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<v Speaker 1>Don't worry about inexperience, don't be intimidated first, make it

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<v Speaker 1>all about discovering the customer problem and earn the right

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<v Speaker 1>to talk about what you do for a living.

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<v Speaker 2>You're listening to the audible Ready Podcast, the show that

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<v Speaker 2>helps you and your teams sell more faster. We'll feature

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<v Speaker 2>sales leaders sharing their best insights on how to create

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<v Speaker 2>a sales engine that helps you fuel repeatable revenue growth.

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<v Speaker 2>Presented by the team at Force Management, a leader in

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<v Speaker 2>B to B sales effectiveness. Let's get started.

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<v Speaker 3>Hello and welcome to the Audible Ready Sales Podcast. I'm

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<v Speaker 3>Rachel katt Miller, joined today by John Kaplan.

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<v Speaker 1>Hi. John, Hi, Rachel.

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<v Speaker 3>So today we're going to tackle a topic that really

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<v Speaker 3>comes up a lot in our negotiation trainings, but it

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<v Speaker 3>also relates to just straight selling, and it has to

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<v Speaker 3>do with general experience. Many of you out there listening

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<v Speaker 3>are finding yourselves just a few years out of school

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<v Speaker 3>trying to sell to much more experienced executives professionals. I

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<v Speaker 3>say it comes up in negotiation because we get questions

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<v Speaker 3>a lot from less experienced reps who are trying to

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<v Speaker 3>negotiate with seasoned procurement professionals. We've all been there, right,

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<v Speaker 3>It can be intimidating, but also a bias that you're

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<v Speaker 3>a bias your buyer has of you that you have

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<v Speaker 3>to overcome. So John, we've all been there, no matter

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<v Speaker 3>our current age.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean, I think this is a really great

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<v Speaker 1>question and topic. I think it comes up and I

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<v Speaker 1>like this point because I think you always want to

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<v Speaker 1>be respectful and prepared, but you don't want to be

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<v Speaker 1>intimidated or overwhelmed by experience. Period. You want to respect experience,

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<v Speaker 1>but you don't want to be intimidated. So I think

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<v Speaker 1>the thing to remember is the most elite seller, they

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<v Speaker 1>first make it all about the buyer, and that's all

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<v Speaker 1>the buyer cares about because what they don't believe is

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<v Speaker 1>they don't believe we understand their business, and they don't

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<v Speaker 1>believe we're going to listen to them. That's what all

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<v Speaker 1>the data says. So if you just focus your energy

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<v Speaker 1>and attention to first make it all about the buyer,

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<v Speaker 1>then you earn the right to make it all about

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<v Speaker 1>your company. And I think that's a really good frame

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<v Speaker 1>that we should kind of hang on to as we

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<v Speaker 1>continue to discuss this.

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<v Speaker 3>Right focusing on the buyer helps you in all things

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<v Speaker 3>is selling, but especially if you're a greener wrap selling

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<v Speaker 3>two more experienced professionals. And it starts with something you

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<v Speaker 3>say all the time, John, having confidence and conviction and

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<v Speaker 3>what you sell for a living. And that comes down

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<v Speaker 3>to not necessarily always understanding your product, but also related

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<v Speaker 3>to the buyer understanding the problems that you solve.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean, like, nobody cares how experienced you are

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<v Speaker 1>if you can solve their problem. So if you understand

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<v Speaker 1>how you can solve the problem, it helps your confidence

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<v Speaker 1>and conviction around what you do for a living. So

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<v Speaker 1>let me give you a quick example. I think a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of the listeners know that I started Force Management

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<v Speaker 1>after a great career, in my opinion, a great career,

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<v Speaker 1>So sorry it sounds a little bit, it sounds a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit of boasting, but I thought it was a

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<v Speaker 1>great career at PTC, and I was selling engineering software

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<v Speaker 1>to engineers. So a couple of problems. Number one, I

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't an engineer. Number two, I'd never sold software before,

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<v Speaker 1>so I came from a hardware company at Xerox. But

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<v Speaker 1>I was a fairly good seller, and I was prepared

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<v Speaker 1>with how my company had prepared me in What I

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<v Speaker 1>mean by that is they helped me understand the art

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<v Speaker 1>of discovery. And so the first thing I would do

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<v Speaker 1>is that would ask customers, design engineers and manufacturing engineers.

