167 episodes

In today’s world of business, when it comes to picking up the phone, most people hate it and won’t do it.

There’s a belief that cold calling doesn’t work. It won’t work if it’s not done consistently. Today’s audience tends to hide behind social media and uses excuses like “there’s no point, customers will be annoyed. They don’t like receiving cold calls”. That is completely false.
The truth is emotions are difficult to convey through words in a written email or in digital marketing. Bottom line? Robots will NEVER replace human conversation and emotion.

We imagine a time when more sales professionals feel empowered to connect with their clients through personable strategies like picking up the phone, chatting on a video call, or having meaningful in-person meetings. Which will create long-term relationships and stronger customer lifetime value- even if we must persevere through the “no’s” to find the “yes’s”.

The Conversational Selling Audience loves learning about the art of communication between human beings which leads to more meaningful connections. These connections drive new business at the right time and keep you top of mind when the prospect is ready to buy. Selling is not just a business skill, it's a life skill. At the end of the day, sales is just about the human connection.

Conversational Selling Nancy Calabrese

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 2 Ratings

In today’s world of business, when it comes to picking up the phone, most people hate it and won’t do it.

There’s a belief that cold calling doesn’t work. It won’t work if it’s not done consistently. Today’s audience tends to hide behind social media and uses excuses like “there’s no point, customers will be annoyed. They don’t like receiving cold calls”. That is completely false.
The truth is emotions are difficult to convey through words in a written email or in digital marketing. Bottom line? Robots will NEVER replace human conversation and emotion.

We imagine a time when more sales professionals feel empowered to connect with their clients through personable strategies like picking up the phone, chatting on a video call, or having meaningful in-person meetings. Which will create long-term relationships and stronger customer lifetime value- even if we must persevere through the “no’s” to find the “yes’s”.

The Conversational Selling Audience loves learning about the art of communication between human beings which leads to more meaningful connections. These connections drive new business at the right time and keep you top of mind when the prospect is ready to buy. Selling is not just a business skill, it's a life skill. At the end of the day, sales is just about the human connection.

    Julie Barlow & Jean-Benoît Nadeau: Transforming Passion into Profit

    Julie Barlow & Jean-Benoît Nadeau: Transforming Passion into Profit

    About Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau: Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoit Nadeau are the award-winning and bestselling authors of The Story of French, The Story of Spanish, and the bestselling Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong. Julie Barlow is the author of 8 nonfiction books. In 2023, Julie published a comprehensive guide to self-employment with her husband and writing partner, Jean-Benoit Nadeau. GOING SOLO: Everything You Need to Start Your Business and Succeed as Your Own Boss, with Jean-Benoît Nadeau, drawing on the couple's three decades of experience as freelance writers. Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and a political science graduate of McGill University, Jean-Benoît Nadeau once held a job for 29 days and has been self-employed for 35 years. A regular reporter and columnist for L'actualité (Canada's leading national French magazine), he has also been a past contributor to the Report on Business Magazine. He has signed papers for various American, Canadian, and French publications. His freelancer status has allowed him to live in various venues like Phoenix, Toronto, Paris, and Montreal and undertake radio, film, and book projects, some of which with his spouse and partner Julie Barlow. They currently work as journalists based in Canada. He also published "The Story of French," "The Story of Spanish," and "The Bonjour Effect: The Secret Codes of French Conversation Revealed. " Their books have been translated into French, Dutch, Mandarin, and Japanese. Check out the latest episode of our Conversational Selling podcast to learn more about Julie and Jean-Benoît.

    In this episode, Nancy, Julie, and Jean discuss the following:

    • Writers' transition from a creative role to the business aspect
    • The key messages in "Going Solo"
    • Working more hours vs. thinking differently
    • The importance of understanding the client's expectations and needs
    • The value of negotiating on multiple levels simultaneously
    • The significance of saying "no" as a critical term in negotiations
    • Constructive refusal tips: polite ways to decline offers
    Key Takeaways:
    o I'm a writer and a creator, but I'm also a business person, and I realized that I was the hierarchical equal of my client.
    o You won't earn more if you work more; you'll earn more if you think things differently.
    o The important thing that you do when you want to go solo is to understand your purpose and to love what you want to do.
    o You immediately have intellectual property whenever you write something definite and not a list.
    "The book is really for anybody who wants to start a business. But we're working from experience and maybe addressing more people in the creative field. Mind you, starting a business is creative, period. And I think one of the issues probably applies to all entrepreneurs. You know, you want to do something, be self-employed, and work from your passion. And then you very quickly must understand that it's a business. And it's hard for people to switch from being passionate about something to being business-like. And so, the book takes everybody through from the very beginning, writing your business plan through negotiation and operations and management and all the things you need to understand to make your passion make a living for you." – JULIE
    "It depends on whom you sell. Sometimes, the market that you have is very small. In effect, when we're magazine writers like us, we sell to about five or six publications. A lot of people publish these publications. But the person we must convince, the gatekeeper, is the editor-in-chief. And so, in that case, convincing them is putting together what we call the ingredients of a good idea, what's in it for them, what's so special about it. Sometimes, we have clients who are completely unknown to us. Some people want us to write a book on them. And so, in that case, most of the selling is just teaching the person how our business works because they have no clue. And if we do a good job there, we wi

