About Lisa Scotto: Lisa Scotto is the founder of LMS Growth Consulting, a Business Development Strategy company, and a Co-Founder of Your Cohort, women founded fractional C-suite executive team. Lisa brings to the table 20+ years of sales and marketing acumen, working for some of the largest entertainment and media brands. Past experiences include operationalizing an alternative revenue model for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, developing custom products at Crain Communications and the World Economic Forum, and initiating the sales and sponsorship team at Superfly X. Additionally, she has spent half of her career working at the Walt Disney Company in various sales and marketing roles.Philosophically, Lisa approaches sales as a discipline and believes that good salespeople don’t just sell – they add value. She is passionate about working with teams that are open to new ways of addressing growth challenges and are committed to driving results through collaborative, forward-thinking approaches.Check out the latest episode of our Conversational Selling podcast to learn more about Lisa.
In this episode, Nancy and Lisa discuss the following:
- The importance of focusing on the big picture in sales strategies
- Sales as a discipline: consistency and adding value
- Research-driven approach to identifying prospect pain points
- Sales preparation as a key to success in sales
- Lisa’s journey from selling popcorn at Disney to consulting
- Transitioning from corporate roles to entrepreneurship during the pandemic
- Sales as relationship-building through meaningful conversations
- Intentionality in prospecting calls: planning and adaptability
- Lifelong learning and ongoing training in sales effectiveness
- Crafting high-power questions to make sales calls more engaging
Key Takeaways:
- I think in most organizations people do their day-to-day tasks and they’re not thinking about how this connects to the larger picture.
- I rely on extensive research, and this is not just a quick Google search five minutes before the meeting.
- My strengths naturally align with sales.
- Whoever’s asking the questions is in control.
“I do believe sales is a discipline in the sense that to have results, you need to show up consistently. And I like to use a gym as a reference, right? You don’t roll up to the gym one day and decide to lift 250 pounds. You must sort of show up every day or every four days a week, right, over a consistent amount of time for you to build that strength and to build that muscle, right? So that requires discipline. Just like sales, you can’t roll up to a client meeting without having done your research, without understanding what the client’s problem is. How can my specific service or product help with that problem? And I believe to be good at sales, you need to develop that as a discipline, right? You have to do that hard work, week in and week out to see the results because you never know which call or which prospect or which meeting is going to be fruitful, right? You must plant all the seeds, but you don’t know which ones will be fruitful in the end.” – LISA
“I like to really try to leave no stone unturned and uncover where there might be opportunities. So, I’ll give you an example. Let’s say I’m pitching a Fortune 100 company, and they just had their annual meeting. I might take the time to review the video of the annual meeting and really understand what is the CEO talking about, right? What is the senior-most leadership team talking about and does that relate to my product or service, right? […] And then try to relate that to my product or service. Another tip that I’ve done that actually scored me a fantastic meeting with a large organization was I looked at various job openings at a company and mapped based on the roles that they were hiring that they could use my product at the time, right, and scored a meeting with the senior level leadership team.So, it’s almost, again, with the lens of adding value, I think your research must go deeper than just rudimentary. It does really need to dig deeper so that you can best understand the client, where they’re coming from, what’s the conversation going on in their organizations.” – LISA
“There’s this sort of idea that in the past, we went to school and then our school chapter was completed, then we went to work, right? And that was sort of the progression of adult life. You went to school, then you went to work, and then that was sort of where your learning started and ended. Nowadays, there’s so much opportunity for people to learn, and not just about a function or, you know, a specific industry. There is an opportunity to learn across different industries and across functions. And I think that ultimately makes you a better salesperson, right? Like if again, if you could connect dots that other people aren’t connecting for clients, that’s the gold right there.” – LISA
Connect with Lisa Scotto:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lspommerening/
- LMS Growth Consulting: https://lmsgrowthconsulting.com/
- Sales Glow Up: YouTube Link
Try Our Proven, 3-Step System, Guaranteeing Accountability and Transparency that Drives RESULTS by clicking on this link: https://oneofakindsales.com/call-center-in-a-box/
Connect with Nancy Calabrese:
- Twitter:https://twitter.com/oneofakindsales
- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/One-Of-A-Kind-Sales-304978633264832/
- Website:https://oneofakindsales.com
- Phone: 908-879-2911
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ncalabrese/
- Email: leads@oneofakindsales.com
Voiceover: You’re listening to The Conversational Selling Podcast with Nancy Calabrese.
