50: Leila Mozaffarian of Zipwhip - New to Sales, Delivering 300%+ While Creating 5-Star Experiences

0:08 Scott Ingram: You're listening to the Sales Success Stories podcast, where we deconstruct world-class sales performers to provide insights and strategies to help you improve. To learn more, visit us at top1.fm. Here's your host, Scott Ingram. Today on the Sales Success Stories podcast, my guest is Leila Mozaffarian, who is the top account executive at the Seattle-based startup Zipwhip. Welcome to the show, Leila.

0:33 Leila Mozaffarian: Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

0:36 Scott Ingram: So great to have you here. And a special shout out to Gail Axelrod at OpenView Partners, who has been helping to connect me with a few of the top sellers inside some of their portfolio companies. So thanks again, Gail. This episode is brought to you thanks to the generous support of Story Dimensions, who you can find at storydimensions.com. And I'll tell you a bit more about them in a few minutes. Now, Leila, I know you're a fan of the show and already know exactly how this works. So let's jump right in with some immediate value. And talk about the 3 things that you believe have allowed you to get to and stay at the top of the leaderboard and set both the best monthly and yearly sales records there at Zipwhip.

1:15 Leila Mozaffarian: Definitely. So, I think the 3 top things for me have been just being a very empathetic salesperson, consistently being persistent, and then also just listening and actively engaging with customers, clients, Every size of the business that we partake in, whether they're small or big. So, when I say empathy, I think oftentimes we're told to sell with integrity, we're told to sell in an honest way, but one of the main things is really understanding where the customer's perspective is, where they're coming from, and really understanding how they are as people. Oftentimes, as salespeople, we put that sales word first, but I think if you keep in mind that you're a person of sales instead, that you are relating to them on a personal level, you're understanding where they're coming from, and trying to work with them to really better their business is a very good approach. And in the long term, it builds trust. As many salespeople know, you buy from the people you like. And so, if you build trust and a good relationship by being empathetic, it's one of the easiest ways to connect with customers in the short and long term. In regards to persistence, oftentimes we do have customers that maybe sign up with us and cancel or don't sign up with us right from the beginning. And I think it's very disappointing as a salesperson to lose a deal or to not be able to close a deal. But staying persistent even after those situations, connecting with them, seeing that, you know, how their current platform's working for them, if they signed up with a competitor, how that went, and even getting feedback to a way that maybe you can use towards other demos or other demonstrations and meetings that you have in the future are very valuable. I think sometimes there's just corporate changes that you can't control, but you can control the relationships you have, and you might be surprised. They might even send you customers in the future with even like bigger business that you might have not suspected ahead of time by just keeping that relationship going. And I think the last thing again is really listening to your customers. Oftentimes the salespeople were trained, you know, in Sales 101, tell the customer about the product, ask them a couple questions, show them the platform, and then see if they have any follow-up questions and create action items list. But I think what we forget is that when they are giving us these answers to the questions that we have, we do need to actually listen, see exactly what their goals are, and if maybe they already have something they're using that's working, what do they want to gain out of the conversation that they're having with you, and why did they agree to meet with you to begin with? And I think once you understand what their goals are, what they want to gain, then you're much more likely to be able to close the account and keep that relationship going with them to build that account or get customer referrals and do better by actively listening and really engaging with them with answers that are relatable to the actual responses that they give you.

3:58 Scott Ingram: Yeah, great stuff. And I love that you called out sort of asking why they took the meeting. I think we often forget that the biggest buying sign you're probably ever going to get is the fact that somebody was willing to spend time with you and just asking, you know, why is such a great lead-in. But I'm curious about the persistence piece. Do you have a particular process? Wow, that's very alliterative. But is there a method to your madness in terms of the way that you follow up after you've maybe lost a deal?

4:25 Leila Mozaffarian: Yeah, I mean, immediately after someone calls me and says, I'm signing up with someone else, my response to them is, first of all, can I ask why? Why do you want to do that? What is it that they have that we don't have? And I try to get immediate feedback so that if they're not ever going to respond to me again, at least I know what we can do better. I can do better as a salesperson, what our product can improve on and things of that nature. But also I ask them, you know, can I check back with you in a month or in 6 months or a year down the road to see how that's working for you and just get feedback on the platform that you're using? And what I find that happens oftentimes is, you know, one, I get pros and cons of their platform so we can use it for ourselves, but also that, you know, sometimes they really are unhappy. I checked in with a customer after a year once and they were super unhappy and the package size that I was originally going to sign them up with doubled and they ended up becoming a customer simply because I checked in and said, you know, how is that actually working for you today?

5:19 Scott Ingram: Awesome. Great story. So let's provide just a little bit of context and I want to hear about your role at Zipwhip. But I really want to hear about your previous title, which was as a Mentor Account Executive and what that means.

5:34 Leila Mozaffarian: Yeah. So, when I first came to the company as an account executive, we do the entire sales process and then the Mentor Account Executives, the mentors really work with new AEs who come into the company and guide them, try to listen in on their demos, give them feedback, do a lot of coaching, truly just mentor anyone within the company, no matter how many years of experience they have or how little experience they have, and really work together. For me, I think the greatest part of being a mentor here is that I'm constantly getting mentored by brand new people who have no experience to people who have 20+ years of sales experience coming in from big organizations. And so, that was just, you know, pretty much as a mentor, you really just work with these people in ensuring that they understand the platform and functionalities, but also really understand how to connect and sell to the specific industry that they're targeting.

6:23 Scott Ingram: Awesome. And what does your current role look like? Like, what has that evolution been?

6:26 Leila Mozaffarian: Yeah, so when I first started with Zipwhip, there was about 50, I think 60 people at the company. Right now we have about 200 employees. Within the last 2 years, obviously we've grown a ton. We've gotten a lot of funding. Our sales team went from, you know, 30 people to now 75 people. And basically how the sales team works is that we each target a specific industry. So for me, I target the automotive industry specifically, and then each AE has a specific vertical that they focus on. So my team consists of 5 total people within automotive. And when I first started, we did the entire sales process. So there wasn't really a lead generation team or a really true like marketing and support and all of those kind of departments. We actually did our own lead generation. We did our own prospecting. We set up the demos, completed the demos, signed up the customer, handled the training, did the billing, the support, and then actually become account managers on those same accounts while bringing in new revenue continually. And so I would definitely say that within the last 2 years, there's been so many changes. It's been 150 miles an hour and so much fun, but there's also been a ton of changes so that, you know, you can focus more on having support from a marketing team and focus more on sales. And we have a great, you know, support and customer success manager roles now that help assist with onboarding and ensuring that customers are taken care of because we're just growing at such a fast rate. So we really, as account executives, do handle the entire process from beginning to end. And for me, it's just been a huge growth opportunity. And learning all aspects of the business and connecting with every department.

7:56 Scott Ingram: That's fantastic. Well, it seems like I've had a series of just super fast growth startup companies. If you work for a larger or more established organization, I think the next episode will, will have something much more suited to those lines. So, Leila, what is your origin story? How did you get your start in sales?

8:16 Leila Mozaffarian: So for me, I graduated 2 years ago, actually from the University of Oregon, and I studied entrepreneurship and marketing as my concentration when I was in the business school, and I got a minor in psychology as well. For me, it's been very interesting just talking with people, learning about them, learning, you know, what makes them tick, what makes them motivated, what do they want to get out of something, whether that's on a personal or a business level. And when I was in college, I started an LLC and, you know, selling a product specifically and worked on a licensing agreement with the University of Oregon to launch a product. And during that, you know, being a one-man show, I got a huge opportunity to learn a lot, but I did want to be in the tech world. I wanted to move back to Seattle, you know, where I was born and raised and have an opportunity to learn from a bigger organization where I knew it was small enough to where I could learn all aspects of how the company is growing, but also have the opportunity to know that it is growing for sure and getting funding and seeing the challenges that it faces. And so when I initially looked into this sales role, I knew that it was going to consist of the entire process. And that's what really interested me. Because, you know, being at a tech company in Seattle was a dream. And then also having the opportunity to learn from beginning to end how to deal with clients, how to sell to them, how to manage them, and then also having the ability to, you know, go up to your CEO. And obviously our CEO is one of the friendliest people ever, but just being the, you know, having the opportunity and being able to go up to C-level executives and speak with them in regards to anything and learn from them and get coached and guided in so many directions coming straight from college is really why I chose to come to this role specifically.

9:54 Scott Ingram: That's fantastic. So, you know, typically I ask if there was anything you would do differently if you were starting over, but I want to add to that. I feel like a degree in psychology is maybe one of the most applicable things there is to sales since there aren't very many professional sales programs. Do you, do you find that you use some of that learning and some of those insights in your day-to-day?

10:16 Leila Mozaffarian: Definitely. When I was studying marketing, I felt like a lot of what was going on in my business classes was related to my psychology classes. And so I think that When you understand people and you understand the types of people out there, and a lot of my classes had to do with mental health, for example, or where people were coming from and understanding their backgrounds, I think it really helps when you are trying to connect, right? Because the entire sales process, you have to make people like you enough to where they want to buy something from you, or that you have to sell them on something to where they're willing to spend time and money. My perspective personally is that in this world, we have 2 things, right? We have time and we have the money that we spend on the time that we have. And so to convince someone to give you their time and money is a very difficult thing to do when you're not related to them and you don't know them and maybe you're reaching out to them for the first time. And so I would definitely say that, you know, any type of articles that you can read, any videos that you can listen to when it comes to psychology and how the brain functions and, you know, just the types of people out there is a very important and helpful tool When it comes to sales.

