1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Welcome to the Executive Connect podcast. 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:10,240 I'm excited today to talk about one of my favorite subjects, sales, 3 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:15,000 and we have Joe Salima here to discuss his expertise 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,400 in building high-performance teams. Welcome, Joe. 5 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,640 Hey, thanks for having me on Melissa. I'm excited to be here. 6 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,640 I don't even know where to start when I talk about sales, 7 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:30,520 but I do know you have mega, mega experience 8 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:34,000 and growing teams from the ground up. 9 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:38,520 And what qualities when you're starting from the ground up 10 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:40,960 and building new teams do you look for 11 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,040 in the people that you hire? 12 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:44,440 You know, that's a great question. 13 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,840 And before I even start to look at the people, 14 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:50,520 I want to make sure there's a sales process in place 15 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,400 because if we don't know what that process is going to look like, 16 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,880 and we don't have some of those other foundational pieces in place, 17 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,080 we can't really set up the sales team for success. 18 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:01,560 So I always look at that first. 19 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:03,840 What is that process need to look like? 20 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:05,600 Is it dialed in? 21 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:07,960 Do we have the right systems in place 22 00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:10,160 to help our people be successful? 23 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,440 Then from there, once we know what that system looks like, 24 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:14,520 what's our onboarding look like? 25 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,840 And meaning by that is, we just don't want to hire a bunch of people 26 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:19,640 and put them on the streets and start selling, 27 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:22,240 but we want to make sure they're ingrained in our systems. 28 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:24,320 You know, what is our protocol about? 29 00:01:24,320 --> 00:01:26,720 How do we fit into the marketplace? 30 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,960 You know, what differentiates between everybody else out there? 31 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:31,800 And once we have those in place, 32 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:33,920 then we start looking for talent. 33 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,480 And the first thing I'm always looking for is one, 34 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,520 what kind of sales leader am I going to be? 35 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:39,960 Or if I'm working with a client, 36 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:42,400 what kind of sales leader are they going to be? 37 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,680 Or are they more of a very hands-on approach? 38 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:47,000 And they have, hey, I want it done my way? 39 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,440 Or is it more so, hey, here's the system, just go and do it, 40 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:52,560 and if you need help, reach out to me. 41 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:54,520 Once I have those things in place, 42 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:55,920 we know what the product is, 43 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:57,520 we know what our sales system looks like, 44 00:01:57,520 --> 00:01:59,560 we know what the kind of sales leader is, 45 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:01,480 now we start looking for the talent. 46 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:03,400 First thing I look for is confidence. 47 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:05,600 I want somebody that's confident they can go out there 48 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:07,680 and they can take this product or service to market 49 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:09,360 and really be great at it. 50 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:11,760 And I say after confidence is empathy, 51 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:15,040 you know, the ability to be in the shoes of the customer 52 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:16,800 to understand what they're going through, 53 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,280 understand their frustrations, their pain points, 54 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,000 and then be able to provide those solutions for them. 55 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,840 Those are the things I'm looking for in a good sales rep. 56 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,480 - That's fantastic. 57 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:30,520 I know I jumped right in to find the people, 58 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,040 but you're right, if you don't have processes in place 59 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:34,080 and the people start, 60 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:36,160 it's just they're all running around trying to figure out 61 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,320 how to get started and where to enter with CRN tools. 62 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,600 And so I absolutely agree with that. 63 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:45,520 So once you have the process in place 64 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:47,520 and you've hired the right people 65 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:49,560 and you're growing the business, 66 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,280 how do you continue to sustain growth 67 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:54,360 and keeping your team motivated? 68 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,400 So right out of the gate, most of the sales people 69 00:02:57,400 --> 00:02:59,080 don't have anything on their pipeline. 70 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:01,040 And if you don't get them selling quickly 71 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:05,840 and making money, then they tend to become demotivated. 72 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:06,880 - That's a great point. 73 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:08,960 One of the things that I always like to do, 74 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,080 and this is one of the best practices, 75 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:13,320 is share with them what the mission is. 76 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,080 You know, when it doesn't matter what product 77 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:17,280 or service you're selling or where you're at, 78 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:19,920 but there's a mission to keep them motivated on. 79 00:03:19,920 --> 00:03:21,880 So it could be the mission as simple as, 80 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:24,520 hey, we wanna be the best office in the organization. 81 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:25,640 You know, maybe you're in a company 82 00:03:25,640 --> 00:03:27,040 that has 10 different offices 83 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,640 and you wanna be the best in that particular company. 84 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:33,880 Or maybe you just wanna really dominate your marketplace. 85 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:36,160 So start with, what is the mission? 86 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:38,360 You know, we get the team excited about the mission 87 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:40,120 because once they're excited about their mission 88 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,160 and they truly believe in that, 89 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:43,920 then you can do anything at that point in time. 90 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:45,280 Then you can keep them motivated. 91 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:46,640 So one, get that mission out there. 92 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:48,480 Let them know what we're standing for, 93 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:50,640 why we're doing this, who we're helping. 94 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:53,240 What kind of results are clients are going to get? 95 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,400 And when you get them bought into that mission, 96 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,920 there's the motivation to get them started from there. 97 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:01,120 Then it's, you know, there's salespeople, right? 98 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:03,520 So they do need to have that self-motivation 99 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:04,960 to an extent to get out there, 100 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:06,840 but you also wanna fuel that fire. 101 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,080 You know, what else can you do to keep them going? 