WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.680 --> 00:00:03.560 The first time I talk about myself to somebody, I'm going to put it 2 00:00:03.560 --> 00:00:07.519 in the context of the problems that we solve and the outcomes that we drive 3 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:16.039 for a business. You're listening to the Audible Ready Podcast, the show that 4 00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:21.000 helps you and your teams sell more faster. We'll feature sales leaders sharing their 5 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:25.199 best insights on how to create a sales engine that helps you fuel repeatable revenue 6 00:00:25.239 --> 00:00:29.039 growth. Presented by the team Afforce Management, a leader in B to B 7 00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:36.000 sales effectiveness. Let's get started. Hello and welcome to the Audible Ready Sales 8 00:00:36.039 --> 00:00:40.359 Podcast. I'm Rachel clapp Miller, joined today by Brian Walsh. Hi, 9 00:00:40.439 --> 00:00:45.119 Brian, Hey, Rachel, what's up? What is up? So this 10 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:47.960 is going to be a short and sweet podcast. This is going to be 11 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:52.880 some short tidbits of information for you. We're going to talk about when you 12 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:58.920 talk about your solution or how to be more specific, how to slow down 13 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:03.560 the customer and hold them off so you're not just showing up and throwing up 14 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:08.079 when we did you like that? Right? Okay? Yeah, yeah. 15 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:12.439 When we're doing discovery, we're having this sometimes we call it us slow dance, 16 00:01:12.519 --> 00:01:17.560 right, We're having great conversations with the customer. It's also a really 17 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:19.599 pivotal time and a lot of times will be like, Okay, just tell 18 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:22.680 me what you do. I only I can't get into and tell me what 19 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:25.519 you do. Yeah, but you want to talk about what you do in 20 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:29.560 a way that's relevant to your customer, Brian, let's just kind of talk 21 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:33.840 about how you manage the pushback from the customer when they just want to know 22 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:38.120 what you do. But let's start with just the basic tenants about talking about 23 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:42.200 yourself in a great way as a seller. Okay, so tenant number one 24 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:47.560 and maybe the ultimate commandment is every time you talk about yourself, you have 25 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:51.640 to ensure that you tie it back to something that's relevant. Otherwise you're just 26 00:01:51.879 --> 00:01:57.760 throwing darts into dark. There's been enough scientific research to prove the point that 27 00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:01.239 if you start talking and you don't hit people where they live within the first 28 00:02:01.319 --> 00:02:06.760 sixty or ninety seconds, there's a good chance the light switches in their heads. 29 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:10.400 They're going to start turning off. And like, this really is easy 30 00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:15.400 to see in a crowd, right, whether it's a stand up comedian or 31 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:19.759 you're not right, or you're having a meeting or doing a presentation for thirty 32 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:24.800 potential customers at a conference or whatever. You can see it. You can 33 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:32.479 see people checking out because whatever being said is not resonating with them because you 34 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:38.919 don't have any reference points. So my tenant is easy. If you're in 35 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:40.719 the middle of a sales cycle and the customers like, hey, okay, 36 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:45.639 I think it's time for a deep dive demo etta, you probably already have 37 00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:47.400 a lot of good context where at a minimum, you're walking in the room 38 00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:52.199 knowing, Okay, I know I'm going to talk about the following four things, 39 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:54.479 because those four things are the most critical things to getting them to the 40 00:02:54.520 --> 00:02:58.479 outcomes you're solving the problem that we're trying to help them solve. And every 41 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:00.199 time I talk about one of those things, I'm going to come over the 42 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:05.560 top and remind them why that is so important to driving to an outcome that's 43 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:07.639 easy, and then I can do more discovery in that moment, and my 44 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:13.960 technical support subject matter expert person can help me with that and all of that. 45 00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:19.439 But on the earlier side of these conversations, when we first meet someone 46 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:22.520 either early in the sales cycle or the first time we meet someone later in 47 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:25.039 the sales cycle. Every first time we meet somebody. That's when you can 48 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:30.240 get yourself in big trouble because that's when somebody gives you the hey, tell 49 00:03:30.280 --> 00:03:32.159 me about your stuff, tell me about your company, or maybe even the 50 00:03:32.199 --> 00:03:37.120 worst one. Hey, I had your stuff at my last company. I 51 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:40.199 want to buy it at this company. Like that might be the most dangerous 