CUTTER CONSULTING GROUP

[E257] Fitness Sales Success, with Justin Hanover (Part 2)

January 17, 2024


Do you believe your level of enthusiasm directly influences your success in sales interactions?


People, most of the time, don’t realize the energy that they’re carrying into different things.


If you are in a sales conversation with somebody, and you’re not very enthusiastic about it, do you think you’re gonna get a sale?


Justin shares how the mental shifting is very important in overcoming that scarcity mindset. A lot of successful entrepreneurs or sales people do it because it is impactful and it works.


With the right energy, it definitely overcomes lack of experience. 


Oftentimes, clients are dealing with limiting beliefs that is stopping them from being successful. And that’s what businesses are there for to help them with. For some reason, businesses may be experiencing the same dilemma when it comes to sales. Any business should address what is blocking them in having a productive sales conversation with a customer.


With the right frame of mind, any business can step up in the right direction. Followed by implementing sales strategies and tactics. That’s the formula to confidently convert a customer into a sale.



Book your free Sales Power Call with Jason

Enroll in the Persuading Like A Professional Online Mini-Course

Download The Power of Authentic Persuasion ebook

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Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

Connect with Justin on LinkedIn


Justin’s Bio

I am an entrepreneur, podcaster, and a student of life.


I started my entrepreneurial career at just 19 years old with just $2,000 to my name. My first venture was in the fitness world. I started by going to people’s homes and providing training services and then opened my first 500 square foot location. I built that business over time to a 6,000 square foot location and over 350 members. I did this over a 10-year span.


Coming into my 10th year in business my wife and I realized that being in the fitness business and having a facility was not how we were going to continue our journey. The lifestyle of running a facility was not matching up with how I wanted to live so I made a huge pivot. I closed the facility down to pursue moving fully online. I now coach new entrepreneurs on how to maximize profit without sacrificing their life. I feel this is something not pushed enough in the entrepreneurial world. I want to make sure they are building themselves and the life they want first so the business integrates with that foundation.


Over my decade of business personal development has played a huge role in my own growth and progress. Which is why it is a pivotal part of my coaching. I now help online coaches build thriving businesses with Coaches Creating Impact. I work with all types of online coaches that are either looking to get established or scale their business to their next level.


I also started my podcast called How I Built My Online Coaching Business. Now more than ever with the world going online at a faster rate people need help with building their business. Which is why I bring on talented coaches to break down exactly how they built their business. As well as sharing tactical tips to apply right away. I am committed to helping people succeed! 


I have been married now for over 3 years and my wife and I are closer than ever with making this shift, and we are both focused on creating the life we want. We enjoy each day with our dog and traveling as much as we can.



Social Links:

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/justin.hanover

Instagram: – hhttps://www.instagram.com/onlinecoachgrowthpodcast/

Podcastwww.onlinecoachimpact.com
Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-hanover-417aa533/

  • Show Transcript

    Jason: Welcome back to the sales experience podcast. Welcome to part two of my conversation with Justin Hanover. He and I are going to pick up where we left off. Make sure to go to cutterconsultinggroup. com where you can find the podcast, the show notes, Justin's links. Find where he's at. He's mostly on Facebook and Instagram where you can find him and the cool stuff he's doing, but here you go.


    Part two, a, you're going to feel like a hypocrite and B you're going to put out this energy to the universe and to your prospective clients, which is I know you should do this, but I don't really believe in enough to ask for money because I wouldn't or couldn't pay for it.


    Justin: Yeah, no, absolutely. Like the mental state, the mental frame of mind that you bring to these conversations is so impactful.


    On the conversation. And I think that's what people need to start realizing. If you're going to go into a sales conversation with somebody and you're like a low energy, low vibe state do you think that conversation is going to go really well? Do you think they're going to be like, yes, I want to be on board with this.


