Ronnell Richards

Ronnell Richards is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, host, business consultant, and the Founder of Business & Bourbon, a podcast turned platform helping business professionals network and build relationships. As a serial entrepreneur and sales leader, he has helped build and scale companies through fractional leadership and coaching. Ronnell is the author of Shut The Hell Up And Sell and has been featured in publications, including Inc., Forbes, Gwinnett Business Journal, and numerous others. 

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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

  • [7:18] How remote work environments impact sales
  • [8:56] Leveraging fundamental business skills to utilize technology effectively
  • [14:00] Ronnell Richards shares how he manages decreased sales periods — and advice for planning ahead
  • [17:34] Key pointers for maintaining focus in a volatile sales landscape
  • [20:56] How to build a sales business around the customer
  • [29:16] The importance of exchanging value and balancing skills in sales businesses
  • [34:15] Ronnell talks about his experiences as a young minority sales manager 
  • [46:55] Ronnell’s catalyst for entitling his book Shut The Hell Up And Sell
  • [50:12] Recommendations for structuring your sales funnel

In this episode…

The widespread use of CRMs and other management software has diverted from foundational business models and practices like relationship building and communication. Consequently, many sales professionals rush through the funnel to meet their quotas and satisfy company requirements, surrendering ownership of the customer relationship. How can you optimize the sales process to build and maintain valuable customer relationships?

Sales veteran and relationship cultivator Ronnell Richards advises developing a sales business separate from your assigned organization by prioritizing and aligning with customer needs. This value exchange approach allows you to establish yourself as a trusted advisor, encouraging customers to pursue your services and advocate for you beyond your current organization. When structuring your sales funnel, identifying your target audience and tailoring your messaging to address their needs is crucial in nurturing lasting partnerships.

In today’s episode of What The Teck? Rolando Rosas and Dave Kelly sit down with the Founder of Business & Bourbon, Ronnell Richards, to discuss creating a customer-focused sales business. Ronnell explains how to utilize technology effectively by leveraging business fundamentals, how to establish authority as a young minority sales manager, and the crucial elements of the sales funnel. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Sponsor for this episode…

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Episode Transcript:

Ronnell Richards 0:00

The way that salespeople are operating their sales business is fundamentally flawed. Hear me out on this, okay for it, I want to hear you. So you know, we get on the hamster wheel of sales. And that’s because it’s part of the culture. It’s what our companies tell us to do. Right, I will sell this. And then next month, it’s like a marathon of Sprint’s. And what happens a lot of times in this is we’re not really building those solid relationships with our existing customers with the people that we’re closing. And it’s not your fault. It’s not your fault, because your company tells you move on to the next one, what I’m trying to change in the minds of sellers, and helped educate them and help them to understand that these relationships, you can and should own them. You can’t divorce yourself from that customer. If you do, you’ll do it at your own peril, you’re going to stay on that hamster wheel of the marathon of Sprint’s, but longtime successful sellers know those that put in the years put in the decades and maintain success is that those relationships that they brought to those companies, they learned how to own those relationships, and to never fully divorce themselves from it. And what’s going to happen is, you’re going to find that all of these challenges that we’re talking about, get a whole lot easier. Yeah, your quota changes, the company changes or whatever, all these things, but you’ve built this great foundation of people that you’ve done business with, you’ve built a sales business for yourself that you can always call on for either more business or referrals or anything like that. So I feel like fundamentally, there is a flaw, especially in corporate sales, and how corporate sellers see their business. And they see themselves as sellers and as lone wolf so much like I did earlier my career and not as someone who’s building a sales business. When you think about it from that perspective, it changes the game.

Intro 2:08

Welcome to the What The Teck? podcast where we talk about business and Office Technology, and put our 20 years of expertise to discussing trends and issues impacting the workplace. Hi, there.

Rolando Rosas 2:21

It’s Rolando over here. And it’s Dave, of course, and welcome to What The Teck? show everybody. Today we have a very special guest joining us, Ronnell, Richards. Ronnell is a entrepreneur, a sales leader, as well as an author who has made a name for himself in the business world. But that’s not all. He sets itself apart by being what I would call the best dressed guy in the game today. Not only are we going to get some valuable insights from Ronnell today, but we also get possibly a fashion lesson from the pro himself.

Dave Kelly 2:56

I could certainly use a fashion lesson I dress myself, and I’m sure people that know me wish I didn’t. But before we introduce today’s guests, a lot of we gotta give big props to somebody out there, don’t we?

Rolando Rosas 3:10

Absolutely. Let me give some big props. I was just on a podcast with Kevin King, Kevin King, the new host of AM/PM Podcast. I had the pleasure of going on his show recently for a second time, Dave. And the first time was like five years ago when I first started going to a podcast. I go back to that, and I can’t believe that was me. I’m almost embarrassed. You live learn you get better, the more you do that kind of thing. So go ahead, check out that episode. You know, if you don’t know Kevin, Kevin is a 30 year veteran when it comes to direct mail marketing, building successful businesses and that kind of thing. So check out the AM/PM Podcast on YouTube on Apple. They’re everywhere. But you can also watch it on ampmpodcast.com.

Dave Kelly 3:57

That’s right. And listen, you can also listen to previous episodes of What The Teck? at Circuitloops.com So if you want to see some past guests, go check us out at circuitloops.com I think you’ll like what you see and listen. We have a true a true industry veteran joining us today Rolando. Yes, Ronnell Richards. He has over 20 years of experience as a successful serial entrepreneur and sales leader right now has a wealth of knowledge to share. He’s had the honor of leading five companies as president and CEO, and also as served as a consultant and fractional leader to many, many others. In addition to his impressive business credentials, Ronnell is the creator of Business & Bourbon, an exciting entrepreneurial movement and the author of the book, Shut the Hell Up and Sell. We are thrilled to have him on the show and can’t wait to hear all that he has to share. So without further ado, welcome to The show Ronnell Richard’s