11:21 Scott Ingram: Any specific resources along those lines, maybe a specific book or video?

11:25 Leila Mozaffarian: I think that in regards to, you know, I don't actually have like a very good example of a specific book or video. I would say that, you know, sometimes what I do, and this is just kind of a personal thing, is I will literally look up, you know, psychological behaviors on YouTube. And then you just kind of click on a bunch of different links and you watch these videos. And there's something that, you know, I think for one of the further questions might be more applicable, or just learning about the theories of what makes people motivated, what makes people confident, you know, what makes people grow, what makes people want to be a self-starter versus having motivations from an outside perspective. But unfortunately, I don't have a great video or movie or book right from the top of my head.

12:10 Scott Ingram: Oh, no worries. I think that's a good starting point though, right? Even that YouTube cert is a good launching point. So before we talk about Leila's results, let me tell you about Story Dimensions, the sponsor of this episode. Story Dimensions is a SaaS sales enablement company, and as you know, I'm a big believer in the power of stories. And when I saw what they offer, I was really, really impressed. Story Dimensions is the only solution that captures and packages real stories from your customers into easy-to-digest and deliver formats that salespeople can use to build credibility and trust with buyers. I have so much confidence in the value that this solution brings to sales organizations that I have taken on an advisory role with the company, and I encourage you to check it out. Go to storydimensions.com and request a live demo to see how Story Dimensions can help you accelerate sales cycles and close more deals. So, Leila, quantify your results for us just a little bit. What has it taken to get to number 1 at Zipwhip?

13:04 Leila Mozaffarian: So, I would say that, you know, when it comes to quantifying my results, throughout 2017, I set the highest record for software sales in a month after consistently performing at a high level. On average, for the entire year of 2017, I was 300% to plan for the quota attainment that we had. And in fact, at some points, you know, a senior account executive role actually came out, it was something that, you know, because of the numbers that we were consistently hitting at a higher level, our quotas could continually increase by signing up on a new option. And so, for me, every single time that option was released, I signed up on it. I meet my, you know, numbers in regards to the MRR goals that we have, and I try to exceed them by as much as possible, obviously, not only for my own success, but also for the success of the company. I would definitely say that, you know, the way I kind of got there was in January 2023, 2017, I actually missed quota for the first time after having consistently hit it throughout my entire ramp. And then the month that, you know, was… I was on my full ramp, I actually missed my quota. And I remember the feeling of failure that I had that month and how motivated I was. And, you know, obviously there's a lot of things that motivate people, but in that time, I just really wanted to do a lot better and never have that feeling in my gut again that I missed my job requirements. And so the following month, I was 400% to plan. You know, a lot of people called it lucky. They said, you know, it's a one-time thing. The following month, I was a little over 450% to plan. And then after that, the highest selling month that I had was a little over 1,000% over plan. And I think that setting those records and saying that you can do that even after you have a failure of a month is just a really motivating thing because sometimes you can feel down and think that you can't do this anymore. But realistically, I think once you put that time and effort in and know that as a salesperson, the time and effort and luck that you create for yourself is really the results that you're going to see in the short and long term.

14:59 Scott Ingram: Well, and talk about some of that mindset and that motivation. I think what's fascinating about that was obviously taking the drive of, gosh, I don't want to feel like that again based on the miss. But I'm also just fascinated by the idea that you hit 400% and folks thought that was a fluke. And then you went on to do 2.5 times that amount. What drove that and how did you not let anything or any feedback like that sort of limit what you were able to produce?

15:24 Leila Mozaffarian: So, to be completely honest, for me personally, and I think we all have different motives in life and things that make us want to be better. January 2017 for me was a very bad month on a business level and on a personal level. I had a lot of family members have health issues, like things were just going wrong. There were car accidents. There was just a lot going on. And I felt like I had no control over a lot of those things that were happening in my life on a personal level. But the one thing I felt like I could control was how I perform. And to me, when someone says, you know, this is the things that we need and we need finances to do that, and I'm in a role that, you know, you're… some, you know, sales roles have capped commissions, ours doesn't. Knowing that I could make as much money as I wanted as fast as I wanted was very motivating to me because I could look back to my family and say, you know what, don't worry, I can take care of this. I'm able to do this and I'm going to put the time in to make it happen because it's the one thing I can control. So I think finding what motivates you, whether that's Whether that's wanting to start a family, buy a house, go on a vacation, whatever that motive is, when you're in sales, the more time you put in and the more efforts you put in, you'll see that result. And the more questions you ask, the people you speak with, and keeping your head up and knowing that if you just grind and block out all the noise, block out all the excuses, let the haters hate, all those sorts of things, you'll always be able to overcome any obstacle by just keeping motivated. I don't come from a background of a lot of experience within sales, so I think that when someone says, You know, this excuse or that excuse, the industry's not doing well, the company's not doing well. I don't see any of that as a reason to not be successful. I think a lot of it does come down to your own mindset and, you know, sticking with people who are constantly pushing you to be better no matter what. And actually, I think when, you know, you're… this is a great question. You know, you hit 400%. How did you do that again? And how did you double that? To me, you know, I have very great mentorship all across the company from every, you know, level from the very bottom to the very top. And I remember the day I hit that highest software sales number, my direct team lead Albert came up to me and he was like, your dials are low. And I'll never forget that because I think, you know, oftentimes everyone's congratulating and you have a great month and then suddenly for some reason you realize you have a few bad months right after that. And I think it's the idea that you have to keep pushing and you have to keep performing and you have to stick to the things that you can control, like your dials and emails and social media platforms. And you can never slow down because, you know, it's always about what have you done for me lately?

17:49 Scott Ingram: That's so funny. I was going to ask you to clarify the dials are low because I was imagining knobs. I wasn't thinking of telephone dials. So, I'm glad you clarified that. You know, and it's so interesting. I mean, you talked about that January just being challenging in life. And I think that's something we all have to recognize. Like, life goes on around us. It has been the craziest experience the last couple of months as I have been… I swear I'm just a cat herder in trying to pull the stories together for the Sales Success Stories book. And there's just so much life that goes on. You know, these are all top 1% performers that have been on the podcast, and it's crazy the amount of stuff that has come up, right? Just staying closely involved with them and understanding a lot of the things that are going on in their lives. And, you know, writing stories for the book is not the highest priority on their list, right? They've got families to take care of. They've got their own jobs and quotas to continue to crush and stay at the top of their own leaderboard. So, you know, I love that you talked about just controlling the things you can control and working and doing that hustle. So, I mean, that's a lot of success. What of those things, or maybe something else, are you most proud of?

19:02 Leila Mozaffarian: I would definitely say that I am very proud of being able to succeed in the role that I'm in. And the reason I say that is because, you know, I came into this company with no experience. I was 21 years old. I, you know, as a girl within a space, tech space that's male-dominated, and a role that's that's male dominated, selling to automotive that's male dominated. And especially, you know, for me, selling to salespeople who are in the industry for 30 or more years was a very hard learning curve. I would definitely say that I wasn't the most confident person. I came from a traditional household where, you know, you say yes to everyone. You don't ask questions unless, you know, you're told to. And so, I would definitely say that when you look at the people that you have to handle objections and people who are frustrated, or maybe they hang up on you and all those sorts of For me, one of the proudest moments that I personally have had is that I was able to conquer that because when I started, everyone, you know, outside of the organization who was not as supportive said, you know, you're a young girl with no experience. If you fail, it's okay. Just know it's going to happen. And looking back, you know, I think now people use that as an excuse to say, oh, it's because you're a young girl that you've had success. And so I think oftentimes there's so many things that people tell us. There's so much noise, there's so much extra excuses. And if you just block all of that out, You can conquer anything. And I was very scared coming into sales. I did not know what I was doing. I had never bought a car. I was inexperienced and I was aware of that. But I think really knowing that you can evaluate yourself and develop yourself and spend the time to learn about the industry, the product, technology, and in this case, specifically text messaging, and really understand everything that's going on, on a bigger scale will allow you to have the knowledge and confidence when you are working with people who have a lot more experience than you in regards to that.

20:50 Scott Ingram: Yeah, such a great story. What about the flip side though? What do you find to be the biggest challenge?

20:56 Leila Mozaffarian: I would definitely say that one of the biggest challenges for me is that, you know, it is a constant change. Everything is growing all the time. Competitors do come up. And, you know, a challenge for me is that I still am not a super confident person. And I think when I hear that someone is really confident and they come in and they have immediate success and they know what they're doing. It's just a challenge because I think you have to always be learning. You always have to keep doing the same things over and over and remembering that no matter, you know, how high up you go, you're still going to have the same challenges. And when someone puts you down on a phone call or in a meeting, just kind of remembering that for me is a very hard obstacle because, you know, at some point you do kind of take it personally and you have to keep aware that it's sales. But I think that it is a challenge I faced to be confident and to try to continue to do that. It's just been a really big challenge. And I think a lot of people have told me, you know, early on in sales that you'll get used to it over time and it does get easier. But I think sometimes it's still wrapping your mind around the idea that, you know, these things are always going to happen and to try to gain that confidence when you are working with larger accounts.