    I want this. No, they're not. There's reasons why like people like. Tony Robbins how like he has this whole routine to raise his energy level before he goes out and talks to people and he does That be like there's a reason why these people do these things They're not just doing it because it's fun and they think it's the cool thing to do They're doing because it's impactful and it actually works and there's reasoning behind doing it And if you think you're above that you're like, oh, I don't need to do that.


    Like I can just Go right from answering a difficult email to now, let me go sit down and talk to this person about changing their life. It's no, that's not going to work. That's not going to set you up for success in the sales conversation. And a lot of people just, they don't realize the energy that they're carrying into different things in their days.


    And like I said, say, from like a health and fitness perspective, like running a gym. Let's say you just had somebody come in and have the whole conversation with like how they're going to cancel and they cancel their membership and you're really down about that. And then right after that, you had somebody that's coming in to sign up or to learn about your service.


    Do you think that conversation is going to go as good as it could be? Like, no, you're still going to be thinking about that person that you lost and all the negative emotions that come with that. And you're going to be portraying that into the conversation that you're having with this new person.


    Jason: Yeah. And I have literally seen that countless times where salesperson comes in. Checks their email, checks their voicemails. They got clients who are cancelling or wanting to cancel or have some kind of issue with the service. And literally, just that whole day is gone. Just basically, you might as well have left at that point because the mindset is negative, it's in a hold, you're already losing for the day, there's no way to recover.


    And it's very rare that somebody can pull themselves out of it. And every conversation for the rest of the day will not necessarily be successful. Because Of that, and I've also worked at organizations where they literally separate that, right? They don't let the salespeople see any cancels or any issues.


    Yeah. Because they want to keep them focused, which yeah, it could go either way, right? You could argue either way. And I think it's interesting because you focus on that mindset. And for anyone listening, if you're curious about what Justin was talking about with Tony Robbins, I've seen him live and he does this like hand pounding, like yelling kind of thing they does to fire himself up.


    If you're curious or you haven't seen that, check him out. That's not for everybody. Not everyone's going to be Tony Robbins, but some kind of shift, right? Like I know for myself and courses and stuff I've gone through, if there's something you don't necessarily want to do, or you have to make that shift, yell, I'm excited three times as loud as you can and just get fired up and then shift.


    There's something to be said for making that shift. And going back to the hypocrite conversation. One of the things I intentionally do, and this is important. I tell this to everybody because you got to overcome that hypocrite and the limiting scarcity mindset. For me, one of the things that I do personally with myself and my business is I try to hire as many coaches as I can in areas that I need help, right?


    So I'm a consultant. I'm a coach. I help other people. I would feel like a terrible hypocrite if I didn't have a coach. And so Hey, hire me, except I don't think I need help because I think I've got everything. It's no, there's always another level. There's always. Somebody who can teach you or help you in some area, personal business mindset, whatever that is.


    And so I do that. I actually look for and hire coaches and I'm the easiest client because I'm like, I know I want it and I want to help. And so I'm the easiest customer. And then partially I do that because I just want to get better. Partially, I do that because I want that to be the energy in the world.


    And when people come to me, I also don't have that issue. People come to me and it's not this big barter. It's not this back and forth. It's not an argument. We're not trying to negotiate. It's like I provide value. Do you want it? Yes, we're done. And then I can really get to work and help. And so I think that's some of it.


    If you're. In sales and you're stuck and you're afraid of asking for what you feel your value is worth at this point in your service or your product, whatever you're selling, then look at where you're not getting help. Look at what you're not investing in yourself. And then see, especially if you're coaching other people, figure out what coaching could you use, what's financially responsible for you to do, and then do it.


    Justin: I could not agree more. That is, like you said before, like you feel truly authentic. Like how you mentioned the car example, like how you wouldn't be authentic with that. So it wouldn't work. And that is so true. Like you can't sell something or provide something that you don't. Fully embrace in every aspect.


    It's just not going to work. You will get some sales, obviously, but for the most part, it's going to be a battle, like you said, it's going to be a struggle constantly because people pick up on that. Like they can see that you're not genuine. You're not authentic, that you don't walk and live what it is that you're selling and preaching to people.