102 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,440 I find effective is daily check-ins with the team. 103 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,080 You know, whether it's a 15 or 30 minute conversation 104 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,440 beginning of the day or at the end of the day, 105 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,120 but I always like to have those check-ins 106 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,760 and get people motivated, especially now 107 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:23,400 that everybody is working remotely, 108 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,320 and that's changed the selling environment 109 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:26,560 for so many people. 110 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:28,880 You don't necessarily have an office to go to, 111 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:30,680 or maybe you're only there two or three days a week 112 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:32,200 and you're working remotely. 113 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:33,200 Or maybe you're, like yourself, 114 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:34,320 you have a remote territory, 115 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,720 and you don't have those close colleagues. 116 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:39,120 So how do you keep that going? 117 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:40,800 So I find that having those weekly, 118 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,080 or those daily check-ins is a great way 119 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:44,560 to keep people motivated as well 120 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:45,880 and be part of the team, 121 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:49,360 and every one of those calls with the mission. 122 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:50,760 Hey, we're here to change lives today. 123 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:53,040 We're here to help them with whatever it is we do. 124 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,040 We're here to give them the best office furniture, 125 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:57,960 you know, they can think of whatever is that mission 126 00:04:57,960 --> 00:04:59,160 that you're trying to accomplish. 127 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:01,840 And by doing that, he keeps the team motivated 128 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:03,800 and he keeps them going to that next level. 129 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,320 - That's great. 130 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,640 Touch points every day is super important. 131 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:11,080 I absolutely agree with that. 132 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:13,080 I think, you know, 133 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:16,480 letting people just run out and start selling 134 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:18,160 and say, hey, calm if you need anything, 135 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:19,560 it's probably not the best way 136 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,120 to keep employees around for a long period of time 137 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:23,240 if you don't talk too much. 138 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:25,240 So I absolutely agree with that. 139 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:26,800 And you know, in sales, 140 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:28,440 there's so much competition, 141 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:30,240 no matter what industry you're in, 142 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:33,280 whether you're in technology or healthcare, 143 00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:36,800 or retail, there's so much competition 144 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,240 in most of the markets today. 145 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,120 And everything is moving so, so fast 146 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:45,560 and a lot of times in my sales experience, 147 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:48,280 I'll be on with a customer, you know, 148 00:05:48,280 --> 00:05:49,480 at nine o'clock in the morning 149 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:52,600 and they need it yesterday and everything done tomorrow. 150 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:56,960 And so one of the things I know that I have to do a lot 151 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,880 is manage client expectations, right? 152 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:03,040 Not only internally, like internal processes 153 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:05,240 and running our process 154 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:07,800 and but also the client side of the street. 155 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,640 So, you know, in today, 156 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:13,120 how do you, maybe the better question is keep, 157 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:18,840 like as you're sustaining and you're growing 158 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:20,920 and you're getting your people motivated, 159 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,800 how do you continue to differentiate yourself? 160 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:26,680 So customers continue to buy from you. 161 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:30,800 So once you find who you are and what differentiates you, 162 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:32,760 how do you continue to make them do that 163 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:35,400 as you grow and develop your people? 164 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:37,560 - That's a great question, well, so, 165 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:42,320 one of the things is really I find is great customer service. 166 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,000 I mean, it's horrible if customer service 167 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:46,480 you get in the world today, it really is. 168 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:48,600 There's a few companies that are good at it. 169 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,080 But one, you just have to be a little better 170 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:52,760 from a customer service endpoint 171 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:56,600 and it'll take you so much further than your competition 172 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,760 because most people don't do any kind of follow up. 173 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,200 It's, hey, we got the sale and that's all we care about. 174 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:04,000 If there's any issues on the back end, 175 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,920 if there's any complaints, they're not handled the right way. 176 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,280 So the best thing to do is you wanna keep a customer 177 00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:10,920 longterm, kill them with service, 178 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:13,760 give them the best possible service they can ever get 179 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:14,800 and they will come back to you. 180 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:17,480 So that's one of the first things is customer service first. 181 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:19,080 We have to take care of the customers 182 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,160 because it's so much easier to give business 183 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:24,120 from an existing customer than is to go and look 184 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:25,760 for a new business all the time. 185 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:29,240 So definitely have that customer-centric approach 186 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:31,160 that I gotta take care of the customer. 187 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,200 That's one of the first things we wanna do, 188 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:34,520 to really stand out. 189 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:36,880 And second, I'd say it's just really be good listener 190 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,640 and understand what the customers needs are. 191 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,840 So many salespeople go in with the approach 192 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:43,840 of they're just pushing their products or services. 193 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:45,840 This is what we do, this is how we can help. 194 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:50,520 This is all XYZ features and benefits my product. 195 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:51,840 But they don't sit back and say, 196 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:53,560 well, Mr. customer, what are some of the problems 197 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:54,680 you're running into? 198 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:56,520 What do you really need help with? 199 00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:00,560 Well, kind of impact is that having on your business. 200 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:02,960 If we can help you with that, what would that mean for you? 201 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:05,120 I mean, some of it is just basic, 202 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:06,560 but it's missing today. 203 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:08,680 And when you put those kind of things in place, 204 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:10,560 understand what the customer's real needs are 205 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,360 and how it's impacting them, 206 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:14,800 and then provide them with the right solution, 207 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:18,040 and then give them great follow-up and great service, 208 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:20,000 definitely gonna stand out from the competition 209 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:21,800 because it's just not being done today. 