In the last of our series on trauma and how it affects your life and business we talk to one of our regular contributors, Vince Fowler, who has spoken often and eloquently on his own battle with trauma. Vince is a husband, father and military veteran who was unexpectedly diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He goes in-depth into the denial, discover and decisions of his particular trauma.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Rethink The Way You Sale post "Hear yee! Hear yee! Save Video For Prospecting - Before It's Too Late!" written by Todd Caponi, including an interview with the author.

Hear yee! Hear yee! Save Video For Prospecting - Before It's Too Late!

Save the clock tower! Save the power of sales technology! Save VIDEO before it crumbles like the rest of them!

Remember the movie, "Back to the Future"? Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, ends up accidentally leaving the year 1985, stranded in the year 1955. 

The movie’s premise is about Marty getting back to 1985 - and not only getting “back to the future”, but in time to save the life of his friend, Doc. 

In looking back through history, if we could see into the future, would we do things differently to prevent the demise of the great gifts of technology we’ve been given?

The thing about races to the bottom is...there's always someone with deeper pockets than you. There's always someone who's willing to sacrifice a little bit more profitability than you. It's simply an unsustainable game. One that ends up establishing unhealthy relationships with clients who will always want more no matter the quality. Let's talk about how to establish healthy client relationships that lead to more profit and less headache. 

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For the last year, I've been talking about the P.A.R.E., process, pause, assess, reflect, execute. When you assess your current situation, you need to assess your real, actual situation. But it wasn't until I went through the process of working with a Virtual Assistant matchmaking service, that I realized my actual situation was not where it needed to be and I bet some of you are right there with me.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Accepting Responsibility - Holding Yourself Accountable" written by Mike Simmons including an interview with the author and Camille Clemons. 

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Accepting Responsibility - Holding Yourself Accountable

I'm sorry - I missed the mark, I did not deliver on time. This post was supposed to go live yesterday. I'm drafting it now, and using it as an opportunity to drive deeper thought on what we choose to do, and how we advance things.

Many of us have things we would like to accomplish. Many of us have a list of things we thought we would have accomplished at this point in our lives, that we have not. Some of us may be surprised by the unexpected things we have accomplished, that we never planned on.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Do you have goals?

Are they Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Annual, 5-year goals?

How are you progressing against these goals?

Why are you failing?

Why are you succeeding?

How do you measure progress?

What's your process for prioritizing things?

When do you say no?

“Uncle Mike, why do you ask so many questions?”

― Jason (nephew)

I like to think it is part of my charm - unfortunately it irritates the crap out of a lot of folks. The reality - I'm interested in understanding how people think, and then how they act. Ideally the thoughts and actions are aligned. Sometimes they are not.

The questions above can help you get to a better space when thinking about your personal responsibility for action. 

They can also help as checkpoints to to hold yourself personally accountable.

When it comes to goal setting and execution, many of you have heard me say - it starts with clarity and focus - followed by continuous action.

If you are missing on the execution side - first, take some advice from Admiral Payne...

“Do Your Best, and Forgive Yourself”

― Admiral Payne (Pricilla Cockerell's dad, Lee's father-in-law, Dan's grandfather)

So - how do you know if you are doing your best?  

You know, you feel it, people see it, your customers show it, your family provides feedback. 

If you don't know - ask someone you trust. Ask someone who deeply cares about you. Ask someone who doesn't have to live with you :)

Hope this helps you think a bit deeper today around goals, failure, personal accountability, and execution.

Oh, and if you miss on something - because other stuff becomes a priority - start with an "I'm sorry"

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With economies and ways of doing business changing rapidly, it feels like everyone is evaluating their current career path and determining if a change is wise. Mike Simmons joins Jeff to discuss the best way to evaluate new opportunities and avoid pitfalls that could take you from frying pan to fire.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "I Hope You're Struggling" written by Vince Fowler including an interview with the author and Camille Clemons. 

I hope you're struggling somewhere in your life - be it selling, leading, career, sport, parenting, etc. Why? Because that's where the learning is. Because there is little to no learning from the wins in life... but there is a tonne learning in the struggle and losses of life. In all my years in the military, sport, business, marriage, parenting, etc., my greatest lessons have come from the struggle. Question for you... are you inviting struggle into your life?

This is an enhanced ausio version of the Deeper Thought post "Sales Professionals Eat Curiosity For Breakfast, Are You?" by Larry Levine featuring an interview with the author and Liz Wendling.

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Sales Professionals Eat Curiosity For Breakfast, Are You?

The great Walt Disney said it best,

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

Curious professionals make an impact, achieve success and smash their sales targets.

Being insanely curious is a required character trait if you wish to master business disruptions.

A naturally curious professional places themselves in the client’s shoes, digs in deep to uncover business barriers and then guides them down the road to business betterment.

What is your daily appetite for curiosity?

Curiosity is essential. It drives your ability to make new connections and engage. 

The more engaged you become the more inclined you are to ask meaningful questions; the more you learn and uncover the more you grow the relationship.

A curious professional finds enthusiasm and interest in their career

A curious professional is open-minded

A curious professional is inquisitive and wants to know why

A curious professional is not shy to ask questions and seek out answers

I believe curious salespeople have no issues asking their clients...

What value do my services, products or solutions create for you? 

What does value-add look like to you?

Sustaining value in the minds of your customers requires persistence and extreme focus.

This is what curious salespeople are all about... an obsession with understanding value.

I encourage you to operate within your sales career based upon curiosity. 

In the words of the great Albert Einstein...

"The important thing is not to stop questioning; curiosity has its own reason for existing."

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Stop COMPLICATING Things" written by Mike Simmons including an interview with the author. What do all battles, a well-cooked steak and your business have in common...they aren't complicated. 

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Sun Tzu's Art of War is one of my favorite books. If you have not listened to Aidan Gillan's (you may know him as Little-finger in Game of Thrones) narration via Audible - you are missing out.

Music, Color, Taste - Direct vs Indirect

Chapter V is focused on Energy - the following image is captured via the Wisehouse Classics Edition

5 Musical Notes, 5 Primary Colors, 5 Cardinal Tastes - Yet when you combine the notes together you can create things that folks have never heard before. When you combine the colors you can create art, never before created. When you combine the tastes you can make flavors that will create memories that will last a life time (some good, some bad)

When it comes to battle though - Sun Tzu highlights that there really are only 2 methods of attack. Direct vs Indirect.

So What?

(*sorry, could not make it more than 200 words without asking a question - and now the genie is out of the bottle)

Think about the most amazing dish that you have ever had. What was it about that dish that made it amazing? Was it the complex nature of the dish? Was it the combination of flavors? Was it the surprise? Was it the thing others might not have noticed? Was it something simple? (maybe some type of citrus)

When I make a steak I use 4 ingredients - Salt, Pepper, Butter, and a cut of Ribeye.

How do I apply this to my work?

Well, with discovery, with account planning, with call planning, when writing proposals...it all starts with a couple of simple questions.

Who?

What?

Why?

Where?

When?

How?

Now What?

I'd like you to think about how you execute. How you do the work that you do. Break it down to the smallest parts, and then think about - what would happen if you started to combine some of those parts in a way that you have not done so before.

Then think - how can you level up your game in a way that you have not done before, leveraging what is known, and by getting back to basics. Net/Net - by keeping things simple.

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Anthony Iannarino once told me, "This is a team sport. You need help. We all need help." Has that ever been more true than now? From a mental standpoint, from an emotional standpoint, from a mindset standpoint, I want you to think about how you can thrive. I want you to think about the resources that you need in order to thrive through this. Who are you putting around you? Who are you supporting? Who are you being supported by? Because it's a team sport. If you want to thrive through this, you're going to need support. If you want to thrive through this, you may need support in places you haven't gotten it in the past. You need people to knock ideas around with. You need people to help boost your posts. Sometimes on social media, you need people to edit your work. You need people to be critical of you. You need people to fire you up when you need a kick in the ass. And you need people to pick you up, when you're down. Who are those people for you? 

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Though post "Close More Sales When You Relinquish Your Busy Badge!" written by Liz Wendling including an interview with the author and Larry Levine. 

Close More Sales When You Relinquish Your Busy Badge!

I don’t have enough time. I am super busy. I just can’t do that right now. My place it full and don’t have time to network. I’d like to do more prospecting but I don’t know where I would find the time.

Those excuses are more common than the common cold. When life and work get busy, or when you don’t want to feel guilty about avoiding a task or an obligation, the time excuse rolls off of your lips. Time, or lack thereof, is a lousy excuse.

Stop convincing yourself that you don’t have the time to be successful.

Over the years, I've gotten pretty good at gifting. It has been an evolution as I've thought about what gifts are supposed to mean and as I've received gifts that I haven't really liked that much. It's that time of year right now, not just for your closest people, your family, your friends, but your customers and your clients as well. This season is an opportunity for you to have an exchange, have a conversation, remind them of what they mean to you. And hopefully, there will be a reminder of what you mean to them.

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Sales History: Preventing Bad Apples From Spoiling The Bunch" written by Todd Caponi featuring an interview with the author and Vince Fowler. 

“Every recorded event is a brick of potential, of precedent, thrown into the future. Eventually, the idea will hit someone in the back of the head.” - Anne Michaels, Fugitive Pieces

Since the beginning of time, there have been individuals without the materials and means to get everything they need, and there have been individuals who do and are willing to sell those items for profit. 

We have so much to learn from sales history. The underpinnings have always been there. Those who are paying attention realize that selling only exists to connect those in need with those who have. Selling exists when we add value versus being a necessary evil - the step in between wanting & having. 

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Juxtaposition" written by DeJuan Brown, including a reading by and interview with the author. 

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In the months before the sun shone, and the days before the exhale

When beauty became ashes, and inner voices said we'd fail

We stood over glasses, afraid to kneel, evading gravity's pull

So much empty space, but only from a lower place, could we see it as half-full

Why us? Why now? Interrogatives shake once declarative foundations

Psychological anxiety turns to physical pain, tell the Doctor we're losing patience!

So much lament- from pipelines and Presidents to lifelines from quarantined residents, and increasing reticence

My reticence decreases, in gratitude for being employed, the freedoms that I've enjoyed, the home in which I'm adored

Anxiety leaves my body- I'm so grateful to be insured, I can patiently endure as I recall just how much more--{whisper} "we've been through"

I can state this, 'yes I'm sure!' My foundation is secure, half-full I clearly see as my face lifts from the floor

I look backward to move forward, fashion ashes into swords, all self-speak is ignored if with growth it doesn't accord

For in the months before the sun shone, and the days before the exhale

I reminisce on trials and tribulations of the past, and how we excelled 

We will prevail, 'for even in defeat, there's a valuable lesson learned, so it evens it up for me'- to quote Jay-Z

Conscious juxtaposition, peace is as much a decision about the adjustment of vision away from what you've been missing and toward what you've been given

Choose wisely.

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Today's episode is a special conversation with Liz Wendling who has provided so much inspiration to both the audience at Deeper Though and The Why and The Buy. Liz discusses the impact of Peter Crone's work on her life and business. Liz gave herself permission in her words, "to be who the frick I am instead of what the hell I need to be." This little bit of extra permission has paid huge dividends on not only her business but Jeff's as well.

You can find out more about Peter Crone's work here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFZL2Ex5vwA

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "Stop The Social Graffiti... Start Connecting, Engaging And Relating To Grow Your Sales." written by Larry Levine, including an interview with the author. You can read the full article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stop-social-graffiti-start-connecting-engaging-grow-larry-levine/

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Stop The Social Graffiti... Start Connecting, Engaging And Relating To Grow Your Sales.

I would like to start this off with a quote from Sandra Bullock,

"As connected as we are with technology, it's also removed us from having to have human connection, made it more convenient to not be intimate."

Social platforms have become the hot spot for distortions, where the real versions of who we are remain backstage. We take selfies, photoshop, curate and upload the best we got.

Then we hold our breath and pray for some attention.

Think like your client or a buyer for a moment... do ever wonder if this runs through their mind?

"Stop trying to impress me. I can make up my own mind about whether I like you; trust you; or even believe you. You don’t have to make up my mind for me."

Many of you are fighting to been seen but how many are truly breaking free to be heard?

It's all about conversations.

How many times have you heard this from social media darlings, pundits and gurus?

Content leads to conversations.

If content leads to conversations, then why do so many engage with social emoji waves, or comments such as, "Great post", "Well said", or "Great insights"?

Here's the deal my friends...

Content leads to conversation and without real conversation it is nothing more than social graffiti

Content is the appetizer; conversation is the main course.

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading” by Andy Racic including an interview with the author and Mike Simmons. 

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“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” – Lao Tzu

It’s December, which means for many of us it is year-end review and planning time. 

That means it’s time to establish or refresh your goals.

The value of having goals and perhaps more importantly, a good goal setting process, cannot be overstated. 

Goals give you a North Star to orient toward. You can evaluate the rest of your strategies and decisions with the simple question- “does this help me achieve my goals or not?” Using that question gives you a powerful way to defend your time and energy from needless tasks, meetings and projects. Ideally you have buy-in from your manager/leadership team, so they respect when you push back to defend your time. 

Thoughts and tips on goals-

Different types of goals work for different people – some people do way better when their goals are public so that people hold them accountable, but not everyone does. Test to figure out what works best for you. 

Goal setting is a team activity. If you’re a new or junior-level employee working with your manager on goals, don’t be afraid to speak up if you think the goal won’t get the results you need – you might have insight they don’t, or they can explain why the goal actually makes sense. Don't start down a path you don't have faith in.

Find a goal-setting method you like and stick to it. At my company we use OKRs. Another common framework is SMART goals. BHAGs are fun (if a bit corny). See what fits you and serves your purpose best. 

Your goals should be challenging but achievable – finding the balance between cake-walk, reasonable, punchy, stretch, and insane goals takes time. This is why you’ll often see goals as a percent of past performance (ex: increase net new revenue by 20% YoY). 

Goals should be things that you can influence but not directly control – things within your control are your tasks, the steps you take to achieve your goal. Don’t confuse goals and steps. 

If you’re new to a role and don’t have experience to lean on, seek advice from those who have done it before. If you go this route, make sure to find people who have a similar level of drive/ambition as you do. Otherwise you risk setting mediocre goals, or goals that will drive you insane with the amount of work they require. There’s no shame in looking at a motivated person’s accomplishments and deciding the juice isn’t worth the squeeze. Kobe used to get to the gym at 4AM because he was that driven. I’m only up at 4AM if I haven’t gone to bed yet or something is on fire. I respect anyone that dedicates themselves to their craft that much, but I know I’d be miserable if I tried to force myself to work that much. 

Last but not least – periodically re-evaluate your goals. We do this exercise annually mostly because we’re human and funny like that. There’s no reason to wait this long, though. What made sense 3 months ago might not make sense anymore. Don’t quit just because the going gets tough, but also don’t throw good energy after bad if the goal has lost its relevance.  

As always, if you have any questions, or if you’re having trouble, we’re here to help.

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I want to tell you a story today...

It's a story about assuming things will go right and running headfirst into reality. It's a story about sudden misfortune threatening to derail a major breakthrough. It's a story about resilience, quick decision making and following through. It was April 13,th 2015. One of the most important days in my business' life...and my business had just begun. 

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My stroke rate was too high. I knew it. I saw it in real time, could not slow down and ended up falling a little bit short of my goal. Jeff explains a principle in rowing that at first glance seems paradoxical but on closer examination unlocks a deep wisdom about life and business. Are you trusting your process or rushing so quickly that you're actually not moving forward with enough prospects?

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David Weiss and Jeff Bajorek have a discussion about the importance of fostering an open environment where salespeople can address the mental strain that is a natural byproduct of the wild ups and downs of the profession.

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "I Resolve" written by DeJuan Brown including an interview with the author.

I Resolve...

It's that time of the year again, right? This is the time when many of us begin projecting, planning and positioning ourselves to be at least 1% better than we were before the ball dropped. 

Gyms [read: virtual classes] fill up, your local market sells out of all the healthy stuff and your spouse and kids get to see a kinder, gentler you. 

We long for new beginnings, don't we? In my house, we call things 'magical' when a promise of improvement is attached to them. You know what I'm talking about. The 'magical new job,' or 'the magical new neighborhood,' or the 'magical reorganization of my office.' 

For 2021, what 'magical things' are you counting on to bring about the change you envision? 

Most people that make New Year's Resolutions can attest to how difficult it is to keep even ONE. On this episode of Deeper Thought, Jeff suggests a resolution that, if pursued geniuinely, can unlock all of the other goals you have for yourself in 2021.

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Oh, discovery...

We're told early on that what separates top performers and your average salesperson is the quality and patience of your discovery. Is that really still true? Or...is most discovery contrived?

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "The Struggle is Real, Part 2" written by Camille Clemons including an interview with the author.

Music Credit: Saturday Night Live Korea - SNL Opening theme 2016 by Common Ground

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We take a pause from our regularly scheduled Deeper Thought posts for a special interview with Christie Walters, Jeff's co-host on The Why and The Buy podcast. They discuss the fears that they've confronted over the past year and still grapple with today. Jeff's one-word theme for this year is "okay" and talking about these fears is one of the first steps to achieving "okay."

What fears are you dealing with around your life or business? If you'd like to discuss and dig deeper share with on the Deeper Thought group.

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post, "Sales Professionals Who Get Back To The Basics Will Smash Their Sales Results In 2021" written by Larry Levine including an interview with the author and Liz Wendling. 

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Sales Professionals Who Get Back To The Basics Will Smash Their Sales Results In 2021.

Could you enhance your sales results and become more successful, if you consistently learned how to master the basics?

Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach, once said that football comes down to only two things: Blocking on offense and tackling on defense, and those are the basics his teams spent 80% of their time on in practice. 

How many of you spend 80% of your time practicing the sales basics?

Here is my concern, too many of you are wasting time chasing shortcuts, automation magic and excuses; before mastering the fundamentals

The greatest skill in your sales endeavor is simple... just do the work. And it is for this reason, most of you don't need more time, more tips, or better strategies. You just need to do the real work and master the basics.

Never is this truer than when times are challenging, just like they are now. There are certain key fundamentals, or basics, to follow that ultimately lead to sales success.

Most salespeople avoid the fundamentals because they don't have the guts to become great at them. When you eliminate the unnecessary crapola and excuses, there are no details to hide behind. You're left with the basics and whether or not you have mastered them.

Success is more than circumstance. Success does not just happen. It begins with the basics.

I would like all those in sales to think about this for a moment...

We are asked to give “basic ideas,” “basic info,” or “explain it to me like I’m in second grade.” We break down things into basic, bite-size chunks, so wouldn't it make sense to train ourselves in the same manner?

You must get back to the basics. Applying the basics in 2021, will allow ordinary salespeople to do extraordinary things.

You can read the entire article here: https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/blog/3-things-you-must-do-to-help-shatter-your-sales-results-in-202

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Jeff, Liz and Larry discuss a few of the common things that we do as sellers, both consciously and unconsciously, that make it very difficult for a prospect to hand us the sale. 

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I love No Soliciting signs. I actually own one. But aren't these signs really oxymorons?

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "The one question about goals you're not asking yourself." by Vince Fowler, including an interview with the author. 

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Whether you set New Years Resolutions or not, I believe everyone - knowingly or unknowingly - looks at January with a renewed sense of awareness, optimism, and an intent to improve.

While I believe goals are essential regardless of the time of year, I'm less interested in your goal and more interested in this...

What are you willing to suffer for?

A goal is cheap to set. It's usually made from a place of comfort... which is why, when the discomfort in pursuing a goal reveals itself, when things really start to hurt, most people quit.

Set goals. Sure. But then look at each goal and ask yourself;

How much suffering is associated with achieving this goal?

Which of these goals am I actually willing to suffer for?

In 2004, I wanted to learn to play the guitar... like Brian Adams, and play for my friends around a campfire while they requested song after song. 

After 16 years, my guitar largely sat dusty in the corner of one room or another. All I could show for my effort was *Mary had a little lamb*.

Why? Because I wasn't willing to suffer through the sore fingers, cramped wrists, and repetitive practice. I sold it this year to someone who is now making amazing music with it.

In 2010, I wanted to become a business coach. Not just any business coach... a professional, proficient, and sought after business coach. I barely graduated high school, spent 7 years of my life in the infantry vs university, and have little to no background in business. 

The journey began; certifications, books upon books, courses upon courses, rejection upon rejection, late nights, early mornings, self-doubt, uncertainly, and a lot of critical feedback that I didn't always enjoy hearing.

Additionally, my industry is unregulated, while I’m okay with that it means anyone can say they're a coach, with or without certification. And regardless of credentials and certification, skepticism of efficacy and effectiveness of coaching among many business owners and CEO's remains high.

All this to say, I see a lot of people who proclaim they want to play guitar, or become a coach, or [insert aspiration here], who in the end, quit!

And let's be clear. Quitting and failure aren't the same things. I fail all the time. I fail to check my calendar and accidentally over commit. I fail to use reminders and miss a follow-up. I sometimes fail to prepare enough and stumble through a presentation.

I take my lumps, make notes, learn my lessons, and get back at it the next day.

Quitting? That's different. Quitting, in many ways, is the same thing as saying, "I'm no longer willing to suffer for this."

And hey, there's no shame in quitting. That's not what I'm saying. I didn't fail at guitar - I quit guitar. I simply wasn't willing to suffer. 

As we begin heading into Christmas break, when you reflect on what you want to see in 2021, before it's 2021, ask yourself this one question;

"What am I willing to suffer for?" 