    And that's a huge issue. I think like this topic that we're hitting on with like mindset and like the type of. Energy that you're bringing to the conversations that you're having to me that is probably the most important thing, because if you bring the right energy, most times overcome lack of experience or possibly not knowing how to work over some type of objection.


    But if you're starting from a low energy, low mindset, and you get those same good luck trying to, you're never gonna be able to overcome those, but if you at least come at every conversation with the right frame of mind. You already are stepping up in the right direction. Like you already are like ahead of the pack in the sense when it comes to moving the conversation in the direction that you want to move it into.


    So that like to me, that's first and foremost, that you need to make sure that you're bringing the right frame of mind to every conversation that you have with people. Because if you're not, then you're already starting from a negative perspective. You're already putting yourself behind in the conversation and most likely won't go well, then you can start learning like the tactics and different stuff like that.


    But if you don't even have the right frame of mind to begin with, then you can have all the tactics in the world. You're like, it's not going to matter.


    Jason: One thing I've seen is that sales people worry about only being able to win if they use manipulation tricks. Tactics and hard closes. So they end up struggling to close deals, make their quota, or earn the kind of money that they want to make.


    If this sounds like your current situation, or maybe you want to make more money in sales without feeling like you're selling, then my upcoming book called selling with authentic persuasion will help in it. I'm going to take you on a journey to transform from order taker to quota breaker. If you're ready to become an authentic persuader, crush your goals and create success in your sales career, then go to jasoncutter.


    com again, that's jasoncutter. com and preorder the book today. No, and the inverse is also true. And you touched on this a little bit, which is you could have all the tactics. And you can know them, but you're not going to be successful long term because it's just not going to work, right? Even if you've got an okay mindset, but like the tactics alone won't do it.


    If you have the perfect response every time, that may or may not matter. And I see a lot of people who either aren't successful or let's say their revenue or profit per sale is low. Because again, they're stuck in this kind of scarcity mindset. It's fascinating. The first time I realized this, I remember going to an office for somebody I was helping.


    This is a long time ago. And there were some reps who had sold, were selling really well. Their revenue per sale was higher, like how much they were getting and fees. And then there were other reps who were super low. And I realized at that moment, the people who were low, they were basically giving up the farm because they themselves had that broke mindset, really good on the phone, had all the objections when it came to price, they just gave it away.


    So like, when it comes to The order taker side, which is a phrase you and I, we've talked many times in the past. So it's a phrase, that I like to use because again, it triggers some people, they might get offended. They don't want to be called an order taker if they're a salesperson, but if they're operating that way, it is what it is that we've got the certifications.


    They're leaning on that. They're hoping people will sign up in the healthcare business or anything for sales and they're operating more like an order taker and they're not. Asking, what's another thing that you see that could help them make that shift, whether it's health care or anything else business wise?


    Justin: Honestly, if you're still in that place where you are that order taker, the only thing to focus on is your mindset and the confidence increasing your confidence level. And seeing yourself as the expert that you are to prescribe. You don't go to a doctor and the doctor is not like, this could be good for you.


    What do you think? They don't handle it like that. They tell you, no, you're going to do this. You're going to take it this many times. You're going to do it's going to last you this and that's it. And you do it. So if you're not going to handle yourself like a professional and prescribe what people need, then.


    People aren't going to take you seriously and you're never going to move away from that order taker type of role in that mentality. So it really comes like from doing that inner work, like you have to increase your confidence. You have to work on your mindset. Cause if you're going to keep neglecting the limiting beliefs that you have, how can you ever possibly step into a higher level and reaching your full potential. If you're going to keep having those limiting beliefs, it's just not going to work. And especially obviously anybody like any type of like business coaching or in health aspect, most times that your clients are dealing with limiting beliefs. And that's what it is that you're helping them with.