22:03 Scott Ingram: Well, and I think in some ways that's an advantage, right? I've heard people talk about having a beginner's mind, right? And when you're in that space, you want to learn. You don't feel like you know it all. And I think in a lot of ways that's probably serving you well. And frankly, I mean, I've been at this for 20 years and I certainly don't feel like I have got it all figured out all the time, right? I'm constantly sort of identifying gaps and working to improve. And I think, you know, those that do the best, that's the attitude. How do you manage the trying to continue to gain that level of confidence for yourself?

22:40 Leila Mozaffarian: I would definitely say that I just remember that it happens to everyone. The first thing any, you know, a lot of the people who come into the company come directly to me and ask for one-on-ones or to learn about my experience that I've had here and how I find success. And the first thing I tell them is that, you know, your first 6 months is going to be a grind. It's going to be hard. And just knowing that everyone else is in this with you. My specific team, I work with, you know, again, you know, 5 people on my team for automotive specifically. And, you know, we're all in this together. We all face these challenges together. And I think as salespeople, we have to be selfish with our time in a sense, but connecting with one another and understanding that we're all going through the same things and realizing that you're not the only one that is going through this is a much easier way to get around it. And I think also, again, you know, one way of gaining confidence is just really understanding the industry. I constantly look up things that are happening within every single OEM for any type of automotive brand. And then I look into the industry changes. I look at how the business is doing. I look into each state. We work with, you know, everyone across the US and Canada. And so keeping up with, you know, the federal laws versus the state laws and being confident in that you can respond to high-level questions such as TCPA when you're not in someone, you know, you're not someone in legal and you can't give advice, but understanding the differences between what is really necessary within the platform, what's necessary on a bigger perspective, and then also just knowing that there are other people with you on this. So, I think having knowledge within the industry is absolutely key, understanding your platform and how it applies to your customers, and knowing that you do have a team of support and that, you know, you're all in this together and creating those partnerships and mentorships where there are people to guide you during the harder times.

24:21 Scott Ingram: So, Leila, let's pivot and talk about habits and routines and just kind of starting with a typical day. Walk us through kind of the steps, starting with your alarm goes off, what happens then until you put your head on the pillow at night?

24:34 Leila Mozaffarian: Definitely. So, when, you know, for me, I actually look into a lot of routines that successful people have, you know, millionaire, billionaire folks who are super successful running businesses. And the first thing I see is, you know, they meditate, they have this morning workout, they, you know, have breakfast, turn off all their electronics. And I think that, you know, I just want to keep in the mind of the people listening that everyone is going to have a specific routine, but I don't think it's going to work for long-term for the rest of your life. You know, I think you can have it all, and I think that there is a specific work-life balance that comes into play. But sometimes, maybe first thing in the morning, you're taking care of everything you need to take care of for your family, and then other times you're just focused on your business. So, for me personally, as of right now, my day-to-day routine is first thing when I wake up, I take care of the family side of things. I make sure my parents are doing well. I make sure my sister's doing well, and I just check in for the people that matter to me the most. Most in this world. And then after that, I just get ready for my workday on my drive in. Obviously don't text and drive, don't call and drive, but, you know, I put away everything. I just turn on music. I have a 20 to 40 minute drive every morning where it's just the music I want to listen to, no matter how stressful the day is going to be or how, you know, few meetings I have that day. I try to really just tailor it to where I have a very calm presence when I enter the building so that the people around me can also feel that as well. And then from there, you know, going through the workday, depending on what happens, I think there are a lot of roles in sales that are sales-specific or call-specific, you know, SDRs, things of that nature. But our role just goes, you know, the whole process, meetings come up, suddenly someone wants to do a meeting, someone's, you know, needs support or training or things of that nature. So, you can never really outline your day and what's going to come of it. But I think at the end of the day, if you plan one night behind, like ahead of time, know what your schedule's going to be like for the next day and for the rest of the week on an outside perspective. So, kind of your morning routine is just really, I think, taking care of yourself first and foremost and taking care of the things that really matter to you in life and then kind of starting your day off in the right way.

26:34 Scott Ingram: So, talk a little bit more. It sounds like at the end of the day, you're sort of planning the next day knowing that it's probably never the same. So, how do you do that? How are you kind of staying organized? Because obviously, if you're doing 1,000% of your number in a given month, that's a lot of moving parts.

26:50 Leila Mozaffarian: For sure. So, one thing, you know, like I said, my team lead has been incredible throughout this process for me. When I first started, he said, you know, I want you to spend 30 minutes to an hour every single afternoon prepping for your next day for all the people you're going to call. Look into, you know, a little bit about them, what they do, if it's a bigger account, and, you know, really understand that when you're calling, if you get ahold of them, this is your one shot. Like, you know, make it count. And then, I think from there also, if I have specific meetings with one-off shops or huge franchises that, you know, go across the country, I will do my due diligence. I will, you know, find them on LinkedIn. I will look them up on any type of social media platform that I can. I'll research their company. I'll learn everything about their business model so that that way the next morning when I come in, everything is prepared. My meeting is prepared. My questions are prepared. I know a good amount about their business. Always asking questions is important, but kind of asking questions that you're going to have answers to as well, I think, is really important as part of that, you know, demonstration that you have. And so, Just really for me, doing research on the people I'm going to reach out to the next day, preparing meetings and notes for internal meetings, and really taking care of every single email. I don't ever leave any unread emails that do not need immediate response. I do not leave the building until that is done. And that's simply just to, you know, ensure that I'm giving a 5-star experience to every single customer that I have, no matter the size. And so for me, the end of the day is actually a very key part of my day. I make sure that I take care of all my to-dos for that day. Prep for the next day, know exactly what's going to be going on, and really walk in with confidence, whether it's an internal or external meeting.

28:20 Scott Ingram: So, sounds like it's that kind of closing part of the day where your commitment is, I'm not leaving the building until all the to-dos are done and the emails are responded to. So, what's the result of that? When are you typically leaving the office?

28:34 Leila Mozaffarian: So, I think it just depends on how early I get in, but I would say, you know, 5 to 6 PM. I don't, you know, I definitely think there are points in your life And so, I think there's some days in life and sales where you're going to be working longer hours and there's some that are going to be shorter. But I think for me, what's really important is just efficiency. I, you know, I think early on in my career at Zipwhip, I connected with all of the people at different points. But, you know, every single person within the company, I know something about. And so, I think when you connect yourself with the support team, with the marketing team, the development team, you know, sales operations teams, when you need things that need to get done that take a longer process and you know the right people internally that can help you, I think that no matter how big your book is that you have to manage while making new sales, it becomes a very easy process because you have that internal communication going on as well. And so, it's not to say that I stay late and work, you know, later hours. It's just kind of, you know, it's not what you know, it's who you know. And I think the people who can help speed up process for you is very beneficial when you start off in a company or when you just go in for the first time and you just connect with the right people.

29:36 Scott Ingram: Oh, such a key point. I'm so glad you called that out. You know, those internal relationships are so critically important. And it sounds like because you've developed those relationships, it really allows you to still leave the office at a reasonable time because you've got such a great support system.

29:51 Leila Mozaffarian: Definitely. And I think it does go both ways. I think when we were smaller and we needed a hand in marketing or you needed an infographic created or maybe the sales operations team hadn't grown yet and there was things that I could help with to lead sales meetings or create PowerPoints or anything I could do, I'm usually the first to say, pick me. I'm on it. And you get bombarded sometimes with the amount of work that comes with it, but if you're excited about what you're doing, I mean, I know I know that's so cliché. You know, they say, do what you love, and if you don't love it, then don't do it. When I first came to Zipwhip, I didn't know that I was going to fall in love with text messaging so much where I'm excited to wake up in the morning. You know, I have meetings, let's say, at 9:00 AM, but I want to get up at 6:00 AM just to be there early and talk to people and see everyone. It's kind of like a family of people that you're coming to every day. And I think when you do build these relationships with everyone in your organization, you feel more recognized and you feel more appreciated. Not just within the sales team for performing and being ranked some way, but also because you have this great connection with everyone across the board. They can rely on you and you can rely on them. And I think that's what has allowed our company to grow so much throughout the last 2 years. And I mean, previously to that as well.

30:58 Scott Ingram: Yeah. And just again, such a key point. I was actually on another podcast. Well, we recorded it this morning. I think it'll come out after we released this particular episode, but I actually shared your quote. You had kind of shared that line with me about how important it is to love what you're doing. And to me, it's kind of the first foundational thing. If you're not in that position, selling something you love and are really passionate about, there's too many other things about sales that are hard for that to be hard also. It's so compounded. And again, going back to controlling what you can control, you can control where you work and what solution you're selling. And, you know, I think connecting to that is such an important thing. Anything else here in terms of habits and routines and things like that that are really core to your success, Leila?