Nancy Calabrese: Hi, it’s Nancy Calabrese, and it’s time again for Conversational selling – the podcast where sales leaders and business experts share what’s going on in sales and marketing today and it always starts with the human conversation. Today we’re speaking with Lisa Scato, founder of LMS Growth Consulting and designed partnership strategies that build audiences, boost brand awareness, and drive growth for blue chip organizations. In her latest endeavor, she’s taken on a more advisory role partnering with companies to transform their business models. Whether working with a startup or a Fortune 100 company, she employs a client-centric approach grounded in her strengths of building trust and discipline. Welcome to the show, Lisa. I’m so happy to have you.
Lisa Scotto: Thank you so much, Nancy. That was a wonderful intro. [1:16]
Nancy Calabrese: Well, you know, you’re a wonderful lady, so why not showcase you, right? So I read somewhere that you believe that when leading revenue growth strategies, you focus on the big picture, spotting organization opportunities that drive results. Why the big picture?
Lisa Scotto: Well, I think it’s important for everyone within an organization to connect themselves to that larger goal or that north star. And oftentimes I think what’s lost in organizations people is have their day to day that they’re doing and they’re not thinking about how this connects to the larger picture, how can I help in a more broad fashion. And I think it’s really important to really to have that 30,000 foot view and keep that in mind no matter where you fall within an organization. [2:14]
Nancy Calabrese: Yeah. And you also, I know that you approach sales as a discipline and believe that good salespeople don’t just sell, they add value. Talk more about that.
Lisa Scotto: So, I do believe sales is a discipline in the sense that to have results, you need to show up consistently. And I like to use a gym as a reference, right? You don’t roll up to the gym one day and decide to lift 250 pounds. You must sort of show up every day or every four days a week, right, over a consistent amount of time for you to build that strength and to build that muscle, right? So that requires discipline. Just like sales, you can’t roll up to a client meeting without having done your research, without understanding what the client’s problem is. How can my specific service or product help with that problem? And I believe to be good at sales, you need to develop that as a discipline, right? You have to do that hard work, week in and week out to see the results because you never know which call or which prospect or which meeting is going to be fruitful, right? You must plant all the seeds, but you don’t know which ones will actually be fruitful in the end. [3:35]
Nancy Calabrese: So how do you know what value a prospect would need? You know what I’m saying? Prospects are different. So how do you determine their value?
Lisa Scotto: I rely on extensive research, and this is not just a quick Google search five minutes before the meeting, which a lot of people, that’s what they consider research. I like to really try to leave no stone unturned and uncover where there might be opportunities. So, I’ll give you an example. Let’s say I’m pitching a Fortune 100 company, and they just had their annual meeting. I might take the time to review the video of the annual meeting and really understand what is the CEO talking about, right? What is the senior most leadership team talking about and does that relate to my product or service, right? Is the CEO talking about DE and I? Is the CEO talking about efficiency? Is the CEO talking about AI? Whatever it may be. And then try to relate that to my product or service. Another tip that I’ve done that actually scored me a fantastic meeting with a large organization was I looked at various different job openings at a company and mapped based on the roles that they were hiring that they could use my product at the time, right, and scored a meeting with the senior level leadership team. And what’s great about that is then you become also a resource potentially for those folks that could be in those roles, right? So, hey, this could be a great role for this person that I know that’s in my network, right? So, it’s almost, again, with the lens of adding value, I think your research must go deeper than just rudimentary. It does really need to dig deeper so that you can best understand the client, where they’re coming from, what’s the conversation going on in their organizations. [5:39]
Nancy Calabrese: Right.
Lisa Scotto: Right? Especially with the annual meeting. I mean, that one I find is a huge miss for individuals because they don’t think about it. And I used to tell my teams when I was in corporate America that you need to act like a defense attorney. And what I mean by that is you need to almost have the answers to the questions before you go into the meeting. So you shouldn’t be asking questions that you could easily find the answers to you should really be going in trying to uncover things that you really couldn’t find, right, via research or that, or you’re trying to ensure that the research that you’ve done is correct to weave a story about why your product or service can add value to their role, their company, you know, their organization. [6:29]
Nancy Calabrese: Wow. How did you get involved in sales?
Lisa Scotto: That’s a great question. My first sales job, don’t laugh, was selling nuts and popcorn on Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. From there, I was promoted to a sales role at Disney. I think it was just coincidental that I was selling popcorn and nuts. But my next role, which was in a more professional setting, less operational, was at Disney’s sales team. And from there, I took numerous jobs within Disney in various sales and marketing roles, and really just found my stride. I’m definitely a people person, definitely love to meet new people. I love to ask questions, right? So, my strengths, I think, naturally align with sales. [7:31]
Nancy Calabrese: Wow, it must have been fun working at Disney.
