The Seed & Soil Method: A New Approach to Sales Optimization

The Modern Selling Podcast

What do fig trees and industrial glue have to do with sales success? Learn the unexpected agricultural analogy that could transform your sales strategy! This insight-packed conversation between two sales leaders will change the way you think about nurturing your team and your business.

Get ready to dig deep and unearth the secrets of seed and soil in sales. Dive into the unexpected with Stephen Oommen and Mario Martinez Jr. on the Modern Selling Podcast. Stay tuned for a game-changing revelation that will recalibrate your sales mindset.

If you're feeling frustrated with the lack of progress in your sales team, trying to figure out whether the problem lies with your people or your processes, then you are not alone!

The struggle to identify the root cause of underperformance can be overwhelming, leaving you unsure of where to focus your efforts. It's time to untangle the web and uncover the real issues holding your sales team back. Let's dive into the importance of people, process, and tools in optimizing sales performance and achieving the outcomes you desire.

Mastering Strategies for Growing Sales Numbers In this episode, Mario and Stephen discuss the importance of seed and soil in sales leadership, emphasizing the need for sales leaders to assess and address talent and environmental factors within their organizations to drive growth. By understanding the metaphor of seed representing talent and soil symbolizing the environment, sales leaders can strategically nurture their team members to optimize performance and achieve higher sales numbers. The key takeaway is that by focusing on both the individual talent (seed) and the organizational environment (soil), sales leaders can identify opportunities for improvement and implement strategies to drive sales growth effectively.

This is Stephen Oommen's story:

In Stephen Oommen's career, the significance of people, process, and tools in sales became apparent when he faced the challenge of revitalizing an underperforming organization. Through this experience, he uncovered the critical role of mindset and attitude within the sales team, igniting a transformation in his approach. Stephen's journey exemplifies the profound impact of human connections and individual perspectives on sales success. His ability to empathize and comprehend the human element within sales dynamics has not only reshaped his strategies but also inspired others to recognize the intrinsic link between people, process, and tools in driving sales performance.

I usually would rather start with the soil, believe it or not. I would think through, if I were to build a finance plan, if I were to build anything, I would go through all of these metrics, see where our core skills were or wins, where do we have a toehold, a foothold and just market dominance. - Stephen Oommen

My special guest is Stephen Oommen

Stephen Oommen, formerly the vice president of enterprise sales at Outreach, boasts a robust 25-year tenure in sales, having navigated diverse industries, including substantial roles at Microsoft and ADP. His extensive experience encompasses selling an array of products, from cell phones to enterprise software. With a keen focus on driving sales performance and refining go-to-market strategies, Stephen's expertise in the critical elements of people, process, and tools in sales renders him an authoritative figure in optimizing team performance and achieving superior sales outcomes.

In this episode, you will get the skills to:

• Mastering Strategies for Growing Sales Numbers at Scale: Learn how to exponentially increase your sales performance and drive revenue growth across your entire team.

• Embracing the Importance of People, Process, and Tools in Sales: Discover the vital role that people, processes, and tools play in optimizing sales outcomes and transforming your team's performance.

• Transitioning from Enterprise Sales to Strategic Advising: Uncover the key insights and strategies for successfully transitioning from traditional enterprise sales to a more strategic advisory role, unlocking new opportunities and revenue streams.

• Overcoming Challenges and Rebuilding in Sales Careers: Explore effective methods for overcoming challenges and rebuilding your sales career, empowering you to bounce back stronger and more resilient than ever.

• Cultivating Effective Leadership in Sales Organizations: Uncover the essential principles and practices for cultivating effective leadership within sales organizations, driving team motivation, and achieving outstanding results.

The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:09 - Introduction to FlyMSG and Modern Selling Podcast 00:01:01 - Introduction to Stephen Oommen 00:04:16 - Personal Revelation of Stephen Oommen 00:07:55 - Seed and Soil Analogy 00:11:23 - Addressing Attitude and Mindset Issues 00:12:58 - Setting Expectations for In-Office Attendance 00:15:16 - Contract Review and Decision Making 00:17:01 - Talent Management and Organizational Culture 00:20:58 - Assessing the Impact of Office Attendance 00:24:21 - Identifying Seed vs. Soil Problems 00:25:47 - Talent Misalignment Issue 00:26:50 - Skills and Sales Cycles 00:29:32 - Leadership Philosophy 00:31:10 - Soil Dynamics 00:33:44 - Fixing Challenges 00:40:56 - Importance of Tilling the Soil 00:41:23 - Connecting with Stephen 00:42:13 - All-Time Favorite Movie 00:42:46 - Request for Ratings and Review

Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:09 - Introduction to FlyMSG and Modern Selling Podcast Mario Martinez Jr. introduces FlyMSG and the Modern Selling Podcast, highlighting the focus on helping sales leaders and practitioners grow their sales numbers at scale. 00:01:01 - Introduction to Stephen Oommen Mario Martinez Jr. welcomes Stephen Oommen, former VP of Enterprise Sales at Outreach, and discusses the importance of people, processes, systems, and tools in sales and marketing. 00:04:16 - Personal Revelation of Stephen Oommen Stephen Oommen shares a personal story of overcoming a challenging time during the recession, highlighting resilience and determination in the face of adversity. 00:07:55 - Seed and Soil Analogy Stephen Oommen discusses the concept of "seed" as the people or talent in an organization, and "soil" as the environment or infrastructure where people are placed. Emphasizes the importance of evaluating both aspects when addressing organizational growth and performance. 00:11:23 - Addressing Attitude and Mindset Issues Mario Martinez Jr. shares a personal experience of addressing attitude and mindset issues within a sales team, highlighting the significance of cultural alignment and team dynamics in achieving sales goals. 00:12:58 - Setting Expectations for In-Office Attendance Mario discusses the importance of getting to know his team and sets the expectation for in-office attendance. He confronts an employee who refuses to come into the office and questions the director about the employee's contract. 00:15:16 - Contract Review and Decision Making Mario contacts HR to review the employee's contract and discovers that there is no requirement for remote work. His boss advises him to fire the employee, but Mario decides to coach him first. 00:17:01 - Talent Management and Organizational Culture Stephen shares his belief in the importance of talent and the impact of an individual's circumstances on their performance. He emphasizes the need for creating an environment that attracts top talent and aligning skills with the company's needs. 00:20:58 - Assessing the Impact of Office Attendance Mario explains that the office attendance requirement was not solely about work but also about building rapport and getting to know the team. He emphasizes the impact of an individual's attitude on the entire team and the importance of reasonableness in expectations. 00:24:21 - Identifying Seed vs. Soil Problems Stephen discusses the complexity of identifying whether a problem lies with the individual (seed) or the organization (soil). He highlights the need to align an individual's skills with the company's processes and emphasizes the role of the leader in optimizing the environment for the team's success. 00:25:47 - Talent Misalignment Issue Stephen discusses the trend of misalignment in the marketplace, highlighting the importance of full cycle AE's and the skills required for enterprise sales. 00:26:50 - Skills and Sales Cycles Stephen explains the challenges in enterprise sales, emphasizing the need for specialized skills in creating pipeline due to longer sales cycles. 00:29:32 - Leadership Philosophy Stephen shares his management philosophy, focusing on potential, capability, and effort, while also discussing the nurture potential of skills. 00:31:10 - Soil Dynamics Stephen delves into the various components of the soil in sales, including historical evidence, marketing, leads, and investment in training and career growth. 00:33:44 - Fixing Challenges Stephen emphasizes the importance of starting with the soil to fix challenges, focusing on product-market fit, awareness, and driving demand in today's economy. He uses the analogy of nurturing a fig tree to illustrate the need for time and investment in the seed. 00:40:56 - Importance of Tilling the Soil Stephen and Mario discuss the analogy of changing out the seed versus tilling the soil in a sales context. They emphasize the impact of putting in the work to till the soil and fertilize it for more effective results. 00:41:23 - Connecting with Stephen Mario asks Stephen how listeners can connect with him. Stephen suggests reaching out to him on LinkedIn with a specific message, as he gets a lot of requests. He also provides his name spelling for reference. 00:42:13 - All-Time Favorite Movie Mario asks Stephen about his all-time favorite movie, and Stephen reveals it to be "Love and Basketball," a sports-related film. Mario expresses interest in the movie and plans to look it up. 00:42:46 - Request for Ratings and Review Mario asks listeners to give the podcast a five-star rating and review on iTunes. He also promotes the FlyMSG app for productivity. He concludes by thanking the audience for listening.

Transitioning from Enterprise Sales to Strategic Advising Stephen shares his insights on transitioning from a role in enterprise sales to strategic advising, emphasizing the importance of understanding the holistic approach to sales leadership. The conversation delves into the significance of evolving from a focus on sales numbers to strategic advising, where sales leaders must balance people,

Leveraging the Importance of People, Process, and Tools Stephen emphasizes the importance of aligning talent with the right processes and tools within the sales organization to optimize performance and drive better results. The discussion highlights the need for sales leaders to evaluate the alignment between individual salespeople, organizational processes, and tools to ensure synergy and effectiveness in achieving sales objectives. By leveraging the alignment of people, process, and tools, sales leaders can create a harmonious and efficient sales environment that maximizes the potential of their team and drives success in sales initiatives.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• Connect with Stephen Oommen on LinkedIn and mention that you heard him on The Modern Selling Podcast to establish a specific connection.

• Download FlyMSG for free to save 20 hours or more in a month and increase your productivity. This is a free text expander and personal writing assistant.

• Give The Modern Selling Podcast a five-star rating and review on iTunes to show your support and help the podcast reach a wider audience.