    It's not the fact that they're not doing some magical exercise or. Eating some special unknown food. It's because they're self sabotaging or they're dealing with some type of mental mind block that is stopping them from being successful. And the same thing with you when it comes to your sales, if you're not going to address what is blocking you in having a productive conversation with somebody, then you're going to keep repeating that.


    Jason: We have a mutual friend, Travis Chappell, and he was on the show recently, and he brought up that very point about confidence. And it's one of those things where it's there and if you have it, you don't really think about it. If you see that other people are missing it, then it just stands out like crazy.


    And I think that is really the key. In the doctor example, which anyone who listens to me or reads anything that I put out knows that's what I use a lot, is how would a doctor as a professional process the conversation and move somebody forward, right? And I love how you put it. I never thought about that, which is, yeah, I have this thing.


    Maybe it'll work. What would you like to do? Or I have this thing. It's usually good. Most people like it. Let me know if that's something you want to do. And they don't that you couldn't imagine if anybody walked into a doctor with some kind of issue, known or unknown, and the doctor responded to that, you would literally run, you'd be like, holy crap, this dude doesn't know.


    What he's talking about and this is worrying. I'm out of here, right? But that's what salespeople do, because they're lacking that confidence and embracing. You said it very early on in the conversation, which was the duty and responsibility to help that other person as a professional with certifications or without, right?


    Obviously, you want to have some ability to know what you're doing if you're helping someone with their health, fitness, nutrition. But it's not about that. It's about your vibration and understanding and confidence in yourself as a professional.


    Justin: Yeah, of course. Yeah, I don't want to make it sound like the being able to deliver isn't important.


    Of course. And I think that comes in hand with your confidence level. Truly, I think if you're lacking confidence, then there's probably some underlying disbelief that you have that you actually can deliver for this person. And that's something you need to address, too. Is your service or your program or whatever it is that you're providing?


    Is it legit? Is it actually going to pretty much guarantee that you can get this person result if they stick to this or they follow it and if they can't, then that's going to come out of you as lack of confidence and not being able to speak in a way that's going to give people certainty around your service.


    Of course you have to be able to get the people in front of you and be able to sell them first and foremost, obviously to be able to provide the service, but then once you get them there, you better damn well be able to provide the service and get them the amazing outcome and better. Then what they were expecting, because obviously that's what builds a longterm business.


    You're not just a fad business then where you can be really good on the front end sales, but then you have nothing on the back end. So if you're looking for a longevity business, you have to have both pieces. But yeah, I think the confidence definitely comes from that. And that's why you typically see that with like people newer in business or new coaches, like they definitely lacked confidence, obviously, because they don't have the testimonials backing them.


    They don't have that, so they'll price lower and stuff like that. But as you progress yourself, you should be progressing in your profession, how you're speaking, your pricing, like everything should be progressing. But if you're still staying where you're at, then, there's some red flags there that you need to address.


    And that's a clear indication that you don't believe in. that your service can actually provide the outcome that you know that person's coming to you for.


    Jason: All right, that's it for part two. As always, please subscribe. If possible, leave a rating or review. It makes such a huge difference to people who are looking for good content, looking for podcasts to listen to, and wanting to find something that might resonate with them.


    Comments. And reviews, those kind of things really help almost like when you go to Amazon and you want to buy something and you're unsure about it. First thing I know I do is I go down to the reviews. I look at what people are saying. And if that matches for me, it's an instant decision and it's really easy.


    So please do the same thing for this podcast, any podcast that you enjoy. And appreciate and really value, make sure to do that. It really helps people out. It's an amazing little gift that you're giving to someone like myself. So make sure to do that. And if you want to check out the show notes and his links, like I said, go to the website.


    As always, keep in mind, everything in life is sales. People will remember the experience you gave them.


