A sales and training executive with a 15-year track record of designing and delivering sales training programs, Joseph D. Anzalone is the director of School of Sales for Hilton Worldwide. Prior to joining Hilton, he was VP of sales and training for Asset Marketing Systems (AMS), a financial services and insurance marketing organization. While at AMS, he built a training organization that delivered sales learning to more than 3,000 independent advisors across the United States. Connect with him on LinkedIn, or follow him on Twitter @jdanzalone.
What is the scope of your role?
I direct a team of eight, designing and delivering sales training globally, including the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, for Hilton's 10 brands, global account teams, and all sales positions "on property."
What does a typical day in your life looks like?
I might start with a call with a client in the morning—a brand leader, global sales leader, or property GM. Then, I may deliver a webinar later in the day or work with my team to design new training. And I often need to fly to somewhere that afternoon to facilitate training the next day. I travel 70 to 80 percent of my time. One thing is certain: no two days are the same.
What are the top three projects you are working on at the moment?
- Continued development and rollout of a consistent global sales training platform.
- Design and development of a brand-required sales conference in all three global regions.
- Rollout of new customer engagement training and virtual platform for HRCC-Hilton Reservations and Customer Care, which are our call centers around the world.
What is an area within sales enablement where you particularly shine? What are some best practices and resources you use to help you be successful in that area?
I have an ability to explain crucial sales skills in simple terms, and coach to execution. Too often sales professionals believe the job is more complex than it actually is. I am also a strong believer in the art of storytelling, and have trained hundreds of salespeople on how to increase their income by learning to tell their clients a good, relatable story.
If you could have three wishes granted to make your job easier, what would they be?
- Faster decision-making across our large, matrixed organization
- Improved and streamlined our technology
- Being able to bring more training to my home city of Boston!
How did you get started in your career? Since then, how has your career evolved?
I started as an outside sales rep in the temporary staffing industry. I eventually became a regional sales director and was asked to design and deliver training to the field at the same time. Since then I have held both VP of sales and VP of training positions, and worked in financial services and insurance, training advisors. I also have my Series 7 license from that time.
What skills or competencies did you need to advance in sales enablement? How did you gain those skills?
First and foremost, there is no substitute for outside sales experience, and working on commission. That background has been invaluable to me and came from eight years of doing that myself. As a result, I can teach prospecting, strategic questioning, closing the sale, and account management—all from doing it myself.
What steps did you take to rise in your career? What is one of the greatest lessons you have learned from your career journey?
I have always had creative and unusual ideas for landing an appointment, a client, or delivering training, but I didn't have the nerve to try or suggest them early in my career. Once I decided to try speaking my mind to management and selling my ideas, my career ascended quickly. It's important to put yourself out there and take calculated risks.
How have you seen the sales enablement function change in the last 10 years?
The proliferation of technology, and mobile information sources, has changed the sales profession forever. It wasn't that long ago when I would research companies in Hoover's. Now, every prospect is savvy about your firm and your competition instantly. It has make strategic questioning more important than ever before.
What are you most excited about in the profession today?
Virtual learning and coaching solutions. There are amazing ways to deliver learning today beyond the standard Webinar with a voiced-over PowerPoint.
Who do you look to for guidance and support? What about that relationship is most valuable?
I look to my direct supervisor, Patty, for both. She has a balanced perspective and a knack for solving a complex problem by breaking it down to a few, achievable tasks. Most importantly, her support for my opinion is unwavering and she encourages me to take risks.
Other than the ASTD Sales Enablement Community of Practice, what are your go-to sources for professional inspiration and development?
For professional development opportunities, I look to network with sales and learning peers in other industries—technology, manufacturing, finance, health care—as I believe it's important to understand and learn from different types of businesses.
For professional inspiration, this might sound trite, but I start and end with my mom. She has been a waitress at the same family diner for 52 years, and she's still going strong.
How do you stay current in the field?
Blogs, Linkedin, and Twitter. Subscribing to the right groups and people can literally give you a new sales learning idea every day. I follow Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, and The New Yorker.
What are you reading? What books would you recommend?
I am reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace—not exactly a business book, I know.) I am a big believer in Marcus Buckingham's work; First Break All the Rules is one of my all-time favorites. I also recommend Harry Beckwith's Selling the Invisible.
What advice would you give a young sales enablement professional?
If possible, get some sales experience. Understand what it's like to work on a high risk-high reward incentive plan. If not possible, ride along on the road with a real pro and observe the habits they've developed to succeed on a consistent basis. Make some prospecting calls. I believe there is no better way to be a sales enabler than to experience a "day in the life" of a sales professional.
What question would you like to pose to the community?
What has been the toughest part of working with high-achieving, type A personality sales professionals?
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