    • 21 min
    Hilary Swan: Sales, Strategy, and Success

    Hilary Swan: Sales, Strategy, and Success

    About Hilary Swan: Hilary Swan is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Rebel Scout Consulting, which supports founders and CEOs without a sales leader during growth or transition as a fractional VP of sales/sales leader. Hilary has spent 14 years working for global sales organizations and has carried the bag, launched new products, led sales teams, and knows what good looks like and how to get you there. The wildly competitive culture of sales is where Hilary thrived, and this proved to be accurate as she hustled her way through the ranks and reached sales leadership, where she most recently led a $18M business over three divisions in one of the country's most competitive industries and markets. Hilary has had a burning desire to feed her entrepreneurial spirit and coveted passion for developing people to win every step of the way. Still, she didn't quite know how to share her wealth of knowledge and expertise until now. Check out the latest episode of our Conversational Selling podcast to learn more about Hilary.

    In this episode, Nancy and Hilary discuss the following:
    • Hilary's background and motivation for starting Rebel Scout Consulting
    • The concept of fractional sales leadership and how it supports startups and small businesses
    • Supporting startups and small businesses in the absence of sales teams
    • The importance of embracing sales as a positive force
    • The positive nature of sales
    Key Takeaways:
    o I do not engage with any company for under three months, ideally six months.
    o In the majority of startups and small businesses, all the sales are typically made by the founder or, in small business cases, the president or CEO of the company.
    o I had always wanted to do something on my own.
    o It's interesting how you can be fueled by the sales piece and the environment in which you sell.
    "I was in inside and outside sales, selling many different things. I was in sales leadership. I'd always wanted to do something on my own. I'm not surrounded by a ton of entrepreneurs or people who own their own businesses per se, but I was always so intrigued by it. So, I had been approached about a head of sales role with a startup, which was not right for me then. But it really got me researching what this all looks like in the startup world and where these people get the money. Do they make money? How many of these ideas are good? The failure rates are high. So, I had a, you know, cautionary risk. I researched, but I felt like I hit a crossroads. So, the company that I was working for at the time had been acquired, and I should have been very appreciative because I was going to be moving into a new leadership role, which was a bit of a promotion on paper. I was so not inspired by it. I just, the thought of having to continue to do this or do something in this role was just not, you know, lighting the fire. And so, I felt like this was the time. This is a clean cut to jump two feet in. For those who dabble in starting something while they have a full-time role, it doesn't work for me personally. And so, I felt it was very clear that you have this job opportunity in front of you, and you should be so excited. It's more money, more responsibility, a bigger role, and I couldn't be less excited. I felt like that was my sign just to rip the bandaid off and do it. And so, I did it. And thankfully, it is working out very well. But yeah, it takes a lot to do that step." – HILARY
    "The fractional model is, I don't want to say it's not new, but it's on the newer side and exactly what it sounds like. It's a fraction, so you're getting a fraction of the time of an executive or a leadership. So, what it really should feel like is for startups and small businesses, they're getting what they need. So, this is across many different specialties. You'll see operations HR. You'll see the Chief of Staff. And so, what it is that you're getting that team member for, to be honest, is also a fraction of the cost likely. And you need their ex

    • 19 min
    Beate Chelette: The Power of Authority: Strategies and Mistakes

    Beate Chelette: The Power of Authority: Strategies and Mistakes

    About Beate Chelette: Beate Chelette is the Growth Architect and Founder of The Women's Code and provides visionaries and leaders with proven strategies, blueprints, and growth maps that provide clear steps to improve business systems, strengthen leadership skills and teams so that our clients and audiences can maximize profits and scale their impact. Beate is known as a straight shooter, and she can inspire, empower, and overcome adversity. Her super skill is working with unique personalities and big thinkers and building executable systems. A first-generation immigrant with $135,000 in debt as a single parent, Beate bootstrapped her passion for photography into a global business that licensed content in 79 countries. She exited in a multimillion-dollar deal when she sold the company to Bill Gates. She is listed among the "Top 100 Global Thought Leaders" by PeopleHum and "One of 50 Must Follow Women Entrepreneurs" by HuffPost. Check out the latest episode of our Conversational Selling podcast to learn more about Beate.