...because if you do, when your suffering has meaning, I believe you will realize a lot more progress, accomplish a whole lot more, and make a greater impact in not only your own life but that of others.

Thoughts?

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "What Do Cars and Candy Bars Have in Common?" written by Andy Racic. 

It’s no secret that many people don’t like dealing with salespeople. In To Sell is Human author Daniel Pink researched and reported that the word most associated with “sales” or “selling” is “pushy”, followed closely by “sleazy, slimy, manipulative, and dishonest.” Super.

Andy shares his high level do's and don'ts of prospecting. Learn them, use them and avoid any of the characterizations above. 

Jeff reveals more on the future of the Deeper Thought podcast and the content he'll provide every week. Plus, a discussion on two different ways to surprise your prospect, novely and context. Which one is easier? Which one is more effective?

Jeff sits down with Mike Simmons, author of the Deeper Thought post How I Prospect and Why You Why Now and Andy Racic to discuss the problems clogging up your prospecting efforts. How much time should you spend in each step of the process? Is there any place in sales for a "spray and pray" approach. Jeff, Mike and Andy debate the hottest topics in sales.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Leave No Room For Question" written by Camille Clemons including an interview with the author and Larry Levine.

EXCERPT

I'm going to do something a little different today. I'm going to get the concept for a specific campaign out of my head and out in to the world to marinate. I'm working on building a campaign that will inspire and light a fire in a few different arenas, but the applicability is universal, if you are willing to believe it and then live it. It's called "Leave No Room For Question".

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "Getting Our Mojo Back: The Once Admired Professional" written by Todd Caponi including an interview with the author.

EXCERPT

What happened?

Every year, Gallup releases a study ranking professions according to perceived trust and ethics. And every year, the sales profession scrapes the bottom of the list along with politicians. 

However, it wasn’t that long ago that sales was not only a trusted and respected profession - it was also admired!

To understand how to get our mojo back as a profession, we must first understand the dynamics of our past - the dynamics around the sales profession and it’s associated respect.

So, let’s go back 105 years ago - to 1916.

Yes, in sales, you need to be persuasive. YYou need to create tension, you need to help the client understand that they are where they are and there is a place where they want to go, there's a place they will be better off. And there are steps that will need to be taken in order to get them from where they are right now to where they want to go.

But...if you need to convince somebody that they need to do something that they don't really want to do...then you are just like every traditional salesperson. I just don't see that as a way of meaningfully, sustainably, making sales. I'l tell you why and how you can make those meaningful, sustainable sales inside the pod.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Teamwork" written by Camille Clemons, including an interview with the author.

EXCERPT: There is nothing more gratifying then having a plan come together. Collision of worlds resulting in a beautiful display of success. Get over yourself, play the team game, have more fun, play to everyone's strengths, coach each other, practice and win!

Mike Simmons discusses feeling fancy his new role as Chief Revenue Officer of a major company AND why he thinks that 2 minutes and 15 days is all he needs to change someone's perspective on sales skills.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article Meet People Where They Are written by Andy Racic, including and interview with the author.

EXCERPT

I don’t know where the phrase came from, but the way I understand it in respect to our profession is that as the salesperson it’s your job to understand where each of your individual prospects are in the moment, and approach them appropriately...

People don't want to be convinced. People buy emotionally and justify logically. When you buy emotionally you don't need convincing. Jeff details the difference between selling with emotion and selling without emotion. Set yourself up for success by thinking differently and getting your prospect emotionally involved in the process.

Jeff, Liz and Todd discuss a variety of hot topics around sales communication. What does it really mean to be authentic? Just how transparent should you be? When can being nice go terribly wrong and kill the sale?

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "Lucinda Prince - The Pioneer for #WomenInSales" written by Todd Caponi including an interview with the author and Liz Wendling.

EXCERPT

March is Women’s History Month, studying and celebrating the vital role of women in American history.

What better way to celebrate than to explore the pioneer for women in the profession of sales. There was one, you ask? 

Yes! From my research, I’m convinced I have found THE PIONEER for the development, growth, acceptance, and pride for women in the selling profession.

I’d like to introduce you to Lucinda Wyman Prince.

I'll admit it, I've put on the COVID 10...pounds. It's better than some not nearly as good as most. I can lose 10 pounds in like six weeks, if I really want to, right, you just commit to it short term, just knock it out, lose those 10 pounds that you gained. But then I remember that it took me more than six weeks to put on 10 pounds. That got me to thinking about an old sales lesson: you lose customers the same way you earn them. There's a real parallel there.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "Sales Professionals Capture The Morning With Purpose, Are You?" written by Larry Levine, including an interview with the author.

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Have you ever stopped to think about your purpose in life? Or why you get up every morning?

Are you going through the morning motions? Or are you capturing the morning with a sense of purpose, fulfillment and joy?

I'm a firm believer that having a purpose matters more now than ever before. A sales professional thrives on being a part of a purpose. They live for becoming part of something that really matters, something that really makes a difference to the lives of their clients, their marketplace and their community.

For a good hitter, home runs are actually mistakes. Baseball season is underway across the U.S. and it has Jeff thinking about what makes for a smart hitter and a smart seller. There is a lot to be said here about process. It's time to start thinking less about hitting home runs and more about hitting singles and doubles. Because that's about discipline, that's about process.

A button fell off my golf pants and became the impetus for a paradigm shifting thought. In my attempt to sew the button back on, I made a mistake and sewed it on the wrong side of the flap. Mistakes happen. We learn and grow from them every day.

From a training standpoint and from mental health standpoint...if you grow when you make mistakes why doesn't training incorporate failure?

If you want to learn about positive mindset there is plenty of information available on Google. But if "be positive" never resonated with you this is the episode for you. This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "Success in sales? A positive mindset not required." by Vince Fowler, including an interview with the author.

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While there are several notable behaviors required to be successful in sales; patience, persistence, creativity, listening, empathy, self-reflection, continuous learning, to name a few... a positive mindset isn't one of them.

I've been selling products and services for 25 years; photocopiers, fax machines, law enforcement equipment, gym memberships, professional mascots, and for the past ten years... self-employment, selling my professional coaching services.

When I first started my professional sales career - circa 1996, selling photocopiers - I was told that in order to combat all the rejection I would experience during cold calls, I would need to maintain a positive mindset. 

Of course, who was I to argue - they were the pros. They must know what they're talking about, right.

But after 25 years of selling and experiencing all the challenges that come within the selling profession, the one piece of advice I have never been able to reconcile with is, "Keep a positive mindset."

I'm going to ask you a question now that I'm also going to ask you...to ask yourself once a quarter, maybe once a month? Are you going through a process right now? Or are you going through the motions? Interestingly enough, this is a topic that's been rattling around in my head for a couple of weeks. It's been up on my whiteboard for a while. But it was triggered this evening after a conversation with both of my children about their chores. Does your sales process feel like a chore?

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "What Exactly is a Story?" written by DeJuan Brown including an interview with the author.

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Nick Morgan, author of "Power Cues," says that in an information-saturated age, business leaders "won't be heard unless they're telling stories."

Stories. Telling them, hearing them, thinking about them, responding to them. We all know the term, "story," well enough that we don't usually contemplate what is meant by the term due to this familiarity. I've yet to hear someone respond to 'that's not my story,' with 'excuse me, I didn't tell a story.' 

This, in my mind at least, begs the question....

What exactly is a story, especially when it comes to the mantra, 'people tell, stories sell'? 

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article Opportunity Cost & Risk written by Andy Racic including an interview with the author.

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A story, then the lesson.

I recently reconnected with an ex from high school. We’d very loosely kept in touch in the interim, but it’d been nearly 20 years since we’d truly caught up. We live across the country from each other (Texas and Maryland). We were speaking early on Saturday afternoon and she jokingly invited me to dinner that night. I jokingly looked up flights to see if there were any available and how outrageously expensive it’d be to fly +1300 miles on a moment’s notice.

We've received a lot of questions since starting the Deeper Thought group. Jeff is digging into the mailbag and asking your burning sales questions. Have a question? Post it in the Deeper Thought group today or email them to jb@jeffbajorek.com

This is an enhanced version of the Deeper Thought post written by David Weiss including an interview with the author.

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I was coaching someone recently who is struggling in their current role—not from a performance perspective, but in feeling a sense of happiness and fulfillment with the work. Nine months ago he joined one of the fastest growing companies in the world. It was a dream company, and during the interview process multiple people said to him, “When you get a seat on a Rocketship it doesn’t matter what the seat is, you just take it.” This resonated with him, and he took the jump. He was leaving sales leadership for the first time in 6 years to go back into an Enterprise Account Executive role. He had been a highly successful AE in multiple different roles over the years, so he understood what the job entailed and how to get it done; all the knowledge and capability was there. He was also motived to join the business, and be successful so he could make his way back to leadership in the near future.

"We're a commodity." "You know, it's really all about price in our market when you sell what I sell."

I get these kinds of statements a lot. It's really easy to feel that way. There are some industries out there, where what you sell really is perceived the same as what your competitors sell, that's tough. But let's talk about the truth. The truth is, if you're really a commodity, you wouldn't have a job. Why wouldn't you have a job? Because if it's really a commodity, then no one needs to sell it. Let's talk about how to sell your product.

What happens when your leader doesn't have "the answer"? What happens when you're that leader? This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article, "What do we do now?" written by Camille Clemons including an interview with the author.

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Have you ever found yourself in a situation where the person in charge, the one intended to lead you though, says something other than "follow me!" You've gotten to this juncture in one of any number of ways, but when the music stops and the team is ready for the next step everyone turns and looks to the leader. What do you do when the words that come out next are a less definitive "What do we do now?"

There IS such a thing as having too many "whys." Whys, like prospects, need to be focused on or they are at risk of dying on the vine.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Temp Check?" written by DeJuan Brown including and interview with the author.

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"Are you a thermostat, or a thermometer?" That's my typical response when one of my children decides they want to hop on one of the latest trends in their peer group. In my home, it's the equivalent of my parents', 'if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you follow and jump off too?' 

Justine Sones is a self-care coach who helps creative, high-performing women manage the stress of running a business so that they can focus on what matters. On this episode, Jeff and Justine discuss the importance of boundaries for top performers, deliverable-creep and the stories we tell ourselves.

Fresh off hosting and attending sessions at the Outbound Sales Conference Jeff is thinking about what metrics we should be paying more attention to and how to balance the equation between a social following and a bottom line.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article Appreciation Unlocks The Door To Your Sales Growth written by Larry Levine including an interview with the author.

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Appreciation creates a human connection. It encourages us towards even more collaborative relationships. It's so important to give appreciation because it enhances self-esteem for both you, the giver and your clients, the receivers.

I think gratitude is really, really important. I also think it's something we don't focus on enough as salespeople. I don't necessarily mean gratitude for things, experiences, job opportunities or other people. What about gratitude for yourself?

You're probably giving up too early. You probably know that. Even if you think you've been rejected 5 times, you may not have been rejected at all.

Praising a sales team is a simple but powerful act of encouragement but it can also be an effective strategy for winning the next sale. Todd Caponi gives the word a whole new meaning today on Deeper Thought.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post The Nerdy Reason Why Text On Slides Does NOT Work written by Todd Caponi, including an interview with the author.

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Imagine for a moment, you’re reading an article. You’re entranced...it’s captured your attention, and you want to get through it.

But, as you’re reading, someone starts talking to you. They didn’t ask...they just start talking.

• Do you stop the individual from talking, and keep reading?
• Do you stop reading, and turn your attention to what they’re saying?

You can't both read with comprehension while also listening with comprehension, right? Do you get a little frustrated?

Then why do we ask our audiences to do it during our presentations? 

I want to talk about some of the ways that I was successful in the field of selling implants to orthopedic surgeons, selling to hospitals when my product was viewed as a (cue dramatic music) commodity.

What are your top 3 must-do's around lead generation?

How often do you change your process or your outreach strategy?

It's time to think about goals. Before you make a goal, it's time to decide if that goal aligns with you want to become. It's time to understand what it will take to achieve your goals and if you're willing to do them. You have the freedom to choose who you want to become.

In the midst of a mini-brand crisis, Jeff has a moment of enlightenment. What "sell like you" means for you and the future of the show and what you get from Jeff, that's today on Deeper Thought.

The Why and The Buy podcast may have come to an ending but Jeff and Christie are just beginning to have important conversations about sales and life.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Two things in life that are guaranteed" written by Vince Fowler including an interview with the author.

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They say, "Two things in life are guaranteed... Death and Taxes."

Wrong. Death and Suffering. 

While everyone dies, not everyone will pay taxes. Everyone will, however, experience suffering.

The question then is, "What makes the suffering worth it?

I think there's something really valuable in learning more about yourself. It could be chaotic. It could be unfamiliar. It's not necessarily comfortable. A greater understanding of who you are and why you do the things that you can be the best gift you give to yourself this holiday season.

Finding discipline and finding motivation are both valuable skills but are both very DIFFERENT skills. Discipline is doing the thing you don't want to do because you have to do it. You can't motivate yourself to do something you're not passionate about. So...how do you find that? That's in this episode of Deeper Thought.

There’s a dirty little secret for how high performing individuals get things done, a LinkedIn post by Mike Hook

Anyone can do it. Here’s how…

1. Set your ego aside to ask questions around the things you don’t know

Think big picture and get info from positions that agree and disagree with you

2. Be confident and own your stance - have conviction

If you think for yourself and have a strong position, right for it and don’t back down simply because someone disagrees

3. Humility to change and admit when you’re wrong

No one is right all the time and new information can, and should, alter our stance. Be willing to change and think about getting it right vs being right

4. Live what you speak

If you say you’re going to do something you get it done. Accountability + reliability on a consistent basis

5. Over prepare

Have an A, B and C plan + know all the info. This will make you unflappable when things don’t go as planned (and they never do)

6. Have grit

Life is hard and all great things come from doing what’s hard. High performers can push through the hard times and have the resiliency to come out the other side - not unscathed - more experienced

AND here is the big one…

7. They default to action (especially in the face of fear)

Life and it’s experiences are our greatest teacher and rarely are people 100% ready when they get the call. All you need to do is start. Action compounds into confidence.

Everyone can start doing these things today

It’s hard work

Are you willing?

You've heard Jeff or Christie ask this question a few 100 times on The Why and The Buy podcast. Belief in your why is a cornerstone of success in anything, regardless of whether it's sales, or sports, or your degree program or your family. Belief is a foundational element of success. And yet, there aren't enough people who reconnect with that belief system on a regular basis. It's a basic thing. It's so simple to think about. But it gets taken for granted.

This is an enhanced audio version of Andy Racic's Deeper Thought article Can You Capture Lightning In a Bottle. It includes an interview with Jeff Bajorek on the origins and implications of Andy's problem solving process.

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Can you capture lightning in a bottle?

This is Richard Feynman. For uninitiated, Feynman is responsible for many important advancements in physics. He had a hand in the development of the atomic bomb, and received the Nobel Prize in physics for developing the field of quantum electrodynamics. He was by all accounts one of the greatest minds of his generation.

I’m not here to gush about him, though. But rather to expand upon a joke one of his colleagues, Murray Gell-Mann once told. Gell-Mann made up The Feynman Algorithm for solving problems, which he stated as:

1) Write down the problem. 

2) Think real hard. 

3) Write down the solution. 

The algorithm is a joke - until you actually give it a second to breathe.

Problem solving, whether in sales or theoretical physics, is fundamentally a form of creativity. You need to understand very clearly where you’re at, where you want to be, the constraints of the system you’re working in that are preventing you from simply getting from A to B. That’s step 1 – not just stating the problem but stating it as simply as possible, but no simpler.

Step 2, at least for me, is deliberately putting my mind on something else. My conscious brain is OK at solving things, my subconscious brain actually does most of the heavy lifting. After clearly understanding a problem, I deliberately put it out of mind. I do things like taking a walk, going for a bike ride, hanging out with friends, getting some sleep – that’s how I “think real hard.” Some sort of non-focused activity, something that definitely doesn’t look like actually working, is what does the trick. It lets the mind work over problems in the background and then “ta-da!” at seemingly the most random times, almost by divine providence, out of my subconscious an idea pops out (and sometimes it’s not actually terrible.)

Then, step 3, just write the damn thing down.

If you haven’t tried this type of problem solving before, I may sound a bit insane. Trust me just a bit and give it a shot. You might be surprised at the results. I don’t think my mind is special in this way - this type of problem solving works for many people.

Creativity and creative problem solving isn’t something you can necessarily force - but if you create the right environment, you’ll find that you’ll start bottling that particular type lightning far more often.

(Bonus points for the first person to identify the Einstein quote I snuck in above.) 

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Is Prospecting Just Luck?" written by Andy Racic including an interview with the author.

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When I was 10 years old, I thought four leaf clovers were make-believe and if you asked me to find one I thought you were teasing me.

By the time I was 12 I’d found about 50 of ‘em.

What changed?

This is an enhanced audio version of Larry Levine's Deeper Thought article In Times Of Crisis, Sales Professionals Double Down On Their Purpose. It includes an interview with Jeff Bajorek on the origins of Larry's article which is rooted in the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic. 

In Times Of Crisis, Sales Professionals Double Down On Their Purpose. I'm a firm believer that having a purpose matters more now than ever before. A sales professional thrives on being a part of a purpose. They live for becoming part of something that really matters, something that really makes a difference to the lives of their clients, their marketplace and their community. What’s your "endgame" in sales? Is it to make a sale, collect a check or to make a difference?

The allure of a new business plan, the seduction of a marketing expert that will open up new streams of revenue, the satisfaction in buying a new piece of tech we're sure will change the game for good. In the world of sales and business development, there are too many distractions to count. Sometimes we need a reminder to mind our own damn business before that business decides to walk away.

Need a new sales book to read? Currently reading or thinking about reading Jeff Shore's book Follow Up and Close the Sale? Listen to Jeff Bajorek's review and analysis of the book. 

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Delicious, easy, low hanging fruit. Isn't that where we're all taught to start? When you start a new gig, when you have a new product, you want to go where the picking is easy, right? You want to get yourself a couple of wins under your belt, learn some things, make some money, build your business. Sooner rather than later...there's a danger in that. We're climbing the ladder to the juicier fruit in this edition of Deeper Thought.

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We've talked with DeJuan before about the concept of redemptive leadership but today we zoom out to discuss what makes a leader...a leader. Can anyone be a leader? What qualifies or disqualifies someone from taking charge of a team or situation?

There's a right way to qualify someone and a wrong way to qualify someone. BANT is one of the wrong ways and too many salespeople rely on it. Todd Caponi joins me to rant about bad sales practices.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post When You Can't Control What You Can Control by DeJuan Brown including an interview with the author. We've all heard the mantra "control what you can control" especially in business. But is this mantra helpful when your mental health is weaker than normal or when the world feels uncontrollably chaotic? 

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When You Can't Control What You Can Control by DeJuan Brown

I'd be the first one to tell you that I believe in the 'control what you can control' mantra. That it's rarely good or productive to get bogged down with things outside of my control. 

That's why it snuck up on me these last several weeks when the grief, mourning and darkness of this national moment rendered the mindset I'd lived and taught nearly useless. 

In my sales career, I was mentored to look at the things that fall under my jurisdiction and recognize the segments I can directly impact. This typically included things like dials, prospecting activities, research and my own attitude.

So far, so good right? So I also thought, until the seemingly back-to-back deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd became the proverbial straws that broke...

I've been in such a state that even the things I normally put into my 'controllable' bucket no longer fit there. I was so impacted that I couldn't actually dial, prospect, research or get a handle on my attitude.

I was and am in mourning, full of grief that washes over me in waves. Even as I tried to go back to all that I've heard and read about growth mindset and perspective, I came up empty.

There was no level of aggressive attempt that could shake the internal weight I was feeling. I now know why 'control what you can control' means one thing for the mentally healthy and another thing entirely for someone struggling with their mental health.

In fact, I think there are many more aspects of the sales life that presuppose mental health when prescribing next steps. If you're mentally healthy and I tell you to block off your calendar to better accomplish tasks, it's just a simple first step to better time management. 

If you're not mentally healthy at the time you hear that advice, it could bear the load of yet another thing to do before your life is deemed acceptable. Drastic difference, yes? In light of these types of swings, the last month has shown me among other things, that community is a non-negotiable. I'll say more about that as a follow up, I'm sure.

There's another thing this time has taught me. Namely, the 'one more question' I'll be asking anyone in a discussion about their mindset is now 'how's your mental health doing?' It's akin to my physical trainer asking me how's my sleep when I say I can't lose weight. Seems counter-intuitive, but they're so interwoven that to not ask is a real miss.

This is a conversation that needs to never have an end. There is no way to decouple mindset from mental health. It's easy to forget, and it's usually calamity that reminds us. We can play a huge part in changing that for one another.

What about you? When's the last time you had a good mental health discussion as part of mindset analysis? Where do such discussions find themselves in your list of priorities, and more importantly-have you found the community to safely have them in?  

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As we continue to distill down what it takes to be top performers, I think we must discuss some of the powerful things that have really nuanced effects on your life and on your career. Trauma is one of those things. Trauma is an interesting thing. It impacts us in a lot of different ways. There are some very traumatic things that happen to people that make it debilitating for them to sometimes do anything, right? And there are a lot of people and I count myself in this group, where there are things that I do very, very well, because of some traumatic things that have happened to me in the past. In this episode, we begin our discussion on trauma as it relates to sales, business and personal achievement.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me by Camille Clemons including an interview with the author. Think of your favorite live music memory and ask yourself this, "What if the performers had half-assed it?" Would it still be your favorite music memory? Of course, not. Every sale is a stage on this edition of Deeper Thought.