210 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:26,000 - Oh, such, such good advice. 211 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:30,480 Customer service, it seems so, so, so basic, 212 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:33,880 but it is so true that, you know, 213 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:36,080 getting the sale and passing it over 214 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,680 and forgetting about the customer is not the best way 215 00:08:39,680 --> 00:08:41,800 to get more business out of a customer. 216 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:45,720 And, you know, I always, my father used to tell me, 217 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:47,680 "Milesty, you have two years in one mouth. 218 00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:49,000 "You use them proportionately." 219 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,720 So, listening is such an important thing, 220 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:54,520 and I feel in my experience in sales, 221 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:56,640 and I don't know if you have had this happen for you, Joe, 222 00:08:56,640 --> 00:08:58,840 a lot of times when I'm selling, 223 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:00,880 the client thinks they need X, 224 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:04,240 and really they need Y and Z and A, 225 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,720 and what we originally started the discussion with 226 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:08,440 is not really their pain point 227 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:09,720 and what they actually needed, 228 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:11,600 something completely different 229 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:16,240 than what we originally started to discuss. 230 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:17,760 - You know, that's a valid point. 231 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,400 A lot of times you need to push back on the customer 232 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:22,880 and say, "You know what, that's really not what you need 233 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:24,080 "right now." 234 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:26,560 Or, if they're about to go into a certain direction 235 00:09:26,560 --> 00:09:29,600 on things to say, "You know, that's not in your best interest 236 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:30,800 "right now." 237 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:33,520 You know, it's okay to even walk away from opportunities 238 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:35,280 and say, "You know what, based on where you are 239 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:37,520 "and what you're looking for, I know I can sell you 240 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:39,200 "my product or service today, 241 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,640 "but it's really not in your best interest." 242 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:44,240 I'd rather keep you as a long-term customer 243 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:45,840 and do something in the future. 244 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:47,440 Maybe you'll refer other people to me, 245 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,600 but this is a better option for you right now. 246 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:52,400 Or sometimes they want to go in a direction 247 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:54,600 and just, you know, it's a dumb idea, 248 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:56,560 and it's okay to say, "You know what, 249 00:09:56,560 --> 00:09:58,160 "that's gonna backfire on you." 250 00:09:58,160 --> 00:09:59,760 Obviously, you have to have some reports 251 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:01,440 and expertise in place 252 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,160 and make sure they have that credibility factor with them. 253 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:06,160 But that happens a lot. 254 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:07,800 It's okay to push back to a customer 255 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:09,120 and some of them are gonna respect that 256 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:11,560 and say, "You know what, you're right, I respect that." 257 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:14,120 I can't tell you how many times I've had those experiences 258 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:16,440 with customers, especially with a team 259 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,640 where they're going in one direction, 260 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:20,800 and then we have another meeting 261 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:22,080 and something else comes up, it's like, 262 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,040 "You know what, this is really a bad idea for you to do this." 263 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:26,440 It doesn't matter if you do business with us 264 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:27,680 or who you do business with, 265 00:10:27,680 --> 00:10:29,240 this is a bad idea for your business. 266 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:31,400 It's not gonna help you, it's not gonna serve you. 267 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,240 And I'd rather walk away this opportunity 268 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:37,320 than sell you something that you're not gonna be happy with. 269 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:39,240 And putting a little pushback on the customers. 270 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:41,080 Now, does it work all the time? 271 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:43,160 No, of course not. 272 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:44,600 But I'd say most of the time, 273 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:46,440 the customers are gonna appreciate that, 274 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:47,760 you're willing to walk away 275 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:49,960 and you're just not there for a commission check. 276 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,640 - Yeah, it made me, as you're talking to me, 277 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,840 think about years ago, I'll never forget, 278 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:59,920 I had a situation with a client where they basically told me 279 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:03,400 they wanted me to use by my product and service. 280 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:06,880 And I told them, "Well, no, I'm not the right fit." 281 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:10,960 And they all looked at me like I had two heads 282 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,360 and I said, "You guys are all fighting internally 283 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:16,280 and I'm the wrong fit for what you're trying to do." 284 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:20,000 And I walked away from that business 285 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,280 and their senior leadership team 286 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:25,040 and other people came back around and said, 287 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:26,160 "Why did you walk away?" 288 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:28,240 And I said, "I don't know if you noticed, 289 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,520 but everybody in the room had a different agenda 290 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:33,440 and a different end goal and none of you guys agreed 291 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,840 and me as the vendor has to walk in 292 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,720 and I have seven people to keep happy 293 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:41,560 and you all have different agendas 294 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:45,400 and it's interesting, three years later, 295 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:49,480 this client did not have a vendor that they had selected yet, 296 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:50,480 three years later. 297 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:56,280 So sometimes it's okay to walk away from business too, right? 298 00:11:56,280 --> 00:12:00,160 And not just, like you said, push back on the customer 299 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:04,080 but there are times when you're not the best fit for the client 300 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:07,320 and they're not the best fit for you as a company. 301 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:10,520 And I think those, like you were saying at the beginning, 302 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:12,360 customer service, you can't provide 303 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,080 really exceptional customer service 304 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:17,680 if they're not happy with you, right? 305 00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:19,120 And if it starts right out of the gate, 306 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:23,680 it makes it really difficult to recover from that. 307 00:12:23,680 --> 00:12:26,320 - Absolutely, it's sometimes it's better to walk away 308 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,040 than get a customer you're not gonna be happy with either. 309 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:30,440 It's best thing for both of you. 310 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:32,320 - Yeah. 311 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:36,240 I wanna talk a little bit about what you originally saying 312 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:40,240 about you build teams, you top to them every day, 313 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,040 check in with them. 314 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:46,240 What if you have one of your team members is 315 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:49,040 in one of your sales professionals 316 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:51,000 are not achieving their quota. 