Lisa Scotto: Oh, it was, it was black. It was very magical as we like to say.
Nancy Calabrese: Yeah, magical. No pun intended, right? And then what motivated you to start your own business?
Lisa Scotto: So great question. I had been doing sales and business development for over 20 years in various different organizations like Disney, like Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, as well as some not-for-profits. And really during the pandemic had decided that I really wanted to bet on myself and take all of this amazing knowledge that I had learned at various different organizations and really multiply that to help even more companies. I think when you work for one organization, right, you get to help that organization. But as a consultant, I get to help several organizations a year and really help them propel their growth much further than they thought they could by themselves. [8:31]
Nancy Calabrese: Right. Yeah, wow. So, how do everyday conversations serve as building blocks of successful sales?
Lisa Scotto: Well, I think, and I love the title of this podcast, right? I think what people often miss about sales is that it is essentially a relationship, right? And people think, especially if they’re new to sales or if they’re uncomfortable selling, that I have a thing, I got to share the thing, right? I must talk a lot about the thing on the call and then that person may buy the thing. And really that’s not what sales is at all, right? Like what sales is, is you’re building a relationship with someone. And when I say sales, I mean sales in general. Like if you’re trying to sell your husband on some, an idea, right? If you’re trying to sell your kids on doing something, right? All of that essentially is sales and negotiation. So, in order to do that, you have to have a relationship with someone. You must build that relationship, build that trust. And to do that, you, you need to have several conversations, right? [9:43]
Nancy Calabrese: Yeah.
Lisa Scotto: You know, nothing that I’ve sold is being sold in one conversation, right? Many of the solutions I’ve sold, it takes several conversations to get people comfortable, to help them see that you are a trusted advisor and adding value. And I think that’s where those conversations and those relationships, that’s how they’re built. [10:08]
Nancy Calabrese: Right. Cool. Now, you state that you should have an intention to keep in mind ahead of prospecting calls. What do you mean by that?
Lisa Scotto: Well, going back to the discipline sort of theme, I think you do need to be very intentional before you get on the phone with a prospect. So, what I mean is that oftentimes people, again, are not connecting the dots on behalf of the client. And as a salesperson, for you to show that value, you need to be helping them connect the dots and connecting the dots for them. And I think that’s what I mean by the intention. You may get on the phone and things may take a different turn. You must be nimble enough and agile enough that you can sort of make those moves and change tracks or change discussion. But I think before you go on a call, you should have an intention of, okay, this is how I think I’d like this call to go. I think that the client could use this service. I know we provide this service. I’m going to think about these case studies or examples of how the client can use this service, right? So being very intentional before you get on the phone. And again, this goes back to if you’ve ever mentored or had junior folks on your team, I think they think, right, when they look at senior leadership, senior leadership gets on a call and they’re sort of just winging it when as senior leaders, we have done all the prep work, right? We make it look like we’re winging it when we’re not winging it at all, right? But so, I think it’s important, especially as folks come up the ranks within sales to understand that necessary prep work that needs to go in order to make it look like you’re, you know, just very casual and relaxed and all that good stuff. [12:09]
Nancy Calabrese: Right. Yeah, why do you feel, I mean, I feel like this, so maybe I’m putting words in your mouth. I feel it’s really important, no matter where you are in your sales career, to have ongoing training to sharpen your skills. What are your thoughts on that?
Lisa Scotto: Absolutely. Especially because things are changing so rapidly. The speed with which technology is changing and morphing requires that we become lifelong learners. I was on a call last week with an economist from the Wharton School, and there’s this sort of idea that in the past, we went to school and then our school chapter was completed, then we went to work, right? And that was sort of the progression of adult life. You went to school, then you went to work, and then that was sort of where your learning started and ended. Nowadays, there’s so much opportunity for people to learn, and not just about a function or, you know, a specific industry. There is an opportunity to learn across different industries and across functions. And I think that ultimately makes you a better salesperson, right? Like if again, if you could connect dots that other people aren’t connecting for clients, that’s the gold right there. [13:33]
Nancy Calabrese: Yeah, huh. What are your tips to make sales calls less awkward and more interesting?