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<v Speaker 1>I'd ask them to walk me through their process. And

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<v Speaker 1>as I walked through their process, I started to ask

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<v Speaker 1>additional questions about where bottlenecks were and how often those

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<v Speaker 1>bottlenecks happened, and what were some of the challenges that

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<v Speaker 1>were associated with that, How did that impact the company,

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<v Speaker 1>how did that impact the customer, How did that impact

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<v Speaker 1>things like pricing on products and delivery on products? And

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<v Speaker 1>inside of that, I had huge confidence and conviction that

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<v Speaker 1>our company had solutions. I'm not telling you don't have

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<v Speaker 1>to understand your solutions. You have to understand your solutions.

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<v Speaker 1>But what I did to get my comfort level was

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<v Speaker 1>to start uncovering the problems first and then seeing the

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<v Speaker 1>reaction of how big those problems were and how challenging

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<v Speaker 1>those problems were. I made the customer always hungry to

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<v Speaker 1>learn more about what I could do to solve them.

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<v Speaker 1>And later on in my career, when I thought, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>when I knew more about the products and services and

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<v Speaker 1>I was feeling more and more comfortable. I actually started

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<v Speaker 1>doing less discovery and started to tell people about my

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<v Speaker 1>products and services because I wanted to prove to everybody

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<v Speaker 1>how smart I was and how I had made the transition.

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<v Speaker 1>I did understand engineering, I do understand manufacturing now, and

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<v Speaker 1>a really cool lesson happened to me. The more that

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<v Speaker 1>I knew about the products and services and the more

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<v Speaker 1>that I told them about their problem, the more they

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<v Speaker 1>resisted me. And so it was a really good learning

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<v Speaker 1>experience for me. My maturity came from first understanding their problems,

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<v Speaker 1>and then I earned the right to talk about what

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<v Speaker 1>we did and how we did it differently. And so

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<v Speaker 1>I just want people to remember that nobody cares about

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<v Speaker 1>how mature you are or how much experience you have.

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<v Speaker 1>They only care if you understand their problem and if

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<v Speaker 1>you can articulate a solution that meets or solves that problem.

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<v Speaker 3>I know we have people that listen to this podcast.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, they're driving, they're working out, they're sitting at

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<v Speaker 3>home on their computers. Take a step back, ask yourself,

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<v Speaker 3>are you truly positioning your selling activities today, this week,

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<v Speaker 3>this quarter around what is important to your buyer? Get

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<v Speaker 3>clarity around those business problems you solve. John, I'm sorry

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<v Speaker 3>were going to say something.

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<v Speaker 1>No, I'm sorry to interrupt you. I just love that

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<v Speaker 1>so much. It's like just sitting with that and reflecting

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<v Speaker 1>on it and say, before I open up my mouth,

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<v Speaker 1>I actually have a little enemy within that says, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>why are you talking? Why are you talking? And if

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<v Speaker 1>my brain can't answer because the customer said this was

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<v Speaker 1>the problem, then I shut up. And it's really it's

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<v Speaker 1>not much more difficult than that.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I pause there for effect because I wanted everyone

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<v Speaker 3>listening to.

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<v Speaker 1>You did it well. You did it well, and since

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not comfortable with silence, I jumped in there like

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<v Speaker 1>every other sales rep would. That's well done.

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<v Speaker 3>So really think about think about that to all of

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<v Speaker 3>you listening out there. Get clarity around those business problems

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<v Speaker 3>you solve. If you're a command of the message customer,

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<v Speaker 3>make sure you are owning that value framework. Understand the

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<v Speaker 3>problems you're solving as they have meaning to this specific buyer.