    In this episode, Nancy and Beate discuss the following:
    • Meaning of "Happy Woman, Happy World"
    • Three essential elements for becoming an authority in one's field
    • Beate's insights on strategically growing authority as an expert, seeking recommendations
    • Common mistakes hindering leaders from expedited authority growth and how to avoid them
    • The role of mindset in achieving success
    • Experience selling a business to Bill Gates
    Key Takeaways:
    o Your strategy must align with your market and your unique expertise.
    o Failure isn't personal; it's an opportunity to reassess and pivot.
    o Your understanding of the problem isn't always the actual problem.
    o Mindset isn't about wishful thinking; it's about decisive action.
    "When we take care of our women who are the mothers to our children, who are the responsible gender for the preservation of the human race, the nurturers, the first thing a child sees when it's born, if we take care of women, the world is probably in a much better place." – BEATE
    "A lot of times when people talk about: "I want to be successful. I want to be an authority". They're unclear about what authority means or have a strategy to become an authority. Let's investigate that an authority is not a celebrity or an influencer. An authority is a subject matter expert. Most of us are not celebrities. Most of us are not influencers we might want to be, but most of us are experts in what we do. Authority building is specific to your expertise. People often get wrong about this because they look at what other people are doing and promising, especially in the internet marketing world. Then, they are not sure why their TikTok videos are not going viral because TikTok is often used for a particular audience. So, if you are an authority with a particular audience that might not be on TikTok, then you can do whatever you want on TikTok, but it'll never take hold as an authority. So, you have to have a strategy in place that is very specific to who you are, what you want to achieve." – BEATE
    "In the actual studies of mindset, the objective is it's not wishing, and it's not dreaming. It's deciding this is what I'm going to do. Then, take action and allow God's birth, the universe, whatever you want to call it, to put the right things in front of you because the path is never what you think it is. A higher power always determines the path. Otherwise, we all be successful, but most people think they know best. We don't. We can decide, but we need to let energy spirit guide us in the direction because we have control over our vibration, not how we get there. We keep making the decisions that we believe get us there. And then, as things happen and unfold, my path has never been exactly as I thought it would be. My path has been completely different. And yet I have gotten to places that I never thought I could get." – BEATE

    Connect with Beate Chelette:
    o LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/

    • 21 min
    April Adams Pertuis: Journey to Storytelling Excellence

    April Adams Pertuis: Journey to Storytelling Excellence

    About April Adams Pertuis: April Adams Pertuis is the visionary Founder and CEO of LIGHTbeamers, helping mission-driven leaders and entrepreneurs discover their inherent ability to reach people by teaching them how to share their story so they can create deeper connections and build strategic relationships. When April speaks, audiences discover the power of their own story to create more cohesive communities, build stronger relationships, and attract ideal outcomes. The key message is always "everybody has a story," which is a powerful beacon used to shine a light on others. April is also a #1 Bestselling Author of 3 compilation books: Elevate Your Voice, Step Into Your Brave, and Shine Your Light, and a host of the top-rated (top 2 %) Podcast, The Inside Story with April Adams Pertuis in 4th year of weekly production. Check out the latest episode of our Conversational Selling podcast to learn more about April.

    In this episode, Nancy and April discuss the following:
    • April's expertise in storytelling across various platforms
    • LightBeamers: the origin of her company name
    • Methodology behind crafting a compelling story
    • Significance of storytelling in business and its impact on audience engagement
    • Challenges people face in sharing their stories
    • "Little" stories vs. "Big" traumatic stories
    Key Takeaways:
    o We learn by listening to other people's stories and how they navigated their own choppy waters.
    o There is a natural, magical way to share that story in a way that will be a light. There are light beamers.
    o You're human, and nobody wants to do business with robots.
    o In the digital age of AI, we will do a lot of business with robots in the future.