Lisa Scotto: Oh, I love this one. My biggest tip is to ask high power questions or power questions, which means again, going back to research, you need to have done a lot of research to be able to craft really specific questions to get your prospects to open up and share more. I think I’ve witnessed a lot of sales calls where the salesperson, I like to say, throws up on the prospect. They show up, they speed through the deck, that’s inevitably way too long. So, it’s a half hour call, 20 minutes, the salesperson has spoken, and 10 minutes are left for the client to say something and ask questions, and then the call’s over. I’ve always said that should be a good thing completely in the reverse, right? If you have a half hour, right? If you have a half hour call, you should be talking five minutes out of the 30 minutes as the salesperson. [14:45]
Nancy Calabrese: I agree. Yeah. Yep, no, I totally agree. And I think it’s the quality of the questions that you ask, and it should be directed towards them, what their issues are and uncover their pain points. And tying in with this a little bit, is it more difficult for women to feel comfortable and confident in their sales endeavors versus men?
Lisa Scotto: That’s so interesting you say that. I think it is common for women to not be as comfortable. And that’s where I would lean into the research and how you’re asking your questions. So, in order for you to be more confident, no matter who you are, you need to know what you’re talking about, right? You need to know your prospect and you need to be comfortable asking the questions. Whoever’s asking the questions is in control. [15:39]
Nancy Calabrese: Okay.
Lisa Scotto: And if that applies, like think about an adult and a child, think about a teacher and a student, think about, right? Whoever is asking the questions is the one that’s in control of the conversation. So if you can master the confidence of asking those questions, then you’ll be in control of the conversation. Now, inevitably, and I’m sure this has happened to you, you get up on a call with a prospect and they are what I like to call a wet noodle. They don’t want to answer, right? No matter what you’re trying, they’re answering with yes or no answers. They’re not interested. In those situations, I have pulled the takeaway. And I will say, it sounds like now is not a great time for us to connect. Maybe we can connect at another time. Do these times next week work for you? And that does one of two things. One, it will change the sort of energy of the conversation right there then. [16:37]
Nancy Calabrese: Right.
Lisa Scotto: Or two, it will give you sort of more time for the prospect to feel more comfortable because maybe it isn’t a great day for them, right? Maybe they just got off a call with their boss and got some bad news. You don’t know. So again, but you’re using question, even in that example, right? I’m using a question to sort of shift the energy, to change the conversation, to put the control back in my court, which essentially is what you want. [17:07]
Nancy Calabrese: Right. We call that here negative reversing. Gee, I’m kind of sensing that today might not be the day for the call. I mean, I don’t know if I’m right, but is it true? And that you want to deliberately change, you want to get to the truth. That’s the bottom line, right? If they’re not interested, they’re not interested, that’s okay. We’re almost up with time but tell me something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Lisa Scotto: Yes, love it. Right. Correct. Oh goodness. I think something that’s true that no one agree, almost nobody agrees with me on, especially if they’re embarking on a sales journey or a proactive sales journey, is that reducing and being very deliberate about who you’re going after will yield better results than just being super broad and unintentional. So, I’ll give you an example. Oftentimes professional services firms or agencies, creative agencies, marketing agencies, often they can service multiple different types of clients, right? Like they can do creative for any industry. They can do creative for any discipline, right? That sort of thing. However, when you’re trying to be proactive with your sales approach or proactive with your business development approach, being intentional and picking a lane becomes highly important because you can’t boil the ocean as a salesperson, right? And if you have more guardrails and more intention about who you’re going after, you could be more strategic about how you go after them. So, you can have better case studies, you can have better examples, you can have a better prospecting email outreach that really talks to their pain points versus being more general and broader. And inevitably I always get pushback on that. Because it is a bit counterintuitive, but that’s something that I’d say some people don’t necessarily agree with me on. [19:03]
Nancy Calabrese: Well, that’s okay. You can stand out of the crowd, right? You don’t wanna do what everybody else is doing, right? Okay, so we are up with time. I love speaking with you. How can my audience find you?
Lisa Scotto: Exactly. So I am on LinkedIn, Lisa Scotto, which is LinkedIn. I own LMS Growth Consulting, as Nancy said. And actually in the new year, I am working on a digital course on business development, specifically for B2B professional services and creative agencies and things like that. And there you could find me at bit.ly, B-I-T dot L-Y backslash S, G, U, connect, that’s sales glow up. So S is in Sam, G is in George, U is in Universe, connect. So look forward to seeing you there. [20:05]
Nancy Calabrese: Yeah, Lisa, you’re a powerhouse. A lot of fun. And look, folks, listen to the expert here. Reach out to her. She is a wealth of knowledge. And I’m wishing you all an exceptional sales day. And Lisa, we’ve got to do this again sometime. Would you come back?
Lisa Scotto: Thank you, Nancy. This was great. Yes, I would love to Nancy. Thank you.
Nancy Calabrese: You’re very welcome. Okay guys, see you next time. [20:36]