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<v Speaker 3>Another simple way for you to gain clarity around those

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<v Speaker 3>problems in a way that you can articulate them back

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<v Speaker 3>in your sales conversations is that concept we have done

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<v Speaker 3>the essential questions.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, for me, this is what helps me get my

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<v Speaker 1>mind right. So and PTC did such a good job

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<v Speaker 1>for me, and so many companies are doing this such

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<v Speaker 1>a good job. And if you're a company listening, listen

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<v Speaker 1>up to this. If you're a manager listening, or a

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<v Speaker 1>leader listening, listen up to this. If you are a seller,

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<v Speaker 1>listen up to this, because it's got a perspective for

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<v Speaker 1>all of you. Is that when I contemplate the answers

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<v Speaker 1>to the four essential questions, doesn't matter how much experience

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<v Speaker 1>I have, whether I'm inexperienced or whether I'm a truly

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<v Speaker 1>ten yeared employee, the four central questions are incredibly solid,

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<v Speaker 1>and I wake up in the morning and really get

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<v Speaker 1>my mind focused around this, which gives me confidence and conviction.

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<v Speaker 1>What problems do I solve for my customers? What problems

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<v Speaker 1>do I solve for my customers? And we always talk

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<v Speaker 1>about being audible ready, so that means when I speak

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<v Speaker 1>about problems, I have to speak about technical problems. I

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<v Speaker 1>have to orb depending upon what type of sales you're in.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're not in a technical sale, I have to

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<v Speaker 1>think about end user problems. I need to think about

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<v Speaker 1>process problems. I need to think about business problems. And

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<v Speaker 1>so when we answer that question, what problems do we

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<v Speaker 1>solve for our customers? We have to be audible, Eddie,

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<v Speaker 1>no matter who we're speaking to. How specifically question number two,

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<v Speaker 1>how specifically do we solve those problems? Here is where

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<v Speaker 1>we get to talk about our goods and services, but

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<v Speaker 1>only as they relate to solving those problems. How do

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<v Speaker 1>we solve it differently or better than anybody else? How

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<v Speaker 1>do we solve it differently or better than anybody else?

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<v Speaker 1>This answers the question of what is your differentiation and

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<v Speaker 1>where have you done it before? Where have you done

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<v Speaker 1>it before? Are the proof points? And when I'm a

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<v Speaker 1>new seller or I'm an inexperienced seller, that's one of

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<v Speaker 1>the first things that I would do is go to

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<v Speaker 1>those proof points and really understand what have we actually

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<v Speaker 1>done for customers? What problems did we solve, How specifically

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<v Speaker 1>did we solve them, How do we do it differently

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<v Speaker 1>or better than anybody else? And what was the outcome?

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<v Speaker 1>And now I believe, because that's the evidence I need.

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<v Speaker 1>And when you believe, you will get confidence in conviction,

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<v Speaker 1>which will come across as experience, which will come across

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<v Speaker 1>as people wanting to lean into you. Stay focused around

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<v Speaker 1>the answers to the four central questions. If you don't

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<v Speaker 1>think you can answer them. If you're a leader and

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<v Speaker 1>you're listening to this podcast and you don't think your

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<v Speaker 1>company can answer them, you better get squared away, get

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<v Speaker 1>the answers aligned answers to those questions. If you are

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<v Speaker 1>a seller, wake up in the morning and say, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going to consume the content that my company gave me

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<v Speaker 1>around these four essential questions, and it's my job to

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<v Speaker 1>execute them and show my character as it relates to

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<v Speaker 1>being able to execute them with great skill. And I

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<v Speaker 1>think those four essential questions can get you really, really focused,

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<v Speaker 1>and I see people just skyrocket and their confidence. Whether

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<v Speaker 1>they're new in an industry or whether they're a new seller,

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<v Speaker 1>it really doesn't have any bearing. Once you get your

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<v Speaker 1>arms around the answers to those four essential questions, you're

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<v Speaker 1>good to go.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, and you talk about executing on the essential questions, John,

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<v Speaker 3>I think that's a really important point because when you

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<v Speaker 3>wrap your head around the answer to those questions, it's

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<v Speaker 3>not enough to just rattle the answers off as bullet points.

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<v Speaker 3>You need to make them meaningful for your buyer. We

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<v Speaker 3>set it at the top, what is important to your buyer?

