Richard Harris™

The Harris Consulting Group

Our clients ask us to help them with Full Funnel Sales Training and Operational Guidance. 

Whether you have SDRs with no sales experience, AE's who have been doing their role for years, Customer Success Reps where you want to focus on upselling and cross-selling opportunities, or you simply need a Sales Operations and Sales Process creation, review/audit with recommendations we will be able to speak to your unique use case and provide truthful feedback and guidance.

Clients tell us they like our ability to focus not just at strategic levels but also at tactical levels. The sales team exits training with a better understanding of WHY things work and more specifically what they need to say to their prospects to increase conversions throughout the funnel.

Our clients tell us that we improve the following:

► Increased Revenue
► Improved Pipeline Volume and Velocity
► Shortening Sales Cycles
► More Accurate Forecasting
► Faster Onboarding 
► Improved Sales Skills: Prospecting, Discovery, Objection Handling, and Closing Techniques

For a list of clients click here: www.theharrisconsultinggroup.com/clients 

@intercom

Founder

Some people loathe the interview process and can often feel discouraged and downtrodden by the whole experience.  

This book breaks down the application and interview process step by step. Designed to give you the courage and confidence to be bold, without coming across as a jerk.  Specifically designed to help you get more interviews, short-listed through the process and more job offers. 

Full of tactical advice including:

1. How many companies should I apply to in a day?
2. How do I leverage LinkedIn in my job search?
3. What kinds of questions make me standout from other candidates?

Amazon Link: https://rharris415.com/OwningYourJobSearch

Author - Owning Your Job Search: Your step by step guide from application, to salary.

Surf and Sales

Going small means going big. The Hershey's Kiss of sales conferences

Intimacy at scale where the in-between moments create equal value to the sessions. 

Where focus on self-improvement yields to life-changing results.

Co-Founder

Salesforce

2023, 2022, 2021 Salesforce Top Sales Influencer To Follow

Atrium - Data Driven Sales Management

No more Sunday nights prepping for your Monday meetings and using your best "guestimate" to what action items you will be deploying to improve revenue outcomes.

You cannot have predictable sales forecast without knowing which inputs are affecting every stage of the sales cycle, this is what Atrium does.  

It gives you the real data insights used to make data-driven decisions and, specifically how to coach your team to improve their skillset and overall EQ

Strategic Advisor

Wonderway

The world's only and best Sales Coaching platform that provides coaching to your team on EVERY. SINGLE. CALL

regie.ai

Humantic AI

Chapter 1 of selling is humanization in the Humantic AI book.

East Bay School for Boys

Founded in 2010 and enrolling 100 students in grades 6/7/8, EBSB's Mission is to empower middle school boys to cultivate their intellectual, physical, and emotional selves to become the engaged, thoughtful, and courageous men of tomorrow.

While perhaps best known for its innovative Work program (21st Century shop class), EBSB's creative and rigorous academic program dives deeply into the humanities, math, science, Spanish, and physical education. Students also benefit from music, Capoeira, electives, sports and more.

Key Aspects of EBSB:

ACTIVE, ENGAGED LEARNING 
East Bay School for Boys believes boys engage and learn more in an active, hands-on learning environment. Our Work program is at the cutting edge of the Maker Education. Coupled with outdoor education and service learning, students design, build, and nurture their world and grow to love learning!

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
We strive to create a school community that reflects and celebrates the racial, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity of the Bay Area. 

Almost half of our student body and faculty/staff are people of color. Half of the families receive tuition assistance. We teach an anti-racist curriculum, facilitate affinity groups, and practice restorative justice.

REDEFINING MANHOOD
We seek to expand the concept of manhood as defined by popular culture. EBSB students develop a sense of identity not from what a “man is supposed to be,” but rather by challenging themselves, learning from mistakes, expressing emotions with respect, caring for others, and standing up for justice.

Board Member

GTMfund

The investor network consists of GTM executives who've seen zero to IPO. We're here to help exceptional founders with great products successfully scale their go-to-market and grow revenue

GTMRamp Member

Sales Hacker, Inc.

Focusing on "Full Funnel Sales Training" Sales Hacker and The Harris Consulting Group have teamed up to support the inside sales and outside sales helping their reps improve conversion ratios throughout the entire sales funnel. 

We help you strike the balance between volume, velocity, and overall quality of real-world sales training based on your unique circumstances. 

Clients: Callidus Cloud, Datanyze, Gainsight, Udemy, LevelEleven, TopOpps, PushPay, RevelSystems,  Helm Operations, Spanning, ZignalLabs and a host of others.

Director of Sales Training & Consulting Services

3x Salesforce Sales Leader 5x AAiSP Top Sales Leader Teaching revenue teams how to #EarnTheRight to Ask Questions, which questions to ask, and when.

►► 3x Salesforce Sales Influencer ‘23, ‘22, ‘21
►► 5x: AA-ISP’s Top 25 Influential Sales Leader
►► Co-Founder Surf and Sales
►► Owner The Harris Consulting Group

Remember, nobody cares what you do, they only care what pains you solve.

