193 - Mastering B2B Sales with Richard Harris

Today’s interview is going to be so insightful and helpful, especially for you if you’re in B2B sales or you want to build more corporate partnerships. My guest today, Richard Harris, is someone I’ve come to really respect and admire in the sales world. We were both honored to be recognized as Salesforce Top Sales Influencers this year, and when I came in to the program it was evident that Richard was already a leader in the group, had been in the program before, but helped me feel so welcomed and supported, even though I’m a complete rookie and had no idea what I was doing. As I’ve gotten to know him better my respect has continued to grow for him. He’s a 2X Salesforce sales leader to follow, the founder of the Harris Consulting Group where his clients include Google, Salesforce, Zoom, and he helps put out the annual State of Mental Health in Sales Report too. He is not only incredible in his sales roles, but also cares about the health and wellbeing of all of us in sales and openly shares his own story of overcoming challenges. Show Notes: [2:41] - Welcome to the show, Richard! [4:46] - Richard shares his sales origin story. He always knew he would be in sales. [7:23] - It all started at The Gap for both Richard and Elyse. [8:30] - Although he works with a lot of huge companies, it isn’t all about the corporate world for him. [10:17] - It all begins by being a giver. Make deposits over withdrawals. [12:10] - Listen as Richard shares a story of flipping the script to connect with a huge brand. [14:19] - Sometimes it is worth it to take a risk and be “gutsy”. [15:39] - Make the time to say yes more. [17:08] - By having this mindset, you will weed out the clients you don’t want. [18:11] - Richard shares the experience of a “blow up” with a large company. [20:18] - He admits that sometimes ego gets in the way. [22:07] - What are the states of ego? [23:34] - 95% of it all is psychology and mindset. [24:34] - A lot of women make themselves small. [25:51] - Oftentimes, we place the prospect on a pedestal. [27:10] - Men in sales have this same issue but as they were growing up, they were taught to cover it up. [28:26] - It’s not our job to do business with everyone we talk to. It’s our job to do business with people who want to do business with us. [29:34] - “Our most successful customers have done it this way.” [30:43] - Earn the right to ask questions. [32:18] - Richard and Elyse do a role play to demonstrate a respect contract. [34:00] - There’s a difference between having a script and sounding scripted. [35:19] - Everyone wants to be treated fairly. It levels the playing field. [37:16] - Share your Respect Contract with Richard. He’ll help you solidify it. [38:51] - When you were at peak performance, what was happening? [40:17] - Mental Health is incredibly important. [42:01] - Richard opens up about his mental health and why he continues to see a therapist. [43:31] - There are strategies to increase focus on one thing and to stop focusing on the others.

Connect with Richard: Call and Text: 415-596-9149 The Harris Consulting Group Website LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook Links and Resources: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube She Sells with Elyse Archer Home Page