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Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me

I've long believed "how you do anything is how you do everything". Tonight, the concept played out in reality as I relived Elton John's guest performance with George Michael's rendition of Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me.

George Michael held a concert at the historic Wembley Arena in London closing the show with a familiar song and the crowd roared. As things unfolded and the bridge approached, the crowd had no idea the surprise about to be unveiled.

In a shadowy corner of the stage, an icon waited for the queue and when the bass drum hit, magic unfolded.

Could you imagine if they had half-assed it that night? What if they hadn't performed like it was their last show? What if they hadn't taken those risks? What if they just followed the scripted song? What version would we belt out when the familiar song came on the radio today? Would it have stood the test of time like the one we know from that night in 1991?

If you distill it down, the lessons we can take from musicians are interesting parallels drawn against those of us who live and breathe on a daily basis in the profession of sales.

The passion, the charisma, the swagger. It is all essential.

Every day, it is our charge to engage our clients & prospects like there is no tomorrow. To take risks because, well, what's the worst that could happen? To not try to fit the prospect in to our pre-scripted remarks, rather listen intently - drawing on our experiences to help them find the answer the questions that solves their problem.

Mindset plays a big role in our ability to put everything else, all of the external distractions aside, and engage in the moment. The performer and the audience. You and your prospect. Compartmentalization is essential, focus, imperative. Seize the moment because, as we know, how you do anything is how you do everything. 

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Call reluctance comes up quite a bit, especially as it relates to sellers new in their careers. Calling up the phone chain, so to speak, to high levels in the organizations that they're prospecting to can bring with it fear or insecurity. It's almost as if you're trying to reach someone at a higher station in life. I want to share a couple of stories today that will give you a little bit of perspective as to why you shouldn't feel so reluctant.

This is an enhanced audio version of Mike Simmons' post in Deeper Thought "Mindset - Internal or External Locus of Control" including an interview with the author. How do you respond when shit hits the fan? When there is a mountain to climb? When you're Thomas Edison and your life's work is up in flames? 

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We can show up, we can be intentional, we can be comfortable with letting go, we can operate with purpose. What happens when the shit hits the fan the first time? What's your immediate response?

The deal goes south, the kid is late to get home, the shop is on fire. Are you like Edison? - Do you tell your kid to go get the family so they can watch the spectacular sight? 

Excerpt from "Obstacle is the Way" - Ryan Holiday

Do you take advantage of every opportunity? Do you commit? or...

Do you fold?

Carol Quinn - in her book on Motivation Based Interviewing discusses internal vs external locus of control. She also discusses this on episode 96 of the Catalyst Sale Podcast.

External Locus of Control - believe that failure/success/rewards/outcomes in life are generally outside of their control.

Internal Locus of Control - believe that their own actions determine the success/rewards/outcomes that they obtain.

I like to summarize this as "Oh shit, Not again. Why does this happen to me" = External Locus of Control. "Ok, I understand the situation - Let's Go" = Internal Locus of control.

When faced with a mountain, or a new challenge - what is your mindset? Do you look for the opportunity, or do you think - why do these obstacles keep getting in my way. 

This is not the best illustration - but I was bored and I had a whiteboard, and I was not going to draw lines on the picture of the San Tan's above. There are a couple of ways that we can get to the top of a mountain. We can climb straight ahead, on a line, on the same heading, an overcome any obstacle in our way. We can traverse the mountain, and go around obstacles. Or, we can rent/build/buy a helicopter. (yes, that is my stick figure helicopter - get used to it)

How are you positively reinforcing your mindset around Internal Locus of Control?

Better yet, how are you creating an opportunity for your team, your kids, your family to build an internal locus of control mindset? 

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I've had some absolutely wonderful managers and leaders. And I've had a couple of dogs.

And I've had a few in between

what I can easily say and confidently say that every manager I've ever had is the one I needed at that time.

Because I think they all teach you something.

And I think if you can take that perspective of what is it that I need to learn from this guy or this woman, regardless of whether or not you like them, regardless of whether or not you think they're a great leader, like, guess what? They are, just like so many other leaders out there.

To some, it means making cold calls. To others, it means going to networking events or tweeting or commenting on people's posts on social media. To some others, it means setting these little traps...

What does it mean to you? There are a lot of ways to start conversations about what you do for people and how you can benefit them. The lens through which you view how to begin those conversatiosn can be the difference between a signature and a sayonara. We're getting definitional on this edition of Deeper Thought.

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In Part 1 of a 3 part series with Laurah Bajorek, we discuss why trauma is the "shadow behind everything" and why it's important to address in sales and business. Every person has some level of trauma in their bodies and we often don't notice how it reverberates through our thoughts and actions. How can we recognize the trauma in our own lives and deal with it in a healthy way that clears the way for being more present and making better decisions?

Can you ever be "good enough" in sales? Sometimes the continual drive to get better actually gets in the way of being able to understand how much better you've become. Some ideas lead to poor outcomes. And those poor outcomes tend to feed the false premise. It's a cycle you don't want to be in. We've got to admit it's getting better...in this edition of Deeper Thought.

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I just can't. Not right now. Not today. Not...ever? What prevents us from doing the things that we know need to be done?

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Creativity is Caffeinated" by Don the Idea Guy including an interview with the author. Grab a cup of coffee (preferably hot but do what you feel is right) and join Don the Idea Guy and Jeff Bajorek for a fascinating discussion on creativity and the power of drink.

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Creativity is Caffeinated

Ideas Give You Energy

A great idea just seems to fill you with energy and excitement. Sharing that idea with someone who "gets it" packs twice the punch. It's like drinking a double-espresso -- the extra shot gives you a bigger boost!

Here are seven reasons why ideas are like coffee

1. Best When Hot

While you could technically get away with drinking an iced-coffee, ideas are best acted upon while still piping hot.

2. Brewing Affects Quality

Sure, you can always go with "instant", but all serious coffee drinkers know that water temperature and brew time affects the flavor of the coffee. Same goes for ideas -- allowing concepts time to brew will result in better quality ideas.

3. Room for Cream?

Black coffee can be made more flavorful when enhanced by shots of flavored syrup, cream, or sugar -- but while any idea can be made better by adding small shots of innovation, lame ideas will still leave a bad taste in your mouth no matter how many shots of 'syrup' you add.

4. The Best Beans are Imported

There are excellent coffee beans from almost every corner of the world -- same goes for ideas. Import concepts from other industries, products, and services -- then adapt them to your specific situation.

5. Free Refills

Just like that bottomless cup of coffee -- You'll never run out of ideas. There's always another concept to explore. And like drinking coffee, the second cup usually tastes better than the first.

6. Coffee is Ubiquitous

Seems no matter where you are, you're never more than a block away from a fresh cup of coffee. You've grown accustomed to seeing the familiar green and white sign of that national coffee shop chain on every corner. Each McDonald's has a boiling cup of caffeinated lava ready to scorch your tongue. Expect the same with ideas -- there are creative concepts around every corner. Expect to see them, and they will become as visible to you as that Starbucks sign!

7. Always Better When Shared with a Friend

It doesn't matter if you're sipping an espresso brewed from the finest beans in the world, or a sucking down a burnt and crusty pot of coffee from your local greasy spoon at at three in the morning -- the coffee always tastes better when consumed during a conversation with friends. All the best ideas are shared the same way -- good ideas (like good coffee) are always found in good company. 

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The final part of our 3 part series with Laurah Bajorek deals with that tingly feeling when mind AND body converge to tell you what the right decision is. How often do we let our minds alone make decisions for us and how can the big computer in our head lead us astray?

You know those no soliciting signs. I actually have one on the outside of our front porch window. I hung it in the hopes that it would keep the less than fully competent salespeople from knocking on our door and trying to give us bad sales pitches. 

I love walking right by those signs to make great sales pitches. I've never seen anybody push me away. It's like the initial objection that you're given before you even knock on that door, walk into the office, make that telephone call, whatever it is. What's really interesting is it keeps a fair amount of people away. It makes people stop. Would it make you stop?

We're soliticing anyway on this edition of Deeper Thought.

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Context. It's the reason that sales get made and a lack of context is why sales don't get made. You can have the most brilliant value proposition in the world. You can have a very polished elevator pitch. You can have all the right words to say. But if you don't say them at the right time, and that right time has everything to do with context, then they won't mean anything. And I think that is why so many salespeople get frustrated.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought "Do You Have a Clearly Defined Sales Manifesto" by Larry Levine including an interview with the author. Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. Aristotle said that the unplanned life is not worth examining. Where is your sales plan, your mainfesto, your sales North Star guiding you to bigger and better things? Larry Levine makes a case to lay it all out in this edition of Deeper Thought. 

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How many of you are a having personal growth conversation with yourself?

A series of honest internal conversations can spark lasting and meaningful change.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said,

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”

A personal manifesto gives your sales life meaning.

A manifesto...

Do good work every day... Stay noble... Be honest... Be perfectly clear... Be myself...

A manifesto is a declaration of one’s beliefs, opinions, motives, and intentions. It's a document declaring what's important to someone. This serves as a statement of principles or even a call to action.

A manifesto may challenge assumptions, foster commitment, provoke change or may even challenge the status quo.

A personal manifesto can help serve the following:

• As inspiration to live your life with purpose.
• As a foundation upon which to build your life.
• As a frame for your life
• As your sales NorthStar

A manifesto becomes valuable and serves as a constant source of inspiration. It becomes something that can easily be read on a daily basis.

Imagine waking up in the morning, rolling out of bed, grabbing a cup of coffee or tea, self- reflecting before you start your day as you spend a few minutes reading through your manifesto.

This would help keep your mind focused around your priorities. On a daily basis you're reinforcing your values over and over again.

What are your sales values?

Here's where your manifesto could have a huge impact to your sales career.

Imagine sharing your manifesto with others. Think about sharing with your clients, future clients and friends. Imagine how this could elevate your status within their minds? It now becomes your public creed through which you're presenting yourself, your beliefs and your future self.

I sincerely believe this will elevate your status and enhance your sales career. This will allow you to professionally grow, and help you live out those beliefs.

When all is said and done, the true hallmark of a sales professional is knowing what you believe and having the guts to live it. 

This is what selling from the heart is all about. 

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This industry is all about relationships. Are you starting with the wrong premise with these relationships? Are you looking to make friends, and then sell them something, because that's not a good approach. If you're being coy about why you want to connect with somebody, rethink your approach. I know why you want to connect with this person. You know why you want to connect with this person. Quite frankly, this person that you're connecting with assumes that you want to sell them something. I don't see why that's a problem. I don't think you should apologize for being in sales.

Hustle. Grind. Weekend Warrior. We're being constantly bombarded by demands on our time. Personal leaks into the professional. Professional leaks into the personal. The leaks turn into streams of stress because the pressure becomes too great. But maybe it's time to reevaluate the demands we put on ourself and what exactly we're getting out of it.

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We go to our number one expert in outbound prospecting to discuss how we can actually use LinkedIn to effectively reach out to prospects. He has the stats AND the experience to know what works and what is just anecdotal malarkey.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "I'm Not The Creative Type" by Jason Bay, including an interview iwith the author. "I'm not the creative type," is something that a lot of tell ourselves that alimits our potential to disrupt pattern that can lead to sales. The truth is, we're all creative in our own way. By creatively disrupting patterns in our prospecting routine we can radically shift the response we get on the other end of the phone line. We're going full right-brain on this edition of Deeper Thought.

We know it works. We know it "makes perfect." Why is it so hard to get geeked for practice? Jordan Zeldin, Founder and Sales Coach at Spriing Training, is trying to fix this with labs that provide safe spaces for sales leaders to practice skills that lead to more business. Jeff and Jordana discuss the neuroscience behind practice and skill development, practicing in a specific way and the difference between talking about vulnerability and showing it.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post Sales Reps Ride The Relationship Rollercoaster While Sales Professionals Invest In Relationships by Larry Levine, including an interview with the author.

The ups and downs of sales relationships, like personal relationships, can feel like riding a roller coaster. How often you stay on the ride can separate you from a sales rep and a sales professional. We're bracing for the loopty loops in this edition of Deeper Thought.

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Sales Reps Ride The Relationship Rollercoaster While Sales Professionals Invest In Relationships.

I believe we live in a business world where relationships matter.

How you develop, nurture and build a healthy relationship funnel will play a significant part in the strength of your sales funnel.What defines a client relationship?What does a relationship look like to you?

I'd like for you to think about this:The relationships you think you have with your clients; do they feel the same way about their relationship with you?

When was the last time you asked your clients what they expect in a business relationship and with YOU? Try it, you may learn something!

STOP RIDING THE RELATIONSHIP ROLLERCOASTER

The relationship between you and your clients is much more than the brief purchase of a product, a service or a solution. It is about a personal connection. It's about the bond you form based upon trust, credibility and mutual respect.

Rollercoasters, they have ups and downs, twists and turns; some would say just like relationships.Unfortunately for many in sales, the relationship rollercoaster has been built on the tracks of low trust and commitment.

According to relationship coach Kyle Benson,

"I define the relationship roller-coaster as a relationship that has a few emotional highs full of connection, fulfillment, and intimacy followed by longer lows of disconnection, and then back up again. Up and down, just like a roller coaster, except not as fun as the theme park you went to as a kid."

Sales professionals avoid the relationship rollercoaster by:Continually building new relationships by diversifying their networksGiving as much as they expect to get from every relationshipConstantly pruning, renewing, and reshaping their networks frequently

INVEST AND COLLECT

In sales, investing in your clients and the relationships you have with them is one of the most rewarding investments you can make. These relationships will open up new doors and provide you with new opportunities that would have been unheard of otherwise.

I will leave you with this...

Without building your “relationship capital” with your clients then how can you keep a consistent, well flowing sales funnel?

Without investing in building deep meaningful connections with your clients then how can you expect to reap the benefits that relationship has to offer?

What will you do to keep off the relationship rollercoaster? 

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If you've been paying attention to what I've been saying for the last few years, you know how important differentiation is. And I think as we get into a more crowded market it's getting more and more difficult to differentiate. But I believe that's because most salespeople have a very surface-level approach as it relates to differentiation. And they think if they're not in a category of one, then they can't differentiate themselves. Today I'm reviewing the book Sell Different! by Lee B. Salz, a frequent guest of The Why and The Buy podcast and a genius on sales differentiation.

Sometimes it feels that way because it is that way. When should we trust our gut and when should follow our head? It's a complicated question with complicated answers. It's the kind of question Deeper Thought was made for. 

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Larry Levine believes trust is woven into everything we do in sales. Without trust, deals slow down and relationships fall apart. Larry joins us today fresh off hearing some of the foremost sales experts speak on trust. Is building trust the same as building relationships? Can you build trust on a golf course or over lunch? How do you become known as someone worth talking to?

This is an enhanced version of the Rethink The Way You Sell article by David Weiss, including an interview with the author. David Weiss is vulnerable and honest as he shares 3 key lessons on leading a team that he had to learn the hard way. What may seem like the natural way to lead is not always the most effective.

In this episode of Deeper Thought, host Jeff Bajorek discusses the importance of accountability. He believes that people like being held accountable because it makes them feel part of a team, supported, and like someone has a vested interest in their success. Accountability helps validate people and makes them feel capable of more.

Bajorek provides a framework of 7 questions to run better accountability meetings, whether you're leading a team, managing a project, or meeting in a mastermind group. The questions cover checking in on status, celebrating successes, identifying failures, setting the next step, establishing deadlines, analyzing needs, and offering support. Bajorek argues that this accountability approach, rooted in empathy rather than judgment, strengthens relationships, improves outcomes, and helps people feel better about their work.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post Be Water by Andy Racic, including an interview with the author. Andy has been into kung fu movies lately, but it's comments from Bruce Lee that are anything but action-packed that have him thinking. 

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“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” -Bruce Lee

I’ve been on a kung fu movie kick lately and naturally that means I’ve been working through Bruce Lee’s catalog. Bear with me a moment while I gush. Man, did Bruce just.get.it. If you asked me what exactly the “it” is that he got so well, it would take me a few pages to try to articulate that alone. But I can tell you with certainty that he got “it.” I can’t imagine how else he could have achieved so much and had such a transcendental impact across so many fields.

Alright, on topic...

Prospecting. Ahhh! Arguably the single most important activity every rep needs to be doing weekly if not daily… and yet the one almost all of us skip if given half an excuse. 

Prospecting can either be a couple hours every week that you dread (or worse, avoid). Or it can be some of the most fun you can have in a sales job. The key thing about whether or not it’s fun or it’s hell is really your mental agility when you’re practicing your prospecting. At least, in my experience that’s the case.

I like going into prospecting with my research and a plan of attack ready. I rarely have fun or much success without those. However, if I’m not mentally nimble, and ready to roll with what comes, it’s a slog. I’m basically going through the motions with my script/talk track when reaching out. My tonality inevitably falls a bit flat. I don’t listen as well as I should. The calls don’t yield the results I’m hoping for. Totally frustrating!

When that happens (and it definitely still does from time to time, as much as it pains me to admit), I’m not “being water.” I’m attempting to bulldoze my way straight to a result without being mindful of the moment. I’m attempting to make the world conform to my plan. I don’t know about you, but so far I haven’t found a person who likes being bulldozed, and when I try to force the world to be a certain way, the world puts me in my place pretty quickly. When I’m “being water,” though, I’m mentally sharp yet relaxed and ready for whatever may come. My calls just go better. My emails may occasionally be a bit unorthodox, but I find that I’m able to get my points across simply and directly without sounding like a corporate robot. And it’s a heck of a lot more fun. 

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As salespeople we are afraid to ask for business sometimes. There is a standard that has been set that says, "If you can earn it with your content, with your expertise, with the perception of your ability to advise people you can become a trusted advisor." But what about asking for the sale? Salespeople forget that their prospects and their customers are begging to be led.

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Last week, I talked about how people like being held accountable. And if you don't like being held accountable, I think you're probably being asked to be accountable for something you really don't want to be accountable for. If you're in the right place for the right reason, you want to be held accountable. Today, I want to explore this concept of accountability as it relates to activity. You need to focus on a process, if you want to get results, because if you focus on results alone, you get frustrated. And accountability is all about results. Right?

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It's so important you hear it every episode, "...take a deep breath." Breath is life. Breath can be a simple way to regain focus, stability and encourage creative thought. Jeff explores the myriad of ways he uses simple breath to improve his mind and his body to be prepared for what sales, business and life have in store.

This is an enhanced version of the Deeper Thought post When Music is Much More with DeJuan Brown including an interview with the author. 

“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” -Albert Einstein

I think in lyrics. I even bop rhythmically a bit when I speak. Music, generally, is in me. Hip-hop however, is DEEP in me. Seriously. I once told my wife that 'there's a Jay-Z lyric for every scenario in life,' only partially in jest. 

I was born in the 70's in what I now know was the inner-city. For me that meant having hip-hop as the backdrop against which my experiential selfies came to life. It also meant that I'd unintentionally grow to love words, poetic expression and other creative uses of the English language to communicate.

Metaphor, simile, analogy, double (at least) entendre, multi-syllabic rhyme schemes and other devices sit patiently on the tarmac of my mind. Always at the ready for taxi and takeoff, dependent only on the situation at hand. 

There's so many more parallels I can draw, but I want to answer the question that may be bubbling beneath your mind's surface.

"Why are you sharing this, DeJuan?"

Jeff welcomes acclaimed author and sales expert Lee Salz for some deeper thought on discovery including Lee's horizontal and vertical questions paradigm, why discovery is a major sales game-changer, introductory questions and why the reason for the meeting can be more important than the meeting itself.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post Or Is This How You Do It by Camille Clemons including an interview with the author and DeJuan Brown.

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Or is This How You Do it?

DeJuan started it, I'm going to keep it going. How you do anything is how you do everything.

I say it a lot. It is universally transcendent. I say it to my kids, my colleagues, my friends, myself.

How you do anything is how you do everything. If you think about it - don't just say the words - say them out loud and let them rattle around up there for a second. How you do **ANYTHING** is how you do **EVERYTHING**. If you're here, in this community, you undoubtedly hold yourself to a pretty high standard. You want to learn and grow and get better. You're in really good company. I've been reflecting a lot about this idea recently as there is so much to do.

I'm parenting while working. People have been doing that since the beginning of time, I know I'm not alone in this one. I'm fortunate that work is busier than ever, and now, parenting while working also means while teaching; while short order cooking; while being the nurse; while being the coach; while answering IT support desk calls. 

How I do anything is how I do everything.

So. If that is the standard we've instilled, how do we pull it all off without driving ourselves crazy?

I have no idea.

For me, the way out from here is taking "How you do anything is how you do everything" and coupling it with "Be you - everyone else is taken". The way out is by staying true to who you are. The way out is prioritizing and executing. As DeJuan said, his son has a method, a process he goes through with each decision. I bet he's refined it over his 24 years. He's taken note about what is working and what isn't. I'd also be willing to bet that the underlying foundation has stayed consistent regardless.

I've asked myself, what is my process? How am I continuing to do everything at the highest level when all of my "normal" way of doing things is unavailable? We are all longing for some prescendented times. Back to usual. I see so many people trying to force differentiation to stand out, I may have even tried a few things myself that - after I did them - didn't feel authentic. I've made note and refined. I'll admit, I'm still working hard to hit stride, but I feel comfortable that my new model is genuinely me, the best available every time. I've had to decline a few things I would have liked to do and it may take a little longer to return messages, but if I go back to the foundation, I know those things with the highest and best priority are still getting done at a level of which I'm proud. How we do anything is how we do everything.