52 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:43.879 because the whole expense they want to buy from me. So I'm gonna start 53 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:46.199 talking about all my stuff and or I just assume you know everything like this 54 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:50.960 is a really dangerous moment, that opening moment when somebody basically gives you the 55 00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:53.879 chance to talk. You've got to be able to slow this thing down. 56 00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:58.960 And oh, by the way, this is a negotiation lesson, because I'm 57 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:01.080 going to teach you a lesson by what I'm about to do when I say, 58 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:08.280 hey, Rachel, these are the problems we're helping other organizations like yours, 59 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:11.599 or other people who sit in the chair that you sit in in your 60 00:04:11.639 --> 00:04:15.959 company stall for So let's burst and foremost get inside of the conversation that really 61 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:19.759 matters to you. So that's the first thing I'm gonna do. The first 62 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:23.560 time I talk about myself to somebody, I'm going to put it in the 63 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:28.160 context of the problems that we solve and the outcomes that we drive for a 64 00:04:28.279 --> 00:04:32.040 business revenue costs for risk. And if you don't have the answer to that 65 00:04:32.160 --> 00:04:34.720 question, if you're listening to this podcast right now and you're saying, well, 66 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:38.839 that's nice, but my company doesn't I don't have an answer to those 67 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:41.839 questions, well then you should stop right now, get the right people in 68 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:46.879 a room and literally ask that question, what problems do we solve and what 69 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:49.839 outcomes do we drive? Because you know, as our friend Dave Davies likes 70 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:54.000 to say, this is that moment where when you were a kid, you 71 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:57.399 were reading a pick your Own Journey book, right, and you get to 72 00:04:57.439 --> 00:05:00.199 the bottom of page sentence says, if you want our hero Rachel to rock 73 00:05:00.279 --> 00:05:04.480 into the cave, turn to page fifteen. If you want to hear Rachel 74 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:09.720 to jump off the cliff without a parachute, turn to page twenty eight, 75 00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:13.720 right, and same thing here. Hey, listen, Rachel, these are 76 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:17.800 the problems we're helping other organizations like yours, other people in your role solved 77 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:20.600 for, and these are the kinds of outcomes are trying to help them drive 78 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:25.639 for their business. It's not about your products, it's about where you're relevant. 79 00:05:26.759 --> 00:05:29.839 So eight, let's make sure I'm in the conversation that you care about. 80 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:34.160 And then I think you have to in your own style. This is 81 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:36.800 important, Like how I say things may not be the way you stand, 82 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:41.240 but in your own style you have to then be comfortable saying to someone. 83 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:44.199 So if that's one of the problems, you know, if we can pick 84 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:47.399 the problem or the problems or outcomes that you care about, and then you 85 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:53.199 can give me some context about that if we have if we have thirty minutes, 86 00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:58.199 give me ten minutes all about that from your perspective, and then I'll 87 00:05:58.199 --> 00:06:00.839 give you an initial fifteen minutes all about us, and then we got five 88 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:05.279 minutes left and talk about appropriate next step and whether or not we should meet 89 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:09.319 again, and who else from your organization should be involved, because I'm a 90 00:06:09.319 --> 00:06:13.759 big believer. That's that's a good qualification moment as well, because if somebody 91 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:16.800 won't give you ten minutes about them so that you can give him fifteen minutes 92 00:06:16.839 --> 00:06:20.920 about you, that initially that will land. They're probably wasting your time, 93 00:06:21.800 --> 00:06:24.959 right, So then you can figure out, well, do I ask it 94 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:27.439 gracefully or do I just kind of give them a little bit and then get 95 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:30.759 out. I'm always qualifying the opportunity, but I'm also qualifying the person I'm 96 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:33.560 in front of. And this is the qualification of the person. And if 97 00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:35.839 I don't get the answer, like, it doesn't mean that I qualify the 98 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:39.800 deal out in that moment, but I may realize that this is someone I'm 99 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:43.639 in front of that I probably need to try to minimize in this conversation or 100 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:46.399 it's probably not going to be good for me and for us. So like, 101 00:06:46.519 --> 00:06:48.279 there's a lot in that answer, and maybe I can stop and take 102 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:56.360 a breath, but there this is a really important topic because I'll finish it 103 00:06:56.439 --> 00:07:00.480 with this. If somebody asks me to talk and they won't give me any 104 