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By Jason Cutter February 19, 2025
What does it take to build the ideal Sales Experience? Why does it even matter? Maybe you think you already have one. You are a professional sales ops leader. You have put everything you can in place to help your salespeople sell more. You have optimized the processes so that your sales team can focus on one thing – selling. But I promise – even if you think all of that is true, it’s not. The Reality: No Perfect Sales Experience Exists I have never seen any company or team with the ‘ideal’ Sales Experience and operation. And to be honest – I have never built one successfully. Why would I admit that? Because the ideal Sales Experience is aspirational and business, teams, processes, and customer needs/desires are constantly changing. So as soon as you put new processes in place, something else needs to change and evolve. The Scalable Sales Success Iceberg In my Scalable Sales Success Iceberg – there are 24 categories that, when built out, create a scalable sales machine – where you can add in an input and get way more output. I would love to see companies have all 24 categories set up and running optimally. But that’s not even possible – because, as I mentioned, things are always changing. Focusing on the Biggest Levers Here is the key – to build the ideal Sales Experience takes focus on the biggest levers. The ones that, when pulled, create the biggest and best results. There are many processes and systems that you can put in place – but those are going to get you a few percentage points of improvement. Instead of putting it all in here, I want to make you a special offer. Email me at jason@sellingeffectiveness.com with your mailing address, and I will mail you the book that I co-wrote with Nick Glimsdahl called Reasons Not To Focus On The Sales Experience. It will be your starter guide, facilitating the creation of your ideal Sales Experience.
By Jason Cutter February 18, 2025
The Numbers Game Mentality is a Losing Strategy Sales is no longer a “numbers game.” You cannot succeed, long term, by focusing on volume of activity. Making a million dials, sending a million emails, knocking on a million doors (the first two are way easier than that last one) is a scorched earth strategy that will sink your business. You can’t out-dial a bad sales process. It will lead to even more bad online reviews. You can’t out-email a terrible sales funnel process that requires people to jump through poorly planned hoops. You can’t out-knock your way past slimy tactics and bad products/services. The Danger of the "Every No Gets Me Closer to a Yes" Mindset The whole “every no gets me one step closer to a yes” mentally is dangerous. That mindset and strategy assumes that it’s a numbers game. That the only thing that matters is finding the right person who will buy from you. Potentially, no matter what you even say – they are just ready to buy. Not only will this destroy any online reputation you have it will also wreak havoc on your team. It is the fastest and best way to burn out your team. It will lead to a revolving door or hiring, training, and quitting as people realize how unfun the game is you have built and how hard it is to be successful. It will also feel like a mismatch – very few people (and hopefully even less over time) are long-term excited about the business model of calling 500 people a day in hopes of making a few sales. If It’s Not a Numbers Game, Then What Is It? It’s quality over quantity. [Now…note – it does take a certain quantity of activity to fill a sales pipeline. So I am not saying that your sales team can just sit and wait for people to fall into their pipeline with money in hand.] It’s about the Sales Experience. It’s about your team ensuring that they are providing the right and best experience for that potential customer – in a way that sets them up to get into the buying mood and mode. All that matters is the Sales Experience. How can you support your team in terms of the quantity of activity to fill a pipeline, and then the quality of interaction that leads to sales? What Does an Ideal Sales Experience Look Like? What does that look like – the ideal Sales Experience? It’s when your team understands that the potential customer they are speaking with only cares about themselves. They don’t care about the salesperson, your company or the product. They are only focused on themselves. It’s when the Discovery/Empathy portion of the conversation is the most important part. Does your team realize that everything after Discovery – when done right – is just a presentation of the solution? It’s the fact that when you combine the parts of the Authentic Persuasion Pathway (Rapport + Empathy + Trust + Hope + Urgency) that the assumptive close is all you need. If your team is having to ask for the sale they are doing sales wrong. And don’t confuse earning the right to close with asking for the sale. The Sales Leader’s Role in Creating a World-Class Sales Experience Your job as a sales leader is to ensure your team understands that the only thing – above all else – is the sales experience they provide to each potential customer. That customer knows that they have the power and the feeling of unlimited choice. Which means they will decide who to give their money to based on the experience they have with buying from a company. How can you shift your team away from the numbers game mentality to actually providing a world class sales experience to each and every person they speak with?