You may be looking for a quick answer. Is this how I do it or is that how I do it? All I know is however you do it - don't lose yourself in the process. Compartmentalize and execute. It is hyper critical, if you're interested in maintaining the how you do anything is how you do everything, to own each task individually. Be you, everyone else is taken. Execute and be in the moment. Isn't that where we should be after all? 

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There are a lot of playbooks and guides to sales, but...there's no instructional manual. And that's great news! Why? It's all in today's Deeper Thought.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article This is How You Do Everything written by Mike Simmons including an interview with the author.

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As Andy Racic reminded me - it is time to regress to the mean. Camille Clemons & DeJuan Brown hit the cover off the ball with their posts on the theme this month - PROCESS.

Process is a fun thing that many of us lie to ourselves about and say "I'm not process oriented" - I say BS (keeping it clean for the kids) - Do you make Coffee? Do you Cook? Do you Breathe? - Granted some of these processes are voluntary, some are not - you decide.

So - how do YOU do EVERYTHING?You start with DOING.

You don't TRY, you DO. A couple of months back, there was this culture consultant who was leading a mentoring group as part of a program I where volunteered some time. (That is either virtue signaling, or a humble brag - neither is intentional) 

The task I was asked to complete was to pick up a dry erase market from his hand. "Try" - well, I did, and he said i was not following the instructions, the instructions were to Try. 

Net/Net - "Do, or Do Not. There is no try" - Yoda

Who Cares?

You should care - are you in this, or are you not? 

Are you doing the work, or are you not? 

If every time you do the work, it looks different, are you really doing the work well? 

If you are not doing the work well, why are you doing it?

So What?

Ok - so what does this have to do with process. Processes can be overly prescriptive, or they can be flexible, like guiding posts or milestones - rather than rules.

Now What?

Find your guiding principles, find your approach that leads to predictable results or more likely outcomes, do the work, and let the results play out.

Here is one of the most important processes to me. (yep - you'll notice it has some feedback loops in there Jeff Bajorek)

• Gather Data
• Analyse Data
• Validate
• Recommend
• Test
• Implement

This is how I execute. How do you Execute?

So - what do I mean by "This is How You Do Everything"?

YOU "DO THE WORK" 

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You can't really be curious unless you're okay with being wrong. Today Jeff talks with Nate Dykstra, Senior Business Development Manager for TapResearch. 3 months ago, Nate decided to remove alcohol from his life. He wasn't a diagnosed alcoholic. He didn't have a history of addiction in his family. But he was uncomfortable with alcohol's presence in his life and what it was limiting. He discusses his journey without being judgmental. If there's anything in your life that is getting in the way of who you want to be, this is worth a listen.

This is an enhanced version of the Deeper Thought post "I have a love-hate relationship with sales process." written by Andy Racic. It includes an interview with the author. 

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Why I love sales process:

Point #1. With a properly defined process, you don’t really have to think very much, you just have to execute. While I am a thinker and I very much value thinking, I’m also a raving fan of cognitive efficiency. Solve a problem once, properly, and never think of it again. There’s a reason why people give so much credit to Jobs’ idea of a uniform (black polo, blue jeans, sneakers). Having to make fewer decisions lends to making better critical decisions. 

Point #2. If the process was given to you by your manager/company, and you follow it honestly and truly, you’re severely limiting your own liability. If you do the work, as prescribed, and the results are there, awesome, end of story. If you do the work, as prescribed, and the results aren’t there, not so great, but your ass isn’t on the line. You were doing as you were instructed to. Then it’s back to the drawing board but with the support of your manager.

Why I hate sales process:

Point #1. Mindlessly executing a task the same way over and over (and over and over) again is absolute hell for me. I go a little bit nuts doing the same thing repeatedly. While there are a number of factors motivating why I’ve moved on from each of my jobs, one of the common drivers is simply boredom. Learning how to sell something and increasing my win rate is always a good challenge and reward in and of itself. But selling that same solution week in, week out, year in year out, is a kind of a torture for someone like me. 

Point #2. The current process will never be as efficient as it possibly can be. There is always room for improvement. I have many, many strong opinions, weakly held. This is not one of them. I believe this on a deeply fundamental level - as deep as cereal first, then milk; or that the toilet paper should hang over the roll, not under the roll (excepting having toddlers or cats in the house). (Feel free to disagree with me on those, but fair warning, I will think lesser of you without compelling evidence supporting your case.) There will never be a perfect process as the market is never static. Case in point - Blockbuster didn’t care to evolve their process. When they were the big dog, they had the opportunity to acquire Netflix for $50M. Netflix’s current market cap is $216B and there’s literally 1 Blockbuster store left, operating as a AirBnB. Sales processes exist to give a familiar framework to the seller, but they should never, ever be static, written in stone processes. Find ways to improve yours or watch your close rates (or margins) erode and evaporate.  

/rant.

I recently listened to Adam Grant on Tim Ferris’ podcast. Adam suggested, instead of practicing what you preach, just preach what you practice. It’s a small tweak but it resonated with me. So, this is my sales process:

Be human. Establish a connection. Cultivate a dialogue. Seek to understand, deeply, what is or could be motivating my prospect to go through the hassle of making the change I offer. Align my solution with their motivations. Remove as many obstacles and challenges as possible (internally and externally) to making that change. Respond quickly. Communicate directly and simply. Expect setbacks. Have fun. Give credit to my team when I win. Take responsibility when I lose. Solicit feedback. Rinse, repeat.

That’s it. That’s my entire sales process. If I’m missing anything, or if I can cut anything out, I’m all ears. 

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article The Struggle is Real Part 1 by Camille Clemons including an interview with the author and Vince Fowler. To struggle is to be human and Camille opens up about her struggles in her new Deeper Thought series "The Struggle is Real." In Part 1, her struggle with time management and what she's doing about it.

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The Struggle is Real, Part 1

Vince reminded us earlier in the week that to struggle is to be human. I couldn't agree more and about to share a struggle I'm working through that may be helpful.

This could go a lot of ways, but I'm going to ease in to this series by starting with my struggle of time management. When I say the struggle is real, I am not kidding you. One may think that by this time in my life and career I would have this figured out - not true. I've tried:

Time blocking (love it - just not practical for my job - I don't think)

Using a planner (two weeks MAX)

To-do lists (47 to-dos later and I feel overwhelmed)

Calendar reminders (often something else take precedent)

Limiting distractions (LinkedIn what?)

Do not disturb signs (tell that to the family lurking outside the french doors)

Working in isolation (I need interaction!)

A lot has been written on the subject and wading through the sheer number of titles on the topic is a time suck in itself. So my journey continues, but, I'm happy to report, things are looking up and below are a few tools to consider:

Read or listen to Indistractable by Nir Eyal (also a video presentation)

Talk to Mike Simmons about his 15 Day Sprints, this really helped me find focus when it comes to strategy

Consider using a tool like Ten Percent Happier, this one has been a game changer for me, there is even a free podcast

Take a walk or at minimum a few deep breaths

In addition to the tools above, one of the biggest (and super easy) things I've done to get this problem under control become more aware, is to track how I spend my time. I've started categorizing my time using Outlook calendar as my tool. By creating categories that tie back to my Go to Market Strategy, I can track how I'm spending my time to become more aware. My categories are: {See Deeper Thought article}

Once I had the categories in place, anything that was added to my calendar was immediately color coded to one of these areas of focus. I'm working on a couple of things (and learning a lot in the process) like what is a target balance for time spent in each category? How do I keep track of the white space? Does it have to be measured or is simply being aware the most important? Here is what a typical week looks like now: {See Deeper Thought article}

As I work through this, I'm seeing that I need to intentionally spend more time in the green bucket of New Business and less time in the red bucket of Other. It is definitely a work in progress.

My biggest takeaway from all of this is in order to manage my time I first needed to understand how I was spending it. When I say the struggle was real, that was a gross understatement. With this program in place, I am better able to track - week to week - my progress toward my goal while understanding how much time I spend participating in the other areas as well. Knowledge is power.

I hope this has been helpful, be on the lookout for Part 2 of The Struggle is Real series.  

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This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article, "Have you ever tried to adopt some form of MEDDPICC (MEDDIC / MEDDICC)?" written by David Weiss, including an interview with the author. Before you jump head first into the next great sales methodology, make sure you have the fundamentals in place in order to execute on it. 

Read David's ebook all about MEDDPICC on his LinkedIn profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlbweiss/

Carl Lewis, the greatest U.S. Olympian of the 20th century, once said that he was never the fastest man on the track. What? How could that be? He won so many races and so many medals. In his mind, there were opponents that had a higher top speed but nobody that could run as fast as him, for as long as he did. That's how he won. That's how you can win. Let's talk about it on this edition of Deeper Thought.

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Have you ever stopped to think about the little things you do or don't do and the impact they have? In this thought-provoking episode, host Jeff Bajorek reflects on some micro changes he has made over the past year and how they have profoundly affected his work and wellbeing. He shares his experience of eliminating dairy and gluten from his diet, reducing alcohol consumption, and being more mindful of what he puts into his body.

Bajorek invites listeners to pay closer attention to their own routines and habits that may seem insignificant but could be hampering their performance and preventing them from operating at their full potential. He challenges the audience to identify new positive habits formed during the pandemic as well as old unhealthy patterns that have crept back in. Bajorek argues that making small adjustments can have an outsized impact and urges everyone to aim for optimal functioning in order to deliver their absolute best to clients and customers.

Are we ready for 2021 yet? I mean, I know a lot of people have been wishing 2020 away for probably six months now, but 2021 is right around the corner. Now my question for you is, are you ready for it? Do you have your business plan? Are you working on your business plan? So much of what we do in sales requires you to be reactive. And using the time that you have or making the time to be strategic is really, really important. It allows you to put yourself in positions to execute well, and make good things happen.

Oh boy, touchy subject incoming. The breakup email, we've all sent one. It can be long or short, simple or complicated, direct or passive aggressive...but is it even necessary? I'll explain in this episode of Deeper Thought.

Cycles. They're everywhere. Our bodies, our minds, our economy, our ecology. Some cycles don't move towards an equilibrium. They spin out of control. Sometimes that's good and sometimes that's bad. Learning to differentiate vicious and virtuous cycles can be the key to making small choices that lead to the latter and avoid the former.

This is part two of an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "Physical immunity matters. Psychological immunity matters more," by Vince Fowler including an interview with the author. Full text with sources below. For the most up to date and accurate information about the novel Coronavirus please consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at https://www.cdc.org.

Here's some fat to chew on... while we've all heard about the importance of maintaining and improving our physical health and immunity... what about our psychological immunity?

Here in the days of Covid-19, regardless of what your job is in the world of selling or where you are in the world (selling), we've got jobs to do so let's get at it... and stay safe while we're at it. 

We've probably all been told that the best way to stay safe is to; 

• wash your hands
• keep 6 ft apart
• wear a mask when you can't stay 6 ft apart
• drink more whisky, especially anything over 60% ABV as it is both hand and throat sanitizer 😉

That's it? Really? Come on... aside from the wisdom of consuming fine whisky, all I have to do is wash my hands, wear a mask and stay six feet away from others? Are there no other preventative measures?

This is part one of an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "Physical immunity matters. Psychological immunity matters more," by Vince Fowler including an interview with the author. Full text with sources below. For the most up to date and accurate information about the novel Coronavirus please consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at https://www.cdc.org.

Here's some fat to chew on... while we've all heard about the importance of maintaining and improving our physical health and immunity... what about our psychological immunity?

Here in the days of Covid-19, regardless of what your job is in the world of selling or where you are in the world (selling), we've got jobs to do so let's get at it... and stay safe while we're at it. 

We've probably all been told that the best way to stay safe is to; 

• wash your hands
• keep 6 ft apart
• wear a mask when you can't stay 6 ft apart
• drink more whisky, especially anything over 60% ABV as it is both hand and throat sanitizer 😉

That's it? Really? Come on... aside from the wisdom of consuming fine whisky, all I have to do is wash my hands, wear a mask and stay six feet away from others? Are there no other preventative measures?

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "Sales Professionals Stoke The Personal Fire Within Them" written by Larry Levine, including an interview with the author.

EXCERPT

Are you stoking the fire of passion and pride that drives you to do the hard work to be a true One-Percenter. 

Ignite the fire from within!

In order to be extraordinary and rise above the sea of empty suits, you must abandon your excuses, limiting self-beliefs, and damaging thoughts. 

I encourage you to replace them with a set of higher self-expectations.

How comfortable are you with taking risks? I don't mean skydiving or swimming with sharks. I want to want to talk about other kinds of risks. What about standing up to your manager? And I don't mean, like, you know, pushing your manager around, I mean, like sticking up for yourself, like breaking the chain of command a little bit. What about speaking up for what you feel is right, versus what you're being told to do? What about being willing to do things in your sales process a little bit differently than the way you were trained?

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. If you don't have time to do it, right, you definitely don't have time to do it twice. These are thoughts that I have in my head on a regular basis. It really bothers me to do something without doing it to the best of my ability. Which really gets in my way sometimes, because there are a lot of things that I want to do. When you want to do that many things, and then you can't do them all really, really well. It creates some conflict, right?

Where are the situations where you are willing to lean in when most of your competitors are running away? When you see a change in your marketplace. When you hear people saying, "I can't sell face to face anymore, therefore I'm just going to sit here on my hands and wait until things get better." You're not moving forward if you're sitting still. But are you leaning forward? Are you accelerating? In most mature industries the players are all capable of going fast. They're all capable of going far. But sometimes the strategy is the biggest difference.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "You Give Sales A Bad Name" including an interview with the author, Liz Wendling. Beware of false sales prophets looking to sell you on closed deals without hard work. There is no magic formula to more sales and the more you automate what should stay personal the further you'll get from true success. We're skipping Easy Street on this edition of Deeper Thought.

It is human nature to seek the easy way out. It is disappointing to observe how some people today look to hop on the fastest train on which they find the least discomfort. I call it the you-mean-I-have-to-work-at-this syndrome. Every day capable men and women let opportunities fall through the cracks and leave money on the table because they choose easy over effective when it comes to sales. Loads of people prefer the quick-fix over a long-lasting solution. These people give sales a bad name.

We all have head trash, thoughts that cloud our brain and muddle our decision-making processes. Jeff's head trash started piling up around a recent car purchase. He'll tell you how he started some waste management inside his noggin.

Jeff sits down with the current producer of Deeper Thought and former producer of The Why and The Buy, Doug Branson for an impromptu but important discussion about the anxieties that keep us from realizing our full potential.

One Zoom meeting, endless possiblities. Jeff discusses his latest outreach efforts and the fruit they are producing. 

"Give yourself an opportunity, make the request. Spend some time with someone who exists in your space professionally that you don't know. Start with someone who's got some familiarity with you. Make the investment, it's really worthwhile. You're going to get different perspectives. You are going to learn some things about the way they operate their business. You're going to be able to show them some of the things you do that operate in your business."

Leaders Don't Just Read, They Act. In this introspective episode, host Jeff Bajorek dives into the notion that true leaders aren't just voracious readers - they are doers who implement what they learn. Jeff challenges the idea that reading numerous books every year is productive if you don't actively apply the key principles. He argues that instead of constantly seeking out new books, take the core lessons from ones you've already read and put them into practice. The value isn't in endlessly consuming content, but in executing the good ideas you encounter.

Jeff provides actionable advice for getting more from the books and podcasts you engage with. Before picking up something new, revisit a recent book and distill it down to 1-3 key takeaways. Spend 15 minutes reflecting on how to apply those concepts in your own life or work. Consciously implementing even just one insight is more powerful than passively absorbing idea after idea. The best leaders balance learning with doing to drive meaningful change and growth.

In this episode, Jeff Bajorek discusses the importance of not being too attached to outcomes in sales. He explains that while sales is a results-oriented profession, paradoxically you often perform your best when you aren't overly fixated on the outcome itself. Jeff uses the analogy of a golf swing - if you care too little, you won't take it seriously enough to perform well. But if you care too much and get tense trying to force an outcome, you'll get in your own way and underperform. The key is caring enough to fully prepare and give your best effort, while still maintaining a relaxed state of "flow" where you aren't paralyzed by how important the outcome feels.

Jeff argues that adopting this mindset allows you to take calculated risks, ask probing questions, and have dynamic conversations that boring, overly cautious discovery calls lack. When you aren't as emotionally invested in any single deal, you can be bolder and expose new needs that lead to solving bigger problems for the customer. Ultimately, Jeff encourages developing the resilience to trust your process, keep a full pipeline so no single opportunity makes or breaks you, and maintain the perspective that sometimes factors outside your control determine outcomes no matter how well you execute.

Business is not a routine, and sometimes upheavals like the COVID-19 pandemic can shake us out of our normal patterns and open us up to new ideas and ways of working. Host Jeff Bajorek reflects on how the pandemic's disruption led to overscheduling, excessive busyness and a constant feeling of being overwhelmed - chasing your tail on a hamster wheel without making real progress. He admits to biting off more than he could chew during this period and taking on too many commitments.

Bajorek argues that this level of busyness is unsustainable and unproductive. To regain control and find a healthy routine, he recommends actively deciding what activities and projects to stop or put down. Clearing that mental and schedule space allows you to prioritize the highest value tasks, organize your time effectively, and ultimately accomplish more than when you were overwhelmed. Bajorek shares how implementing this mindset has created hours of productive time in his day for activities like prospecting, creating content, and simply having downtime - enabling him to be more effective both professionally and personally.

On this thought-provoking episode of Deeper Thought, host Jeff Bajorek is joined by guest DeJuan to discuss the concept of "redemptive leadership" and how social movements are empowering employees to advocate for themselves in the workplace. They explore the parallels between people standing up for justice in society and employees feeling emboldened to speak up about their needs, especially around mental health.

DeJuan shares insightful perspectives on creating an environment where employees feel truly free to be their full selves without fear of repercussions. The conversation digs into high-profile examples like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka prioritizing their mental wellbeing, and how their courage can ripple through organizations. Jeff and DeJuan examine the conflicts employees may feel in advocating for themselves versus prioritizing team dynamics. Overall, it's a nuanced discussion on the leader's role in normalizing open dialogue around previously taboo personal topics for the betterment of the entire workplace.

Sales and why it works. In this episode, host Jeff Bajorek dives deep into the importance of taking vacations and truly unplugging from work. He opens up about his own struggles with anxiety when trying to disconnect, and how not taking real breaks can lead to an erosion in the quality of your work over time without you even realizing it. Jeff recounts a trip to Italy where he left his phone in the hotel safe, set expectations with clients, and was able to be fully present - an experience that left him feeling refreshed upon returning to work.

He encourages listeners to build boundaries, set realistic expectations with customers, and take time for themselves - whether a long weekend away or even just an afternoon off with phones silenced. Jeff argues that customers actually respect and appreciate when you set those boundaries. Unplugging allows you to recharge, reflect, and ultimately provide better service when you're back on the job. The episode is a reminder that vacations are not luxuries, but essential resets that allow you to be at your best professionally.

In this episode of Deeper Thought, host Jeff Bajorek shares an insightful perspective on dealing with life's difficulties. Drawing from a recent conversation with his 10-year-old son about persevering through challenges, Jeff emphasizes that hardships are opportunities to learn valuable lessons. He encourages listeners to reflect on what current struggles they are facing and consider not just finding solutions, but identifying the deeper meaning behind those obstacles.

Jeff also gets candid about his own personal challenges related to his content creation and social media presence. He openly wrestles with finding the right balance and cadence for sharing his thoughts authentically without oversharing or feeling burdened to constantly create more content. His transparency provides a great example of looking below the surface to understand the root issues and lessons we can extract from our difficulties, rather than just putting band-aids on problems. Ultimately, Jeff invites listeners to ask themselves what they need to learn from their own hardships in order to grow.

In this mailbag episode, Jeff tackles questions submitted by listeners on important sales topics. He starts by diving into how to inspire sales leaders to be better coaches focused on their team's activities rather than just micromanaging results. Jeff emphasizes the importance of leaders being present with their teams, not just staring at reports and numbers. He advises leaders to have the courage to challenge senior management if needed to do what's best for their team's development.

Jeff then gives advice to a new sales rep struggling with hitting call quotas and improving their numbers game. He stresses not just looking at the math, but mastering the art of quality prospecting through persistent outreach, valuable messaging that resonates, and viewing prospects as people you can truly help. Jeff argues you earn attention and meetings not just through sheer activity, but by building a reputation as someone worth talking to who won't simply be waited out.

Boundaries are essential, but often misunderstood, especially in a sales context. In this thought-provoking episode, host Jeff Bajorek dives deep into the importance of establishing clear boundaries within organizations and teams. He explores how boundaries provide crucial structure rather than rigidity, clearly defining roles, responsibilities, and accountability. Through insightful examples spanning startups to established companies, Jeff illustrates how a lack of boundaries can initially feel liberating but ultimately lead to burnout, confusion, and an inability to scale effectively.

Drawing from coaching experiences and conversations with industry peers, Jeff examines the double-edged nature of "startup culture" and its celebrated boundary-free environment. He dissects the illusion of flat organizational charts, open-door policies, and the allure of perks like beer and foosball. Ultimately, Jeff makes a compelling case for why boundaries are vital for long-term success, enabling organizations to maintain structure, foster clarity, and attract the right talent as they grow. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to build a sustainable, high-performing team or business.

