Show Highlights

1:43 - [Ari] How did you get into speaking?

2:22 - [Donald] I just love that environment of being in front of the audience.

3:15 - [Donald] Some people you know, they'll like dog on Toastmasters, well it's just like a little club where you only get 5 minutes of speaking, or 7 minutes of speaking, but what happens is that you hone - if you can speak effectively in 5-7 minutes, you can be able to speak or form speeches that will let you speak much longer or in a larger audience.

4:01 - [Ari] What do you think helped you more, preaching to your friends when you were a kid, or Toastmasters?

5:50 - [Ari] You have this podcast, The Sales Evangelist. Why The Sales Evangelist?

7:07 - [Donald] Apple had just produced the Apple II Tablet, and I stood up on this like, bar or round table in this area, and I stood up on this stool, and I said, "My name is Donald Kelly, I am the Technology Evangelist." And I took my iPad and I raised it up in the air and I said, "I am like Moses, I went to the mountain top and I got the latest technology, and I'm bringing it to you guys."

7:35 - [Donald] I captured their attention - that's the first thing you want to do in any business, let people know who you are, that you exist.

9:45 - [Donald] When it is all said and done, I'm Donald, deep down inside and I need to be confident no matter WHAT I do.

10:50 - [Ari] What's the most annoying thing you see salespeople doing that you would like to stop?

12:44 - [Donald quoting Stephen Covey] "Seek first to understand then to be understood."

14:20 - [Donald] I was having a real difficult time getting people to respond, or being able to get people's attention in the first place. So what happened, my company put us through this sales training program. And by going in that sales training program, I started to see that there was a pattern that one needed to follow in order to be good at sales.

17:07 - [Donald] One of the areas in my life that I would say I'm particularly successful in today is....my family is very very important to me. Having a relationship with my wife and family, that's just, first off, the biggest thing. It supercedes all of my other business and other accomplishments and so forth.

20:34 - [Ari] You have this quote, "To be successful, do the opposite of what everyone else is doing." How do you do the opposite of what everyone else is doing?

21:53 - [Ari] Bringing yourself into it always does make it different because there is no other you.

22:09 - [Donald quoting a friend] "You were born an original, don't die a copy."

22:48 - [Ari] I've had this in my own life; the idea is that the more that you can continue to grow, the more you can move forward, the more you are able to expand, the more you are able to grow, the more you are able to be a different person tomorrow than you were today. What are your thoughts on all this?

23:04 - [Donald] I am a big believer in the idea of outbeating your yesterday.....in actuality, if I just focus on beating my yesterday, I should be in a good position.

25:13 - [Donald] One of the times I stopped growing was when I thought I knew it all in sales....I got comfortable, and my fear crept back in. I thought I knew enough....that I could skip steps......and then what eventually happened is I started to underperform...

26:46 - [Donald] What I believe with luck, "luck is nothing more than where opportunity meets hard work," I give that back to Jared Young, one of my sales managers.

About Donald Kelly

Donald has a belief that “anyone” can sell, if they have the desire. Early on in his sales career, Donald struggled with sales, but through the proper training and coaching, he became a top performing seller. He has since taken it upon himself to “evangelize” the message of effective selling to new and struggling salespeople and entrepreneurs close more deal. Donald hosts a popular sales podcast call The Sales Evangelist.

He works with small companies in developing effective sales processes as well as training their teams. He is an award winning sales and motivational speaker. When he’s not training, speaking or selling, he loves spending time with his family in South Florida. See more including his social media accounts on his guest page.

Donald's Socials and Links

• The Sales Evangelist (Donald's Website)
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Youtube
• Linkedin

Original interview date 06/25/2018

Special Guest: Donald Kelly.

Links:

• The Sales Evangelist Podcast — Donald Kelly's podcast, The Sales Evangelist.
• MantraDog Yoga — yoga accessories including the MantraMat.
• Toastmasters International — speaking and leadership skills.
• Blue Springs State Park — stunning natural spring park in Florida.
• Art of the Start — by Guy Kawasaki
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — by Stephen Covey
• You Can You Will — book by Joel Osteen