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<v Speaker 3>That is how you get that confidence a conviction you're

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<v Speaker 3>talking about. You need to customize those answers in your

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<v Speaker 3>conversations to what matters to the buyer.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, with the world we live in now, the buyers

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<v Speaker 1>are multiple buyers. Most of us are selling complex solutions

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<v Speaker 1>that have multiple buyers. We're either selling things as a

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<v Speaker 1>service or it depends upon the usage and insights into

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<v Speaker 1>that usage and what Normally you just sum all that up,

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<v Speaker 1>it's typically multiple on ramps to a customer conversation, which means,

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<v Speaker 1>no matter who I speak to, no matter what the

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<v Speaker 1>problem is that they're experiencing, I have to be ready.

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<v Speaker 1>And like we just said, I think the answers to

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<v Speaker 1>those four es central questions are a great way for

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<v Speaker 1>us to get ready. Okay, I'm going to go talk

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<v Speaker 1>to a network administrator. Okay, what problems do they typically

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<v Speaker 1>experience and how do I solve those? Well? How do

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<v Speaker 1>I solve them differently? Are better than anybody else? And

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<v Speaker 1>where have we done it before? Okay, I'm going to

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<v Speaker 1>go talk to a CIO or an executive. What problems

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm going to elevate those problems and connect them

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<v Speaker 1>to business issues. The whole point is you have multiple

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<v Speaker 1>on ramps. You have to be audible ready, and you

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<v Speaker 1>have to approach. Like we said at the beginning of

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast, you have to make an approach which is

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<v Speaker 1>outside in I'm first going to make it all about

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<v Speaker 1>you before i make it about me and my company.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, the other topic I wanted to make sure we

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<v Speaker 3>covered a little bit more, and it's one of those

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<v Speaker 3>essential questions, what's your proof Where have you done it before?

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<v Speaker 3>Proof points people want to know you can do what

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<v Speaker 3>you say you can do, and they're helpful for all salespeople,

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<v Speaker 3>but they can really be essential in gaining the trust

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<v Speaker 3>and respect of seasoned decision makers.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. I think they're really kind of twofold.

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<v Speaker 3>You know.

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<v Speaker 1>First and foremost people want to know you can do

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<v Speaker 1>what you say you can do. So if you say

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<v Speaker 1>that you drove a specific result for a similar type

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<v Speaker 1>of company, that's going to get their attention no matter

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<v Speaker 1>how many years of work experience you have. People also

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<v Speaker 1>want to mitigate, you know, mitigate risk, so they want

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<v Speaker 1>to know there's some assurance that you're going to deliver

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<v Speaker 1>the same result. And that's how proof points can help.

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<v Speaker 1>The second thing that proof points can do, and I

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<v Speaker 1>said this a little bit earlier, but I love to

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<v Speaker 1>see people utilize proof points to really gain their own

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<v Speaker 1>confidence and conviction, to really read these proof points and

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<v Speaker 1>really sit and reflect with these proof points, to say

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<v Speaker 1>to yourself, what I do matters? And so you should

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<v Speaker 1>dig into the story and understand the problems that were solved,

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<v Speaker 1>how you solve them or how your company solved them,

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<v Speaker 1>and what was the result, and connect the result all

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<v Speaker 1>the way to the business outcome. And if you didn't

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<v Speaker 1>do the deal, it doesn't matter. Don't just throw out

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<v Speaker 1>a logo. You know, we do business with Bank of America,

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<v Speaker 1>what have you. Nobody cares about logos. What they care

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<v Speaker 1>about They do care about logos, But what I mean

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<v Speaker 1>by that is they want to know what happened, What

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<v Speaker 1>problems were you addressing, how did you solve them, how

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<v Speaker 1>did you solve them differently or better? And what was

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<v Speaker 1>the outcome. Now you'll do two things. If you consume

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<v Speaker 1>those proof points in that way, you will instantly raise

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<v Speaker 1>your credibility with a customer, and you will lower ri

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<v Speaker 1>Like you talked about Rachel but you will also build

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<v Speaker 1>your own confidence and conviction that what you do for

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<v Speaker 1>a living matters because you.