31:48 Leila Mozaffarian: I would say consistency. I think that, you know, sometimes we… from my experience, you know, having mentored about 50 people who have joined our team, you know, the people have come and gone. I think one thing I've noticed is when you do have a really great month, it is followed by a bad month. And I think it's because we forget the basics and we forget to stay consistent with the things that we have to do that got us there. And so sometimes, you know, when you are growing a business and you're managing it, this entire book of business and, you know, bringing in new revenue and maybe your quota is increasing, it does get a little overwhelming at times. But I would definitely say that if you stay consistent with the things that got you there and you fall on your face and you fail and you learn from that and you continue to learn from those mistakes and improve the things you're doing and focusing the things you are good at, then you will be able to, in the long term especially, and, you know, not only to in the long term to be a good seller, but also to be a high seller consistently is really just, I think, you know, staying to the basics, doing what you need to do, connecting with the right people, being there for the company. And I can almost guarantee that, you know, if you're at a company in which you believe in the platform or the product and you support the people around you, they'll support you as well. And so it'll never feel like like, you know, you're in a place where it's forced to be, you know, selling something that you don't believe in with people that you don't like, obviously, right? So, I think creating those partnerships from the get-go when you go into a company and really believing in the product and sticking to the basics in the long term is a key role into staying successful. And so, yeah, that would be just one thing I'd always keep in mind.

33:17 Scott Ingram: Yeah. And I think it's becoming very clear that it's not just loving the product and the solution, but it's also loving the people and the company and the culture. And it sounds like you've got a really great culture there where people are supportive of each other, and that's not everywhere, right? I think that's something else you have to kind of evaluate as you're looking at organizations. I mean, I just shared one of my own stories from the, from the book called Getting It Done and Doing It Right that is very much about that type of, of a culture where it was about working as a team to accomplish things. Leila, I'm curious about… it doesn't sound like you're traveling much. It sounds like you're able to do almost all of this from the office. Is that accurate?

33:57 Leila Mozaffarian: Yeah, so we do a lot through, you know, video chats and whatnot, you know, just because with the number of meetings we have to set up in a day, we wouldn't be able to fly out, but we do attend trade shows. So, I've been to 4 since the time I've been here, some as exhibitors, some as attendees. So, we do meet with customers in person as well. And then, if there are specific larger accounts that we're targeting on a franchise level that is very large, we will, you know, meet them in person. For me personally and everyone, because we're in the Seattle area, For me personally, if they're in any distance within an hour, I do try to meet them once I sign them up because I think it, you know, that hands-on experience and creating those partnerships and learning from them through their experience of the industry is the best resource that you could ever get when it's, you know, happening in real time with someone who's dealing with it 50 or 60 hours a week. So, we don't travel a ton, but, you know, across the team, there are trade shows that everyone's attending all the time, just depending on the industry they're targeting.

34:52 Scott Ingram: Got it. And you just talked a lot about experience and you mentioned creating sort of a 5-star experience before. What does that mean? What does a 5-star experience mean to you?

35:00 Leila Mozaffarian: So for me, when a customer texts me, I will respond to them within the hour. Obviously we're a text messaging platform, so that's kind of my go-to. When a customer emails me, they will get a response. Even if I don't have an answer for them that same day, they will always get a response from me within that same day. And if they give me a phone call, same idea as the email, you know, immediate response, whether I call or email or text them back, depending on the hour. A lot of my East Coast Coast customers might you know call me at four in the morning just because it's seven a.m. their time or vice versa. Maybe I send them an email at five p.m., but when I tried reaching out, it's eight p.m. their time. So I think a five-star experience is about actually caring for your customers to have a fast response time, even if it's a difficult scenario and maybe the software is down or something happens, right? But I think the other part of that is that you strategize with them. I reach out to my customers to see how things are going on a regular basis. I ask them for feedback oftentimes. I want to know the things that they love. Love, maybe things that aren't working perfectly, and the features that they want to see happen that would be useful to them. And whenever they get feedback from a customer, I don't take it in a negative way. I think if anything, it's going to just help our company grow. And again, you know, do those internal conversations, just being a very communicative organization, we can always take that back to our development team to put it on the timeline of, you know, adding new features and functionalities to meet their needs. And so, I think, you know, oftentimes, with that idea of providing a 5-star experience, being honest from the get-go. If there are certain things you cannot provide to a customer, I think being transparent about that will create a partnership so they don't come back to you and say, you know, why don't I have this? Why don't I have that? And just being transparent and working with them and making sure that there are tools that do make them successful. For our platform specifically, you know, we sell a specific software and then from there, They have a variety of ways they can actually embed this to generate inbound leads, for example. And I think oftentimes, you know, we sell them the platform, they get trained on it, but just letting them know, you know, here's one more way you can generate maybe a few more customers a week or a few more customers a month. Here's one resource that worked for this other dealership. I thought maybe you'd want to know about it too. You know, just kind of taking care of them. I mean, really just whatever they need, be there for them and check in because sometimes if you don't ask what they need, they're never gonna tell you until it's too late.

37:15 Scott Ingram: Yeah, awesome, awesome. So obviously text is, is a big piece of what you're doing. What about other tools and apps that are core to the way that you operate?

37:24 Leila Mozaffarian: I would definitely say that LinkedIn is a huge part as to why I've had success. I think any type of social media platform that you target, depending on the industry you're selling to and the product you're selling, is valuable. For me, you know, some of the applications that help as an internal tool is Slack. Obviously, you want to learn about the industry. So, because I'm selling specific to automotive, there's certain, you know, forums that they have, certain articles that they have, magazines, anything in regards to getting more information as to what's happening with the industry is important to me. So, I'll turn on, you know, Google Alerts. So, every time something comes up in regards to text messaging, anything comes up in regards to automotive, I get, you know, emails from that so that I can stay up to date constantly. And scrolling through LinkedIn again, learning about the customer, learning about the business, you can find so much information online. And so, I think it's just a matter of going out there and finding it. You'd be amazed by the number of resources out there.

38:16 Scott Ingram: Sure. And talk a little bit more about how specifically you're using LinkedIn to be successful.

38:22 Leila Mozaffarian: So, I think one of the things that I learned in marketing was that when you are posting things, you want to make sure that it is to your brand. It is about the platform, obviously, and that you're spreading the word and that you have X, Y, and Z going on within the company. Your, you know, for your own success. I think one thing for me specifically is that I do post motivational quotes. I try to be a thought leader on the platform, and I try to share exciting updates. I mean, some of the things I do, like I'll make shoutouts to my customers who have helped guide me and mentor me. I will, you know, post online when we create big partnerships that I know is okay to share. And I'll actually just, you know, directly endorse people when I feel like, you know, I know that they have certain skills and qualifications. I write recommendations for them. I think there's a lot that we don't use on LinkedIn. I think a lot of times we just share something, maybe directly message someone a sales email, but I think there's a lot more to it. You know, for me, when I had a really great customer, I wrote a review for them and I just know that that meant so much. And it wasn't intended as a way of selling them and, you know, making them feel good so they would refer me people. But I think by simply just taking that step and spending, you know, 10, 15 minutes writing a nice comment about someone who has impacted your life. From there, they, you know, that just builds a long-term business partnership where you can rely on them and they can rely on you, and they know that you're not just complimenting them over the phone to get them to buy something and that you actually are spending time. And the nicest thing about that is that, you know, it's free, right? There's nothing… there's no cost to posting a message or to sharing a nice comment or to sharing a success story that you've had and having people notice And I think also, you know, as you build your network, LinkedIn does take a long time, I think, to build your network and get connected with the right people and, you know, stand out a little bit just because there's obviously so many business professionals out there. But I think if you stick to it and you stay with it over time, you will find the success you're looking for when it comes to using the platform.

40:18 Scott Ingram: Well, and I think you're doing a really good job with, with LinkedIn. I'd encourage people, you've got a really strong following. As long as you don't object to this, I'd encourage folks that are listening to this to connect with you on LinkedIn just so they can see and experience what it is that you're sharing and what it looks like for somebody that is using the platform well in the way that you are.

40:37 Leila Mozaffarian: Yeah, of course. I'd love that. And I think, you know, for me, one thing I do is I actually, you know, when I do see someone post incredible content or things of that nature, I'll directly ping them and let them know. But also, I think it is an opportunity to reach out. I mean, I used to reach out to more people in regards to informational interviews and asking them questions just by quickly messaging them on LinkedIn, maybe even hopping on a call.

40:58 Scott Ingram: All.

40:58 Leila Mozaffarian: But through my experience here, when I did post, you know, some of the success I've had, I've gotten reached out to quite a bit from, you know, random people across the country who are not even within the industry, or maybe they're college students. And to me, that is the most motivating, incredible feeling, to have someone else out there notice the work you're doing and to be recognized for it and appreciated for it. So I'm always happy for people to connect with me on LinkedIn, you know, learn more about you, and always happy to answer any questions that have that I can as well.