By Jason Cutter February 17, 2025
The Abundance of Options Today we all have lots of options. While writing this I could speak into my phone and order whatever I want. I can get food delivered before I finish writing this article. I could get a TV delivered to my door before I wake up tomorrow. When someone wants to buy something, they are armed with as much information as they want to access. They can research, read reviews, and watch videos about a product or company. The Shift in Power to the Buyer Because of this, the power balance of sales has shifted away from the salesperson and company to the buyer. Knowledge is power – and they now have all the knowledge they want. With knowing that they have ultimate choice of what to buy (internet and globalization has led to the ability to order anything you want from anywhere…so you are no longer limited to the stores you can drive to and what they have on hand), it means that everything is a commodity in their minds. Nothing is unique or special. Everything is interchangeable. Does the Sales Experience Even Matter? So, this means the sales experience doesn’t matter anymore. There is no reason to put effort into the sales process, the conversations with potential customers. No value in spending time trying to ‘help’ people – since they just view products, salespeople, and companies as interchangeable. You are not special, so there is no benefit in caring. They will walk into your store, and they will decide what they want. They fill out your online for, and they decide if they answer when you call and how the call will go. They walk up to your event/booth, and they decide how the interaction will go and if they want to listen to your elevator pitch. They will let you know if they are interested in moving forward. They will let you know how they want to buy. So, like I said above, there is no real value anymore in the sales experience. Or could it actually be valuable? Is it possible that all that matters IS the sales experience? If people feel they have ultimate information and control of the buying process, how do they decide on what to buy and who to buy from? When I search on Amazon for a product type I have never purchased before, how do I pick? When I want to go shopping for garden supplies for the house, how do I pick where to go? When I need to buy a new fridge, who will I hand my money over to? The cheapest place with terrible service? The place with reasonable prices and great service? The Sales Experience Shapes the Decision I choose based on the sales experience that I will receive. With everything else being equal, I (and I believe most people) will select the place to shop at or the products to buy online based on the experience I receive. To me all that matters is the experience. While I am trying to buy something. Once I receive it – ensure it does what I need it to do. With the feeling of unlimited choices, it can actually be harder now to buy something that in the past. People get into analysis paralysis more often. Which means that for consumers to buy something new they need help. They need a professional salesperson. They need a sales experience that matches their expectations. They want a guide who will help them make the right decision for them, with an experience that goes above and beyond what more people receive any more when they walk into a store, call a company’s toll-free number, or visit a website and have to fill out a form. If you want to succeed in sales – the only thing that matters is the sales experience you provide.
By Jason Cutter February 13, 2025
The Balance of Effort in Sales The blogs this week have been about the other person going most of the way. Whether it’s a prospective customer and your salesperson, where the salesperson truly can’t want the deal or make most of it happen for that customer to truly be successful. On the path for that prospect to becoming a customer, they should go at least 51/49. Whether it’s your team and their manager, the manager can’t want the team to succeed more than the team actually wants it for themselves. It’s not scalable for the coach (manager) to run on the field every play to win the game for the salespeople. What about sales ops processes and systems? What about the tools available to the sales team and the ones that are classified as sales enablement? In a reversal of philosophy, I believe the sales ops processes should go 90, the team should only have to go 10. Why Do We Need Salespeople? Let’s start where it matters – what is the point of having salespeople? I know many owners question the need and desire to have salespeople. They are hard to manage, tough to deal with, always want more money (potentially for doing less work and closing less deals), and are very resistant to change. Of course, that is a generalization. Of course, there are salespeople who don’t check those boxes. However, having worked with a lot of teams in a lot of industries, that generalization