Clients: @Google @Visa @Zoom @Salesforce, @intercom @salesloft @terminus @gainsight @pandadoc @pandora @humaninterest, @doordash, and more

A seasoned  SaaS sales leader and inside sales trainer and advisor with 20+ years of experience. 

We focus on teaching your reps how to earn the right to ask questions, which questions to ask, and when. 

Whether you are an early-stage or expansion stage start-up, or a Fortune 500 company, we will increase funnel conversions to revenue faster.

Our clients ask us to help them with Full Funnel Sales Training and Operational Guidance. 

Whether you have SDRs with no sales experience, AE's who have been doing their role for years, Customer Success Reps where you want to focus on upselling and cross-selling opportunities, or you simply need a Sales Operations and Sales Process creation, review/audit with recommendations we will be able to speak to your unique use case and provide truthful feedback and guidance.

Clients tell us they like our ability to focus not just at strategic levels but also at tactical levels. The sales team exits training with a better understanding of WHY things work and more specifically what they need to say to their prospects to increase conversions throughout the funnel.

Our clients tell us that we improve the following:

► Increased Revenue
► Improved Pipeline Volume and Velocity
► Shortening Sales Cycles
► More Accurate Forecasting
► Faster Onboarding 
► Improved Sales Skills: Prospecting, Discovery, Objection Handling, and Closing Techniques

For a list of clients click here: www.theharrisconsultinggroup.com/clients 

@intercom



15 Signals You Are About To Be Laid Off but nobody has ever taught you.

1. The entire team is behind on quota.

2. Afire sale is happening for the second month in a row.

3. You are behind on quota

4. They ask you to start "sharing documents" they've never asked for before.

5. There is a tone of desperation in a pipeline meeting that is not on the regular cadence. 

6. Random meeting shows up on your calendar from a leader with no context.

7. Your boss is avoiding you, not looking you in the eyes.

8. There's a new all-hands or team meeting this Friday.

9. You see more of your leaders updating their own LinkedIn profiles. Which you should probably do too. 

10.  You've seen people leave over the last few months and not seen any backfilling.

11. You've heard offers are being rescinded. 

12. You are on a hiring freeze.

13. People stop answering your emails.

14. You aren't in a meeting you would normally be attending.

15. They decide to change your comp for one of the biggest deals in company history. 

What did we miss, please feel free to comment.

Dear CEO, 

Just because you read Predictable Revenue, Never Split The Difference, and The Seller's Journey over the weekend does not mean you now an expert at sales on Monday.

Sincerely, 

How long did your next VP of Sales last after you fired one within 16 months?

Did anything ever go wrong when you fired the high-maintenance, non-team player rep even when they were always at the top of the leader board?

Great conversation today with 🏄‍♂️ Scott Leese and Alyson B. on the Surf and Sales podcast.

The best thing about these random "congrats on your anniversary" messages is that it highlights all the people I need to disconnect from here on LinkedIn

Saying the quiet part out loud.

Sometimes you gotta Bob Ross this s\\t.  

So let me paint you a picture.

What is frustrating is the lack of self-awareness of the people asking for advice. 

People don’t understand the difference between offering advice to the masses because that is good karma and actual customized consulting services. Also, understand if we are part of the same community, that is also different. Advice is already flowing bi-directionally then.

Enter Bob Ross and the angry trees.

When you ping someone for advice about your specific problem, your specific solutions, and understanding the viability of the market for what you are building one should understand the other side of the conversation. 

1. You want to use that advice for fund raising, right?

2. You want to use that advice for decreasing sales cycles and driving revenue, right?

3. You want to reduce product roadmap and get a competitive edge, right?

4. You want me to introduce you to my contacts and clients like the other 20 calls a month I get? 

5. You want this advice to help you become a millionaire, right?

So, as Vanilla Ice once said, "Alright stop, collaborate and listen"

1. Make me an offer I can’t refuse. Do your research on me. Know what my goals in business are and see if you can offer some value of trade.

2. Tell me you offer a review on G2 or some other review site that I can leverage to get paid business.

3. Tell me you want me to mentor you as an advisor. 

4. For f-sake, send me a screenshot of you purchasing my book, The Sellers Journey on Amazon and tell me you are going to write a review. 

You want free advice, call your uncle. 

You wanna become a $unicorn$? Call me, 415.596.9149.

Why do sales leaders over complicate things like 1:1s?

And yes, I am more than willing to admit I used to do this myself. 

And frankly we should think about how reps feel when planning for or being in a 1:1

Some suggestions:

🙂 1:1s are about driving accountability towards achievements, both personal and professional

🙄 1:1s are not to be moved. Even if your CEO asks for a meeting. 

🤮  1:1s are not pipeline reviews.

“They prepare you for these things,” a 15-year-old girl told the NYT.

1. No they don't. I'm a grown man and I am not "prepared"

2. "Dad, how come your generation never had to go through LD drills?"

Leaders should be ashamed.