Do you ever go back and review your sales calls? In this episode, Jeff Bajorek encourages listeners to be more mindful during sales conversations and take the time to mentally replay and analyze what went well and what could be improved. He reminds us that even the best salespeople make mistakes sometimes and have room to get better. Jeff challenges listeners to trade recorded calls with a colleague and provide feedback to each other on strengths and areas for improvement.

Jeff also provides details on the upcoming Outbound conference, happening June 13-18th with virtual and in-person options. He'll be leading workshops at the event focused on enhancing your sales skills. Use the promo code he provides for $100 off tickets. Additionally, Jeff mentions he does weekly live training sessions that listeners can check out at JeffBajorek.live. Continusouly striving to improve through mindful review of your process is key to becoming a polished, masterful sales professional according to Jeff.

In this entertaining episode, Jeff is joined by sales experts David Weiss and Andy Racic to discuss creative strategies for capturing people's attention in sales situations. They explore unorthodox tactics like wearing strange outfits, pulling goofy stunts, or using an uncertain, self-deprecating tone - anything to get a prospect to change their posture and engage, even if just for a brief moment.

The group digs into defining "success" in sales beyond just closing deals, emphasizing the importance of small wins like gathering new contact information, getting responses and engagement, or simply learning something useful for the next call. They advocate focusing on process and incremental progress rather than solely on big events. With humor and wisdom from their sales experience, Jeff, David and Andy provide an insightful discussion on unconventional yet effective methods for breaking through and connecting with prospective customers.

In this episode, Jeff dives deep into discussing Matthew Pollard's book "The Introvert's Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outperform Extroverts Through Focused Personal Branding." As an introvert himself, Jeff found the book incredibly insightful on how introverts can capitalize on their strengths for effective networking and sales. He praises Pollard's framework for crafting a compelling personal brand narrative and delivering it through purposeful storytelling.

Jeff emphasizes that the key for introverts is to get crystal clear on their "why" - their strong sense of purpose that fuels passion and boundless energy for their work. He unpacks other practical strategies from the book like finding your niche, developing a concise elevator pitch, and leveraging both in-person and digital platforms for relationship building. Whether an introvert or extrovert, Jeff highly recommends this book to anyone looking to up their networking game in an authentic way.

When you go to that fancy steak restaurant to meet with a client or prospect, get the pork chop. "SACRILEGE," you may scream. But Jeff tells you why it's the smartest thing you can do and how you can start a conversation over the chop that could lead to a sale.

In this thought-provoking episode, host Jeff Bajorek tackles the age-old management question of how to motivate people and get the best out of your team. He dismisses the antiquated "push them" mentality, arguing that trying to forcefully motivate those who don't want to be pushed is an exercise in futility that only breeds resentment. Instead, Jeff advocates understanding what truly drives each individual and aligning their motivations with your goals - making it a mutually beneficial endeavor where you're not "pushing" but rather "showing" them a path forward that enriches you both.

Using colorful metaphors and real-world examples, Jeff illustrates how meeting resistance with more force is counterproductive, but leveraging someone's existing ambitions can exponentially increase your combined progress. He drives the point home with personal anecdotes about motivating his sales team, his own children, and even "old dogs" set in their ways - all through finding the intrinsic incentive rather than futilely pushing against the grain. It's a masterclass in emotional intelligence for leaders and managers of all stripes.

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought group post found here. It includes an extended interview with the author Andy Racic on the origins of the piece. 

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” – William Ernest Henley, Invictus

Henley isn’t wrong. But, we need to be clear. As seductive as the idea of having control is, as rational people, we simply must accept that so, so much of our life is outside of our control. There is a lot that we can do to change and improve our lives, and there is a lot we can do day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute, interaction to interaction, to guide and influence our fate. That’s what drew me to sales – to improve my “win rate” in any given interaction with people by learning, to quote Liam Neeson, “a very particular set of skills.”

Surrender is a funny word. On its face, it may seem like "giving up" in a negative sense. But what if you're giving up control, the illusion of control? Giving up on creating an environment that is disadvantageous. It's only when we surrender something that we can then give ourselves permission to have something else.

But if you trust in the knowledge that you're the best in the world at what you do AND you know the really scary part which is that you're only half as good as you're ever going to be then you're heading in the right direction. If you can't get behind that then you're doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

In this thought-provoking episode of "Rethink the Way You Sell," Jeff discusses the concept of control in sales, exploring the fine line between healthy management and excessive control. He examines the potential pitfalls of trying to control too much, highlighting how this can lead to anxiety and dissatisfaction in one's career. He also touches on the unrealistic expectations sometimes placed on sales professionals, like arbitrary quotas and the pressure to deliver miracles. He emphasizes the need for a balanced approach, where salespeople focus on their process rather than obsessing over results. This episode is not just about strategies in sales; it's a candid look at the mental and emotional challenges that come with the territory. Jeff's conversation is an essential listen for anyone in sales seeking to strike a balance between ambition and realism, control and flexibility. Tune in to gain a fresh perspective on how to navigate the complexities of a sales career while maintaining your well-being and integrity.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Jeff also touches on the dangers of letting emotions dictate actions in sales, cautioning against the temptation to prematurely celebrate deals or let guard down at critical moments. He stresses the significance of staying grounded and disciplined, keeping a vigilant eye on the process rather than getting caught up in the excitement of potential results. Using practical examples and personal anecdotes, Jeff illustrates how easy it is to lose sight of important details when emotions take the lead. This episode is not just about understanding the emotional dynamics at play in sales but also about learning to manage one's emotional state to ensure consistent success. Jeff's insights and advice provide valuable lessons for sales professionals aiming to navigate the complex interplay of emotion and logic in their work.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

This is also a good reminder of the importance of resilience, self-belief, and the power of a growth mindset in overcoming obstacles and closing deals. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to refine their sales approach, blending the earlier steps of self-awareness, value-driven strategies, and effective processes with the charismatic art of maintaining swagger. Jeff's final message resonates as a call to action for sales professionals: to not only embrace these seven steps but to embody them, ensuring a more successful, genuine, and fulfilling career in sales.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by Doug Branson

Additional Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by Doug Branson

Additional Music by Blue Dot Sessions

In the second part of the episode, Jeff distinguishes between accountability and micromanagement, underscoring that the former is about support and trust, not control. He introduces the idea that self-accountability is somewhat of an oxymoron, advocating instead for the support of a colleague or mentor. This support, Jeff explains, is not about overseeing every action but about helping navigate unforeseen challenges and maintaining alignment with goals. He encourages listeners to find an accountability partner, emphasizing the old saying, "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." The episode concludes with Jeff reminding listeners of the importance of regular check-ins and communication in maintaining accountability, and he teases the next episode, which will discuss tools for self-discipline in the context of sales.

Download my latest ebook: https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes! https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by Doug Branson

Additional Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Download my latest ebook: https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!: https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and editing by Doug Branson. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

---

Links mentioned in the show

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariabross/

https://www.jeffbajorek.com/posts/the-important-difference-between-roi-and-coinbsp

---

Building on the idea that purchases are made emotionally first and justified logically after, Jeff outlines the importance of creating a nuanced approach to sales tension. He advises against the excessive emphasis on pain points, advocating instead for a balanced approach that interweaves the negative with the potential positive outcomes. This episode promises to reshape your understanding of the sales narrative, offering actionable insights into how sales professionals can craft more compelling, balanced arguments that resonate on an emotional level and lead to successful conversions. Plus, stay tuned for an exciting preview of an upcoming interview with sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer, which promises to offer even more transformative sales strategies.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

But it’s not just about changing tactics; it's about altering your entire mindset. Jeff introduces the concepts of "tension" and "connection" as critical elements in the sales process. He contends that without establishing a genuine connection based on credibility and relevance, any attempt to create tension—or emotional engagement—will fall flat. From the pitfalls of leading with slide decks to the dangers of being too product-centric, this episode is packed with invaluable insights that will make you rethink not just how you sell, but how you connect.

Forgotten sales rule: people buy emotionally first, justify logically later. (0:00)

Using emotions in sales process. (1:47)

Sales tactics and customer experience. (3:26)

Balancing positive and negative emotions in sales. (6:03)

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Jeff also discusses how your digital footprint and reputation either validate or negate your claim to provide value in sales interactions. With anecdotes from his personal life and provocative questions that make you reconsider your own personal brand, this episode provides actionable insights into building a reputation that sticks. From earning the loyalty of your customers to the importance of trading enough value for someone's time, Jeff covers the often-overlooked aspects of the sales process that can make or break your success.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Jeff also pays homage to pivotal influences in his career, notably mentioning the impact of Jeffrey Gitomer's "The Little Red Book of Selling". Beyond just strategies and techniques, this episode challenges listeners to think about their own guiding principles and the indelible truths that have shaped their approach to sales. With an invitation to engage, reflect, and share their own sales journey, Jeff continues to inspire salespeople to embrace their unique journey and redefine success.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Jeff underscores the importance of embracing "really good" over unattainable perfection, sharing insights on how this mindset shift can lead to more genuine connections and impactful sales outcomes. Join Jeff as he explores the intricacies of perfectionism in sales and offers a fresh perspective on delivering your best work in the moment.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Jeff explains how checking your ego, acknowledging the objection, and returning to the problem can transform tense negotiations into collaborative discussions. Learn why rehearsed responses break rapport and trust, and how being mindful keeps you focused on win-win outcomes. If you want to overcome objections with empathy and advance deals with better long-term results, this episode will give you the tools to rethink the way you handle objections and negotiate.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Listen in as he delves into the significance of staying present, understanding the core of true selling, and the art of making impactful recommendations. If you've been looking for an authentic, transformative approach to sales, this episode holds the key to #selllikeyou.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Jason also tells us how he manages self-source pipelines and runs tight sales cycles. They get into the nuances that separate great sales reps from the wannabes, stressing the importance of bringing value to every single interaction with prospects. Whether you're a seasoned sales veteran or just starting in the field, this episode is packed with actionable advice that you can apply immediately to improve your sales strategy. It's time rethink the way you discover new sales prospects.

6:00 - How "multi-threading" can help you find the real decision maker without offending everyone else

10:50 - Discover the bigger project picture and win the sale

19:20 - Managing your time on a sales call effectively

25:51 - What questions should be prepared ahead of a sales call to offer strategic advice effectively?

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Articles referenced in this podcast:

https://www.jeffbajorek.com/posts/2021/1/29/the-sales-step-that-separates-top-performers-from-the-rest

https://www.jeffbajorek.com/posts/2021/2/6/this-is-what-great-discovery-looks-like

Forget about cornering your prospects with questions you already know the answers to; Jeff explores how to genuinely engage with potential clients by asking thought-provoking questions. From making your prospects think to asking questions neither of you knows the answers to, Jeff outlines a strategy that will earn you not just a deal, but the respect and trust of your client.

Jeff also shares his insights on what happens after the discovery process, like how to make a seamless transition into the next steps and ensure your deals never stall. Tune in to hear about the 3 types of questions that can help you create the tension necessary to close more deals. Whether you're a seasoned sales professional or new to the game, this episode is a treasure trove of techniques to help you rethink the way you sell.

3:36 - DON'T start with the usual questions, understand the prospect's situation

6:38 - The 6 Outcomes of GREAT discovery

13:35 - The 3 Types of Questions You Should Be Asking Your Prospects

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Watch Jeff and Jason Bay put the "P" in prospecting here: https://youtu.be/vYT_Fwe3fDc

This episode isn't just about numbers; it's about getting creative and making a memorable impression. From "crumpled letters" to sending a Converse All Star sneaker with a note saying "Just trying to get my foot in the door," Jeff explores innovative and bold techniques that go beyond the usual calls and emails. If you've ever felt stuck in your prospecting or simply want to improve your techniques, this episode is packed with advice and methods that will help you stand out in a crowded marketplace.

4:50 - Frequency: How often should you be reaching out to a prospect?

6:17 - Duration: Time under tensions MATTERS

8:30 - Multichannel creativity WILL make you stand out

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Join Jeff as he flips the script on conventional sales wisdom, urging you to take ownership of your role as a seller and lead your customers to success. This episode is all about empowering you to sell like yourself, and it's packed with actionable advice on being persistent without being a pest, what great discovery looks like, and how to close deals in a way that feels good for both you and your prospects. If you're ready to rethink the way you sell and create more opportunities, results, and outcomes, this episode is a must-listen!

Salesy has become a derogatory term but you can take ownership over it. (2:28)

Salesy is NOT manipulation (5:02)

Don't believe the hype: People NEED sales (7:00)

Choose to be effective in a way that makes you feel good about yourself. (9:48)

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Most CRM systems are implemented incorrectly, and it's NOT the system's fault. (1:59)

How a simple CRM systems saved Jeff's sale (7:30)

Your CRM is not just a management tool, it's a sales tool (12:21)

Download my latest ebook https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes! https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

This episode isn't about just theory, it's about transforming your daily sales activities. Jeff offers stimulating questions that make you reconsider your current practices around identifying the right customers, controlling the sales conversation, and more. Gleaning insights from his work with David Weisner and the Sales Collective, Jeff digs into the intricate workings of the sales process, encouraging you to refine your precision and purposefulness in sales. As a seasoned salesperson or a newcomer to the game, you'll find immense value in Jeff's deep dive that could lead to reducing your sales cycles. Tune in for an episode that delivers more than just a guide - it's your personal masterclass in sales.

How to think critically about your sales process. (1:46)

How to turn an interested prospect into a customer for life? (5:24)

The more you know, the better you get. (7:03)

3 questions to ask yourself before every meeting. (8:31)

Questions to ask yourself during your process. (9:57)

Jeff will bet you a cup of coffee. (11:34)

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Jeff provides real-life examples from his own sales experience and practical insights to help listeners refine their sales process and ultimately drive better results. This episode offers valuable guidance for sales professionals looking to improve their selling techniques and achieve better results.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

See Jeff's matrix and learn how to use it: https://www.jeffbajorek.com/posts/a-different-way-to-look-at-growth

This is an episode for those who are keen to delve into the strategic side of sales and learn how to maximize their resources effectively. Jeff will challenge your understanding of accessible yet unscalable accounts, and how they can be a blessing in disguise in terms of growth. Don't miss out as he unfolds how having meaningful conversations with these customers could lead to game-changing insights. Be prepared to question your current sales approach, dismantle your preconceived ideas, and truly rethink the way you sell.

4:15 - The inspirations behind the framework

5:15 - Understanding the quadrants

8:00 - Quadrant 1: Accessible and growable accounts

9:30 - Quadrant 2: Non-Accessible, growable accounts

11:14 - Quadrant 3: Accessible, but not growable accounts

16:27 - Quadrant 4: Accounts you can't grow or access

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

https://linktr.ee/rethinkpod

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson  

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions 

To aid in having these effective discussions, Jeff presents a five-step framework. These steps encompass understanding why the customer initially chose your company, seeking specifics about this decision, determining why they continue to do business with you, asking if they can refer additional clients, and finally, if they can introduce the company to these referrals. Jeff stresses that using this framework twice a year can considerably enhance the growth trajectory through referrals, stating "I gave you the framework. Now I'm going to ask you if you're willing to use it."

You will serve your customers even better if you are willing to have the conversations that need to be had. (1:30)

Five Questions for Killer Customer Conversations. (3:57)

Why you have to ask for more detail. (5:14)

Why do you continue to do business with us? (7:05)

You’re getting exact messaging for what it’s like to find more customers like them. (9:32)

An introduction goes so much further than a referral. (11:45)

Why you need to have this conversation with your best customers twice a year. (13:41)

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkapple

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkspotify

Google: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkgp

Stitcher: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkstitcher

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson 

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Jeff argues that most sellers only have a surface-level view of who their customers are. He urges you to dig deeper and ask: "What are their goals? What motivates them? How are they feeling and thinking?" Jeff says truly knowing your customers will make selling much easier for you.

"People buy emotionally first, then justify logically." Yet most sellers lead with logic instead of their customers' emotional state. Jeff wants you to uncover the emotions your prospects are experiencing related to their problem and potential solution.

Another key point is understanding customers' motives beyond just the product or solution. Jeff asks: "Why would they buy from you? Why wouldn't they buy from you? What emotions drive their decision?" Answering these questions will give you a clearer picture of your customers and how to help them. Listen to gain Jeff's framework for finding out why your best customers choose you. His advice aims to deepen relationships and make referrals easier for you to obtain by helping you earn the right to ask through a deeper understanding of your customers.

Why you need to know who you are selling to. (2:17)

What emotional state are they in? What are the emotions that drive a decision? (3:54)

Who are your best customers? Why would they buy from you? What are their motives? (5:29)

Why wouldn’t they buy from you? (7:15)

What are the emotions that drive the decision to solve the problem? (9:17)

People buy emotionally first, then justify logically. (10:39)

When you have a better understanding of your prospect’s journey, you will have earned the right to ask for referrals and introductions. (12:15)

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkapple

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkspotify

Google: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkgp

Stitcher: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkstitcher

Music and Editing by @Doug Branson 

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Throughout the episode, Jeff guides listeners in aligning their core beliefs with their sales processes and shares a simple exercise to help identify crucial differentiators. By reevaluating your purpose, understanding customers' needs, and adopting unconventional approaches, you'll unlock unlimited sales potential and achieve greater success in your sales career.

Key Takeaways:

4:38 Embrace differentiation - Effective sales strategies require setting yourself apart from competitors and finding unique selling propositions.

8:17 You lose business the same way you win business - Foster critical thinking and be open to exploring innovative approaches or risk losing out to price

11:58 What is the feature? What is the benefit? What does the outcome look like? -

Get clear on what it is that you do and how you help.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkapple

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkspotify

Google: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkgp

Stitcher: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkstitcher

Music and Editing by  @Doug Branson 

Additional Music by  @Blue Dot Sessions

Through personal anecdotes and powerful insights, Jeff and DeJuan offer a fresh perspective on rethinking the way you sell, combining passion with meaningful work, and using your skills to uplift and support those who need it most. Whether you're in sales or any other field, this episode will leave you feeling inspired and motivated to align your values with your career and pay it forward to the next generation.

Key Takeaways:

4:30 Align passion with career - DeJuan's new role at Merit America exemplifies the power of combining passion for helping others with professional skills to create meaningful change in people's lives.

Leverage unconventional opportunities for growth - Don't be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to advancing your career and broadening your skill set, as DeJuan did by joining a nonprofit organization.

19:08 Advance your career by helping add six figures to someone else's income

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkapple

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkspotify

Google: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkgp

Stitcher: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkstitcher

Music and Editing by  @Doug Branson 

Additional Music by  @Blue Dot Sessions

Jeff guides listeners through the concept of how life stages or career stages can shape a salesperson's motivation, using the analogy of a pyramid similar to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs where money motivation is at the base, progression to mastery in the middle, and the pursuit of giving back at the top. As you move through stages, the fulfillment derived from sales activities changes. He challenges listeners to assess where they are in this pyramid and align their behaviors, practices, and principles for optimal results.

Key Takeaways:

1:57 Determine your own how - Redefining selling in a way that suits you can open up new possibilities and empower you to make the rules of the game.

7:12 Achieve alignment and integrity - Aligning what you sell, who you sell it to, how you sell, and why, while maintaining integrity, is crucial for doing your best work in sales.

10:20 Assess your place in the hierarchy of sales needs - Understanding where you are in your journey of motivations and focusing on aligning with that stage can lead to better results.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkapple

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkspotify

Google: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkgp

Stitcher: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkstitcher

Music and Editing by  @Doug Branson 

Additional Music by  @Blue Dot Sessions

In the first episode, Jeff explores the first step to selling like you: knowing yourself. By examining the alignment between what you sell, who you sell it to, how you sell it, and why, you can achieve greater integrity and do your best work. Set yourself up for success by redefining selling in a way that suits you and taking control of the process. Join Jeff Bajorek as he dives deep into selling concepts, shares provocative questions, and challenges you to rethink the way you sell.

Key Takeaways

4:54 - Redefining Selling: Discover the importance of redefining selling to suit your unique personality, boundaries, and goals. This empowers you to create your own system and paves the way for mastery in sales.

10:04 - Alignment: Aligning what you sell, who you sell it to, and how you sell it is crucial for doing your best work in sales. Finding this alignment can help you achieve greater integrity and a more authentic sales process.

12:14 - Taking Control of the Process: By redefining selling in a way that suits you, you can take control of the sales process and set yourself up for ultimate success. This involves deciding your boundaries, testing barriers, and breaking superstitions to find the most effective approach for you.

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkapple

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkspotify

Google: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkgp

Stitcher: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkstitcher

Music and Editing by  @Doug Branson 

Additional Music by @Blue Dot Sessions

Download my latest ebook

https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Listen and follow my podcast, Rethink the Way You Sell for weekly episodes!

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkapple

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkspotify

Google: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkgp

Stitcher: https://tinyurl.com/rethinkstitcher

Music and Editing by  @Doug Branson 

Music by  @Blue Dot Sessions 

In today’s episode, I want to give you a framework to use, as well as a preview of Season 5 (coming in a few weeks). This is the framework that I use with my clients to establish their business development efforts and help them grow as quickly and sustainably as possible.

1. Know Yourself
2. Know Your Best Customers
3. Know Your Sales Process
4. Know Your Methodology
5. Know The Rules
6. Be Held Accountable
7. Keep Your Swagger

I go into further detail on my blog here: https://www.jeffbajorek.com/posts/7-steps-to-selllikeyou

If you’d like to learn even more about how this breaks down, make sure you subscribe and stay tuned for Season 5!

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

The last thing a seller wants to do is let anybody down, and the weight of that responsibility can be heavy.

