In this inspiring episode of the Freedom Nation podcast, host Jeff Kikel sits down with Barbara Spector, a management consultant with over two decades of experience transforming sales teams and businesses.
From her beginnings as an artist to becoming a beacon of hope for businesses struggling with sales and leadership, Barbara shares her remarkable journey and the lessons learned along the way. Dive into Barbara's story of resilience, innovation, and success, and discover actionable insights to empower your own business and personal growth.
Key Takeaways:
• Transition from Artist to Management Consultant: Barbara’s journey began in the realm of art, taking a pivotal turn after a personal crisis. Her story is a testament to the power of self-reinvention and finding one's purpose through adversity.
• The Importance of Asking the Right Questions: Barbara emphasizes the critical role of asking meaningful, insightful questions in both personal development and business success. This approach has been key in her ability to help businesses uncover underlying issues and drive substantial improvements in their sales processes.
• Overcoming Workplace Challenges: Barbara’s experiences with abusive leadership and unfulfilling corporate roles highlight the importance of emotional intelligence and respectful workplace cultures. Her transition to entrepreneurship was fueled by a desire for autonomy and the ability to enact meaningful change.
• Empowering Sales Teams: With her unique "Sales MRI," Barbara assists sales teams in identifying their strengths and weaknesses, leading to significant improvements in performance. Her work showcases the necessity of digging deep to understand and solve core issues rather than applying superficial fixes.
• The Value of Curiosity and Continuous Learning: Throughout her career, Barbara has maintained a commitment to growth and learning. Her ability to think critically and remain open to new ideas has been crucial in her success and in the value she provides to her clients.
About the Guest:
Barbara Spector has never known a life outside of sales. Her career began with selling products, services, and intangibles, navigating through the myriad challenges that obstruct success. As a highly effective salesperson, Barbara dedicated herself early on to mastering her craft, learning the intricacies of excellence in sales. Her journey saw her ascending through the ranks, from a sales manager to a Vice President of Sales at several firms, and eventually leading to her owning a company dedicated to revolutionizing sales organizations, irrespective of economic fluctuations.
Over a span of 26 years, Barbara has closely worked with thousands of companies across a wide range of sizes and sectors, uncovering a universal truth: business transition and change are both challenging and unavoidable.
She has watched numerous CEOs and Sales Leaders grapple with the frustration of trying to kickstart stagnant sales. Despite their best efforts, their strategies often failed to address the core issues, leading to unsatisfactory outcomes. Barbara knows all too well that without the ability to measure problems accurately, finding a solution is nearly impossible.
These leaders faced numerous issues, including high turnover rates, inflated sales pipelines, low win rates, and a general lack of motivation among sales teams and leadership.
Thanks to Barbara's proven process, these companies have managed to escape the cycle of guesswork and disappointment. They have transitioned from mediocre performance to remarkable growth in revenue, setting a new standard for success.
Fast Five Questions
1. If you woke up and your business was gone, you have $500, a laptop, a place to live, and food, what would you do first? “Revisit the book "What Color is Your Parachute?" to rediscover her purpose and potentially reinvent herself, drawing on the resilience and adaptability she demonstrated during the pandemic."
2. What is the biggest mistake that you have made in business? ”Considers not taking a job offer to become the assistant to the curator of the Guggenheim Museum, due to advice against it for its low salary, as her biggest regret, reflecting a missed opportunity in her early career.”
3. What is a book that you would recommend? "Think Again" by Adam Grant”
4. What is a tool that you use every day that you would recommend? "Seamless"
5. What is your definition of freedom? ”Freedom comes from letting go of preconceived notions and being open to understanding what we don’t know. Knowledge is power, but recognizing what we don’t know is wisdom, leading to true freedom.”
About Jeff:
Jeff spent the early part of his career working for others. Jeff had started 5 businesses that failed before he had his first success. Since that time he has learned the principles of a successful business and has been able to build and grow multiple seven-figure businesses. Jeff lives in the Austin area and is actively working in his community and supporting the growth of small businesses. He is a board member of the Incubator.Edu program at Vista Ridge High School and is on the board of directors of the Leander Educational Excellence Foundation
Connect with the Freedom Nation podcast at https://freedom-nation-podcast.captivate.fm/
Connect with Jeff:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedomnationpodcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffKikel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffkikel/
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