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:04.879 context, I'm very comfortable looking at them and saying, do you have three 105 00:07:04.920 --> 00:07:11.120 hours? Because I can talk for three hours about who we are and what 106 00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:14.160 we do and how we do it and how we do it better. But 107 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:16.519 if I don't hate you where you live in the first ninety seconds, you're 108 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:19.480 probably gonna get up and leave, or at least your brain is going to 109 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:23.560 shut off. I want to give you what you need, but I need 110 00:07:23.639 --> 00:07:27.959 something from you. First negotiation lesson. I will always trade ye ten minutes 111 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:30.800 about you, I'll give you fifteen minutes all about me. Give me twenty 112 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:33.160 minutes about you, I'll give you thirty minutes all about me. And I'll 113 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:38.160 always save some time out last or not least in that the other thing. 114 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:41.519 This is a skill. You have to be really smart about this. If 115 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:44.839 you agree to give me ten minutes all about you. At the nine and 116 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:46.480 a half minute mark, and I'm like watching, you know, I like 117 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:48.800 to wear watching all hellen today, but I'm watching my watch. You know, 118 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:51.600 I got the timer or whatever in the block on my iPhone whatever. 119 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:55.079 At the nine and a half minute mark, I'm looking at you, going, 120 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:58.480 hey, Rachel, we're right up against our ten minutes. Is there 121 00:07:58.519 --> 00:08:01.879 anything else you want me to have or would you like me to pivot and 122 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:03.920 start to answer some of that with how we help fall for some of those 123 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:07.920 things. So now I've given you the choice, watch what happened. More 124 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.079 often than you realize, people will be like, well, yeah, there 125 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:13.680 are a couple more things, okay, And then when I talk, I 126 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:18.199 watch my time and everything and remember everything I say in that twelve or fifteen 127 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:24.600 minutes I got has got to attach back to what you said and if there's 128 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:26.439 one or two other things I want to talk about, I then have to 129 00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:30.199 lay that out with a couple of questions. Hey, Rachel, I noticed 130 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:35.480 you didn't mention anything about the topic of security. Can I ask you a 131 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:39.720 couple of questions about how your organizations use security and a play like this to 132 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:43.600 see if that's a topic that I should come back with some information about us 133 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:48.279 on. So like, it's still all about you first. So the best 134 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:50.200 example of that I've ever seen is, and I'm sorry I can't remember her 135 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:54.120 name. I met a sales rep who our company has worked with at three 136 00:08:54.120 --> 00:09:00.519 different places. She's worked and she's awesome, And she has a part who's 137 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:05.039 a technical subject matter expert who has followed her. The two of them are 138 00:09:05.480 --> 00:09:09.360 they're a package. Like they work together, they go together. Yeah, 139 00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:13.440 and they have this down to a science. Whenever they're together and he is 140 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:16.399 talking more technical or doing a demo or you know that kind of thing, 141 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:20.399 they agree ahead of time, what are we going to talk about? And 142 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:24.600 then this is what they do. Every time he talks about a capability, 143 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:28.679 he attaches it back to the problem and the outcome that they're trying to help 144 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:33.639 the customers think through and then she comes over the top with additional content on 145 00:09:33.799 --> 00:09:37.759 why that capability and how her company does it is so critically important to giving 146 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:41.399 them the best can of solving that problem or getting to that outcome. These 147 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:46.960 two are like a there are one plus one equals three in action, right, 148 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:50.279 but to the point that every time they open their mouth they only talk 149 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:56.080 about something from their company that's going to attach back to what you care about. 150 00:09:56.799 --> 00:10:00.799 Yeah, and I think that that's such a great takeaway. Maybe they 151 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:05.559 listen to the audibility Sales podcast reach out to me, will do to have 152 00:10:05.639 --> 00:10:07.440 you on? You know, if I can figure out who that is, 153 00:10:07.480 --> 00:10:11.279 we should we should get them on a pot. They are they are awesome. 