317 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:52,760 They're not hitting their goals. 318 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:58,600 How do you really mentor them in a way where 319 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:01,880 they can start achieving some of their goals? 320 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:04,200 - Yeah, great question. 321 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,880 That happens occasionally, right? 322 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:08,680 Unfortunately, you have some people 323 00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:12,320 that you just aren't doing what they need to do to be successful. 324 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:14,000 So there's a couple of things. 325 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,240 First is obviously is let's identify what the problem is. 326 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:19,360 Why aren't they succeeding? 327 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:23,200 If they have a history of succeeding in something's going on now 328 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,760 that we need to address, maybe it's a personal issue, 329 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:27,440 we need to dive into that. 330 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:29,720 Is something going on within the region? 331 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:31,640 Maybe there's geographical things going on 332 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:34,280 if it's a territorial thing within the territory 333 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:37,200 that's changing, a competitor came in. 334 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:38,680 So I always like to take a look at, 335 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:40,680 well let's take a look at the history. 336 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:43,320 If it's one time thing or what's going on 337 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:44,680 or if it's a new person. 338 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:48,960 And then once we identify it, is it a skill problem? 339 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:50,000 Or is there something else? 340 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,480 If it's a skill problem, then we can work on the skill problem 341 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:54,640 and we can put things in place. 342 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:56,880 If it's just they don't want to do the work anymore 343 00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:00,440 or they're not putting the effort and they need to, 344 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,280 then it's time to put performance plans in place. 345 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:05,840 Okay, what do we need to do to get you back on track? 346 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:07,800 Our goal isn't to just start getting rid of people, 347 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:09,880 but how do we get them back on track? 348 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:11,520 What are the things that we can do 349 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:13,960 to help them get where they need to be? 350 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:16,120 Comes down to what the pipeline looks like. 351 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:18,600 How many prospecting calls are they doing? 352 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:20,520 What kind of network are they doing? 353 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:21,960 And start from there. 354 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:25,200 But it's really identically, what's really the problem? 355 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:28,760 And then what is the plan to help you get on back on track? 356 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:31,000 And then part of it is up to them. 357 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:32,680 You mean they have to take responsibility. 358 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:35,040 We can put the expectations in place 359 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:36,720 and we can hold them accountable, 360 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:39,360 but the sales, they still have to do the work. 361 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:41,360 And it's up to them to do that work. 362 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,480 And then of course, unfortunately, 363 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:46,600 as times, if they're not willing to do the work, 364 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:48,480 then you need to make those tough choices. 365 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:52,280 And either put them in a different position of the company 366 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:55,560 or let them know is probably best apart ways. 367 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:58,880 And that's the ways I found to be more successful. 368 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:01,840 However, if you really identify with the problem is, 369 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:04,360 80% of the time you can probably help that person 370 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:06,680 once you identify with your problem is. 371 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:08,080 Most managers don't do that. 372 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:09,440 They should say, look at the numbers. 373 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:10,680 You're not doing a good enough job. 374 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:12,280 You've got 90 days to get your act together 375 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:13,680 or you're out of here. 376 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:15,440 And well, guess what happens in those cases? 377 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,080 They're usually gone within 30 days 378 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:18,840 because they find jobs on their own. 379 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:21,200 So it's best to really identify what the issue is 380 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:24,040 and then help them get over that. 381 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:25,240 Yeah, that's a really good point. 382 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:29,400 Not assuming, you know, why that they're not performing. 383 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:33,320 I think a lot of times, we make a lot of assumptions 384 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:37,080 as humans that may or may not be correct. 385 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:40,200 And we really don't know what's going on in other people's lives 386 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,640 if they've had problems with their children or their spouse 387 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:45,920 or they're caretaking their parents 388 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:49,160 or what other life responsibilities they have. 389 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:50,560 And I think I love what she said. 390 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:52,000 She's just sitting down with them 391 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:55,160 and really figuring out the metrics, figuring out 392 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:59,360 how you can support and then really attacking it with them too, right? 393 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:03,800 Is, you know, maybe you have to do one-on-one calls with them 394 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:06,640 or you have to do one-on-one site visits with them 395 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:11,720 or, and sometimes I find that salespeople don't necessarily 396 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:13,080 know like that, right? 397 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:16,160 When their boss is going out on the road 398 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:19,960 or attending sales calls with them, but I always think, 399 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:23,640 you know, everybody has their own unique way of selling, right? 400 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:28,000 And I think that getting feedback and examples 401 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:31,080 from multiple people that are pitching to clients 402 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:33,920 make you that much better as a salesperson 403 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,640 because over time, you could really craft it 404 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,480 to what is most comfortable for you. 405 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:42,560 I know a lot of times, you know, my sales approach 406 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:47,040 is, you know, I'm high energy, I'm bubbly, I tell jokes 407 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:50,600 and a lot of times people are like, what is she doing? 408 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,360 But it just really depends on the clients. 409 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:54,680 Some of my clients love that. 410 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:56,800 And other clients, I know I have to be serious 411 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:58,960 to the point and two sentences quick. 412 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,360 And I think it comes into knowing your customer 413 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:06,800 and knowing who you're talking to and your people as well. 414 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:08,720 So you can train them, right? 