isn’t completely wrong or unfair. So if there is even a small part of that which is accurate, why would we even mess with the messiness of having salespeople? Of needing to employ and manage humans? The Human Element in Sales We need them. That’s why. Even in 2025, AI and technology has not successfully replicated the requirements of sales – which is about helping a human (prospect/customer) make the right decision and move outside of their comfort zone to buy something new. It still takes your human (salesperson) to persuade that other human. It’s why I say all the time that its not B2B, B2C, Retail, SaaS, etc. – it’s H2H. Sure, people can buy something online or even in a store without speaking to someone. But if it’s a considered purchase where there are options and decisions to be considered – it still takes a human being involved. That means ultimately your human (salesperson) has one job, and one job only – persuade the right prospective humans to buy. Minimizing Distractions for Salespeople Everything outside of that mission, task, focus is a distraction that takes away from their highest and best use. Imagine if we had a surgeon who had to prep the room, prep the patient, schedule the surgery and meetings, and do all the parts of the surgery themselves. Nope – they show up for the surgery and do what they do best. Then they take off their gown, gloves, and walk away to get cleaned up and move on to the next thing. Your goal as a sales ops leader is to support the team with systems and processes that allow them to focus on the one thing you need them for. The human part. It would be amazing if they could show up, talk to people, and make sales happen. Of course, there is more that they (and any professional) need to do before, during, and after the sales conversation. But your goal is to minimize all that. Every hour that your salespeople aren’t selling or doing sales-related activities, they aren’t moving revenue forward. The Ultimate Goal of Sales Ops What processes can you put in place that go 90 percent of the way, where the salesperson can do the last 10 percent? An example would be building an email campaign that runs automatically, and when the right people reply, the salesperson gets involved in getting that person from email to phone call. Another example would be your CRM serving up people for the salesperson to call – leads or anyone in the sales pipeline flow – with all the backstory, research, data, intel needed for them to review it then take action. What can you put into place that takes away as much distraction and effort from your sales team such that they can focus on the one thing you need to focus on – other humans?
By Jason Cutter February 12, 2025
The Danger of Doing Too Much as a Sales Leader Alright – so maybe they don’t need to go 90. In true servant leadership mode, you would go way more than 10% of the way to your team. But you have to be careful, as a sales leader. The inclination might be to do it all for them. To help them close their sales. To make excuses for them to your leadership as to why they aren’t closing more sales. Especially considering the very high likelihood that you are a sales manager because you were a great salesperson in the role that you are now managing. And there is a slight chance that you are a player-coach…so you are leading and selling. This can make it really tough not to want to run out on the field to win the game each time. But that doesn’t scale. That doesn’t lead to increased results. You can only sell so much as one person. Creating a Culture of Ownership So, you need to have people on your team that are coming to you. What does that look like? The pinnacle is a salesperson who doesn’t close a deal, comes to you right away and asks for feedback. They want some critiques as to where they could have done things better, different that would have led to the desired result – a closed sale. That takes a healthy level of ego by a professional who has the ultimate growth mindset. They know there are always ways to improve. They want to improve. And they are willing to risk their ego (and the internal, protective, primal part of our brain that doesn’t want to risk our place in the tribe) by asking for feedback that could be negative. Whenever you can, encourage that type of response. Ensure that the team knows that the team itself, and you as their leader, is a safe space – where the goal is to improve, grow, win and that everything done to support each other is done in that mode. They truly have to feel safe to share their mistakes and to get support in learning how to do more, better. Feedback That Drives Growth Part of this takes team and individual meetings that are actually filled with positive support. That doesn’t mean it’s always positive, motivational fluff. It’s not even about the shallow strategy of the feedback sandwich. Its about being real, honest, and empathetic – meaning “I see you are here, I know you want to be there, I will help you get there – even if its hard and it means saying hard things.” It should never feel mean or abusive or like an attack. But you can give some really direct feedback that will sting that ego I mentioned, but the person will know the intent behind it. The second part is