154 00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:16.720 Yeah, you gave a couple examples of how to deflect the customer, 155 00:10:16.840 --> 00:10:18.879 like, hey, just give me your spiel. I loved what you said 156 00:10:18.919 --> 00:10:24.320 about saying hey, well, people typically in your roles are faced with X, 157 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:28.159 Y Z, and we help them do ABC. Yeah, we help 158 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:31.320 them achieve the following types of things. Yeah, and also positioning it like 159 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:35.279 I don't want to waste your time. Your time is valuable, So if 160 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:37.240 you give me ten minutes, I'll give you ten or twenty or whatever. 161 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:43.440 About me. Are there any other ways that you like to deflect the eager 162 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:50.360 customer who just wants to get your hits runs in errors? Yeah, unsor 163 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:52.320 that's great. Yeah. The other thing I think about when you ask that 164 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:58.720 immediately is there's probably two things. One is I like to also find a 165 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:01.679 way to start talking about what I like to call the collective. Yet I 166 00:11:01.799 --> 00:11:05.879 want to honor the person I'm in front of, whether that's the first person 167 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:09.159 I meet in your company or or the tenth. I always want to honor 168 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:11.559 the person I'm in front of because I know that person has a role to 169 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:15.600 play. They're either a key decision maker in some part of this decision, 170 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:18.679 or they are an influencer in some form or fashion. But I'm never going 171 00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:22.720 to dishonor the people that aren't in the room. And if you're the one 172 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:24.320 I'm in front of, I'm never going to dishonor you if you're not in 173 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:28.879 the room on another day in time. So one of the things I like 174 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:33.360 to get on the table at some point is, you know, because most 175 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:35.879 sellers are like, hey, I want to meet the following people or who 176 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:39.840 else is involved in this decision. You got to stop that because ay, 177 00:11:39.960 --> 00:11:45.120 I believe most people don't know who else is involved, so they make stuff 178 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:48.440 up. Or secondly, if that's not the case, you may be signaling 179 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:52.879 by how you ask that talk about that, that you're trying to get through, 180 00:11:52.919 --> 00:11:56.440 that you're trying to get around them. And I know nobody really is 181 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:58.679 trying to do that, but that's what people on the other side of the 182 00:11:58.679 --> 00:12:03.480 desk tendency to hear. So what I will say is, hey, this 183 00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:05.679 is a good conversation. Now, this is the second thing that if your 184 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:09.480 company doesn't have, you got to get in the room and figure out you 185 00:12:09.559 --> 00:12:13.120 got to have a point of view on who are the roles inside of your 186 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:16.480 staverage customer that's going to be involved in these decisions. You've got to have 187 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:20.240 that point of view. Because if by that point of view, instead of 188 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:22.519 me saying you, hey, who else has involved in this decision and hoping 189 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:28.360 that you don't aid get intimidated or upset by that and be you don't make 190 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:31.480 something up, I can say, hey, Rachel, when we're having these 191 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:35.960 conversations with an organization like yours, you who sit in this seat are always 192 00:12:35.960 --> 00:12:39.639 a part of that conversation. And these are the other five or six people 193 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:45.320 that are typically involved in these conversations with or an organization like ours. And 194 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:48.759 what we have found is when we can get to all of them together, 195 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:52.360 you and I and understand this conversation from where they sit, the five, 196 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:56.480 six, eight of you, have a much better chance of getting to a 197 00:12:56.519 --> 00:13:01.000 collective yes as to a this is important? Should we do this engagement and 198 00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:05.600 be who's the right organization to do it with, whether it's us or not? 199 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:07.360 Yeah? And then what I like to say is, because whether you 200 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:11.519 buy from us or not, that's not the initial question to be answered. 