But when you think about it, there are so few ways to screw up a sales process, so long as you have good intentions and approach the process from a place of curiosity, generosity, and good intentions.

When you reframe and redefine selling in the way that best suits you (and still gets the job done), it’s amazing how much safer you feel when you approach the work.

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

Follow Jen on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/demandjen1/ and earn more about Lavender here: https://www.lavender.ai/

Here’s what Jen and I got into during this episode:

• how she got into sales 
• how she was taken back by the “force of presence” of her mentor
• how a conversation with a prospect changed her entire perspective on what it meant to “be professional”
• how everything changed for Jeff with a client when he stopped making things so stiff and complicated
• fearing loss is no way to win
• how there are so many versions of great in selling
• what it means to Jen to #SellLikeYou
• and much more

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

Then Jordana spoke last week about how her new leader joining the organization and encouraging her to be vulnerable allowed her to do her very best work. 

You need to be willing to get out of your comfort zone and leave mediocrity behind. You have to be willing to try things that might not work. You have to do all of this with the goal of doing your best work.

That’s why it takes practice to #SellLikeYou. 

You can practice by role playing. You can write out your sales calls. You can brainstorm with your colleagues, or even just daydream situations and play them out in your head.

There are a lot of ways to practice. What’s non-negotiable is that you need to do that kind of work to get better. 

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

You can find her at https://www.thepracticelab.co/ or on Linkedinhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanazeldin/

Here’s what Jordana and I dug into on today’s episode:

• how her sales journey started
• what changed when a real sales leader joined her team
• permission to drop the rigid mask she was wearing
• the feelings people get when they work with you
• the power of being willing to be irreverent
• the best ways to practice in a safe, collaborative space
• and so much more…

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

You can have a real short memory if you always tell the truth, and that’s the key to building grounded trusting relationships with everyone on your team. 

When you have trust, you can have real accountability. This is rocket fuel for sales teams. Without it, you just won’t go very far, and you certainly won’t get there quickly.

Another overlooked aspect of transparency is vulnerability. The leader needs to create a safe environment for the team to do its very best work. 

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

You can find him at https://toddcaponi.com/ or on the socials

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcaponi/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/tcaponi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tcaponi/

Here’s what Todd and I dug into on today’s episode:

   -   His sales origin story

   -   How his Dad was the original Transparent Sales Leader

   -   How selling meant something different 100 years ago than it does today

   -   Every relationship is better with transparency

   -   Transparency is a prediction machine

   -   What does it mean to Todd to #SellLikeYou?

   -   And much more…

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

On today’s episode, we’re going to look at the strengths both introverts and extroverts have in a sales role. We’re also going to look at the importance (and the costs) of being able to turn on certain aspects of your personality.

Most importantly, you need to know yourself. The more you know about your personality type or your style, the more you can leverage your strengths.

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

You can find Jason at https://outboundsquad.com/ or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasondbay/

Here’s what JBay and I dug into on today’s episode:

   -   Jason’s sales origin story selling house painting

   -   How his experience as an athlete helped him understand the sales process

   -   How he tripled his sales expectations in his first year

   -   What it means to be an introvert in a sales role

   -   What it means to #SellLikeYou

   -   Surrounding yourself with “accountabilibuddies”

   -   And then some…

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

Leslie is also fiercely passionate about DEIB initiatives, and we touch on that a little bit in our conversation today. She also hosts a business book club on Patreon, where I’ll be her guest in October.

https://www.patreon.com/businessbookclub

Want to learn more? Find Leslie:

On TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@salestipstok

On LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslievenetz/

On Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/b2bsalescoach/

On Twitter- https://twitter.com/LeslieVenetz

On the web- https://insidesalesteambuilder.com/

Here’s what Leslie and I talked about on today’s episode:

   -   How she started in professional sales

   -   How it’s different for women to get into sales than man

   -   How she knew sales was for her

   -   Why women tend to succeed 3-12% more than men

   -   Abandoning stereotypes and narratives

   -   Alignment and content creation

   -   And so much more…

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

I used to think that I wasn’t a good storyteller, and then a couple of people told me exactly the opposite, and I started thinking differently about the concept.

Most people try to force some sort of narrative because they read it in a book. It doesn’t usually go well because it’s so contrived. We naturally speak in story. It’s how we communicate. You’d on’t realize you’re already telling a story, then you try to jam another one in, and it just doesn’t work.

When you recognize the stories you’re already telling, it makes it a lot easier (and natural) to just lean into those elements.

Salespeople can easily tell stories by illustrating the problems their customers have. It happens during prospecting and even more in good discovery. You empathize with where they are and help them look around the corner at what they may be facing in the immediate future. When that narrative is correct (and it should be if you’re talking to the right people), you position yourself as and expert and someone who could be a valuable guide for them; a trusted advisor.

One way or another, it’s best to commit. Go all in on a predetermined narrative that makes sense to tell your customers, or lean into the way you naturally communicate. One of those approaches has a higher ceiling, but the other is a little more straightforward.

The state of the art of professional selling is putting your prospects in the middle of their own story and making them realize they're there.

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

You can learn more about him on LinkedIn, theravirajani.comand download the ACORN storytelling framework at https://www.theravirajani.com/yourelevatorstory .

Here’s what Ravi and I talked about on today’s episode:

   -   he was a dance and theater kid

   -   he watched ‘Wall Street’ a few too many times and landed a career in investment banking

   -   what storytelling means in Ravi’s own words and how not all narratives are stories

   -   the ACORN method for storytelling

   -   what it meant to Ravi to #SellLikeYou, and the micro-moments in his career that led him to stop hiding behind the mask

   -   the more you act out of alignment with who you are, the more you’ll attract people and customers out of alignment with who you are

   -   and so much more…

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

One of the best things about selling is that it’s a results-oriented game. You made the sale or you didn’t. But that doesn’t mean you have to make the sale in one call in order for that call to be considered a success.

There are a lot of little steps that add up a long the way, and if you can’t see those steps for what they are, you’re going to miss out on a lot of wins.

Stop trying to say the perfect thing to the perfect person at the perfect time. Give yourself permission to be patient. No step is too small so long as it’s headed in the right direction and you keep taking steps.

This mindset will encourage you to pursue deals longer before giving up on them. It will also help you to see buying signals and intentions that others will miss. It will keep your pipeline fuller longer and help your tart hitting your numbers more consistently instead of the constant roller coaster at the end of the month or quarter.

Change your perspective and you’ll change your results. Rethink The Way You Sell®.

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

Today, Harriet and I talked about:

   -   the magic of a great idea

   -   Harriet’s sales origin story (she was training sales teams without ever holding a sales role)

   -   the moment when you recognize you can make a huge impact on someone

   -   discipline isn’t that hard when you’re passionate about what you do

   -   what it means to Harriet to #SellLikeYou

   -   a positive spin on The Wolf of Wall Street

   -   what does failure mean to her?

   -   and more…

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

The sales process is rigid, as I’ve mentioned before. That’s the science of selling. Your sales methods are fluid, and they represent the artistry behind what we do. Art is subjective, therefore so is selling.

I want you to stop trying to follow the rules, and realize that you can make them up.

The very best sellers have bent the definition of selling in a way that suits them. On today’s show, I want to share with you how my definitions of selling have changed over the years, and how it’s allowed me to do my very best work.

My eyes were first opened when I heard Brian Tracy define selling as a transfer of enthusiasm from one party to another. That’s when I first divorced the concept of selling from the idea of money.

I now believe that any time you ask someone to do something, you’ve made a sales call. When they do it, you’ve made a sale, and that makes that person your customer. In this way, every person we interact with is either a customer or a potential customer, and that means that selling is about how we treat people- that’s a much more profound dynamic, isn’t it? It makes a difference.

My goal is to give you permission to define selling in your own way to allow you to do the same. This is the essence of what it means to Rethink The Way You Sell®.

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

He’s also got a free Facebook group called The Sales Lab where he’s providing weekly live training and exclusive content.

Today, David and I talked about:

   -   the emotional paradox of selling

   -   David’s sales origin story (he started as a sales engineer)

   -   how enthusiasm is a sales superpower

   -   what it means to David to #SellLikeYou

   -   why we should think about how people buy when we sell to them

   -   and more…

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

Last week, Ian Ko­ni­ak and I talked at length about the con­cept, but to­day I want to go deep­er into the idea of sell­ing and the feel­ing of be­ing whole. Do you feel more whole when you win? 

Do you feel more whole when you help oth­er peo­ple? 

If not, then why not? 

This is where the align­ment I talk about comes into play. Are you aligned be­tween what you do, who you do it for, how you do it, and why? That’s the recipe for in­tegrity, for feel­ing whole, and if you’re not in align­ment, you’re leav­ing your best work on the ta­ble. 

The mil­lion dol­lar ques­tion is, “how much of your in­tegrity are you giv­ing away, and why are you choos­ing to do so?” 

Share this episode and sub­scribe wher­ev­er you get your pod­casts, and don’t for get that the show is now on You­Tube as well. 

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these con­cepts to work, check out my web­site at jeff­ba­jorek.­com/ser­vices

After connecting at the Sales Success Summit, Ian and I sat down to discuss the concept of integrity, since we’re among the only people really talking about it in a sales context.

You can learn more about Ian on LinkedIn and YouTube. You can also join his newsletter list here or the waiting list for his coaching program.

Here’s what we dug into:

   -   What is integrity?

   -   What does it mean functionally?

   -   What is The Integrity Gap?

   -   The non-monetary compensation that comes along with integrity

   -   Letting go of attachment to sales outcomes

   -   The importance of getting help to reach the next level of your career

   -   How integrity is the cornerstone of what it means to #SellLikeYou

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

That was 15 years or so ago, so I’ll leave the verdict up to you. 😉

I won’t share the whole story here (I want you to listen!), but here are some of the highlights:

   -   I never would’ve considered the opportunity if it weren’t for a unique scenario

   -   I resisted my initial hiring offer

   -   I almost got out after a year

   -   A fresh start in year 4 was a catalyst

   -   My results tripled in 18 months because of a single decision

This is the first of many #SellLikeYou stories you’re going to hear during this season. I hope something sounded familiar (or inspiring) enough to help you along your journey.

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

Confidence and belief are often used interchangeably. The word belief is even used in some definitions of confidence. While I don’t want to argue semantics, I believe (pun fully intended) that there is a major difference.

Confidence is the feeling that you can trust or rely on something to happen. It’s faith that you will succeed.

Belief is confidence plus the alignment I’ve talked about on the previous few episodes. It’s not just faith that something will happen, it’s faith that the right thing will happen for the right reasons. It’s like confidence on steroids.

Why is belief so important? It’s the key to overcoming what Steven Pressfield calls Resistance- a negative form of self-sabotage that will work against us any time we try to move from a lower level to a higher level: ethically, morally, creatively, etc. That negative force is universal, and it keeps us from doing our best work.

For a seller, Resistance looks like

   -   fear of failure

   -   fear of success

   -   fear of judgment by the LinkedIn Police

   -   call reluctance

   -   the “Sunday Scaries”

   -   a lack of creativity

   -   drinking too much

   -   doom scrolling

   -   and so many other things, but you get the point

Resistance stands between us and success. The bigger the success, the bigger the Resistance. The only way you win that war is by believing that that’s on the other side of the conflict is worth the encounter.

The pain of the status quo has to be greater than the pain of change. Does that sound familiar? You’ve got a sale to make, and this time, you’re the one buying.

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services

When you look at sales leadership and the trends in the industry, we’ve seen these swings before.

In the early 20th century, there was a lot of talk about honor, service, and integrity. Selling was considered a highly noble profession. It took a lot to go door to door and sell your wares. The prominent voices of the day were Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, and the like. A positive attitude and a great work ethic were the cornerstones of both sales and self-improvement.

In the latter half of the 20th century, sales became industrialized. It was less about personal fulfillment and service, and more about corporate profits and revenue consistency. Selling was boiled down to a science.

We learned a lot over the past 50 years or so, but it’s time tog take a more human-centric approach, and we can feel the tide turning. People know how to sell, and they want to learn more about what it would mean to bring more of themselves to their sales methodologies.

That’s why it’s the perfect time to dig into what it means to Sell Like You. Know what needs to be done. Get it done in your own way. See the results, and feel the fulfillment while you’re at it.

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services.

What is the value of selling like you? What is the outcome, what happens to you? What happens to your results when you Sell Like You?

One of the things that comes to mind specifically, when I think back on my career, is this vicious cycle that every rep goes through.

It's a cycle of doubt, failure, and shame that prevents people from doing their best work.

I’m also going to talk about the Sales Success Cycle. That’s the flywheel that will blow the lid off your potential and enable your very best work.

I’m going to show you what you need to do to dig out of the rut you find yourself in and get to the higher ground of sales performance.

If there was ever an episode to go back and watch on YouTube, this is the one. I’ve got some visual aids that will help you to understand the concepts I’m illustrating.

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services.

Editing and music by Doug Branson and Pod About It Productions

This concept came about in 2021 when I was speaking at the OutBound conference. It hit me like a ton of bricks during a conversation I was having with two rockstar sellers in front of my exhibit booth. Right away, I registered the domain and I knew I was onto something.

As the summer went on, I knew there was more depth to the concept, but I wasn’t quite sure where to take it, so I shelved it for a little bit. While I was working through a bit of a professional identity crisis, I dove back into it and realized that belief is a theme that runs throughout my training and consulting work with my clients.

When I dig into belief, it’s about a lot more than just confidence. Belief is rooted squarely in integrity- that alignment between what you do, who you do it for, how you do it, and why. The connection between your purpose and the way you sell is what it really means to Sell Like You.

It’s really the lens through which all of my other content becomes more clearly viewed, and it’s the concept we’re going to explore this season.

The format of Season 4 is going to be a little different than in seasons past. First, I don’t know when this season is going to end. Previously, I had a complete thought in mind before I released it into the world. This time around, I’m going to let the content develop and evolve as we go, and we’re going to investigate it together.

I’m moving to a weekly release schedule instead of twice a week. This will allow more time for the concepts to breathe. There will be a lot more interviews this time around, but there will still be plenty of brief, impactful solo episodes designed to make you Rethink The Way You Sell.

Are you ready to reach your ultimate sales potential?

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

If you want to learn more about how I work with teams to put these concepts to work, check out my website at jeffbajorek.com/services.

Music by Doug Branson and Blue Dot Sessions

Tuck and Point by <a href="https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/146560">Blue Dot Sessions</a>

I’ve put together a quarter’s worth of prospecting episodes all in one place, which coincidentally is how long you should stay engaged with a prospect before you move on to another one. This season discussed the frameworks I use with my clients to help them become more effective opportunity creators, and I hope it’s been helpful for you. Good prospecting is about more than just tactics, it’s about the alignment between what you sell, who you sell it to, how you sell it, and why. When you have that alignment, you realize that you’re the secret ingredient to your sales success. Most everything else falls into place from there. I’ve packaged all of this into a course that will walk you through these frameworks step by step.  

Season 4 is right around the corner, and I can’t wait to begin sharing it with you. The theme is #SellLikeYou, and I’m going to dive deep into what that means (here’s a hint, it’s about a lot more than just using your own words). For a long time, sales improvement experts have focused on skill development and industrializing the sales process. There’s a real hunger in the profession right now to make selling more human, and that’s where we’re going.

See you in a few short weeks!

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“Ok.” 😀

I couldn’t go an entire season and not at least give you my framework for outbound messaging. On today’s episode, I’m going to give you an outline that includes: 

• your opener
• a credibility statement that justifies the call
• a questions designed to create tension and provoke thought
• your request or CTA

It’s pretty simple if you just allow it to be, and this framework is effective with messaging in any format.

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No, I’m not talking about dropping of your shiny brochures with gatekeepers, or other unintentional leave-behinds. I’m talking about purposeful, thought provoking content with notes for context.

You should be using industry publications to justify that your conversation is worth having. Hopefully, you’re also creating some of your own content to help demonstrate your own expertise.

There are a lot of ways to do this, and I go into more detail in the episode.

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I’ve laid out a pretty solid strategy for you thus far. You might be thinking, “Great, Jeff, but how do I act on this? How do I ask so many questions, so often, through so many channels, of so many people?”

Well, I’m glad you asked…

The work before the work

One of my favorite Jeffrey Gitomer one-liners is, “Most salespeople aren’t willing to do the hard work necessary to make the selling part easy.” This is normally because of a lack of patience. I’m going to lay out the strategy for you, it’s actually pretty simple, but you’re going to need to give yourself the time, space and permission to do this work. Are you ready?

Go back to the fundamentals

In The Five Forgotten Fundamentals of Prospecting, I wrote that you need to know what you bring to the table. By that, I mean know:

• what makes you different
• what makes that valuable
• why that matters

Knowing these differentiators and the outcomes that only you can help create is vital to helping your prospects.

I also wrote that you need to know who you should be talking to. That means knowing:

• who they are
• why they would buy
• why they wouldn’t

The answers to these questions will help you provide the context necessary to make your differentiators mean something to your prospects and their respective situations.

Brainstorm your questions

Questions start conversations, right? And you want to start conversations that center around how you can deliver unique value to your prospects, right? Then you’re going to want to ask questions that would lead to discussions centered around your differentiators.

So what are those differentiators? Following the framework I gave you from The Five Forgotten Fundamentals, do you have three or four things that objectively separate you from your closest competitors? (If not, then the best way to use your next team meeting is to discuss what they are. You can thank me later).

Take each one of those differentiators, and think of three or four questions that would lead to a conversation with context about what makes you different and how you can help. That sentence is a bit of a mouthful, so let me break it down for you with an example.

I help sales teams with professional service firms sell more by helping reps simplify their sales processes. The difference for me is not so much in the way I train, but in the way I help reps rethink the way they sell. This removes a lot of the barriers that would normally get in their way, rather than simply training them on skills- a very different way of helping salespeople improve.

One of my questions might be, “Do your salespeople need better skills, or do they just need to get out of their own way?” This is going to provoke some thought in my prospects, and lead to a conversation about my approach to improving sales performance.

If you can come up with 3-4 questions for each one of your 3-4 differentiators, you now have anywhere from 9-16 separate questions that you can ask in your prospecting campaigns. That’s just about one for every touch in the sequence (and another great use of a team meeting).

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Most salespeople give up before they give themselves a chance at gaining any momentum. Prospecting isn’t a one-time event. You have to give up on the idea that success looks like saying the right thing to the right person at the right time. Think of it like a campaign. It’s a process you commit to. You build on each call, and you win the meeting as the result of your cumulative efforts.

”But I don’t want to be a pest”

The common myth among salespeople is that the more often one reaches out, the more likely they are to aggravate their prospects and miss out on any chance of ever getting a meeting. You’re right, but that’s not the whole story.

The real key to not being a pest is to have your outreach mean something to your prospect. That’s why I train my clients how to ask provocative questions in their outreach. In that case, every time your future customer hears from you, you’re making them think about their own situation. There’s a lot of value in that, and when you reach out with value, you can reach out more often. 

Finding a balance

There are a lot of things you need to manage when creating an outbound cadence. You want to reach out with enough frequency that you can create momentum. Still, if you’re provoking some thought, you want your prospect to have some “time under tension” to really let some of that emotion build up. There are only so many salient points you can make without confusing your prospect, and you also need to have a defined length of time where you feel like you can walk away having done enough for now, should you not be able to reach them.

The data on sales cadences is out there, and you can find it for your specific industry. What I recommend as a good starting point, particularly with the professional service providers and technical salespeople I work with, is a cadence I call 5 Over 4. 

Subdivide your target list into four groups. Reach out to each group every fourth business day. Over the course of four weeks, you will have attempted to reach each group five times, hence the name.

If you sell SaaS, the current data suggests 12-15 times over 4-6 weeks. It’s a much more intense campaign, but you’re dealing with people who are constantly in front of their computers, and the noise level is quite high. It takes a lot more effort to break through.

Regardless of the cadence or your industry, I recommend these outreach attempts are a good mix of the telephone, email, and social media touches. There’s no reason to leave any tool unused. Rather than limit yourself to people who only use the phone, per se, mix it up a bit. Despite the evidence that this works, few people employ this approach, and you’ll find it’s another way to differentiate yourself.

How long before you give up?

I think a good rule of thumb is that you pursue someone for a quarter and then reassess. Over thirteen weeks, using the 5 Over 4 cadence I showed you you can reach out to your prospects at least 15 times each. That’s often enough: 

• for them to know you’re trying to reach them 
• for them to know you won’t be waited out
• to allow for adequate time under tension
• for you to plant the seeds in their head that a conversation with you will be time well spent

If that doesn’t work, then one of three things is possible:

1. Your questions/topics aren’t relevant enough
2. You were wrong about your potential fit with them
3. The timing is just not right

After each quarter, reassess the progress (if any) you’ve made, and decide whether or not to continue with each prospect for another quarter, rotate them out of your cadence for a quarter, or disregard them altogether.

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Here are a few of the things we get into:

• Companies set the wrong tone right away with product-oriented training.
• How do you even know what to sell if you don’t understand your prospect’s needs?
• What is the need the customer has?
• What is the outcome that you can create?
• Go from product peddler to problem solver.
• It’s your job to help your prospect rethink how to solve their problem, not just buy your solution.
• And so much more…

Never before has a sales podcast focused so much on coyotes and road runners! 

Mark is a sales speaker, consultant, and the author of several best-selling books on sales. You can learn more about him at https://thesaleshunter.com/.

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Your prospects don’t care about your product 

There’s a reason salespeople rank near the bottom of all the respected professions lists. They’re often seen as a nuisance, or at least as —a waste of time. Why do they always seem to be getting in the way? Because they always talk about themselves.