415 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:10,560 Yeah, you know, what you're talking to 416 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,760 and if you're an extrovert, you're an outgoing person 417 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:16,240 like yourself, you need to use that as a new strength, right? 418 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:17,600 You don't hide that. 419 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:19,760 And yeah, some customers may not be, you know, 420 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:21,400 great about it, maybe they're turned off about it, 421 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:22,640 but that's okay. 422 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,960 It works for you and you just, you know, do what works for you. 423 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:27,960 On the other side, if you're an introvert, 424 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:30,280 you don't try to be an extrovert. 425 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:32,520 Own your introversion, you know, be an introvert. 426 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:33,640 I'm an introvert. 427 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:36,480 Has not stopped me from being extremely successful 428 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:40,480 as a salesperson, client, you know, going up the corporate ladder. 429 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:43,840 So use what you have and people respect that. 430 00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:45,680 And if you're an introvert or an extrovert, 431 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:47,160 just use it for what you are, 432 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:49,000 but you need to understand how it works 433 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:50,800 and understand your customers, 434 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:53,000 but using that to your advantages, 435 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:54,720 you're gonna take you much more further 436 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,920 than trying to use somebody else's sales approach 437 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:00,240 because, hey, I'm gonna go to the number one guy 438 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:02,160 in the company and model what he does. 439 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:03,760 Probably not gonna work, right? 440 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:05,240 You got a model that's gonna work for you, 441 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:06,320 find out what works for you 442 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:07,680 and then just do more of that. 443 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:09,000 And then you'll be more successful 444 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:10,120 than the number one guy 445 00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:11,800 because you've owned your process. 446 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:14,080 - Yeah, spot on. 447 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:17,760 I think people can sense phony behavior, right? 448 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:21,480 They can sense that maybe you're not an energetic person 449 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,080 or not of this person and they can sense it. 450 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:27,960 So if it comes natural, it's gonna be authentic 451 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:31,240 and people will respect you more for that. 452 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:33,480 If you're not a bubbly person and you try to be bubbly, 453 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:36,160 it just, sometimes it just looks very awkward, right? 454 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:38,640 And so, and I love that you said 455 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:40,320 that you're an introvert person too 456 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:43,480 because a lot of times I'll hear that, 457 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:45,880 oh, you're extroverted, you're just better at sales 458 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:50,360 and that's not necessarily always the DNA for sales people 459 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:52,680 is being extroverts. 460 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:57,680 I always joke, Joe, I'm a recovering introvert. 461 00:18:57,680 --> 00:18:59,520 You know, I started my career at engineering 462 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:02,520 and I would say I was the most introverted person. 463 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:06,120 And so we can change as people 464 00:19:06,120 --> 00:19:09,520 and just because you're introverted 465 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,280 doesn't make you a fantastic sales person. 466 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:14,120 So I love that you mentioned that. 467 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:17,400 - Yep, yeah, be who you are and you'll find your way. 468 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:21,040 - So true, so true. 469 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:24,560 I wanna touch a little bit more on, 470 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:28,200 let's say this performing, 471 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,920 this person that wasn't performing in the sales role, 472 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:33,440 you've given him as much support, 473 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:37,760 you've given him as much leeway to make the changes 474 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:40,600 after the pick and you have to let him go. 475 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:42,640 How do you go after you, you know, 476 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:47,360 you let someone go, you're rehiring when you're interviewing, 477 00:19:47,360 --> 00:19:50,160 you know, how do you find the right fit 478 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:51,600 during the interview process? 479 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:53,960 What are you looking for in sales people? 480 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:57,840 - Well, it's a couple of things I'm looking for. 481 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:00,840 One, you know, I start with what kind of person 482 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:02,280 do I need for the role? 483 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:05,520 You know, do I need somebody that's just a great sales person 484 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:07,160 or do I need somebody that's technical 485 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:10,280 and has experience in this particular product or service? 486 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:12,520 So once I really have that defined, 487 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:15,680 you wanna, I like people that are going to be confident 488 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:16,960 in their sales approach. 489 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:18,640 You know, they know they can go in there, 490 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:21,080 that can somewhat command the attention, 491 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:22,400 they have a presence about them, 492 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:24,840 that hey, this is somebody that you wanna listen to. 493 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:26,840 I always look for people that have empathy, 494 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,000 you know, that can understand, 495 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:30,440 you know, what customers are going through 496 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:34,960 and really dive into that and dig deep into the sales process 497 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,000 and understand the pain points. 498 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,280 It does really matter if they're extroverts or introverts 499 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:42,520 or, you know, if they have great neck working skills 500 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:44,360 or some of those other things. 501 00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:46,320 Well, those are the things I like the most 502 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:48,840 and I'd say the third thing that I'm looking for, 503 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:50,080 I'm always gonna ask somebody, 504 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:51,960 what's the last sales book you're at? 505 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:53,440 I mean, if you're a sales professional 506 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:55,600 and this is what you do for a living, 507 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:56,920 it's just like any other skill 508 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,560 you need to constantly get better at it. 509 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:00,600 So what are you learning? 510 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:01,720 What new books have you read? 511 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:04,160 What new training programs have you gone through? 512 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:06,040 So that's always what I'm looking for is tell me 513 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:08,120 about the education that you made on your own, 514 00:21:08,120 --> 00:21:09,760 not from the company, 515 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:11,360 but any kind of investment on your own, 516 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:13,240 whether it's books, whether it's, you know, 517 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:16,200 local trade journals that are based on selling 518 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:17,680 or sales management, you know, 519 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,280 whatever training programs you've gone through. 