41:25 Scott Ingram: Fantastic. And we'll, we'll include a link to Leila's LinkedIn profile in the show notes. And I'm pretty sure this is going to be episode 50. So, if you go to top1.fm/50, you'll get to all of the links to the different resources that Leila has pointed out here. So, speaking of resources, it sounds like you're obviously doing a lot of industry-level research. We talked about that. What does the rest of your information diet look like?

41:49 Leila Mozaffarian: Well, first of all, I think top1.fm is a great resource to go to when you want to listen to stories. I think, and I'm not just saying that because we're on this, I think realistically this is where you can hear real salespeople tell you their real experiences. You know, so many times we read these books from people who did some research from other people who did research, and then they, you know, share a story and, you know, write some examples and tell you how to be successful. But I think it's the experiences and the failures and the successes that people have that they can share with you that is much more impactful in your career. For me, you know, some of the basic things that I think if you want to, you know, if you want to be at home sitting on your couch, when you're going to watch, you know, that Netflix and chill moment, for me, I watch Shark Tank, for example. I listen to the pitches. I see people choke. I see their body posture when they're speaking. I see how confident they are, learning about how much they know with their numbers and seeing very successful people on the show actually, you know, give them feedback in real time and knowing that, you know, this is what you did well, this is what you could have improved on and learning from that because even if it's not directly in your industry, There's always so much you can learn. And then, obviously, any books that you can read in regards to sales. Again, I think anything that you can learn in regards to psychology and people's behaviors is very important. I think one recommendation I have, if you are in a startup, reading the book Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore, I believe, was really important to me because it kind of talks about this early adopters phase versus the late adopters and how you can target the right people when you are growing a company. And even if you're a huge corporation and you want to continue to grow, I think there's always going to be early and late adopters that you can learn from. So, you know, any type of books that you can read, any type of podcasts you can listen to, and hearing real experiences, I think, has been the most impactful to me. So whether that's going into YouTube and just typing in motivational video from a salesperson, you can learn a lot just online with a lot of different free resources out there.

43:42 Scott Ingram: Yeah, for sure. Good stuff. Now, do you subscribe to a particular sales philosophy?

43:48 Leila Mozaffarian: I would say my sales philosophy is, you know, sell with integrity, be honest. And again, that goes back just to being an empathetic person. I think when you build relationships with customers and you're not just trying to, you know, make money, I think in the long term that just shows that you're taking care of the customer, and in return they'll take care of you. A lot of my businesses come from customer referrals with no sort of discounts, no sort of refer-a-friend program or anything like that. They just send me people. And I think, you know, with that highest month that I had had, part of the reason was because as an inside sales rep, you know, supposedly making outbound phone calls all day, I was getting calls left and right from people because they were just sending it to me directly. Because, you know, when you get in a franchise or you build a good relationship or you find that right person and you treat them well, you have no idea what their network is going to look like. And so I think, you know, that sales philosophy of taking care of your customers, if they're a teeny tiny account or if they're a huge account, it doesn't matter. For me, if you're a small account, out, you might send me the biggest customer referral. So I'm always going to take care of those people. And so selling with integrity, doing the right thing, being honest with customers right from the get-go, all of that is very important to me when it comes to sales philosophy.

44:59 Scott Ingram: Let's talk a little bit more about this referral piece. I mean, what percentage of your business do you think is coming from these referrals?

45:05 Leila Mozaffarian: I would say on average, I think it varies depending on month, but I would say on average about 50% of my business does come from customer referrals and then a little bit of cold calls, emails, social media, and then we do have inbound lead generation as well. So I think the other 50% comes from everything else, but 50% of it would be from the customer referral.

45:25 Scott Ingram: That's huge. It's very clear. I mean, from what you've talked about before is you're investing in those relationships. I mean, you're following up and really making sure that after the close that your clients are happy and you're sharing new ideas with them. What percentage of your time do you feel like you're spending with your existing accounts?

45:45 Leila Mozaffarian: So, as it's grown, I think a little more than, you know, initially. Originally, you know, we… I barely had to spend any time because I didn't have that big of a book. And over time, when you build that to a large volume, there is a lot of time that goes into managing these accounts. I think we do have a larger support team and, you know, customer success managers now that help with that. But I think that on average, it just depends on the week. You know, sometimes a lot of people need a lot of things, but I think if you organize it ahead of time, you can spend just 20% of your week on customer support and being there for them. And then the rest of the time focusing on your internal and external meetings to bring in new business.

46:24 Scott Ingram: Yeah. I mean, that's some huge bang for the buck. Now, do you have a particular process in the way that you're asking for those referrals to generate that kind of volume?

46:32 Leila Mozaffarian: So it's a little bit of a mix. Sometimes I ask for referrals directly. I mean, at a certain point, I literally, on the last day of the month, I was like, oh, I need a favor. Can you send me someone? One, they would just send me an account right over. And so I think, you know, having that relationship and directly asking, I think it does come with building that trust over time. So it's not something where you sign them up and the next day you're asking for a referral. I think there's a few things that come with this. When you're working with franchises, you do want to let them know, you know, hey, I'm here to help you. I'm here to build your brand. I'm here to help the entire group. And while I'm only dealing with, let's say, the West region, I want this to be something that we do in the long term. So from that initial call, or demonstration or meeting that you have with them, even if it's an in-person, putting in their minds that this is something that you want to help them with on a corporate level and that you're trying to help their entire company grow. And that's one thing I did with a specific franchise I worked with. And so, to them, it was almost like, oh, you know, if this part of the state is doing it, the other half has to do it for consistency purposes and things of that nature. My other approach is that, you know, I will reach out to them and maybe there's a trade show coming up in automotive that our our Zipwhip team is not going to, I will literally ask them like, hey, you know what? You see the value in Zipwhip, you see the things that we're doing, you've seen the success. Would you mind if I maybe mailed you some business cards to give out during the show with the people that, your friends or other people that you connect with who are looking for text messaging? And it's amazing to see that these automotive shows are huge. Like, you take a Costco and you multiply that by 20, and that's the size of what a show looks like in automotive. So having someone go sell this for you and not even have a stand there and then get referrals from a trade show that you didn't even go to is absolutely incredible. And I think it's kind of thinking outside the box, sending them a nice thank you right after they sign up. So later when you send them another handwritten note, it's not just a blank envelope with business cards. It's, hey, thanks so much for your mentorship, your guidance, your support on this. Here's 10 business cards to give to the folks that you think would benefit from our services.

48:32 Scott Ingram: That's awesome. That is, that's such a great tip. And I think it goes back to kind of this overarching relationship thing. You know, it's interesting. I'm actually planning to have some conversations with some of the folks that I've had on the podcast, especially those that have talked about The Challenger Sale, because that's one of the most referenced books on the podcast. And I think there's just a lot of misconceptions about The Challenger Sale. You know, I think one of the things with that book, one, it really sort of slams the idea of of the relationship salesperson. And I think that people have sort of discounted the value of that. What's interesting, I just got back from vacation as we're recording this and figured out how the heck it was that I'm going to structure this, this book that we're getting ready to release in October. In fact, this should be going out the end of August. So if you're listening to this, there's just a couple of days left. If you go to top1.fm/book, um, we're going to cut off the Indiegogo campaign the very end of month. So all of those initial kind of crowdfunding campaign offers are still in there just through the end of the month. So feel free to go check that out. But, you know, we've assembled over 60 stories for the book, and I'm trying to figure out how the heck am I going to structure this thing. And I basically figured out there's 4… there's going to be 4 sections. There's a section on mindset. There's a section on sales careers. There's a section on sales process and all of the components from prospecting to discovery and onward. And then there's a whole section, a collection of stories that are really about relationships. And it's a good quarter of the book. And I think that we've maybe discounted and not put enough emphasis on how important relationships are in sales. You can be a challenger. There's nothing wrong with that style and approach. Being a challenger also means that you have great relationships and people trust you because you can't be a challenger if you don't have that trust and you don't have that relationship because at that point, you're just a jerk. So, there's so much interesting stuff in here. And I think all the points that you just made, right? The fact that you're getting half of your business from referrals, that you're spending maybe 20% of your time sort of managing those relationships because… but you have invested, right? You've built those relationships. You've continued to add value. You've built some trust. It's really, really incredible stuff. Any other commentary on that before I ask you about sort of your style?

50:55 Leila Mozaffarian: I would just say one point to keep in mind. You know, oftentimes when I tell people that you can build these relationships and you can get customer referrals in this way, they think that, you know, oh, okay, I have to give them a percentage discount from the monthly, you know, amount that they're paying me, or I have to send them a gift card, or I have to do X, Y, and Z. I don't think that's ever the case. None of the people who have referred me customers have ever been someone who's gotten a discount or had some advantage to it. But for sure, I think that, you know, if a customer is sending you a bunch of people, send them a nice gift basket, you know, appreciate them, thank them, and again, continue to support them in their business and make sure that, you know, you're their champion when it comes to whatever service you're providing them. But I think it's a very bad thing to me because so many salespeople think that they have to give something to get something. And I think by just giving them a really good experience and providing a very good service, is really all you have to do to actually get referrals. It is not necessarily something that you have to pay them out on. And again, I think that just comes with providing a 5-star experience in the best way that you can on a personal and on a company level.