And why am I posting this on a business platform?

Well, if a parent's workday got interrupted by something like this, then our day should be too.

What it really means that the average tenure of a sales leader is 16 months

Most sales leaders careers are a dumpster fire of being a sucker for a challenge and love working for narcissists.

Biggest mistakes leaders are making in 2024

1. Thinking that only prospecting training will help you hit your goal. It doesn't it just accelerates the suck

2. Thinking that only sales training will help you hit your goal. It won't you will clean out your pipeline and realize you have nothing to backfill.

This is not "What is the one thing that will help?"

The most successful companies this year are running these in parallel. 

It's August 29, prove me wrong.

Handling the Fake Discount Request Objection

100% Looking at you CFO's and CRO's.

Nothing tells me the sole reason your team is consistently missing goal when I'm forced to have this conversation. 

"Richard, if you can bring your price down a little bit we also have some other training we want to do this year and this could be a big help in us wanting to use your services for that one too."

Reply Options: 

Option 1 - Well, if you want to do that, we can come up with a bundled pricing and we can put them on the same contract. 

Option 2 - I am confused, how would discounting this package reflect positively on the next one? 

Option 3 - Hmmm, when your prospects come to your sales reps with this same request of a promise of "maybe in the future", what is your initial reaction?

Option 4 - Do you want me to teach your sales team how to maintain pricing integrity when your prospects say the same thing to your sales team?

Option 5 - Pffttt, OMG I have to order a new keyboard because you just made me spit my coffee out as I try to hold back my laughter at your immature and amateur approach to asking for a discount.

Professional Tip - It also shows your hypocritical when you try to tell your team to sell value. It shows you are an amateur at best when it comes to negotiating, and it 100%  shows your immaturity because you are allowing your ego to drive business decisions. 

JUST. STOP. BEING. STUPID.

What's the worst advice a sales leader ever gave you?

Mine was:  "You can leave your problems at the door and treat work like an escape from everything else."

And sadly I parroted this in my early days as a sales leader.

What's the worst advice you were given?

It's time for some Cawfee Tawk about AI in Sales!

We are gonna have a frank conversation and talk about 

The Good: Where are we now?
The Bad: The Scary Voices in Your Head Are Real
The Ugly: What AI Can't Do

And then of course, The 7 Things AI CAN do in sales.

And yes, we will be taking your questions live as well. 

Thanks to Salesforce for sponsoring this. 

Not sure of Baabraaa will be showing up, but you never know!

When: Monday August 26
Time: 3pm EST/ 12pm PST
Where: Salesblazer Community on Slack

Wanna join? Check it out in the first comment.

If you're sales people are not receiving the same % payout on commissions and bonuses that executives then that is the biggest reason your sales culture sucks.

Assumptions are the mother of all invention or f’ups

One of my favorite things about life is personal connections and relationships we can create from business partners to true friendships. 

Twelve-ish years ago I met this guy Max Altschuler and we partnered on a few things and he became a good friend. 

And then I met Mark Kosoglow, and we became friends. 

There are many, many others. 

What's unique here is that Mark and Max have partnered to help solve "The Great Ignore". You know the noise everyone is trying to break through. 

I got a quick intro to www.operator.ai last week. And its definitely worthy of your attention.

And no, I am not being paid to write this. I am doing it because of the friendships.

The player/ coach model is rearing it's ugly head again. 

The only successful player/coach I've ever witnessed was a guy named Pete Rose.

You cannot achieve profitability by the following:

1. Cutting costs
2. Adding tools and AI

If you are not improving the skill of conversation with your teams your conversion rates and revenue misses will continue.

The most overlooked sales competency in training and coaching is around giving your team the courage and confidence to have the uncomfortable conversations. 

We have to give our team the words they need to use in the shifting market conditions. 

We have to teach them how humans make decisions, how those decisions can affect them, and meet them in their headspace to engage the conversation from their point of view. Not from the point of view from our website.

So what's the agenda?

This is one of the biggest questions 🏄‍♂️ Scott Leese and I get asked about Surf and Sales

And when we tell them it's customized they find it hard to believe, and then love it once they understand. 

Every Surf & Sales session is unique, with workshops and training tailored for each group, plus a few “greatest hits” that past groups have loved.  

Here's how we do it.

💡 We ask attendees what is something they desire to learn?
💡 We ask attendees what is something they are passionate about?
💡 We then customize a unique agenda for each event.
💡 We even have attendees lead sessions. And no powerpoint is required.

Past topics have included:

💲 Talking Story: How to use storytelling to win hearts and minds.

💲 Future-proofing Your Sales Career

💲 Mastering Internal Politics

💲 Nearbound Sales 101

💲 Scaling Without Failing

💲 LinkedIn/Social Selling Master Class

💲 Stock Option + Comp De-Mystification 

💲 Mental Health and Sales

💲 How to Grow a Side Hustle

So, if you were going to attend Surf and Sales in November this year...

What would you want to learn?
What is something you are passionate about?

Taplio

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