520 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:21,960 Those are the kind of things I'm looking for 521 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:23,680 that somebody that's educating themselves 522 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:25,640 to be better and better at sales. 523 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,120 - Yeah, I always thought I think leaders or readers 524 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:30,520 make sure you're reading. - Absolutely. 525 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:31,360 - Learning. 526 00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:36,480 You know, and I think another thing too is attitude. 527 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:38,480 Right, you don't have to be the best sales person 528 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:39,720 or the best at your job, 529 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:43,960 but really the right attitude trumps a lot of things. 530 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,560 I think coming in and, you know, 531 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:48,560 you don't have to know everything about sales 532 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:49,800 and all the sales books, 533 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:51,200 but having the right attitude, 534 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:54,480 where you're coachable to learn how to do it. 535 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:58,160 And when you come up against a crossroad 536 00:21:58,160 --> 00:21:59,440 and you can't figure things out, 537 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:01,120 try to figure it out for yourself. 538 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:03,640 And then ask for support, 539 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:06,760 but being our own problem solvers 540 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:09,160 because the more problems you solve 541 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,440 and the more times you make mistakes the more you learn 542 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:15,960 and the more you can become better at sales. 543 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:19,600 And, you know, there's times I've made mistakes 544 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:21,800 presenting or I mixed slides up. 545 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:24,680 And, you know, I've, and they were accidents 546 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,520 and I just joke with the customer, like, whoops. 547 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:30,840 And they laugh with me and I think people are very forgiving 548 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:35,080 of that when you admit that you've made a mistake 549 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:39,080 and, you know, let me fix it and go and fix it for them 550 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:40,320 'cause we're all just humans. 551 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:43,760 And so I think I love attitude as well. 552 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:44,600 - Yes. 553 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:47,160 - You're having that positive attitude 554 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:49,560 is a great trait to have, 555 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:53,080 having that kind of approach that, you know, mistakes happen. 556 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:56,360 You know, no matter what kind of technology comes out 557 00:22:56,360 --> 00:23:00,560 no matter how many new AI tools come on the market. 558 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,240 In most industries, you're still dealing with people, right? 559 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:04,560 People are buying from people. 560 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:06,680 You know, tools will never take that away. 561 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:08,720 You still wanna have a person you interact with. 562 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:10,680 You still wanna have somebody that you like to talk to 563 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:11,640 and work with. 564 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:15,080 If you have an issue and it needs to get resolved, 565 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:17,240 a machine isn't gonna do that for you, right? 566 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:18,760 A person's gonna do it for you. 567 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:20,320 So it's important to have that, you know, 568 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,600 can do attitude as well and have that positive attitude 569 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:24,920 that if they, you know, to your point, 570 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:26,800 if they don't know something they can go and figure out 571 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:28,280 because they've got that, you know, 572 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:30,680 everything's figure outable attitude 573 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:31,760 and be able to do that. 574 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,120 And if you can show the case that, you know, 575 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:35,760 that's certainly gonna help you in your career 576 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:38,040 as well as a sales professional. 577 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:39,120 - Yeah, I love it. 578 00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:43,400 So getting more back into the customer. 579 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:46,520 So let's say here, you find the right sales person, 580 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,520 they're well trained, they're ready to hit the ground running 581 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:53,520 and they email a customer, call a customer, 582 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,040 they can't get the customer on the phone. 583 00:23:56,040 --> 00:24:00,240 What are some of the top strategies that you have used 584 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:04,440 to set up meetings with clients and customers? 585 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:06,000 - You know, that's a great question. 586 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,440 And that kind of goes back to some of the new technologies 587 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:09,760 out there. 588 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:11,920 There's all kind of ways you can now engage 589 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:15,000 with your customers where before I've been doing this 590 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:16,840 a long time, either knock on the door, 591 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:19,760 walk in and try to get a face-to-face meeting 592 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:21,320 or it was a phone call. 593 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:22,520 Now with social media, 594 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:24,960 you can reach out to people on their profiles, 595 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:27,520 whether it's LinkedIn, whether it's Instagram, 596 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:28,800 whether it's Facebook. 597 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:31,240 So there's different ways to use social media 598 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:32,200 to get in front of clients. 599 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,520 And it's not always, hey, I'm a local rep, 600 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:35,880 I want your business. 601 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:39,200 It may just be commenting on some things they're doing. 602 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:40,520 It's a longer term approach. 603 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:42,640 It's commenting on a post that they made 604 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:45,480 or noticing something about them on their profile 605 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:47,080 or on their personal profile even 606 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:48,800 and making a comment about it. 607 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:50,560 So using that kind of approach, 608 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:52,960 and whether it's more of a friend now, 609 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,200 you're not just some stranger hitting them up 610 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:57,240 like most people, hey, I'm your new rep 611 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,000 and I'd like to do this or I saw you on LinkedIn 612 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:04,280 and I thought we should have a connection and for what? 613 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:06,120 There's no real reason behind it. 614 00:25:06,120 --> 00:25:08,000 But make it friendly. 615 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:09,720 You're reached out to be friends with somebody. 616 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:11,120 Hey, I noticed this about your company. 617 00:25:11,120 --> 00:25:13,080 Congratulations on this new award you got. 618 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:14,560 Or hey, I see you just got promoted. 619 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:15,960 That's fantastic. 620 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:18,560 Build a relationship online that way 621 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:20,520 is a great way to start to get your foot in the door. 622 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:22,440 Second, I say this video. 