52:01 Scott Ingram: Yeah, so, so right on. And I've actually found that people can be turned off by the offering of some type of fee, right? If you're doing it right, if you've served somebody, you've got a valuable solution, the value for them is helping somebody else in their network, right? I'm going to connect you with my colleague, and if you can help them the way you helped me, I win. I look like a hero for introducing you to that person. You don't need to send me money.

52:25 Leila Mozaffarian: Exactly.

52:26 Scott Ingram: Yeah. So, tell us about your style. What does that look like?

52:29 Leila Mozaffarian: So, I mean, I think that my specific style, again, is building those relationships, having a very fast turnaround time. So, with our platform, we can set it up same day. So, obviously, depending on what you're selling or the service you're providing, Those all depend on what's going on. But I think if you ask the right questions and you know exactly when they want something set up and you have a timeline that you create with them so that maybe you get the paperwork side of things done and you know there's a delay on how quickly you can get something set up, they feel like they're always getting the fastest turnaround time. The style I have, I think, is that I don't put all of my eggs in one basket. Every month, one month you might have a lot of cold calls that go really well. Other months you might have a ton of email campaigns that you did a great job on. Some months it might be social media, but I think having a whole bunch of different places that you're leaving this, you know, the opportunity of having different people come in for whatever type of resource that you're using is really beneficial. And so, I think when you do put all your eggs in one basket and you're just relying on doing cold calling and that's all you have, you're not necessarily going to consistently find success, I think. And then also working on different, you know, things. So, for me, I target one industry, But that ranges, right? I could work with a one-off shop with 2 people, or I could work with a franchise that goes, you know, all across the US and Canada with thousands of locations. And I think the style that I have that has gotten me success is just to not fear reaching out. Obviously, again, you know, when you're looking at these enterprise-level accounts, it's very scary to say that I'm going to enter. And I don't know if I can say the name of the specific brand, but let's say the service shop that has thousands of locations. I'm never going to be able to get into this. I'm never going to be able to do that. But if you just target them long enough, and you spend, let's say, one day a week focusing on franchises, one day a week focusing on midsize accounts, one day a week focused on small, so you have a fast turnaround time, and then you have long-term turnaround times with bigger deal sizes, I think that with that style, you'll have success with really, really high months, but you'll continually be able to reach the quota attainment that you need to meet.

54:26 Scott Ingram: What a great model, right? I, you know, we think a lot about territory planning, and it sounds like you do a great job of having a diversified prospecting portfolio, if you Right. So, Leila, is there something you believe that the average sales professional would think is crazy?

54:44 Leila Mozaffarian: To be honest, I think one thing that a lot of reps do call me crazy on, and not at Zipwhip, so to speak, I don't want to say that towards anyone here. I think that we have a very honest and integrity-oriented team, but sometimes when I, you know, give advice to people within or outside of the company to just be honest, I think we have so much fear that if we tell a customer we can't do something, that they're just, you know, not going to sign up or they're going to lose the deal. And I think so often we want to say that we can provide every single solution and we can solve every need and all those sorts of things that, you know, when a customer does sign up and they realize they don't have that, that does not look good for anyone, right? And so, for one thing that I would say, you know, as an average rep would think is crazy is as a salesperson, directly telling a customer, no, we cannot do this, and no, I do not have a timeline for you on when we can do this, and just being completely open and transparent. And I think what's really interesting is for me, the privilege of working with so many people across the country who have 30+ years of experience within the automotive sales is that they directly tell me, I have never had an experience where someone was completely honest with me and told me that I cannot not do this. And I think when you are honest with them in this level, it builds a level of trust in that they can rely on you in the long term as well when it comes to any type of service that you're providing them or any type of product that you're selling them as well.

56:09 Scott Ingram: Yeah, well, and I think it totally goes back to the trust, right? If you're talking with somebody and, you know, if you're on the other end of the equation and everything that you ask, the answer is yes, you're thinking this… that can't be right. You, this can't be perfect. And then they're going to be let down. You know, I think especially when you think about the long-term the way you are, right? You think about the experience of that customer. You think about the referrals. So I learned this when I was working with Bazaarvoice and selling ratings and reviews. And what I learned was experience is a function of expectation. So imagine that you and I have the exact same experience. But your expectation was really high. My expectation was reasonable or below what my experience was. We both had the exact same experience. You are now dissatisfied and I'm happy because of where that expectation was. So I think when you're honest, one, you develop real trust just as you described, and 2, the follow-on and the opportunity to earn more business and get those referrals exists because Oh, it actually is what you said it is.

57:19 Leila Mozaffarian: Exactly. And I mean, I've even had very rarely, but there have been occasions where sometimes as hard as this is, and I know it sounds crazy to some sales reps, just understanding that you can disqualify certain leads as well. So again, when it comes to, let's say, compliance, for example, if I know someone is trying to use this platform to spam customers and, you know, in any way, shape, or form not following the business model and, you service that we're providing and in any way, shape, or form, this isn't a good fit, I directly tell that customer. And obviously, you know, there's further conversations that go on with that and you get the right people involved if you have to ever, you know, say no to someone. But there are times where you can also say, you know, this isn't going to match what you need. And I think when you do that, you save yourself so much time. And I know in, you know, sales, it's stressful. You want to hit quota, you want to, you know, be number one, you want to hit your numbers. And perform, but I think at the same time, if you sign up a customer who you know is not a qualified customer and they go online and post something nasty later, it's not going to benefit you or the company in any way, shape, or form.

58:24 Scott Ingram: Yeah, absolutely. So, what about the other side of that coin? We know about your honesty is crazy policy. Is there something that the average sales professional does or believes that you think is crazy.

58:38 Leila Mozaffarian: I honestly, and I kind of mentioned this a little bit before, when someone says they're super confident on every single call, that's just amazing to me. I cannot believe that for a second just because, you know, I think there's so many things that change every single day. There's trends, there's fads, there's, you know, the industries change, the companies change, the people change. So, to be confident on every single call is just so crazy when I hear that because I I think maybe you can act confident. Like, I agree that you can always act confident on the phone and, you know, do your best when you're on a call. But realistically, I think that when someone says right from the beginning they're confident, they're not worried about it at all, it almost makes me feel like they're not prepared for what might come. And so I think one thing that's crazy is when you do see someone have 20 or 30 or 40 years of experience… and I could be wrong, I'm obviously not someone who's, you know, that experienced… but when someone tells you they're always confident, I just have a hard, you know, that to me is a little crazy because I think at the end of the day, being humble and being modest and realizing that maybe you don't have all the answers all the time, no matter how experienced you are, is very important for your self-development as well.

59:43 Scott Ingram: Yeah, good stuff. Well, we already touched on that a little bit in the beginning. Leila, what have been the most important decisions you've made or lessons you've had to learn to get where you are today?

59:55 Leila Mozaffarian: So, to me, one of the important decisions and lessons that I've, you know, made and learned has been that, you know, I have this quote hanging hanging on my wall that I look at every morning, and it says, don't talk, just act. Don't say, just show. Don't promise, just prove. And I think so often, you know, you hear people walking around talking and saying that they're going to do X, Y, and Z, and they promise these results. And whether that's an internal or an external thing on a personal or business level, I think sometimes people say they're going to deliver so much, and I think the only way that you can actually confidently do that is if you just show it and prove it and act it. And I think oftentimes the way the most successful people run is that they don't say that they're going to do X, Y, and Z. They just go out there and do it. And so, I think sometimes while it feels impossible, you can do anything, but I don't think promising the impossible is a great place to start. I think just going after it and showing your results, the numbers will speak for themselves and the people around you will speak highly of you when you show that you are able to do certain things, you know, that are above and beyond from, you know, what you're just telling them that you're going to do. And then also for me, I think one very important lessons I've learned is that saying yes to everything is actually not a bad idea. Oftentimes I think we hear, you know, be, you know, be strong enough to say no and put your foot down and spend time in this way or that way that's most productive to you. But sometimes when you are open to just helping others, not being selfish with your Always being the first to raise your hand and say yes to every project that's handed to you. There are points where, you know, I've heard so many times people tell me you're going to get burnt out. And this, this has been an ongoing thing for me from high school to college to this job here where, you know, I just say yes to everything. I agree to, you know, taking on more projects that maybe don't directly benefit me but directly benefit the company. And I think, you know, at the end of the day, we're all in this together. So if you're not willing to give a hand on you know, any project that even doesn't directly impact you in a positive way, but does directly impact the company. At the end of the day, when you are able to have a more successful platform and more people learn about that, it is going to benefit you. And so, I think thinking in the long term of just saying yes to everything, being the first to raise your hand on every opportunity. I think for this podcast, for example, that's a great example. Like, you know, getting reached out to this, like you said earlier, we all have lives and things that we have to focus on and quotas to attain. But being a part of something bigger, I think is very important. And when you do this, you'll see the results as well. So for example, for me within the automotive space, I don't have that much experience, but I've had 5 different magazines that are tailored to business professionals specifically within the automotive space reach out to me and say, hey, you're the industry expert, help us with this. And that's because of side projects I've done with, you know, the development team or the marketing team that has nothing to do with my day-to-day. And I think when you do that and you are able to write, you know, 4 pages for an article as an article that gets mailed out to 18,000 dealerships across the country and they see your name out there and you build your brand as an individual and for the company. There's just so much I think that you can do. And it's just by simply saying yes and not saying that, you know, I have to be selfish with my time. I can't teach others how to do this or simply that, you know, you don't want to because it's not in your job description, so to speak.

