From Last Draft Pick to Top 5%: How Leaders Can Transform Anyone into a Fortune 500 Sales Superstar (Excerpt from "The Show Must Go On")

The Show Must Go On, AVAILABLE NOW! serves as the comprehensive follow-up to Salesman on Fire : an extensive guide on sales strategies, personal development, and leadership.

It provides insights into building a successful sales career, overcoming obstacles, and achieving personal and professional growth en route to the story of how LinkedIn, AI and a Moneyball approach to sales has generated over $1B in revenue.

Carson V. Heady discusses the significance of personal branding and how it can differentiate a salesperson in a competitive market, the role of a leader in fostering a collaborative and empowering environment for team members, strategies for dealing with setbacks and failures, and methods for effective prospecting, including leveraging social media, AI and personalized messaging to connect with potential clients.

Pick up your copy of THE SHOW MUST GO ON here:

One of my favorite stories about someone who worked for me was way back in my call center days. I led a sales team of roughly 20 sales reps who were on the phones fielding inbound calls from customers, typically upset about their bills, and required to upsell.

We would draft teams, and whichever team was in first place got the last choices – this was always me.

My fiercest rival in that call center management team had referred a member of his church to the call center, but he would not pick him through multiple rounds of drafting of the new training class because he knew he wouldn't be a top rep.

The prognosis on this new seller was not positive; he was monotone, not assertive or confident and the trainers ranked him last in the class on their scorecard. This person wound up on my team. His voice and delivery were not what you would envision as the most rousing on a call center sales team.

When a lot of people get out of training, they focus on getting the core focuses of their job right – the systems, the ability to answer customer questions, the navigation of screens and the technology – and sales can become an afterthought for some. All of these things were working against him. However, I don’t give up on anyone, though many give up on themselves.

I know that anyone can find success if they truly want it and are willing to do what it takes to get it. It’s important to me when I start working with someone to understand why they’re there, what motivates them, what they need from me and how they like to be coached; like my sales approach, it’s something I’ve used and tweaked in several roles over the years as I survey my new team members. This gentleman wanted side by side coaching on his calls; he indicated a desire to be successful.

Undoubtedly the fact he was picked last in the draft and even his friend didn’t want him was likely always in his mind. It would have been for me! This sales rep was struggling with putting together his delivery during and after handling customer questions and responding, navigating through the systems and call flow and when he was trying to half-heartedly offer something at the end of the call, the customer was ready to go and it ended without him following the flow or really offering anything.

So I challenged him to write a script in his voice with a handful of parameters and suggestions. It needed to be in his voice because he had the responsibility of weaving it in throughout the call and ensuring he was making strong recommendations. We met, reviewed it, I made some alterations, and then he committed to using it on every call as it was written.

This rep won Fortune 500 – the top 5% of all salespeople in the company – his first quarter in role.

Find your own unique sales voice, embrace strategic changes for improvement and always keep people and process at the heart of everything you do and you can’t lose.

Transforming Anyone into a Top Seller: A Leader’s Blueprint

Leadership isn’t about managing tasks; it’s about unlocking the potential in others.

Here's how any leader can replicate this transformational journey.

✨ Start with Empathy and Understanding

When coaching someone, start by understanding their motivations and needs:

• ✨ Ask the right questions: What motivates them? What do they need from you? How do they like to be coached?
• ✨ Create a safe space: Allow them to share their concerns and struggles openly.
• ✨ Tap into their potential: Believe in their ability to succeed, even when they doubt themselves.

This seller wasn’t the most confident or assertive, and even his voice lacked the energy typically expected of a successful salesperson. But he had one critical trait: the desire to improve.

🔧 Provide Tailored Coaching

Not all coaching is created equal. Tailor your approach based on what works best for each individual:

• 🔧 Side-by-side coaching: Sit with them during their interactions to observe, guide, and build confidence.
• 🔧 Personalized plans: In this case, I encouraged the rep to draft a script in his own voice, ensuring authenticity while incorporating strategic improvements.
• 🔧 Collaborate and iterate: Review their work together, make constructive suggestions, and ensure they commit to the process.

🖌️ Develop a Winning Process

Success is built on a solid foundation of process and consistency:

• 🖌️ Focus on key elements: Help your team member master systems, call flows, and responses to customer questions.
• 🖌️ Craft strategic scripts: Encourage them to write scripts in their own voice, tailored to their strengths, while aligning with sales goals.
• 🖌️ Commit to repetition: Consistently applying the script on every call creates muscle memory and builds confidence.

⚔️ Challenge Them to Grow

Growth happens outside the comfort zone. For this rep, the turning point was:

• ⚔️ Setting clear expectations: He needed to use his script as written and weave it naturally into conversations.
• ⚔️ Encouraging resilience: Despite early struggles, I reinforced that his effort and commitment would yield results.
• ⚔️ Recognizing progress: Celebrate small wins to keep momentum.

🏆 Celebrate Success and Reflect

This individual, once overlooked, achieved Fortune 500 status — a recognition for the top 5% of salespeople in the company. Key takeaways:

• 🏆 Believe in people: Leaders must see potential where others do not.
• 🏆 Emphasize the process: Sales success stems from consistent, strategic actions.
• 🏆 Find their unique voice: Authenticity drives connection and results.

💡 Practical Tips for Leaders

• 💡 Know your team: Understand their “why” and adapt your coaching style to their needs.
• 💡 Focus on strengths: Build on what they do well while addressing growth areas.
• 💡 Create a roadmap: Provide clear, actionable steps for improvement.
• 💡 Stay consistent: Regular check-ins and reinforcement ensure lasting progress.

Every person has the capacity to excel, given the right guidance and environment. As leaders, it’s our duty to provide the tools, support, and belief they need to achieve their fullest potential. Remember: find their unique sales voice, embrace strategic changes, and keep people and process at the heart of everything you do — and success will follow.

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