623 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:24,400 I think when the pandemic started, 624 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:26,880 one of the biggest tools that I saw people use, 625 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:29,240 those people start to use is sending videos 626 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,920 out to people instead of just the email or a phone call 627 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:34,640 which a lot of people aren't getting anymore 628 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:36,600 in those days or even opening them, 629 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:38,040 send an email with a video. 630 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:39,960 You know, there's so many different tools out there 631 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:41,880 where you can have an automated video 632 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:43,240 of holding the sign up saying, 633 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,640 "Hey, Melissa, I'd like to have a conversation with you 634 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:47,960 and wave into them, you know, an automated video." 635 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:49,280 And then when they click on it, 636 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:51,000 it's a personalized video. 637 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:52,720 They hey, just want to say hello. 638 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:54,320 You know, we haven't had a chance to opportunity 639 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:56,600 to talk yet but I'm your new account rap. 640 00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:58,720 Or maybe it's hey, I just noticed this about you. 641 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:00,360 You know, we've been trying to communicate 642 00:26:00,360 --> 00:26:02,920 but for whatever reason we're going to connect. 643 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:05,880 Using video has been a huge, huge benefit 644 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:08,200 for a lot of people to get in front of people 645 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,400 and get them to know and like you on a different level 646 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,240 because now they see your face, hear your voice. 647 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:14,840 It's a little different than just, you know, 648 00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:17,120 hearing you're getting your email 649 00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:18,280 or listening to your voice mail. 650 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,280 Now they actually have a connection there. 651 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:23,600 And if you do that on a consistent basis and add value, 652 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:25,720 I haven't seen anybody who hasn't gotten 653 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:27,400 and get through the door as long as you're willing 654 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:29,200 to put in the time and be persistent. 655 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:32,200 - Yeah, 100%. 656 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:34,280 Persistent is the word, right? 657 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:37,120 Being very, not annoying, right? 658 00:26:37,120 --> 00:26:42,120 Persistent and I think people understand, you know, 659 00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:45,560 the difference between being helpful and persistent 660 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:47,360 or annoying and obnoxious. 661 00:26:47,360 --> 00:26:49,800 I've seen some really, you know, 662 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:53,520 interesting sales strategies where people say touch one 663 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:57,280 for this, touch two for that and people are like, 664 00:26:57,280 --> 00:26:59,760 "But," and so I think just like you mentioned, 665 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:02,080 I think videos are a great idea. 666 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:05,560 You know, commenting on things that are important to them, 667 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:09,440 like if they're part of a nonprofit or they have children, 668 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:14,040 you know, sales is not just transactional. 669 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:16,600 I think a lot of time in some of the sales people 670 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:20,400 I've seen not do so great is they treat it like a transaction. 671 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:21,840 It's a relationship. 672 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:25,520 It's a long term, I like to think with the people 673 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:29,000 that I work with that it's a long term relationship. 674 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:33,600 We might not talk every day, but it is a long term relationship. 675 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:37,040 So I don't just make a connection to Nevartopson again. 676 00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:39,360 I want to continue to grow that relationship 677 00:27:39,360 --> 00:27:41,240 and build it and nurture it long term. 678 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:44,040 And if they have a problem, 679 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:45,960 I want to be thinking of me for that problem. 680 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:50,960 And so in the least high-pressure annoying way possible. 681 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:54,960 And so I do like that idea of videos. 682 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:58,520 - One other thing that I'd like to point out 683 00:27:58,520 --> 00:27:59,880 that I think is extremely helpful, 684 00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:02,760 especially if you're trying to get in large companies 685 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:05,640 and a large company is they're pretty open. 686 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:08,080 You can do some research on what the biggest struggles are 687 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:10,840 in their particular industry or even in their company. 688 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:14,280 And if you know of a resource that you can help them with 689 00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:15,560 and share that with them, 690 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:19,040 without expecting anything back, they're going to remember that. 691 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:22,200 You're recently I was working with somebody that wasn't a good fit 692 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:25,840 for the company that I was helping at the time, 693 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:29,040 but they were having a real problem with hiring talent. 694 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:30,400 What was the best way to hire a talent 695 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:31,920 for their specific industry? 696 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:33,440 It just happened to know a recruiter 697 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:36,040 that had some resources exactly how to do that. 698 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,320 Took the resources, put the two together, 699 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:41,120 and help with an outcome for them. 700 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:43,360 Now there's no immediate benefit for me, 701 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:47,600 but chances are in the future when that person doesn't need my services, 702 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:50,240 they're going to remember that I was in just another salesperson 703 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:51,000 trying to pitch them. 704 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:52,360 I was a resource. 705 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:54,400 I helped them solve a problem in their business 706 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:56,600 that had nothing to do with what I did, 707 00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:58,400 but it was a resource for them. 708 00:28:58,400 --> 00:28:59,840 And I made that connection. 709 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:02,960 And that's to your point, it's long-term relationships. 710 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:04,760 And that's kind of what we want to do 711 00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:06,560 when we're starting there, especially if you're building 712 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:08,200 relationships with the new company. 713 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:11,600 That's one of the best ways to go out there and do that. 714 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:13,880 Yeah, absolutely. 715 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:15,920 And even if you're not in sales for a living, 716 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,960 and that's not what you do for a living, 717 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:22,080 we're all in sales as far in our life, 718 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:24,600 whether you're in sales, a finest spouse, 719 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:29,360 or to network in a community, we're all in sales. 720 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:34,800 And so what I would say is if you want to have good relationships 721 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:37,480 and all facets of your life, you've got to pour into them. 722 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:40,200 And you've got to really give and take 723 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:42,080 and not just always take. 724 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:47,880 And so I think that's a really good point is nurture, right? 