1:03:09 Scott Ingram: Leila, that is amazing, right? I think that what you're doing from a personal branding perspective is outrageous. And, you know, I think the assumption is most people think, oh, well, it takes years or decades to build up that type of credibility. But to be clear, this is your first sales role and you've been at Zipwhip, what, 2 years?

1:03:31 Leila Mozaffarian: Correct. Yep.

1:03:32 Scott Ingram: So, again, like, I think it's diving in with both feet and just going all in. And, you know, the other side is we talked earlier about those internal relationships. I think when people see that you're willing to contribute and help out anybody in the organization, when you need to turn around and ask for some favors, because we all know Like sales is not a solo act. Like it takes a village to get a lot of this stuff done and to call in those favors. It helps a lot when you've put out the amount of goodwill into the organization that you have.

1:04:05 Leila Mozaffarian: Yeah, I mean, I think that, you know, you give and get, right? So I think at the end of the day, if you're willing to support the people around you in any way that you can, that will always come back. And it's not just to be recognized. It's not to, you know, in any way, shape, or form to just have people around you, you know, suck up your time in any way. I think when someone comes to you for help, it's because they need it. Or if someone comes to you and, you know, has feedback for you, it's because they want to help you grow and things of that nature. So, you know, no matter what department they're in, no matter who it is, I think oftentimes too, one thing that's misleading for a lot of people is, you know, oh, I'm making more money than this person, or they're new and they don't understand. When you are willing to take feedback from anyone in the organization and partner with them on any type of project that you do or don't have experience in, will just teach you so much. I mean, I think from a brand new person who comes into training, they can teach you something that you never thought about, and you can mentor them in the same way, maybe on the platform and how exactly they can sell the specific features and functionalities because you have more experience on that. But maybe they came from a sales role that dealt with larger enterprise accounts that they can educate you on. And I think whether it's internally within your sales organization or it's on a bigger level with the whole company, There's always things to learn from other people. They can teach you so much about the platform, where it's headed, where you've been, all those sorts of things that make, you know, you stronger as an individual when you're selling to these customers because you learn so much more about what's going on as a whole and not just focus on, you know, specific features and functionalities and just how to sell to a customer. You can go on a bigger basis with them to close larger deals as well or to create more value when, you know, you want to sign up a customer.

1:05:44 Scott Ingram: So much good stuff. I mean, there's a giant rabbit hole here. So just, just a couple of thoughts and a quick question. First of all, I can't think of the name of the article. I'll find it. I'll put it in the show notes. So again, top1.fm/50, I hope, but I'm pretty sure. And Adam Grant wrote this article about sort of givers and takers. And I think that you are absolutely sort of demonstrating the positive outcome that he talks about because the wrong way to think about it is sort of tit for tat, right? I do this favor for you, you owe me a favor. Like, like that's very mafia. Instead, it's you just contribute, like you give into the system, you help people where you can, and you're able to take out of the system. And it may not be the same people. I may do a favor for you, you're not able to return that favor. That's okay because Susie's able to help me out, right? So it's, it's those kinds of things. But what I really want to call attention to is I have a feeling, I mean, you, you talked earlier about having mentored something like 50 people across this. I'm willing to bet that even though your role was quote unquote as the mentor, that you probably got more out of those opportunities than even the person who was supposed to be learning did.

1:06:56 Leila Mozaffarian: I completely agree. I think the best thing for me has been having the privilege of being able to help mentor team members who join our team. You know, you repeat the things that sometimes you forget to think about and you, you know, they ask questions where you're like, where did this even come from? Like, how do you, how did you even think of this question? And I think on top of that, you know, when you're mentoring someone, you're really educating yourself on how to grow as a person. And when you ask them questions and sometimes they surprise you with answers that you've never thought about or ask you questions that you've never thought about. And definitely I think, you know, so often when I, you know, originally when I had a success, like a lot of success, success, you know, at once. So often I would just sit at my desk and get shoulder tapped. And when I say this, like, at some point, like, this was a very real thing. 5 hours of my day was going to people coming up to me and asking me questions or asking me to sit in on their meetings or help them in this way or that way. Or I was getting emails for people to, you know, look over their email threads. And for me, I did it. And honestly, it benefited me more than anyone, I think, because I loved helping people. I loved feeling like I was inspiring them. I loved the idea that the company was benefiting. And I think also now when I look back and I see the people who just joined the company, you know, a year ago and have so much success and they come back to me and they're like, you know, you said this one quote this one time that I don't even remember telling them, this inspired me to be better. And that just motivates me. And I think at the end of the day, like, not only can you learn so much from these, you know, variety of people from so many different backgrounds, but on top of that, you're really just helping yourself. And if you think that you're wasting your time or you think that you you know, being selfish with your time is going to help you. I genuinely just don't agree.

1:08:35 Scott Ingram: That is so awesome. So, I was planning on waiting and recording a piece to insert into the show later, and that's so awkward. I try to never do that. I don't know that I ever have. So, I'm going to talk about some stuff right now, and apparently I'm just going to have to make it true in the next, I think, 20 days between now and when we release this episode, because there's a handful of things I'm working on that I sort of want to emphasize in September. So the first thing is the next Sales Success Summit is coming in October of 2019. So we're a little over a year ahead of that. And one of the things I wanted to try, I saw another organization doing this and I thought it was absolutely brilliant. I think it's perfect for this group. If you want to sign up for the 2019 Sales Success Summit, there's 2 ways you can do it. You can get a crazy, crazy early bird, because again, it's more than a year out, I will give you a great rate. I think it's going to be… I'm going to quote numbers here. I guess I'm going to have to make those true too. So the super early bird registration rate is going to be $849 for that event. And we'll… I'll have more details for you. But the other thing I'm going to offer is if you want to set up a subscription and pay $75 a month for the next 12 months, you'll get a chance to go to the Sales Success Summit in October of 2019. The space is going to be pretty limited. We're going to be in the largest theater at the Alamo Drafthouse, which means that there's only 200 seats available. So I'm pretty confident that the event's going to sell out this year. So getting involved early, if you've even thought about it, now's the opportunity. And we'll have ways for you to kind of back out of it or sell your ticket to somebody else or do something else if for some reason you're not able to make it. We'll absolutely make it right for you. But the other thing I've been thinking about, and I think I'm going to offer it initially to the folks that do that early bird signup for the event, is is I want to help people put together mastermind groups. I don't have the time or bandwidth to manage them. I'm not going to charge for this or anything like that, but I think that there's so much opportunity in putting groups of other very motivated sales professionals there that are intent on improving themselves and improving their results. I want to start putting some groups together like that. So like I said, I'm going to do this initially for the folks that sign up for the 2019 Summit, but also something that we're going to offer more broadly, maybe, maybe in a few months, once I figure out a model to kind of scale that, that doesn't require a lot of my time. And I'm looking at a couple of different solutions that, that might make that easier. So if any of that is of interest, we will have the summit information. Apparently I will have that set up at top1summit.com. So you'll be able to find all of the details there, all of the early bird options, and I'm going to load it up. We're going to put a lot of stuff in there. I think I'm going to give you all of the videos. From last year's summit that we've been selling for $250. We'll throw the book in. We'll do all that, all that crazy stuff. So go check all of that out. And I always love hearing from you guys. So if you have feedback, thoughts, suggestions, or you just want to say hi and you love the show, send me an email to scott@top1.fm. I would love to connect. So there you go. I don't have to record that later. There's everything on the table. And now apparently I have work to do. So, Leila, coming back to you, what advice do you have for someone that is just getting started in their sales career today? And you're probably in the best position of almost anybody recently to give this kind of advice.

1:12:05 Leila Mozaffarian: So, I would definitely say that there's 2 parts to this, you know, blocking out the noise and ignoring all the excuses and, you know, anything anyone ever says to you that is negative, I would just say block it all out, put your head down, grind, work hard, and you will see the results over time. And to just remember that, you know, you have a group of people who have been there, they've failed, they've landed flat on their faces, but it can get better. It is just something that you have to continually realize that is a learning curve, and then over time it gets easier. It doesn't mean that it doesn't stay hard in a lot of ways, but I think that things do get easier and you will get into a routine where you can better understand the industry and the product and how to better sell. But I think the other part of that is that you really have to know the product and software software that you're selling, you have to know, you know, don't sell them on why it's a cool feature or why it's an awesome product or anything like that. I think at the end of the day, when a customer comes to you, you know, obviously you'll have questions like, what, what do you want to get out of this? Right. And maybe they already have something. So you say, you know, what do you want to gain out of this? Oftentimes I think, you know, if you don't understand the industry and you don't understand what is going on and what their problems might be, and, you know, really understanding the persona that you're selling to as well, I might have 3 different calls just to close one deal from a sales manager to a marketing manager to an IT guy. So, the conversations are going to be 3 separate conversations, but targeting those to the persona, meeting the needs that they each require. And by doing that, I think that is a very easy way to have success. I think going onto Google Alerts, constantly staying up to date, following forums that are in relationship to your industry. And I understand that there are many sales companies out there, or not sales companies, companies as whole that have sales teams that aren't targeted towards specific industries, but maybe they're targeted by size. I don't think that means that you can't learn about all sorts of industries that you're selling to. Do your research ahead of time, learn about the person you're selling to, learn about their industry, learn about their company, learn about, you know, as much research as you can do before your call and be prepared. And I think in those ways, that will only allow you to gain knowledge so that, you know, something you spent 30 minutes on preparing 2 years ago will take you 5 minutes now. And so I think, you know, 5 minutes, 2 years down the road. And so I I think just having that knowledge about the people you're selling to and the companies you're selling to is very important and staying up to date.