Think about the way you were likely taught to sell:

 You have a product

1. It solves a particular problem
2. Go to the people who you believe have that problem. 
3. Assume they have it and want to solve it.
4. Talk about your product in a way that positions it as the solution.
5. Book a meeting where you do “discovery” (which is really just to qualify that they’re ready to buy and they have the money).
6. Tell them all about how great your product is.
7. Ask for the order,
8. Cash the commission check.

Sound familiar? Seems pretty straightforward, except things tend to go south between steps three and four, don’t they? 

You’ve likely tried to make up for this by reaching out more often, or with multiple channels (phone, email, social media). You’ve undoubtedly “followed up” with your prospects by asking them if they’ve received your earlier communications. Ultimately, you’ve given up on these prospects and moved on because if they were really interested, they would have called you back by now.

They weren’t interested because you aren’t interesting. Nobody cares as much about your product as you do. As fascinating as you think it is, your prospects just don’t care. They don’t have the context (yet) for why they should be so enamored with it. You’re going to need their attention in order to create that context, and you’re certainly not going to get it by talking about yourself.

They care a lot about their problems

What your prospects do care about are there problems. I would argue that they care more about their problems than the solution at all, let alone the specifics of yours. 

If they think for a second that you might be able to provide them with any insights about how to make their business lives a little easier, they’ll be willing to pick your brain for some answers. This is your opportunity. You just need to be willing to be patient and let your product take the back seat for awhile.

Ask great questions

Ask questions that get your prospect talking about the issues they’re facing, what they’ve done to try to overcome the obstacles, and how things worked out.

One of my favorites is, “How have you handled this issue in your business?”

I like it because it presumes success. You’re not pinning them into a corner and making them feel bad about having the same issues everybody else has, which really telegraphs your intentions and makes you come across as salesy. You’re assuming they’ve already succeeded, and successes are another thing your prospects like to talk about.

They can answer this question in one of four ways.

1. We don’t have this issue anymore (you should ask them to share their success story).
2. We have this issue, and we don’t know how to handle it (you should ask to speak with them because you can share some insights).
3. We didn’t realize until just now that we have this issue, thanks for making us aware (here’s a real opportunity for you. You should definitely share some insights and help them avoid disaster).
4. We don’t have this issue, or we just don’t care about it (well, you can’t win ‘em all),

These conversations quickly turn into sales conversations, which often lead to sales. But the key is to get the discussion started on the right foot. Engage the prospect about their problems, and only bring your solutions into play when it’s appropriate. That’s how you build a reputation as someone worth talking to, which will get more calls returned more often, and a virtuous cycle is created. 

Tension is my term for the group of emotions that has to be present in every sales process. It’s pretty simple. No tension means no emotion, which means no sale. 

Tension is normally created when a prospect realizes they have an issue you might be able to help them resolve. It takes a good conversation or two and great discovery to increase that tension enough to get your prospect to act.

The very best prospectors don’t wait until they have a prospect in front of them to do this. They start early. In fact, they start from the very beginning with their prospecting efforts.

When you dig a little deeper, you recognize that you don’t just need tension to make the sale. Tension needs to be present in order to take even a single step in the sales process; most importantly the first one. You need to give your prospect a reason to take a meeting with you.

Provoke a response

Your prospecting efforts should be provocative. They should make your prospect think. I’ve always done this by asking open-ended questions. 

Admittedly, it’s a little strange to ask a question without expecting an answer, knowing full well that you’re going to do so over and again with your next few outreach attempts, but think about it. You’re trying to start a conversation, and the best way I’ve ever found to start a good conversation is to ask a great question.

When your prospecting efforts ask great questions, you really stand out. If you’re able to make your prospect think differently just by acknowledging those questions, there’s actually value to them in your efforts. Not only are those thoughts creating tension in their own minds about the decision they need to make, but the fact that they haven’t answered you yet creates its own type of tension.

Don’t give up so easily

Most salespeople give up trying to reach someone after the second or third attempt. It’s not difficult at all to wait them out. When someone reaches out to me, even with a compelling proposition, I’m likely to wait until the third or fourth decent meeting request before I even start paying attention. 

If it involves something I’m working on right now, then it’s urgent. I might take a look, but that’s really random. If it’s not urgent, but it’s important, then I’m inclined to wait. If the rep persists, then their professionalism really stands out to me. I believe good sellership should be rewarded, and I’ll schedule something in the future.

Just like asking great questions makes you stand out and creates tension, there’s additional tension created when you demonstrate that you won’t be waited out. Combine the two, and you’re really onto something. Do you have good questions to ask that will make your prospect think even when you’re not in front of them yet? Do you have enough of them to make the distinct impression that you’re not going anywhere, and you’ll persist patiently until you get a meeting?

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In your prospect’s eyes, your marketplace is a sea of sameness. You’re not the only that provides a solution to the problem they’re stuck on. There are very few companies that have truly groundbreaking technology, and a lot of your competitors’ products look pretty similar to yours.

Avoid the race to the bottom

In the absence of real tangible differentiators, the decision usually comes down to price. It’s common for companies to find themselves in a race to the bottom, to see who can give the most amount of value for the least amount of money. All of your selling efforts then, are basically focused on earning the right to enter this race, only to turn around and give all the profit away.

The only think worse than winning the race to the bottom is finishing second. Not only did you reveal to your prospect what you really feel your product is worth (a lot less than what you had originally claimed), but you didn’t even win the business. You lost all of your credibility and your commission.

This is not where you want to be as a seller. It’s literally the opposite of what your job is. Anybody can lowball an offer to win business. Your company pays you to show a prospect why your solution is worth paying for. A real sales pro will help them feel really good about that decision too.

Start conversations, not arguments

What you sell is probably not identical to your competitors. Even if you sell the same thing, you sell it in a different way, with a different level of service, and a different level of expertise. If the whole experience were truly identical, there’d be no reason to separate your companies.

There are reasons you feel your product or service is better than those of your competitors. What are they? What makes you objectively different? How can you clearly separate yourself?

Objectively is the operative word here. There needs to be something black and white at the root of this differentiation. You can have a discussion about facts, but when you speak in terms of what’s better, you have a tendency to start an argument. That’s no way to sell a customer.

The goal here is to change the conversation, to get them to think differently about how to resolve their issue. You can help them see a different path forward and change their motive to buy. This doesn’t just help you win customers, your insights help you keep them.

You are the biggest differentiator

Don’t forget that you bring something substantial to the table: you. The way you sell is every bit as important as what you sell. The impression you make on your prospects, especially the way they feel when they hear from you is an intangible yet powerful element in the sales process. 

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So many sales reps get this wrong (despite their best intentions)

Here’s what we dive into:

• What does it mean to #SMYKM?
• How long should you spend researching your prospects?
• Why quality of messages is much more valuable than quantity
• What fells like #SMYKM but actually isn’t?

Sam is one of the best follows you’ll ever find on LinkedIn. Follow here here, and also check out https://www.samsalesconsulting.com/

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Today, I’ve got Anthony Iannarino on the show to talk about the concept of being 1-Up in sales, and why it’s your obligation to be in that position.

Here’s what we covered:

• What does it mean to be 1-Up?
• How do you prospect from a 1-Up position?
• How important is a confident tone when you prospect?
• How do you communicate value in text format?
• What does consultative selling really mean?
• The value of also being 1-Down

You can purchase Anthony’s book, Elite Sales Strategies here: https://www.amazon.com/Elite-Sales-Strategies-Creating-Consultative/dp/1119858941

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How do you build that credibility? Present them with insights that will help them. Not just data, but intelligence around that data. You’re trying to demonstrate that you bring something powerful to the table- you.

Your prospects are not looking for new friends

For a long time, sellers have taken the approach that if they could develop a personal relationship with someone and know them a little better, then perhaps they can have a little more influence. I understand the logic, but do they need someone to buy them lunch or a drinking buddy? Probably not.

Don't try and dupe someone into being friends with you so you can turn around and sell them something. That’s disingenuous and manipulative. They're not looking for new friends and neither are you.

To take it a step further, have you ever actually done business with your friends? It’s not optimal. It’s likely that there will be some tension in a business relationship form time to time. Do you want that spilling over into the cookout the weekend?

Bring value, not donuts

Back in the day, salespeople used to bring food, treats, and trinkets to try to win the favor of the decision maker. In an effort to leverage the law of reciprocity, they’d provide something of low value in exchange for a conversation that would hopefully be of high value for them. You may have noticed that this approach doesn’t work so well anymore.

Not only are companies instituting polices forbidding their employees from receiving these kinds of things, most of your prospects can see right through them. It’s not even a veiled attempt at winning their favor. It’s also not doing much to earn the meeting either. Sure, the goodwill is worth something, but don’t you think your prospect’s time is worth a little more to them than a turkey sandwich in a paper bag? 

You’ve probably heard that if you can get an executive away from the distractions of the office, then they’re more likely to let their guard down. It’s true. Lots of sales reps invite their buyers out to eat, or to a ballgame or for a round of golf, hoping the diversion might provide the arena for a conversation. 

Executives value their time more than they ever have before. Lunch at a restaurant is going to cost me two productive hours during the day. I have to make it up somewhere. Dinner will cost me three at the end of my day when I’d rather be home with my kids. I know that time is going to be good for the rep, but what’s going to make it good for me?

While these environments are great for having productive business conversations (I’ve closed business on the golf course too), it’s really about the conversation, not the dinner table. Change your focus appropriately.

What do you want to speak with them about? Why should it be important to them? Why do they need to listen to you right now? Those are the questions you should be able to answer, and those are the points you should be making to them even before you have that first meeting.

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Define (and limit) your target list

There are only so many prospects that you can reasonably approach and follow through with. You may have a target list of 1000, but don’t just start at the top and work your way through the bottom before making a second pass. Segment your list into reasonable batches so that you can reach out to everybody more than once a week. You need to cast a wide net while still being able to create some momentum and build familiarity.

Know your decision makers

Before you reach out into any potential account, you need to know who you should be talking to. This seems like an easy one, but I see mistakes being made constantly. I won’t belabor this point, but suffice it to say it’s important that you don’t make assumptions. Questions about who will be involved in the decision process are easily asked (and usually answered) early in the sales process.

Set goals

This one’s as simple as it sounds. Give yourself targets to hit, and push yourself to get there. 

Block time

If something is important enough to do, it’s worth creating space on your calendar for it. What isn’t planned for usually isn’t consistently done, and as my friend Mike Weinberg likes to say, “Nobody defaults to prospecting mode.” It doesn’t always need to be first thing in the morning, but professional prospectors have time set aside every day of the week to fill their pipeline.

Think about what you’re trying to accomplish

What’s the end goal? What are you ultimately trying to achieve? What is your why? 

Keeping the big picture in mind will help you with perspective when the going gets tough (and from time to time, it will). Remember the results your solution creates. Remember the people you’re working to help. Remember the personal goals and responsibilities you have. 

Measure what matters

I don’t care how many calls a day you make or emails you send. None of that matters unless you can book sales meetings. Quite frankly, even the number of meetings you book is irrelevant if they’re not qualified and don’t lead to deals. 

Selling cannot be simply reduced to a numbers game. There’s more to it than that, and I can’t give. You some rule of thumb that will tell you if you’re doing a good job or not. You need to understand your own sales process, identify the levers and the triggers in it that will predictably lead to revenue, and count whatever those activities are. For me, it’s new introductions, scheduled time on their calendar, and a meaningful conversation with them about how I might be able to help. With enough of those activities, revenue always follows, even if I can’t forecast the exact number right away. 

Keep your swagger

I mentioned above that the going will get rough from time to time. It happens to all of us. This is where that perspective comes in. You need to be willing to lean into adversity, and identify the opportunity in every obstacle.

When something doesn’t go your way, or doesn’t go the way you expected it to, it’s almost always because there’s a lesson you need to learn. Find what that is and learn it. Then tap back into your inner rock star and do the great work that only you are able to do.

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His is the voice I consistently hear in my head when I think about salespeople and their belief systems, and I’m thrilled to bring that voice to you today.

In this conversation, we talked about:

• How to deepen your belief in your product by using the belief of others
• Who’s responsible for instilling belief? You or your sales manager?
• Love and belief are tied together
• Having the guts to go outside the norm to make a connection
• Where Jeffrey got his belief

This conversation is 100% Jeffrey being Jeffrey. You’ll learn about the power of belief, why you need it, and how to get it. He tells it like nobody else can (or will). 

You can learn more about Jeffrey at https://www.gitomer.com/.

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Today, my guest is Mike Weinberg, whom I’m calling The Godfather of Sales Accountability. I’m thrilled to talk to Mike today about leaders holding their teams accountable to prospecting and proactive opportunity creation.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The differences between accountability and micromanagement
• There’s no reason to be afraid to look at the data with your team
• A laser-focused 15-minute accountability meeting will make all of your other meetings more effective
• Managers should be creating tension in these meetings the same way reps do with their prospects
• It’s best for everybody involved if accountability meetings are conducted privately
• How accountability meetings enhance a high-performing sales culture
• Your reps’ responses to these meetings will identify your talent issues

Mike always gets the best out of me, and this 23-minute conversation is exhibit A. Make sure you’re in a place where you can take notes, and then go to mikeweinberg.com to learn more.

Download the 8 Reasons Your Team Isn’t Creating More Opportunities white paper at https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube.

I know you want to be easy to work for. I know you don’t want to be a micromanager, but that isn’t a permission slip for being uninvolved. 

Holding your reps accountable means you care. It means you want the best for them. It means you want to make sure they have what they need to succeed. It means you want to be accountable to them as well. 

There is not a single person doing anything important who wouldn’t do a little better if they knew someone was looking out for them with their best interests in mind. You need to be that person for your team.

You should have a strictly results-oriented meeting with everyone on your team once a month, preferably during the first week after results from the previous month are finalized. No BS, no smalltalk, no catching up on personal lives. That’s for another time. Stack these meetings back to back in blocks to hold yourself accountable. Make no mistake about the purpose of these meetings.

I’ll even give you a script. Here are seven questions you can ask to make these meetings most effective.

• How’d it go since the last time we met?
• What went well?
• What hasn’t gone well?
• What’s next?
• When will you have that accomplished?
• Do you have what you need?
• How can I help?

These questions not only provide you with a status update, they give your team something to think about. Not all the answers will be discussed in this meeting- that’s ok. The really important stuff deserves its own time slot to be scheduled later.

It’s amazing how easy it is to lose sight of the bigger picture in the day-to-day grind. Meetings like this keep everybody focused on the greater goals of the quarter or the year. 

Sales leaders are not providing direction or doing enough to simplify the processes. In short, they’re not creating a conducive selling environment.

But they’re still leaning on their teams to create massive results.

It’s not just unfair to reps, it’s unfair to the companies these leaders are working for.

How do we train through and around this issue? How do we create that environment to sell? Jason suggest microtraining. Regular practice, drills, and leadership goes a long way, and there’s no reason leaders can’t implement these practices for their teams. It can be done in as little as 5 minutes a day, and with tools you’re probably already using.

You can get more from Jason at https://outboundsquad.com/ or by following him on LinkedIn.

Download the 8 Reasons Your Team Isn’t Creating More Opportunities white paper at https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

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Today, my guest is Art Sobczak, and he’s going to show you how to keep it that way.

Ignore the distractions. Remember the fundamentals still work and have worked forever.

There are new tools available every day, but selling is still selling. Manage your mindset, manage your expectations, be realistic, and plan accordingly.

Art is an author, a speaker, and one of the world’s leading authorities on prospecting and inside sales training. He’s also a world class outdoor chef, and one of my favorite follows on Instagram.

Download the 8 Reasons Your Team Isn’t Creating More Opportunities white paper at https://jeffbajorek.com/8reasons

Share this episode and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube.

Prospecting is not an improvisational exercise simply repeated over and over. It’s a well-orchestrated campaign with a beginning and a logical conclusion. If you’re not approaching it this way, you’re setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment.

Most salespeople send an email with a request to teach their prospect more. When it’s ignored, they send another similar one. Worse, they forward the original email asking if the prospect received it. 

Treat your campaign almost as if you’re having a conversation with your prospect, but you’re the only one participating. Ask questions without expecting a response, knowing that the tension created by good questions going unanswered will often be enough to get the meeting. Make your prospect think that there’s something you know that they wish they did, and give them the opportunity to learn it.

The cadence should be consistent and regular. You can’t reach out every two weeks and expect to gain any momentum with someone who doesn’t know you. You can be persistent without being a pest. That has everything to do with the value of your conversation. Your job is to prove to your prospect that you’re someone worth talking to and that you have something worth talking about. 

Good prospecting doesn’t look or feel like improv. You know you need to reach out at least a dozen times. What do those touch points look and sound like? 

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There is a lot of prep work that goes into the prospecting process. You need to know whom you’re trying to reach, how you’re going to get a hold of them, how to organize your data, and plan your approach. It’s startling to me how many companies I work with leave it up to their reps to do all this work on their own.

You want your reps to spend as much time as possible on high-value activities. You should give them what they need to be effective and stay organized.

The data is out there and available. With a well-defined target market, you can purchase and segment that data, and have accurate contact information available at your fingertips. There’s no reason to make your reps spend the time necessary to reinvent the wheel.

Back in the day, a yellow legal pad or a spreadsheet may have been enough to keep track of your pipeline. Modern CRM systems have changed that game, with varying levels of sophistication. These databases are invaluable for helping your reps know where they are in their various sales processes, what their next steps should be, and when they should be taken.

You also have to be careful that you don’t over equip your team to the point where the tools become a distraction. 

I don’t think you need to go crazy with tech, but some of these tools are table stakes. Make it as easy as possible for your reps to do their job.

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I sat down with Andy Racic to discuss whether or not prospecting is all about luck. Andy starts by writing about how his mom would pay him for finding four-leaf clovers the yard when he was a kid.

There’s a clear parallel here to prospecting today. Do you really just randomly reach out and hope to get lucky? There has to be more to it than that, right?

Well if you don’t look, you’ll never find any, but you definitely have to manage your expectations around the results of your efforts. It’s also important to pay attention to the process along the way, so you can learn what works well and what doesn’t.

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For a lot of sellers, the expectation is that you're supposed to pick up the phone, deliver the perfect message at the perfect time to the perfect person, and make a sale. 

I wish it were that easy.

Cramming an entire sales process into a single sales call is not the point, and when the bar is set so unnecessarily high, it doesn't take much for someone to talk themselves out of it. 

You’re done before you start.

And speaking of sales calls, a word or two about the phone… 

If you’re not using the phone because you believe people don’t pick it up when it rings, you’re missing the point. A big part of creating opportunities is making your prospect fully aware that you’re in pursuit and you won’t be waited out like everybody else. 

Making their phone ring is another way to remind them that you’ve got them professionally surrounded, and you intend to reach them. At the very least, voicemail is another inbox. Your prospect hearing your voice is a way for them to get more familiar with you. If you’re really savvy, you’ll take the opportunity to make them smile.

The excuses are plentiful: voicemails are transcribed, they’re deleted more often than they’re listened to even if they’re attended to at all… Sure, but do you really think your email is a silver bullet? How many of them don’t even reach the spam filter? Perfect is the enemy of really good.

The phone is a weapon, and a valuable one. If you’re trying to reach your ideal prospects, why would you leave such a valuable asset on the table? Ignore it at your own risk.

Set your expectations correctly from the start. It's probably going to take you a dozen or more attempts to reach your prospect. Are you prepared for that?

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It’s understandable. Putting yourself in front of strangers is a daunting task, but you have to overcome that gap between knowing what needs to be done, and actually doing the work.

I’m here to help.

In Season 3 of the Rethink The Way You Sell Podcast, I’m going to help you rethink your prospecting.

I’m going to simplify the concept for you so that it’s less intimidating, and give you some specific strategies and tactics that you can put into play immediately.

I’m going to start by identifying the 8 most common reasons that trained and motivated teams aren’t creating more opportunities, and I’m going to tell you how you can fix them.

Then I’m going to share the model of what professional prospecting looks like. I’m going to share mindsets, strategies, cadences, and tactics, all designed to help you create more tension from the beginning of your sales process.

You’re going to learn how to create more opportunities that will close more often.

I’m going to share client stories along with some from my days in the field. You’ll also hear from a host of other prospecting legends like Andy Racic, Art Sobczak, Jason Bay, Mike Weinberg, Jeffrey Gitomer, Anthony Iannarino, Samantha McKenna, Mark Hunter, and Jeb Blount.

I’ve never been more excited about a topic as I am with this one, and I can’t wait to help you make an impact on your sales.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget that the show is now on YouTube as well.

This is inscribed on a plaque right before you enter:

“The labyrinth is a metaphor for our journey through life. Its path leads toward an inner light, to the center of our self and the center of the sacred; one and the same. 

Its direction, at times, is confusing, taking us around, and then back again. Yet, it is through this circular journey of discovery and growth that we reconnect to where we once began.”

I’ve walked in that labyrinth. I’ve meditated in that labyrinth. I’ve cried in that labyrinth. It’s a perfect metaphor for the sometimes inexplicable twists and turns our lives take. You feel like you’re moving forward quickly and then all of a sudden you have to stop and change directions. 

For me, the lesson is to accept that I’m on the path I need to be on, and have faith that I’m doing the right things. When I’m honest with myself about those two things, I remind myself that no step is too small so long as it’s headed in the right direction and I keep taking steps. I just need to keep moving forward. 

What about you? Do those same lessons apply?