hiring this type of person. Hiring people for the team that wants to win, grow, succeed. And they know that you don’t get better by being coddled, sheltered, or protected. You want people who don’t like the thought of perpetually living safely in their comfort zone. And they are excited about the opportunity to be a part of a team that pushes everyone, empathetically, outside of their comfort zone. Are You Leading or Just Managing? If you find yourself as a leader having to push your team, or going to them most of the time, or most of the way mentally – then they see you as a manager not a leader. They see you as someone who manages them, pushes them, and wants them to do things they don’t want to do. I have written some blogs here that go into what your role should be – as a leader, not a manager. Pulling people along with you, inspiring people, and supporting yourself with a team of people who want to win. Not just those that want to show up, do as little as they can and hopefully go unnoticed (yet – complain about not making enough money and how the comp plan isn’t fair, or the leads are bad, or their schedule means they can’t be successful.) Make sure your team knows that they need to come to you – at least 51/49. They should be asking for help, guidance, training, feedback, and support more than you are having to push it down onto them.
By Jason Cutter February 3, 2025
If you have seen the movie Hitch, then you know the scene. Will Smith’s character (Hitch) is trying to coach Kevin James’ character (Albert) on how to finish out his upcoming first date. He is giving him pointers, one being that if his date fumbles with her keys at the door, it could mean she wants a kiss. So Hitch wants to see if Albert knows what to do – for a good night kiss. Hitch gives him the advice “you go 90 percent, and then wait for her to go 10%” which Albert then asks “wait for how long?” Hitch: “as long as it takes.” Albert leads in, Hitch is holding back to see if Albert will wait, and then Albert goes all the way and gives him a kiss. Hitch gets upset, and says “You go 90, I go 10 – you don’t go the whole 100%.” The Sales Analogy Kissing our prospective customers is not acceptable (just ask HR!). But the concept is the same. You don’t want to ever make 100% of the effort for your prospective customers. You don’t want to be the one who is doing all the work. Fundamentally, it is not good practice to want the deal more than the other person. When you go your 90, you need to wait – as long as it takes – for the prospect to go to their 10. And I would say that you want to go somewhere between 10-49, in reality. How Successful Sales Professionals Balance Effort Successful sales professionals know how far they have to go to meet the prospect where they are, while also knowing how much effort the prospect needs to put in to show they are committed. Where most salespeople get in trouble is they get desperate. They want the sale (kiss) more than the other person and they go the full 100%. Of course, persistence is important. And you won’t get what you don’t ask for (although…if you have followed me for any length of time, you will know I am very against having to ask for the sale). But you also have to ensure that your prospects actually want what you are selling. And they want it for their reasons and their motivations. They are driven to pursue your production option(s). They must go 10, 40, 60% of the way to you. The Pitfall of Chasing Your Prospect Just like courtship and relationships – if you find yourself chasing and one-sided-pursing the other person then it means you want it more than they do. It also means they own you. You are essentially begging them for the relationship – convincing, manipulating, begging, bribing, persuading your way forward. Which means they consciously and/or subconsciously know that they are in control. Because if they say no, you will keep pursuing and offering solutions. In sales – that looks like a salesperson who is calling, emailing, stalking a prospect – making offers, offering discounts and trials, and trying to find any way to make deal work. They are going 90-100% of the way for the prospect, not requiring them to go anywhere towards the agreement. This will end terribly. If they do decide to buy – taking the discount, free trial, taking the sale bait – they will not be happy (since they weren’t bought in for their reasons), they will look for reasons confirming why they didn’t really want to buy anyway, and they will know that they own you. Your company will have to convince them on a regular basis to stay in the relationship. The Right Balance for Customer Ownership You fundamentally need that prospective customer to come to you. Not 100% where you are just an Order Taker. But potentially 51% of the way – so they want it more than you. The more you can get them across that 50/50 threshold, the more they will be a satisfied customer. But remember – at 51/49 – they still need persuading, they still need to understand the value of your product for where they ultimately want to be in their life/business, and they still need your support. They lean in the right amount, you lean in the right amount = sales magic!
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