sales management and just being a leader in an organization . How has that really changed when you look at , like over the last five years ago , what it was then compared to what it was now and what's expected now ?

Lauren Cooley 7:34

Yeah , no , it is wild how much has changed . I mean , when we , it's a big topic in itself .

Stephanie Downs 7:40

What's changed Right , right ?

Lauren Cooley 7:42

You need to do that . Yes , when we think about the tools and everything , I mean , of course , ai and chat , gpt and all of these really cool things that can help save so much time unbelievable , but even things like Google Docs and how we can collaborate and really get feedback from our teams to move faster . I think the pandemic forcing us to work asynchronously really challenged the tools and typical process that we were in for the better . I think we've gotten better at working and collaborating together . So what's different ? When we think about expectations , you have to use the data and you have to use what's available . If we're selling with insights , if we're leading with insights and really coming up with great valid business reasons , then we've got to go do the research to make sure that it's appropriate and relatable to our customers , and so I think you can really clearly and quickly tell who's leaning into the concepts and who's using those tools versus those that are not .

Matt Sunshine 8:57

Yeah , yeah , paul go ahead .

Stephanie Downs 9:02

I was just going to make a comment about people Go ahead and I'll come back to it .

Matt Sunshine 9:06

Well , I'm interested in your take on on what makes a great sales leader today . But let me put it this way the job of middle management for the longest time was really the collection of reports . Right , it was . The middle manager talked to the sales force to learn everything that was going on , gathered all that information and then presented it to the upstream manager , and that was really the job of middle management . I mean , yes , there were other things , but a big part of the job was that that reporting function has been replaced by technology . So that middle manager job has certainly changed . If it exists , it's changed . So what makes a great sales leader now in your opinion , based on kind of that thinking ?

Lauren Cooley 10:05

Right , and what a phenomenal opportunity to eliminate that busy work and have that streamlined in a way that we're surfacing the data to run the business effectively without somebody spending hours and hours in spreadsheets pulling it together right , so that time that's freed up , allowing great sales leaders then to be closest to the floor , to be able to coach , to be able to lean in in person with their team . I mean going back to really the last question of what's changed . I think we need to remember what hasn't changed as much as what has , and that face-to-face interaction , understanding client needs , leading within sites . We can do it better , we can do it more efficiently , but we still have to do it , and so that's an exciting opportunity for leaders today , because now they've got the time to do . We have the time to do what we didn't have the time to do when we were piecing together all of this data .

Matt Sunshine 11:13

Yeah , I had a . I heard someone say this the other day when we were in this conversation and they said you know , it's really taking on more . Managers need to take on more of the teaching slash coaching mindset than a management mindset . Right , managers just tell you what to do .

Lauren Cooley 11:34

Right .

Matt Sunshine 11:35

Yeah , teachers , coaches , teach you , coach you , get you to do it . Yeah , it's a little different , still important . Different Right Different .

Stephanie Downs 11:45

Yeah , what would you say to somebody that is brand new into management ? You ? Know , what advice would you give them ? What recommendations would you tell them ? What would you say ? Here's the things that you absolutely have to know or learn as part of the process for them to be exceptional in their role .

Lauren Cooley 12:05

Yeah , no , I love that question . I think being yourself , being authentically who you are and not trying to play a role of sales manager , is so important , and I remember my very first sales manager role was young and felt like it was a role that I needed to practice . And now , looking back at that , I just I laugh and watching new sales leaders start the process , the talent that you have , the experience that you have , that's why you're in the role . So if you're not authentically you and if you're not being true to yourself , then it's gonna be a silly experience for your team because they know that that's not authentic . So I would say both being true to yourself and being okay , being maybe a little bit different than other sales managers that you've seen .

Matt Sunshine 13:06

What do ?

Lauren Cooley 13:06

you wanna emulate ? What do you wanna eliminate ? But be your own style and then know that your team is all made up of individuals that are their own selves . So you're gonna get coach and train them to be you . You don't want a team of you . You want a team of phenomenal folks that are authentically them too . That's right . I definitely think that that's an easy trap to fall into early in the process .