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<v Speaker 3>Have proof Yeah, and as a company, it's really important

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<v Speaker 3>to get a process around gathering those proof points and

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<v Speaker 3>having a process to transfer that knowledge, to transfer that

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<v Speaker 3>story to other reps. I mean it's critical and mitigating

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<v Speaker 3>risks in all your deals. But when you talk about

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<v Speaker 3>enabling greener reps, I mean those stories, those metrics can

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<v Speaker 3>be the negative information that gets an experienced buyer to

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<v Speaker 3>open up and have and further the sales conversations. It's

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<v Speaker 3>really important.

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<v Speaker 1>Absolutely.

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, John, wrap it up. Let's give a closing bottom

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<v Speaker 3>line on.

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<v Speaker 1>This topic, this couple of things. First thing I want

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<v Speaker 1>to say is if you're listening to this podcast and

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<v Speaker 1>you're having a oh crap moment, an oh crap moment means, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>I understand the four cents of questions, but we don't

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<v Speaker 1>have the answers. Nothing is more critical for you right now.

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<v Speaker 1>If you are a sales leader, if you are a CEO,

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<v Speaker 1>if you are a seller, if you do not have

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<v Speaker 1>the answers to those four essential questions, you're going to

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<v Speaker 1>be compromised out in the field. And you want to

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<v Speaker 1>couple that with bringing on new people into an organization,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe that don't have the maturity in the organization or

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<v Speaker 1>in the industry, or just basically maybe even in selling experience.

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<v Speaker 1>If you don't equip them with that, you are really

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<v Speaker 1>putting the outcomes at risk. So that's kind of first

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<v Speaker 1>and foremost for me. Now let me speak to the

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<v Speaker 1>people out there that this podcast was really kind of

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<v Speaker 1>intended for. You know, first is, Hey, sometimes I get

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<v Speaker 1>a little intimidated with talking to executives or whatever. Don't

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<v Speaker 1>worry about inexperience. Don't be intimidated. First, make it all

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<v Speaker 1>about discovering the customer prop and earn the right to

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<v Speaker 1>talk about what you do for a living. When you

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<v Speaker 1>first make it all about the customer's problem, you are

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<v Speaker 1>solving something that we call the seller deficit disorder, which

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<v Speaker 1>executives don't believe that you understand their business and they

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<v Speaker 1>don't believe that you're going to listen to them. The

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<v Speaker 1>very active going through discovery to understand and uncover and

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<v Speaker 1>validate those problems will give you the equivalent of experience

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<v Speaker 1>and maturity in front of any executive. Prepare yourself by

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<v Speaker 1>understanding your company's value by understanding the answers to the

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<v Speaker 1>four essential questions. And if you can't do it, if

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<v Speaker 1>you don't know it, talk to your boss. Talk to

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<v Speaker 1>your manager. If you're a manager and you don't have

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<v Speaker 1>it and you can't do it, talk to your executive team.

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<v Speaker 1>Executive team. If you guys can't do it from an

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<v Speaker 1>aligned perspective and you don't have common language around these,

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<v Speaker 1>get busy and get common language and alignment around the

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<v Speaker 1>answers to the four central questions. It's critical.

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<v Speaker 3>Boom, mic drop, John Kaplin, thank.

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<v Speaker 1>You, Thanks, Rachel all right, thank.

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<v Speaker 3>You to all of you for listening to the Audible

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<v Speaker 3>Ready Sales Podcast.

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<v Speaker 4>At Force Management, we're focused on transforming sales organizations into

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<v Speaker 4>elite teams. Our proven methodologies deliver programs that build company

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<v Speaker 4>alignment and fuel repeatable revenue growth. Give your teams the

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<v Speaker 4>ability to execute the growth strategy at the point of sale.

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<v Speaker 4>Our strength is our experience. The proof is in our results.

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<v Speaker 4>Let's get started. Visit us at forcemanagement dot com.

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<v Speaker 2>You've been listening to the Audible Ready podcast. To not

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<v Speaker 2>miss an episode, subscribe to the show in your favorite

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<v Speaker 2>podcast player. Until next time,