    "It's innate in who we are and how we're designed as human beings that storytelling resonates. We tend to learn through storytelling. This is why storytelling literally has been around since the beginning of time. We can date it back to the caveman days, and that's how they communicated. They documented their existence by painting in the caves and telling a story. And so, stories really do just that, right? They help document our existence. We've come a long way since the caveman days, and storytelling is very sophisticated. There are many ways we can utilize storytelling in our communication. We have unlimited ways to do that now in the digital age that we live in. But at the end of the day, it's still just about connecting with another human being and using storytelling to show that we are all kind of alike." – APRIL
    "The number one soft skill that most business owners overlook or disregard altogether. And it's what it is really like. I call it a secret weapon in business. This relates to sales, building an audience, and connecting with future and potential clients and existing clients is storytelling; we can go so much further with our businesses if we incorporate more storytelling. What performs well on social media is when people, businesses, and the humans behind the business show up and tell real stories. It's not the marketing, it's not the sales pages, it's not even the beautifully crafted testimonials, although testimonials are a form of storytelling. It's just the human being a human. And so, I always say storytelling is going to be the thing that humanizes your business and will allow you to be seen differently than all the other fish in the water because it will make you unique. This is especially important right now in the world that we're entering with AI because AI cannot reproduce your story. So we're going to be bombarded, we are already being bombarded, and I think there's a place for AI; I'm not poo-pooing it, but we need to be careful not just to use AI, we need to use AI and use storytelling, and when you use storytelling, you're going to be able to infuse your personality, your own set of values kind of what you stand for, your flavor, you know, your personality. And that will help create conversions in your sales and your conversati

    • 23 min
    Craig Lowder: The Role of Technology in Modern Sales Prospecting

    Craig Lowder: The Role of Technology in Modern Sales Prospecting

    About Craig Lowder: Craig Lowder is a Founder and President of the Main Spring Sales Group, a specialized client acquisition consultancy focused on creating significant, predictable, and sustainable sales growth for successful Financial Advisors, Consultants, and Business Leaders, making a 6-7 Figure Income seeking a strategic senior-level sales executive on a part-time, contract basis to develop and execute sales strategy, including sales process development, performance management systems, and ensure sales execution. With a unique blend of foundational sales science & real-world experience, Craig partners with businesses and advisors to transform their sales trajectory, ensuring consistent, measurable growth in every endeavor. Craig has worked with over 50 companies in various industries, from retail to manufacturing, financial services to business services. He has increased first-year annual sales by 22 to 142 percent for every client. Craig is the author of two highly-rated books, Smooth Selling Forever and Trusted Advisor Confidential℠. Check out the latest episode of our Conversational Selling podcast to learn more about Craig.

    In this episode, Nancy and Craig discuss the following:
    • The secret of growing a company to 142%
    • Shift to virtual Selling and digital self-serve
    • Challenges in virtual Selling: Adapting to new technology, maximizing efficiency, and reducing the cost of sales
    • From cold calls to warm introductions: Increasing touchpoints with prospects
    • Overcoming challenges such as wrong people in wrong seats, lack of clearly defined sales metrics, and absence of sales processes
    • Keys to building an effective sales team
    • Importance of ongoing learning, open communication, mentoring, and recognition and reward systems
    Key Takeaways:
    o We are in a virtual selling and a digital self-serve world; the old days of in-person meetings have gone.
    o The virtual meetings that are being held are shorter and more on point.
    o The definition of cold calling nowadays is getting a list of names and numbers and just banging the phone and calling people.
    o Too many salespeople give up after two or three times, and studies show it may take six or seven outreaches.


    "There are a lot of opportunities for enhancement or growth in the company. A lot of it gets down to having a detailed sales growth plan that everyone is following, making sure that there are defined sales processes that everyone follows, which shorten sales cycles, improve conversion rates, making sure that there are sales success standards present, that are activity as well as results-based, and that there are targets which generally increases the level of activity that's taking place, making sure that organizations have an ideal client profile, understanding the difference between a crow and a pheasant. So, they invest their time in marketing, lead generation, and lead conversion on those opportunities that are the best fit for them. And then finally, and most importantly, ensuring that they have the right people in their sales organization in the right seats." – CRAIG
    "The reality is, and I believe I said it in the article, there is absolutely no justification for a cold call. With all the technology available today, whether it's LinkedIn, the focus of prospecting should be on getting introduced to the individual in the organization we're targeting to warm up the call. So, there's a likelihood that an individual will either return your call or respond to an email. I would say it continues because of the amount of, and I hate to say it, noise that's out there digitally. If you remember back when you and I were doing this several decades ago, the studies were showing it took, you know, six to seven interactions for you to begin to develop a level of trust. Today, because of all that noise out there, it's taking twice that number of touches before somebody's willing to trust you. So, I think that the trend is that we need to be in more freq