Stephanie Downs 13:32

Yeah , yeah , when you're not , you people see that it's very apparent that it's not , and I love the point you made about the team of individuals . They're their own individual well , and we as leaders have to be very good at coaching to the individual and not just to one size fits all . I love that you added that point . Yeah .

Matt Sunshine 13:54

Well , I wanna go a little deeper on that . So you're speaking to a group of managers . You're giving them some advice . I love the being authentic and being okay , being different . I also really like the recognizing that everyone is different . But do you have any thoughts on how to do that or why it's so difficult , Like why ? I mean ? I agree those things are incredibly . If you do those two things well , that's awesome , but why is that hard for people ? What's causing it or what's a hack that they can do to do that well ?

Lauren Cooley 14:35

Yeah , I mean , I think there is naturally , when you move into any new role , a fear of are you ready for the role and is it the right fit , and so it is very easy to emulate somebody else's behavior as a crutch versus stepping back and really thinking about what has worked for you across multiple leaders .

Lauren Cooley 15:04

What hasn't worked for you . I remember the day that I started in sales at Wolf in Dallas with you , matt . The day that I started in sales , my dad had given me a notebook and he said I want you to write down what are you going to emulate and what are you going to eliminate . And know that you're watching people and you're learning from every single thing you're doing . And I have carried that with me , both the notebook and the thought of how do I want to lead , how do I want to approach , how do I want to treat people , how do I want people to feel around me . And I think that has informed my own leadership style so much , knowing that it isn't going to be what I perceive it to be . It's the combination of a whole lot of styles . Yeah .

Matt Sunshine 15:58

Yeah , love that . I think that's exactly true . And one of the things that you said is one be comfortable being yourself , be different . I like that . The other thing that you said , which is just as important and kind of speaks the other way , is figure out who and what you're going to emulate . Right , what we all borrow from everybody , right ? Sure , yeah , in talent focus management , one of the things that we used to talk a lot about is trait borrowing . Yeah , what traits . So what do you capture from that ? What are you not going to do that that manager did ? That drove you absolutely crazy .

Lauren Cooley 16:42

What are ?

Matt Sunshine 16:42

you going to do ?

Lauren Cooley 16:44

And I don't see those two things at odds .

Matt Sunshine 16:46

I don't see them being yourself and emulating .

Lauren Cooley 16:50

I think that's how you do develop your own style , but knowing that it has to feel comfortable to you . Ultimately , it has to feel right for you . Yeah .

Matt Sunshine 17:01

All right , Maybe the final question , maybe not . We'll see where it goes . So this is kind of a looking into the future question . But before we look into the future , let's maybe remind ourselves of what the last three to five years has meant . The last three to five years in the sales and sale in the sales departments , we've seen better sales enablement tools . We've seen better lead generation tools . We've seen AI make an impact . We've seen a division of labor strategy being implemented more and more and more .

Stephanie Downs 17:47

We've seen the bigger differentiating between performers and non performers .

Matt Sunshine 17:55

We've seen the adaptation of video meetings happen in a huge , significant way . So that's like if we were to look back over the last three , five years , we'd say , look at all the changes that and we'd call them out . All right , now picking out your crystal ball and looking into the future . Look ahead three to five years . Tell us what you think are some of the changes that we'll see in ourselves department . Looking ahead .

Lauren Cooley 18:25

Yeah , I definitely think we'll continue to see the rapid evolution of all of those things continue . So I think we've just scratched the surface as I think about the tools and I love them . I use AI every day . I absolutely love and appreciate the time savings

Balancing Technology and Human in Sales

Lauren Cooley 18:47

.

Lauren Cooley 18:47

I think one of the biggest needs and challenges over the next three to five years is to make sure that we are adding that layer of authenticity into what is generated . Things have become easier . You can do so much with a click of a button . You have to lean into the relationships , lean into the client needs , focus on all of those fundamentals and my biggest worry is , when I look at brand new salespeople coming into this amazing profession , that they will see these tools as the way to operate and to layer on . Did this auto-generated track ? Does that work for me ? Does it match my style ? Does it match the style of the customer ? Am I in front of my customer physically enough or am I relying on cadences to accomplish the work that can be done and can be done well , but can't be done perfectly and lead to the results Because it's really good .