201 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:15.480 The question to be answered first is what's the right thing for us to do 202 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:18.600 as a company. Is this a good use of our time and our resources 203 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:22.799 to solve for this problem and solved to these outcomes? And what's really required 204 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:26.279 to get there? And if we can have that conversation with all of the 205 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:30.039 right people, I'll know before you do if I'm a good fit or not. 206 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:31.879 And if I'm not, I'll look in the eye I tell you. 207 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:35.679 Yeah. Well, that's like one way to open this up a little bit. 208 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:39.600 And the second thing I like to do is I like to make first 209 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:45.840 sales calls alone because especially and I never have, then I'm not the technical 210 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:50.519 expert. Because if I bring subject matter expertise or a technical expert somebody like 211 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:52.440 that on the first call, a lot of tense because of where we get 212 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:56.039 accessed, right, we typically get access in our accounts at the mid level 213 00:13:56.159 --> 00:14:00.799 or lower. The eos and CIOs are not sitting around waiting to have a 214 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:03.440 meeting with us. You and I both know it. So let's just be 215 00:14:03.480 --> 00:14:07.279 honest. Our initial access was with people lower in the organization. They typically 216 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:11.039 care more about the technical buying decision, the product decision, not the use 217 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:13.440 of money and the value. So if I go on the first call with 218 00:14:13.559 --> 00:14:18.320 the technical resources, a chance. This thing's kind of devolved into a product 219 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:22.399 conversation, and I'm going to make you earn access to those people. So 220 00:14:22.440 --> 00:14:24.080 if you're the first person I meet, I'm going alone. And when you 221 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:28.039 start talking about products, it puts me in a business and say, hey, 222 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:31.600 Rachel, I got product expertise and technical resources that can go deep and 223 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:35.480 wide. But before they do that and spend four hours with you, when 224 00:14:35.480 --> 00:14:39.360 we could have done it in an hour, but they didn't know what they 225 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:43.120 were meeting to talk about. Let's have the conversation about you and your company, 226 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:46.200 so that when I bring that person in next time, they actually can 227 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:48.879 dive into the stuff that actually matters. I think those are a couple of 228 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:56.559 ways to think about deflecting this and moving the conversation where it needs to go 229 00:14:56.840 --> 00:15:01.960 first, so that any it's just the old concept of any time I opened 230 00:15:01.960 --> 00:15:05.440 my mouth, anything I say has got to connect to what you care about. 231 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:11.120 Well, how could I do that without any context from you other than 232 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:13.519 having a point of view that I can use to see up That's the one 233 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:18.000 place you can do this, Rachel. These are the problems we're helping other 234 00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:22.039 organizations and people like you solve for, and these are the outcomes we're helping 235 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:24.320 them drive to. And remember when I say outcomes, I don't mean product 236 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:30.360 capabilities, I mean business outcomes. Right, how is the company running? 237 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:33.200 What benefit are you getting from a revenue perspective or a cost perspective or a 238 00:15:33.240 --> 00:15:37.120 reduction in risk. I was having a conversation with somebody the other day who 239 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:41.200 sells to the US military, and he was very clear, this is about 240 00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:48.480 risk to soldiers the mission so like, and he's very comfortable going there because 241 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:52.240 he knows that that's the outcome that his company helps other branches of the military 242 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:56.919 feed. That kind of brings me to the next topic that I would love 243 00:15:56.000 --> 00:16:00.879 to use as sort of a wrap up. We often talk about confidence being 244 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:06.480 such a pivotal component to being a great seller. When you bring up the 245 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:11.120 gentleman you just set who sells to the military, talk selling on the outcome 246 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:15.559 of safety. Confidence really plays into it here. And I know you degree, 247 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:18.320 yeah, and that's you know, that's part because part of that is 248 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:22.440 DNA and how you're wired. And I'll be the first one to tell you 249 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:26.600 listen. I still remember my first sales call on my own. I was 250 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:32.960 twenty two, I just graduated from college and my first sales call I didn't 251 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:37.679 even make. I sat in my car and looked at the building and said, 252 00:16:37.879 --> 00:16:40.200 okay, I'm ready. And I looked in the mirror and I got 253 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:41.600 my tie. Radio just back when you wore a tie, right, you 254 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:45.360 know, straight in my tie, looked at my stuff straight my tie, 255 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:47.679 looked at my stuff straight in my time. And I drove away because I 256 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:49.600 didn't know what the hell to do. I was afraid of my own shadow. 