    • 20 min
    Mike Ulmer: A Guide to Storytelling Success

    Mike Ulmer: A Guide to Storytelling Success

    About Mike Ulmer: Mike Ulmer is CEO of Catapult Bookwriting and the author of books about business, hockey, Canada, and leadership. Mike's company, Catapult Bookwriting, has published Unapologetic Leadership by Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, Drop the Mic Marketing by Jason Hunt, Show and Tell Writing: A Great Short Business Book About How to Write A Great Short Business Book by Mike Ulmer, The Myth-Guided Mind: Unleash Your God-Given Genius At Work And At Home by Michael Hynes, The 50 Year-Old Millenial by Marc Petitpas and The 40 Ways Of The Fox by Ron Foxcroft. He has written for three wire services: the Thomson News Service, Southam News, and The Canadian Press. His work has appeared in Chill: The Beer Magazine, Saturday Night Magazine, and in a compendium of sports Stories called The Way It Looks From Here (2004 Knopf), edited by Steven Brunt. Mike's book M is for Maple is, the bestselling alphabet book in Canadian publishing history. He has appeared in front of 20,000 elementary school students across Ontario and Alberta to talk about writing and everything Canadian. Check out the latest episode of our Conversational Selling podcast to learn more about Mike.
    In this episode, Nancy and Mike discuss the following:
    • Mike's three-step formula for writing a book: Proposition, Backstory, Recommendations
    • Importance of a book for business growth and personal branding
    • The power of a book as a marketing tool and credibility builder
    • Advice on starting the book-writing process with personal storytelling
    • Tips on daily writing goals and word counts
    • Views on deadlines and their effectiveness in book writing
    Key Takeaways:
    o Podcasting, blogging, and books form the Holy Trinity of communication.
    o A book provides a 24/7 representation of your expertise.
    o The key is honesty and vulnerability.
    o People invest their time when they read your book; honor that.

    " Because when you write a book, people are just so impressed. And I've been living off that for about 30 years. So, I'm going to tell you it's true. There's a disproportionate amount of prestige when you write a book. So, it's really a great thing for a business. And if you're the only person telling your story, then you're the only story that counts." – MIKE
    "If you want to write the book, we can coach you and all that stuff. We can help you do that for a very reasonable cost. But if you want to just do it by yourself, that's okay too. We also do that if you want us to write the book for you. But to answer your question, I don't know if everyone can write a book, but everyone can figure out who they are, what they are, and why they do it." – MIKE
    "If you feel that your story is not worth telling, someone has gotten in your ear and lied to you because everyone has a compelling story. I make a living finding them. And that's probably not going to be Jermaine to the hundreds and thousands, not hundreds, but thousands of people listening to your podcast. But here's what is Jermaine. That person who told you haven't got a story worth listening lied to you. Right. And that person should be consigned to the seventh circle of hell because people carry around that lie and build their beliefs on top of that thing. It's like a faulty foundation. All you're trying to do is build a good house, but if someone leaves you with that terrible foundation, you'll never have a great house. Whoever told you you couldn't write a book lied to you. Everyone can do it." – MIKE

    Connect with Mike Ulmer:
    o LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-ulmer-554814a3/
    o Personal: https://www.mikeulmer.com/
    Try Our Proven, 3-Step System, Guaranteeing Accountability and Transparency that Drives RESULTS by clicking on this link: https://oneofakindsales.com/call-center-in-a-box/

    Connect with Nancy Calabrese:
    o Twitter: https://twitter.com/oneofakindsales
    o Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/One-Of-A-Kind-Sales-304978633264832/
    o Website: https://oneofakindsales.com
    o Phone: 908-879-291

    • 21 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
2 Ratings

2 Ratings

Harold Hess ,

Nancy has it nailed!

Her entire series of interviews is a hoot! I love how she demonstrates her brand and style during her conversations with guests.

Justin D K ,

Conversational Selling Rocks!!!

Nancy’s show is fantastic. She has great guests. I always walk away learning something from her shows. The stories are great. The tips are easy to implement!

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