725 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:50,560 Nurture your relationships. 726 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:55,520 And then ask, when the time's right, when you've put enough coins 727 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:59,920 into that relationship, if you will, ask, be like, hey, 728 00:29:59,920 --> 00:30:02,080 I'm looking for a this. 729 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:02,960 Can you help me? 730 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:07,240 And people always, always are willing to help. 731 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:11,240 And or vice versa, if you're on a sales call with somebody 732 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:15,400 and asking them what top problems are you trying to solve today? 733 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:19,240 And it may not be something that I can do. 734 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:24,040 I had a recent call recently where one of my clients 735 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,760 was having some family problems with their child. 736 00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:32,560 And so I was able to connect them, had nothing to do with my job. 737 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:37,160 And everything to do with empathy, like you mentioned. 738 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:40,040 And just trying to help people and meet them where they are 739 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:40,800 at that moment. 740 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:44,280 So we can't get to the business if all they're thinking about 741 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:47,000 is my kid, my kid, my kid. 742 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:49,240 They don't have time for anything until they 743 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:51,440 can solve the problem with their child. 744 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:55,000 So yeah, I love the empathy. 745 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:58,120 I love the give and take. 746 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:00,800 Any other top sales tips and tricks 747 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:03,880 that you want to share with our listeners? 748 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:08,840 I'd say that the listening is probably one of the top ones 749 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:12,600 that I see most salesmen make mistakes on. 750 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:15,200 They're just not listening to what their clients are really saying. 751 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:16,040 They're going in. 752 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:18,680 They're so ingrained into wanting to talk 753 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:21,480 about their product and service and why they're better than everybody else 754 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:23,320 and how they stand out. 755 00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:25,240 They're not sitting there really understanding, 756 00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:27,800 well, what are the problems you have? 757 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:30,000 And how is it affecting your business? 758 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:31,480 And really digging down to it. 759 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:34,360 And what other areas is this affecting within your business? 760 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:37,800 They're just so focused on the product and service. 761 00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:40,440 And they go in and talk about, well, this is who we are. 762 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:42,040 This is what we do. 763 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:44,600 Instead of taking a step back and saying, well, 764 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:47,240 before I even start about who I am, what I'm doing, 765 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:49,840 tell me about the challenges or the obstacles 766 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:51,480 you're having in this category. 767 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:53,680 Or better, what are your goals? 768 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:55,800 What is it that you're trying to accomplish in this area 769 00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:57,360 that you haven't gotten to yet? 770 00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:00,720 And we can talk about that and how we might be able to help you get there. 771 00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:02,440 Then it's a different conversation. 772 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:05,400 Then it's not me presenting about my product or service 773 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:07,200 or your product or service. 774 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,840 They're almost selling themselves to me at that point 775 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,120 because you're repositioning to an extent. 776 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:13,960 They're talking about what they need. 777 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:16,880 And then it's like, oh, OK, then it makes a lot more easier. 778 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:20,520 So it's a complete different approach to the sales process. 779 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:22,560 But I found it would be one of the most effective, 780 00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:24,920 especially today because nobody's using things like this. 781 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:25,800 There's still-- 782 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:29,400 I mean, sales does not really change that much in probably 50 years. 783 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:33,560 Sorry to say, by using these kind of different tactics, 784 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:35,400 I see it's very, very effective. 785 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:38,280 And such a small percentage of sales people are doing it. 786 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:41,400 So I'd say that's probably one of the things I'd leave you with is using 787 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:43,680 that kind of approach and going in with a, 788 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:45,400 tell me a little about more of your business 789 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:48,440 of what you want to accomplish, obstacles or goals. 790 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:51,480 And then we can showcase exactly what we do, 791 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:55,200 catered around what you're looking for instead of what I want to sell you today. 792 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:57,200 And I'd say, start with that. 793 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:00,920 You'll see a huge difference in the amount of business you'll generate. 794 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:01,840 Spot on. 795 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:05,560 I think there's-- I've been part of meetings before, 796 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:10,440 not ones that I scheduled where I was shadowing somebody. 797 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:13,840 And they weren't prepared at all for the person in the meeting. 798 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:15,560 So we showed up to a sales meeting. 799 00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:19,160 Then you're nothing about the client, nothing about the customer. 800 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:22,200 They were just pulling up their sales brochures and said, 801 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:23,840 how do we have this in this and this and this? 802 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:25,480 Which one do you want? 803 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:30,680 And the client's energy and response wasn't really great. 804 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:35,040 And so that taught me something years and years ago. 805 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:40,040 And a lot of times what clients need is not on a menu. 806 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:45,040 You may not offer that service at your company. 807 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:49,200 But could you to acquire another customer? 808 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:51,600 I know a lot of different things I sell now. 809 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:53,880 We weren't doing years ago. 810 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:54,920 And we are now. 811 00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:58,800 And it started with one customer asking a question, which 812 00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:00,200 led further down the road. 813 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:01,040 And now we're doing it. 814 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:05,480 And so I think just being open to, like you said, 815 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:09,360 at the beginning, listening and understanding your customers 816 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:14,160 and not kind of shoving things they don't need down their throat, right? 817 00:34:14,160 --> 00:34:14,880 Louis. 818 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:20,840 I really appreciate you being here today, Joe. 819 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:22,760 You are a wealth of knowledge. 820 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:26,320 And I love, love to talk about sales and sales strategies. 821 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:29,720 So thank you so much for being here today 822 00:34:29,720 --> 00:34:32,920 on the Executive Connect podcast. 823 00:34:32,920 --> 00:34:33,800 It was great, Melissa. 824 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,320 Thanks very much for having me today.