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It seems like every time you succeed, the counter resets to zero, and your company just asks for more.

How do you keep your swagger, or more importantly your composure, when it feels like there’ always more to do. It’s frustrating.

That’s what I’m talking about today on the Rethink The Way You Sell Podcast.

Success is a difficult thing to judge, especially if you feel like it’s a destination or someplace where you’ll eventually arrive.

What you eventually recognize as you climb Mt. Success is that there is no summit. The only way to judge your success is by turning around every once in awhile and recognizing how far you’ve climbed.

Think about the things you’ve done recently that even a few years ago you thought you’d never do.

How could your current situation be better? What canyon do to make it better? What are your other options?

Recognize that your status quo is a choice, and you can choose to make a different one.

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On todays episode of the Rethink The Way You Sell Podcast, I’m going to talk about how top salespeople craft their mindset such that they can perform as well as possible, as often as possible.

Top performers channel their inner rockstar. They tap into that thing that makes them feel great and perform at their best.

At the same time, they know that things aren’t going to go their way all the time. Every time you fall short is an opportunity to learn why, and an opportunity to get better. Failures aren’t setbacks so much as they’re cherished because they launch us on a path forward.

No step is too small so long as it’s headed in the right direction and you keep taking steps. Count your progress along the way, and realize you’re headed to where you need to go.

Here’s a mantra for you: 

“I’m the best in the world at what I do, and the really scary part is that I’m only half as good as I’m going to be.”

Write that on a sticky note and put in on your bathroom mirror. It will both ground you and encourage you on your journey to greatness.

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First of all, it sets the wrong tone. 

More importantly, it represents a gross misunderstanding of what selling is.

Fundamentally, when you try to convince someone of something, it’s something akin to an argument. You’re trying to use facts and logic to make a point and that’s backward.

Remember, sales are made emotionally first, and then justified logically. When you miss the emotion, you miss out on the sale.

Carry it out a little further, and let’s say you succeed…

✧ There’s a decrease in satisfaction

✧ There’s an increase in buyer’s remorse

✧ There’s very little likelihood that these customers want to refer you to their friends

✧ If they were really a good fit, would they have needed so much convincing?

Think about what it really means when you try to convince someone, and then tell me why we should even be using that word as professional salespeople at all anymore.

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My friends Liz Wendling and Larry Levine stop by the show today to discuss when the sales process actually gets in the way of the sale.

It’s really not that hard. 

✧ Do what you say you’re going to do.

✧ Keep processes simple.

✧ Have logical next steps.

Do you realize that you’re training your customers how to do business with you? Are you thinking about the path your relationship is started on?

How likely are they to refer their friends if the buying process is so difficult, even if the solution overdelivers on your promises?

Think about this stuff. Remember you’re trying to create an environment to buy, not just make a sale.

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Consultative selling is about an exchange of ideas, not the reciting of a few well crafted lines.

On today’s podcast episode, I talk about how top performers don’t just sell, they create the environment to buy.

🔎 they start by making sure there is emotional engagement in the process, beginning with the way they prospect

🧐 they’re curious in discovery, making sure their prospects don’t feel as if they’re being run through an interrogation

😌 they get vulnerable enough to allow their prospects to do the same

When you do this right, you no longer need to pitch. You simply make a recommendation.

Your slide decks become simple visual aids, and all the canned garbage becomes a lot more conversational.

This is what professional selling should look like. 

Is it what your process looks like? What could you change?

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We’ve been told “leaders are readers.” 

That’s only a partial truth.

There’s a difference between knowing what to do and actually executing, and that’s where real leadership lives.

Leaders aren’t just readers, they’re doers. 

That’s what today’s podcast episode is focused on.

What do you think about your own habits and disciplines around execution?

“I’ve got to read a book or find a resource before I get started” is just plausible deniability for not doing the work.

Are you really better for knowing, or do you get better by doing?

What are the things you can do to stop worrying about how much you know (or don’t) and instead focus on doing more of what you already know?

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You may have heard this before. Camille Clemons and DeJuan Brown are not the first to say it, but they graciously spent a few minutes with me to talk about what it means to them and how it impacts their respective day-to-day routines.

How do you hold yourself accountable to the little things, especially knowing that they add up to really big things?

The details matter. If you don’t have time to do it right, you don’t have time to do it twice. 

Have you ever thought about it this way? Would your results change if you did?

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This is an important umbrella concept to recognize, and that’s what today’s episode of the Rethink The Way You Sell podcast is all about.

 Instead of looking for an instruction manual or a paint-by-numbers guide, you must start by identifying the objective and what needs to happen.

Is social selling the best way to reach new prospects? Should I pick up the phone to call? Send an email? 

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the debates, but the answer doesn’t really matter.

Recognize that you need to put yourself in front of someone who doesn’t know you, and get to work. Find out what works for you.

When you don’t create meaningless friction in your day, it becomes much easier to execute on your top priorities. 

When you’re not worried about what others are doing, you can focus on selling like you.

That kind of environment will lead to the best possible sales results, and also the highest amount of personal fulfillment you can get from a sales career.

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It’s important to know what’s actually going on in real time so you can identify where you’re strong and where you have some room to improve, and that’s what I’m talking about on today’s episode of the podcast.

Do you ever go back and replay sales calls in your head after you’re done with them? It only takes a few minutes.

Do you go so far as listening to actual call recordings?

The process is excruciating, but there are very few things that will teach you as much, nothing will speed your development more quickly, and you don’t even need a coach to become more self-aware.

You have to understand where you are right now in order to have an idea of how to get where you ultimately want to go.

Start by replaying the tape on those sales calls, and be more mindful while you’re in them. The results will be tangible right away.

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But you can only control what you can control.

You need to recognize when things are outside of your control, and adjust your mindset accordingly. Trying to overreach that sphere of influence won’t do you any favors.

On today’s episode, I speak with my friend Andy Racic about understanding the difference between taking ownership and driving yourself insane. 

It’s a fine line sometimes.

I’ve been told since early in my career, “Don’t get too high with the highs or too low with the lows.” It took me a long time to appreciate what that means. Ultimately, it means you get to choose how you feel about things. When you focus on the things within your control, and ignore the emotions that get caught up in your results, you tend to deliver better results and save yourself a lot of strife along the way.

How often do you find yourself out of balance? 

What do you do to right the ship?

Please subscribe, review, and share this show wherever you get your podcasts, and connect with Andy on LinkedIn.

Today’s podcast outlines what it means to take ownership of your outcomes.

They don’t blame others when the revenue isn’t there

It boggles my mind that someone would leave their livelihood up to somebody else. You’ve got to find a way to get the job done.

They create their own opportunities

Even if your organization provides you with a ton of lead-generating resources, there are always deals you can source yourself. Prospecting may not be the most fun aspect of your job, but looking for new ways to win is certainly rewarding. Is your ear to the ground? 

They understand their sales process

Most sales processes stall because sellers don’t know what to ask for next, and a startling amount of sellers I work with can’t draw theirs on a napkin. How can you take control of a sales process you don’t know?

They review the tape

Do you think back on your calls? What went well? What didn’t? What could you do differently next time? This kind of exercise is excruciating, but there are few things more valuable when it comes to getting better.

Does any of this sound familiar? How much ownership do you really take? Could you do better?

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In the post, Mike shared the dirty little secret for how high performers get things done 9it’s actually seven little secrets). Here they are.

1. Set your ego aside
2. Have conviction
3. Admit when you’re wrong
4. Live what you speak
5. Over prepare
6. Have grit
7. Default to action

We used that post (and you should go back and check it out) as a springboard for our conversation. Then we pivoted to talk bout the value of regularly stepping away to give yourself the space to think, as well as the concept of a ‘steel man’ to help bulletproof your ideas.

This was a really thoughtful conversation that will make you rethink what it means to take action.

You should follow Mike on LinkedIn and Twitter. 

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How often do you actually practice your sales craft?

No, really… I don’t mean the hours you spend at work, and it’s a stretch to even count webinars and podcasts. I mean dedicated practice. Making sales calls, writing email copy, talking shop… That’s the normal stuff that you end up getting credit for.

What about role playing? 

What about listening back to your sales call recordings?

What about working with a colleague to intentionally sharpen your skills?

You probably don’t do too much of that. That’s uncomfortable. That’s the kind of thing that makes prospecting look like an attractive alternative!

My guest today on the podcast is Jordana Zeldin. We talk about the benefits of practice (yes, even the scientifically-validated biological benefits of practice) and why you should be regularly dedicating time to honing your craft.

After you’re done listening, you should go and check out The Practice Lab, a space Jordana has created to encourage this kind of skill development so sellers can take the next steps in their careers.

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Luigi Prestinenzi is one of those people, and this is one of those conversations.

”Fundamentally, what separates top performers have a relentless pursuit of excellence. It’s in everything they do. How they develop their skills, how they focus, how they condition their mindset.”

In this wide-ranging conversation, we talked about understanding what you’re trying to accomplish and the bigger picture. We also discussed knowing your limits, and being able to measure whether or not your current efforts are actually productive, or just busyness.

There are conversations where you just want to be a fly on the wall to listen in, and this is one of them.

Download Luigi’s ebook on The Mindset of Top Performers right here.

Please subscribe, review, and share this show wherever you get your podcasts, and connect with Luigi on LinkedIn.

It’s clear to me that they see a bigger picture than their colleagues. Selling is a career and a lifestyle. That’s what today’s podcast episode is all about.

They’re inspired by the work they do and the solutions they create. They don’t get caught up in the details or overwhelmed by minutiae. They look at everything that happens to them as a step forward in the process, even the ones that feel like steps backward. They focus on what they can control instead of worrying about what they can’t. 

They strive for continuous improvement. Every day is an opportunity to take a small step forward. Some steps are bigger than others, but in the grand scheme, it’s about continually taking steps.

Top performers seek to edify themselves. They want to understand how and why things work. They practice. They role play. They do what they need to do in order to get better, because their discomfort in the short term will serve them in the long term.

They also understand that you can’t go full tilt all the time. It’s easy to get caught up in the grind and fail to realize you’re just grinding yourself down. The best salespeople in the world give themselves the space and time to think. 

The big picture matters. Are your results commensurate with your effort? Do you need to learn more, or do you just need to give yourself the space and time to let those lessons come to fruition?

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The great Jim Collins said that if you have more than three priorities, you have no priorities.

In a world of shiny objects and things that sound good, are you making sure you’re able to focus on the things that will actually get you where you want to go?

On today’s episode of the Rethink The Way You Sell Podcast, I’m going to challenge you to think differently about what you think is important. 

You may have a lot of smaller objectives that seem important enough to focus on from time to time, but do all of those little things help you track toward your one big thing?

What do you need to eliminate so that you can achieve more?

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Quite frankly, living it out is the easy part. The real work happens when you sit down and think about what you believe and why.

In the last episode of the Rethink The Way You Sell Podcast, I talked about how the very best salespeople are purpose-driven. In today’s episode, Larry Levine is challenging you to think about what your purpose is.

Do you know what your core values are? Spend ten minutes on them. It’s well-worth it.

Here are my core values:

• Take responsibility
• Do the right thing
• Be a good person
• Tell the truth
• Treat people with respect
• Be curious
• Be mindful, especially of the things you don’t know
• Look for the opportunity in every obstacle
• Don’t let your ego get in the way of doing the right thing
• Do hard things on purpose
• Be generous

Have you done this work? What would it mean for your purpose to be so clear to you every day?

You can find Larry here, and I think you’ll get a lot of value out of the Selling From The Heart Podcast.

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When your purpose is driving you, you are laser focused on an outcome, and that makes so many things possible. It acts as a rudder in turbulent waters, keeping them on course and moving forward.

That level of focus allows them to build strict disciplines. Discipline means doing the work that needs to be done regardless of whether or not you like doing it.

Great salespeople aren’t necessarily working harder or doing more than anybody else, but they do a lot less of the things that don’t make an impact. Their level efficiency is astounding.

Top performers are organized. They know what they need, they know how to get it, and they can get it quickly. A lack of friction in your mental processes allows you to put the pedal down and really get things done.

At the end of the day, it all goes back to your why. Your focus, your discipline, your boundaries, your organization, all stem that big purpose. Do you know yours? 

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Have you sat down and actually thought of these things? I ran from them for a lot longer than I should have because I didn’t want to sit down and do the work, but when I did, the floodgates started to open.

Tara Horstmeyer is a personal branding expert, social media strategist, and founder at Happy Words. After meeting her at OutBound in 2021, I instantly knew she could help me, and she has.

Tara and I got together for a few minutes to discuss personal branding. What it is, what it isn’t, and what you can do to start improving yours (hint: you want to).

We talk a little bit about how she helped me, about tapping into your ego without being a jerk, and she’s going to give you her best advice for getting started (yes, you can do this).

You can follow and connect with Tara here and you should.

Don’t forget to subscribe to this show wherever you get your podcasts, and would you mind sharing it with a friend?

On today’s episode, Andy joins me to tap about the different between persuasion and influence.

We also talk a little bit about objection-handling and some of the ridiculous sales training we’ve seen over the years, before we get into what Andy calls the Four Pillars of Selling In.

Do you appreciate the difference between persuasion and influence? It’s more than just semantics.

You should pick up the book. 

You can also find and connect with Andy here.

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They're proud to call themselves salespeople. 

People think that “sales” is a four letter word. We've had these things ingrained in us, these ideas pounded into our heads, that selling’s bad. 

When you boil it down, selling is nothing more than helping people solve problems in a way that only you can. It's helping them come to new realizations, resolve a lot of issues, and reach new heights.

Redefine what selling is. Make it something bigger, something that we all do intuitively (because it's really just how we interact with people). Now you have a new lens through which to view those interactions. That's how I like to do it. 

Top performers make sure they put their prospects’ and their customers’ best interests ahead of their own.

It’s evident in their personal brands, too. Their reputation is such that people see them as someone worth talking to, because they always have something worth talking about.

Now think about how often the desire to not be something gets in your way. People can be so focused on not being salesy that they forget they need to sell things. Have you ever held yourself back this way?

You probably don’t want to execute like the greasy-haired used car salesman you picture in your head, but you still need to get the job done. You can sell very effectively in complete integrity with who you want to be.

So when you think about what it means to be in sales, are you proud of yourself? Do you fit that mold?

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As you dig a little deeper into that 5%, what you’re going to understand is the difference between “those who know” and “those who do.” Interestingly (but not surprisingly), what separates top performers from average sellers doesn’t seem to have anything to do with selling skills. Top performers don't know more, they just execute relentlessly on the most important things. The difference, then, comes down to the seller’s ability to overcome the obstacles that get in the way of performing these tasks.

You already know enough. That’s not what’s getting in your way.

There are the seven intangible characteristics of top salespeople 

1. They are proud to be in sales
2. They are purpose-driven
3. They treat selling as a career, not just a job
4. They take ownership of their outcomes
5. They begin with the end in mind
6. They create an environment to buy
7. They keep their swagger

I’m going to dive deep into each one of these characteristics, and along the way, you’re going to hear from a few of my friends, like Andy Paul, Tara Horstmeyer, Larry Levine, Luigi Prestinenzi, Jordana Zeldin, Mike Hook, Andy Racic, Camille Clemons, DeJuan Brown, and Liz Wendling.

Being a top performer is about alignment between who you are and what you do, seeing a bigger picture than most, and creating an environment where you can do the work. 

I’m excited to bring you along with me as I explore these concepts over the next two dozen episodes. Are you with me?

Please subscribe, review, and share this show wherever you get your podcasts.

The early feedback I’ve been getting about the show is humbling and I wanted to take the opportunity to respond. I’ve also recently appreciated some things that were holding me back, and given that this is a season about belief, I thought it was more than appropriate to cap it off with a personal story. Thanks for being here with me. Please leave a review and share the show with a friend if it’s been helpful to you. 

Today I’m going to ask you why your best customers buy from you, and you’re going to think about some answers. They’ll be pretty good answers, but here’s the trick…

If you haven’t asked, you don’t really know.

For years, I’ve been saying that if you lined up 100 salespeople and asked them why their best customers buy from them, 

5 would know the answer because they’ve asked. 

15 would guess right because they’re pretty intuitive and they listen well

80 would be dead wrong

Not only would they be wrong, but they’d be shocked to find the real answers because they’re not the bullet points listed on the company website or your shiny brochures.

Have you ever compared your marketing materials to your competitors’? Don’t they all look relatively the same? Haven’t we already discussed how important it is to differentiate yourself and your company?

You’ll never really know until you ask, which is what I’m going to challenge you to do.

Sit with your best customers, the ones you’d really like to replicate, and ask them why they started to do business with you. Then ask them to be more specific, because it’s tough for them to get vulnerable unless you create the space for them to do so.

What they’ll give you is gold.

Not only will it specifically tell you what you need to do to keep their business, it’ll also give you the exact language to find more customers like them.

And 95% of salespeople are not willing have this kind of a conversation. Think of the advantage this will give you if you’re one of the few who will.

Like where the show is going? Please tell a friend. What’s coming in the seasons to follow is my best work, and I know it will make a tangible impact on those who listen and are willing to do the work.

Why are your customers better off for working with you?

This question makes you to consider the outcomes that you can provide, and it forces you to differentiate them from your competitors.

Do you provide a demonstrably higher ROI for your product? Do you reduce or eliminate costly business process that hamper productivity? Does your solution enable your customers to think about their businesses from an entirely different point of view? Are you disrupting an industry with technology?

That means you need to go through and eliminate the claims your competitors also make. That might mean your list just got a little bit shorter.

Remember- if you cannot differentiate, you cannot sell, so you’d better have a good answer or two here.

Now think… are these part of the sales conversations you have every day? Why not?

You should always be thinking about how your clients win when they work with you, and it helps to do so with your unique differentiators in mind.

Is the show making you rethink the way you sell? Subscribe and tell a friend. They’ll thank you for it.

Why do you believe in yourself?

Now, I’m not asking you if you believe in yourself. I’m asking you specifically why… (And why is this so hard for so many people to answer?)

A good 30% of people I ask respond to this question with, “because other people believe in me.”

That’s just not good enough.

Dig deeper. Think specifically about why they believe in you, and then decide for yourself. If you don’t know, then here’s your cue to ask them.

If you’re still stuck for an answer, here are a few more cues to get you started…

1) You’ve succeeded in the past

2) You do hard things on purpose (I’m looking at you, Vince Fowler)

3) You know what you have in front of you is worth doing, and will be worth the effort 

The sales process begins and ends with belief

In the last episode I asked you to think about your company, now you’re going to start thinking about the things your company offers.

What problems or issues do they solve?

What kinds of results do they create?

How are they different from your competition?

When you sit quietly and think and write about this, are you inspired? That inspiration is exactly what’s necessary when it comes to performing at your highest levels.

You have a choice in what you sell. Make it something fulfilling to you. This game is just too hard otherwise, and there’s really no reason to do it any other way.

If you like this show and the direction it’s headed, please subscribe and tell a friend.

Is this just a job working for a company willing to pay you, or do their mission, vision, and values align with yours?

That alignment is going to be crucial for you to lean in when things inevitably get difficult.

When I ask this question of my clients, most of them answer along the lines of how the company thinks of and treats its customers. Others think in terms of how the company thinks of and treats its employees. 

I hope those are starters for your own exploration, and I highly encourage you to write your feelings down. There’s something about ink on paper that helps clarify those ideas in your mind.

If you’re having trouble, consider that the logo on your business card is a choice. If you don’t feel aligned, then let it be a sign that you either can’t do the work you need to in your current position, and that you might do better work elsewhere.

Are you inspired? You get to choose, so choose a company you can believe in.

I wanted to be able to capture that and deliver it to you, and that’s why I’m excited to be launching the Rethink The Way You Sell Podcast.

I've done a lot of work over the years, and I've come up with a lot of ideas. I have failed, quite frankly, to package them in a way that is meaningful for people trying to consume them. That all changes with this project.

This is not a show that is going to drop a new episode every Monday morning. This is a show comprised of mini-seasons, each tackling a different subject matter. When each season is complete and I’m happy with it, it’ll drip out to you twice a week until the next one is ready.

I'm not trying to fly by the seat of my pants, challenge myself to get something out there, and wing it until we get it right. No, I've done that. The project deserves better. You deserve better.

You’re going to hear a lot of brand new material. You’re going to hear clips from other shows I’ve been on, training sessions I’ve done, and from keynotes and other workshops I’ve delivered.

And it’s just the beginning. There will be webinars, downloadable pieces, and courses inside my online community at rethinkthewayyousell.com

This project is intended to be the definitive resource for B2B sales leaders and top performers to help you Rethink The Way You Sell. 

That's my trademark. That's my reason. That's my why.

Perhaps you're looking to understand more about what's going on in the sales ecosystem. Maybe you're trying to inspire your team by giving them the context they need to understand how they can perform better.

My career in sales has been a hell of a ride, and I want to bring you along with me. I want to show you what I've learned along the way, I want to tell you about what I'm looking forward to, and I want to give you the context to interpret it all.

In this first season, we’re going to start where I often start with my clients. It’s a series of five questions I developed during my time working with Jeffrey Gitomer, and I call it ‘What Is Your Why?’

Each of the next five episodes is going to dig into one of those questions. You’ll be prompted to stop, think, and journal about your answers. This will really help you to develop a firm foundation in your purpose so you're ready to run through brick walls to sell that solution to help the clients you need to help. Without that firm foundation, everything up from that gets shakier and much more difficult to execute.

The more you put in, the more you’ll get out of the exercise. I’m excited to move forward. Are you with me?