257 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:55.639 So I'll be the first to admit the confidence comes with reps. So 258 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:59.440 you gotta do it. That's the first thing. But the other thing that 259 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:03.680 it steals confidence is content. So this point of view that I'm laying out 260 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:08.680 for you, everything i've said today is a universal truth. Now how you 261 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:11.319 say it, it should be in your own style. Okay, I'm not 262 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:15.119 suggesting how I say things is exactly how others should say it, based on 263 00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:19.000 who you are, where you live, your cultural norms, the relationship you 264 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:22.079 have, but the person you're in front of, etc. But the other 265 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:25.960 thing you gotta have is you've got to have content. That's why I said 266 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:29.119 twice, get in a room to pray people in your company and answer these 267 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:32.079 couple of questions so that you can look people in the eyes and say, 268 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:33.160 hey, Rachel, I'd love to talk to you about what we do. 269 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:38.359 But it's kind of expansive. So instead of me rambling for two hours and 270 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:41.920 the hopes of something lands, how might you give me fifteen minutes all about 271 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:44.799 you, and that I can give you thirty minutes all about us. That 272 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:48.279 will be a really good initial conversation to see whether or not we're a good 273 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:52.920 potential fit. What's the worst thing that's going to happen? I mean, 274 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:55.640 it's going to say no, and then I'm going to say okay, Well, 275 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:59.279 then that means we probably shouldn't spend any time together. That's the hard 276 00:17:59.319 --> 00:18:02.880 part. But I've done it and once in a while people like, yeah, 277 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:07.000 you're probably right. Okay, But Watson's like, well, what do 278 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:10.720 you mean. I'm well, let me stay a little differently. If I 279 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:15.000 keep talking, your brain's gonna shut off because I'm probably not going to hit 280 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:18.839 anything that you care about. As you said, I can show up and 281 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:22.880 vomit all over your desk in the hope that something sick. I don't think 282 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:26.680 you want that metaphorically speaking, right, that's so true. Easy come, 283 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:30.440 easy go. And your time is valuable too. As a rep. You 284 00:18:30.519 --> 00:18:34.759 made that point in this conversation today, like you only have so many hours 285 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:37.920 a day to sell and you need to spend it. Are you gonna want 286 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:41.319 to spend it with the people that are gonna see the value of your solution 287 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:45.480 otherwise it's gone? Of course, you might somebody say, might hear you 288 00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:47.319 say that? Go, Well, maybe I don't have anybody else in the 289 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:49.240 pipeline. Okay, fine, go use the time to try to build more 290 00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:52.279 pipeline. Yeah, one of the best sales managers I've ever worked with. 291 00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:56.480 Brandon was a counterpart of mine, he used to say. I still remember 292 00:18:56.480 --> 00:18:59.160 when he moved to the western end of Michigan to take over that part of 293 00:18:59.160 --> 00:19:00.799 the state, and like twelve reps, the first thing he said to his 294 00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:06.279 reps was, Hey, heads up, you gotta understand that the best sellers 295 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:11.880 are great marketers. First. They know how to market, to create awareness 296 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:17.759 before consideration. And I never forgot that. And this point was, Pipeline 297 00:19:17.799 --> 00:19:23.240 generation is not about finding a new opportunity every day. Pipeline generation is about 298 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:30.200 creating awareness in the marketplace that keeps people teaching top of mind so that when 299 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:33.440 the right time hits, you're the first call that they made. So chary, 300 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:40.200 oh totally so true. Maybe a different podcast, I know I wrote 301 00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:44.400 it down right, but get on your calendar to record that shortly. Thank 302 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:47.720 you for your time today, Brian, thanks Rachael, all right, and 303 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:51.880 thank you to all of you for continuing to listen to the Audible Ready Sales 304 00:19:51.880 --> 00:19:56.599 podcast. At Force Management, we're focused on transforming sales organizations into elite teams. 305 00:19:56.920 --> 00:20:03.240 Are proven methodologies, deliver pro programs that build company alignment and fuel repeatable 306 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:07.880 revenue growth. Give your teams the ability to execute the growth strategy at the 307 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:11.519 point of sale. Our strength is our experience. The proof is in our 308 00:20:11.559 --> 00:20:17.720 results. Let's get started. Visit us at force management dot com. You've 309 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:22.000 been listening to the Audible Ready podcast. To not miss an episode, subscribe 310 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:25.039 to the show in your favorite podcast player until next time.