1:14:27 Scott Ingram: Yeah, great stuff. And the follow-up question I typically ask, I'm struggling with here because maybe you don't have this experience. And I typically ask, you know, what advice you would give to somebody that's maybe further into their career and either struggling or, you know, they're, they're just kind of average and they're looking to get to the top. Maybe you've got some advice or some experience that you've had with some of the folks that you've mentored. What would you suggest?

1:14:48 Leila Mozaffarian: I mean, like you said, I think I have 2 years of experience. So, for me, quite honestly, I would love if people reached out to me, if they're listening to this on LinkedIn, to tell me what you do personally to further your career. Even if you are at the top, how do you remain at the top? And if you move to a different company, how do you work your way back up at a new job or role or things of that nature? But I think if there's anything I could say in regards to this question, it would just be that nothing is impossible. Again, you know, I came in with no experience. The people around me were very experienced, you know, and we've had a lot of growth. And so, I think there are more people my age at this time. But, you know, coming in, it was so scary seeing people who had worked at the company for 2+ years already, have experience, and then have a background of like 20 years of experience. I just felt like I was never going to have the success level that they did. And I think if you just remember that nothing is impossible and what you put in is what you're going to get out. Out and consistently sticking to the basics, I truly think that, you know, you'll find success too, make it to the top, and hopefully stay at the top as well.

1:15:49 Scott Ingram: You're my hero. I'm going to interview you again. So, what do you… I know you've been listening to the show. So, what would you want to know about the top sellers in other organizations?

1:16:02 Leila Mozaffarian: I would definitely say that the list of questions, you know, that we've covered today and a lot of the questions Scott asks on other podcasts are important. For me, you know, what do you do every single morning? What motivates you? I think a lot of the questions I try to ask is more on a personal level because I think, you know, we can always look up top sales strategic, you know, things online. But, you know, asking specific people, what makes you tick? What motivates you? Why have you stayed in sales for 20+ years when you know it's such a grind and it's so hard and it, you know, it takes this toll on you at certain points? How did you fight through that? You know, if you lost a big deal, how did you handle that mentally? And I think I think learning from people's success and failures is very important and just having them share their stories. Again, I think that's one of the reasons this podcast is so great because you see that other people who have made it to the top have had so many negative experiences throughout that process as well and how they've overcome that and stuck with it and worked their way back to the top. I think knowing who people are inspired by, that's always been a number one question I ask, who inspires you? And I think it's important know that because you can learn so much about that person, but you can also look into the people who inspire them to get more inspired and motivated. And then understanding their sales motto, you know, what do they do on a regular basis? What makes them successful? What's their sales philosophy? So, again, a lot of the questions that you've asked today, but I think on a very personal level and sticking it to a personal level from their actual experiences and not just, you know, how do I handle an objection and how do I sell a product?

1:17:30 Scott Ingram: Yeah.

1:17:30 Leila Mozaffarian: Now, who is that person that inspires I would definitely say the most inspiring person in my life is my mom. And while she is not necessarily in sales, I think the things that she has done throughout her life and the experience that she's taught me has been one of the reasons I've had so much success at Zipwhip. I've actually, you know, she was a housewife. So for me growing up, I didn't necessarily see her in a workspace. I didn't see her run a business or things of that nature. But I think that, you know, she taught me the values of being humane and sticking to your morals and and, you know, doing the right thing. And I think that doing something like, you know, sales, sometimes you lose sight of that depending on, you know, who you're speaking with or who's giving you advice. And so I think learning from someone like that who brings you down to earth and lets you know it's going to be okay… cliché as it sounds, like, for me, my mom is the number one inspiration in my life and the one who motivates me and pushes me to do better while also keeping a level head and keeping you know, me in check with modesty and, you know, being… staying humble and all of that.

1:18:34 Scott Ingram: Love it. That's awesome. And, you know, we typically wrap up with kind of this action step or the challenge. And I'm flashing back to the quote you shared, I think was so awesome. And it made me think of… there was just this whole talk is cheap thing, right? There was somebody in… and I'm going to not name any companies. I'm not going to name names to protect the guilty here. But we were going through sort of an exercise and working on, you know, what are quote is going to look like for the, for the next year. And this individual said, oh, it doesn't matter what it is, I'm going to crush it. And that individual only lasted another 4 months because they didn't produce a damn thing. So, what this all down, right? What is the challenge that you would give to the person listening to this? Something they can do for the next, let's call it 1 to 2 weeks to improve themselves and improve their results. Because as we know, talk is Definitely.

1:19:29 Leila Mozaffarian: I mean, I think one thing, like I brought up earlier, I don't have a specific psych book or specific, you know, psychology movie that you can watch, but there is a theory. I would look it up if you haven't heard of this before. It's called Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. And essentially what happens with this is that it, it explains how people are motivated and how they become more confident. And this is actually something that, you know, I learned in my management classes outside of my psychology classes. Processes. And basically, as a manager, you want to motivate your team to do better. But I think when you follow this structure of hierarchy of needs on your own, this is something that can really benefit you. And so, to give a breakdown of how it looks is that there's the physiological needs, so your basics, right? Eat, sleep, take care of yourself, those sorts of things. And then the second step is your belonging needs. So, acceptance, feeling a part of the group, feeling a part of the team, feeling like you're accepted by the people around you internally and externally. And then the third part to this, the third step is self-esteem needs with, as you know, as recognition. So, you know, feeling good about yourself, feeling like you're recognized, feeling confident that you're doing well. And then the last step is self-realization needs. So here you really is, this is really where people want to get to, I think, to self-grow, develop, and also, you know, to just feel self-fulfilled. And so the reason I bring this up is because oftentimes, you know, on that first step, we're able to take care of ourselves and eat and sleep and do those sorts of things, but I think as you climb up these 3 other steps, that's where you're really going to develop in your career path. And so, my challenge is that within the next 2 weeks, pick 3 to 5 people outside of your sales organization team. So, this could be development, this could be marketing, support, any engineering, it doesn't matter, right? Sales operations, anything that's not directly salespeople who you should be meeting with anyways and getting mentorship from and, you know, ask them about what they do at work and figure out, you know, what their role is and the projects they're working on. See what's working well, see what they're struggling with, pick up what bugs we have, you know, within what bugs that might be within the company or the product. Understand, you know, why they chose this company, why they want to develop for this company, where they see the company going, and whether they're, you know, here for a few months or they've been at the company for a few years, I think learning about that will take you to that second step of feeling like you belong. So, the next time you have a killer month, it's not just the sales team that you're getting ranked, you know, as kind of a number of, you know, where you stand on that and getting recognition from just the sales team. I think you'll also feel that, you know, when they accomplish, you know, let's say a developer figures out a bug and now you know that your product can handle that bug, you learn something new from them and then they're also encouraging you and you feel like you belong as a part of the group within the company and that they're recognizing you for your successes. And then from there, you can gain that confidence to feel, you know, a little more self-confident to then kind of grow and develop yourself as a person. So, again, my challenge would be for the next 2 weeks, find 3 to 5 people, maybe get lunch with someone, you know, different every other day, or if you can every day, and just pick their brain as to why they're there. What motivates them to get up in the morning? What motivates them to be in the role they're in? Why did they pick the company that they're working at that you, you're all part of? And what are their challenges? And I think that is just a first step to feeling like you belong, but also, you know, a partnership that you can say, hey, actually, I could help you with that. Like, if you need customer feedback, if you need, you know, this and that, I can help you with that. And it's not to get, you know, something back from them. It's really just to help the organization grow as a whole. But I think you'll be surprised the next time you need something that falls under engineering, how, you know, that process increases the turnaround time so much faster when you have someone directly to connect with and speak Leila, that is incredible.

1:23:18 Scott Ingram: That's maybe the best challenge we've we've ever had. So thank you for clearly you did a ton of preparation. Really appreciate you taking the time not only to talk with me in this interview, but obviously the work you did in advance, and can't wait to share this with with everyone out there. Thank you so much.

1:23:35 Leila Mozaffarian: Thank you. I really appreciate you having me on the show. This is a really exciting opportunity for me, and really exciting that I got. To speak with you as well.

1:23:44 Scott Ingram: Thanks for listening to the Sales Success Stories podcast. To be sure you never miss an episode and for an invitation to our Sales Success Community powered by Influitive, subscribe to our newsletter at top1.fm.