Stephanie Downs 19:55

It may get you 85 or 90% of the way there , but it's not all of it right . So how do you do that ? How do you , as a leader , coach a team and lead a team through that so they don't lose the human element I think that I don't know how else to say that but the human element of it ? How do you coach to that ? Or how do you make sure that doesn't get lost in the process , because that piece is never going to go away , or it shouldn't , it can't , it can't right , right , and I think that's still about holding teams accountable to face-to-face meetings and getting in front of our customers and having that breaking bread .

Lauren Cooley 20:37

We've got to be with them and know the value of that , so really spending time in sales meetings celebrating the outcomes from that behavior . We talk so much now about the new tools and the exciting stuff and it's awesome and we should , and also we've got to talk about what happens when we're in front of customers , when we're with them , when we're really diving in beyond what can be done through systems .

Stephanie Downs 21:07

Yeah , I love the celebrating outcomes and also I mean you're recognizing the behaviors you want to continue seeing more of right . And it's not that we want the technology piece to go away . It is helping us in so many different ways , drastically helping us get better in a lot of ways . That's not going to go away . So we just need to make sure that both things are happening right .

Matt Sunshine 21:33

So I took some notes while you were just talking and because I think this is really important , I think this last thing that we're focused on , what do we think it's going to look like in the future In the future not being 20 years , but next three to five years ? And I'm just going to paraphrase some of the points that you made , but to sum it up . And then I want your comment , if there's more comment to be made , one that there will be more technology and it will get better and better and better as it goes . And the second is at the exact same time , we need to focus on being more human and doing face to face meetings , and seeing and meeting people in their businesses and learning and talking and asking and breaking bread , because that's super important . We cannot let that go away just because technology is going to advance .

Matt Sunshine 22:29

And then the third thing is that those sales managers need to be in going out on those calls . They need to take on that coaching mindset and that job will significantly change and being more of a coach than ever before . And then , the last thing you touched on and I think that there's a lot there is new salespeople entering the sales department a long time ago , right when all of us were getting in , were in the business salespeople . Yes , they went through some training , but you really learned by the people you sat next to .

Lauren Cooley 23:12

Absolutely .

Matt Sunshine 23:13

Right . I mean , that's how you learned . You learned from the pit , right , Right , and that in the future we can't rely on the pit probably as much as we used to in the past .

Stephanie Downs 23:25

Yeah .

Matt Sunshine 23:26

In the future , we're gonna have to almost have a new salesperson program that is highly focused on teaching them the way the company does their business , the products , the services , the customers and all of that . Is that fair , is that ?

Lauren Cooley 23:46

I think so , for sure I think there is . It will be important for sales managers to help bring the goodness of the pit to the current environment because ultimately , watching somebody else navigate a customer objection and seeing how they respond and getting that feedback is so important when you are starting . So I feel like we've got to work hard to make sure that in remote world and whatever environment we're working in , that we find a way to replicate that ability to learn from your team .

Matt Sunshine 24:30

Yeah , I think that's well said , lauren . I don't have Stephanie anything . No , lauren , thank you so much for joining us . You are so wonderfully talented and so good at what you do and having you here today to talk about this kind of stuff is so great and you can't thank enough . So if you want to connect with Lauren , we will put Lauren Cooley at Expert Voice . If you want to connect with her , we'll have all of her contact information her LinkedIn connection in the show notes , and you can do that , and we certainly look forward to seeing everyone else on the next episode of Include them Sales Performance . This has been Improving Sales Performance . Thanks for listening . If you like what you heard , join us every week by clicking the subscribe button . For more on the topics covered in the show , visit our website , thecenterforsalesstrategycom . There you can find helpful resources and content aimed at improving your sales performance .