Adam Niec’s Post

Well, strap in for the wild ride of my sales journey! Picture this: I'm a sprightly teenager, dialing away as a telemarketer, convincing folks to hop on board with credit card upservices. That was way back in '93, when grunge was in and pagers were still a thing. Fast forward to '94 to '97, where I upgraded from credit cards to roofing and siding. Armed with a phone book and a headset, I was the maestro of cold calling, convincing homeowners that their roof needed a facelift. Then, in my early 20s, I found myself knee-deep in the world of trucking and freight brokerage. I even took a detour down to Puebla, Mexico, because, why not? Life's an adventure, right? By '04-'06, I was hauling heavy loads and rigging up deals left and right. It was all about moving mountains—literally, sometimes—while hustling for trucking companies and startups. In '06, I took the plunge and launched my own freight agency. Talk about a rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship, with its highs, lows, and hairpin turns. And now, here I am, pushing 50 and still slinging sales everyday. I've got one foot in the family freight brokerage game and the other in the world of software development. Variety is the spice of life, they say! So, how about you? What's your sales saga? And hey, if you're just starting out in the sales game, here's a nugget of wisdom from yours truly: Embrace the grind. Sales ain't always smooth sailing, but if you stay persistent, keep honing your craft, and never lose sight of the value you bring to the table, you'll carve out your own path to success. It's like they say: Success in sales is all about the hustle, with a dash of charm and a sprinkle of resilience. You've got this!

Meet our Intermediary Sales Team Leader - Lizzie Atkins 💁♀️ What was your first job? Gamestation – absolutely loved it and met some unique characters. 🎮 What’s your dream place to visit? I would love to visit somewhere exotic with white beaches and clear blue sea (child free). 🏖️ What’s your favourite thing about the Society? Definitely the people. We spend most of our days with each other so you need to get on and have a laugh. Also brokers enjoy having the more human approach when speaking to us. 💛 Which product/criteria do you think makes the most impact? Income flex – this is such a popular product and really helps customers that might be in a bit of an unusual situation. A popular aspect of this is using the most recent years income if a customer is self-employed. 🤩 What's your top tip for brokers? Always provide the correct packaging documents at application to prevent any delays. 📎 What motivates you in life? Doing a good job! It’s great speaking to brokers and customers knowing that you might have helped them with their dream purchase. 🏡

Thursday thought: All good things must end. One of my close pals says this and it’s so true. Frank Sinatra sang in the tune That’s Life, “you’re ridin’ high in April, shot down in May…” Frank is right. In the world of professional selling, you’re only as good as your last sale, be it monthly or quarterly. While listening to ‘Unchained’ by Van Halen (not Van Hagar) David Lee Roth sings, “change, ain’t nothin’ stays the same…” and that is a constant in the world of sales. The company you work for can be doing great one year then the next, become a stinker along with a crushed stock price. As a past VP of Sales once told me, “Nate you’re just like every other sales exec; you’re looking to catch the next wave.” That is so true, especially in technology sales. So if you’re currently crushing it like Brad Paisley, enjoy it, save every nickel of your commission, and always keep an eye out for plan B-for that inevitable change. Because once you miss your number, the execs come a pointin’ fingers at you asking WTF Nate… Don’t get caught unprepared if they start squeezing you to the point you feel unloved and need to leave. Until then, keep grinding and making things happen. It’s the only way. Because the only guarantees in life are death, taxes, and constant change.

𝗜 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 A spicy cough in March 2020 stopped company operations. But I won’t lie.. I was about to quit anyway. I didn’t feel comfortable flogging shit solar panels to Aussies on their doorsteps. I felt 10x more uncomfortable with the company's sales philosophy.. ⛔Excessively High Intensity ⛔Objection Handle to the point of conflict ⛔ jUsT PiCk uP tHe pH0ne Mentality And this gave me the wrong impression of Sales. Like many, I thought it was for sleazy sociopaths. (The boss of this company genuinely was one - truly shit bloke) But a year later, I interviewed for a Conference Producer position with a Startup. I told the CEO, I don’t want the role if it involves Sales. His reply: “𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁” He was spot on. Because sales is the art of communicating solutions to problems. And if you know your solution genuinely helps people, it resonates in your energy.  You just have to learn a few extra bits about persuasion + human psychology. Because Sales is everything in business:  No Sales = no money. So I’m glad I got exposure to the skill as a 20 year old.. And even more in my previous job. It gave me a headstart on running my own business today. P.S: My preferred sales style is honesty. What's yours? Here's an "In Field" pic of the Aussie dream - Ute & Suburb Bungalow.

Hating sales is a sign you’re on the right path. In my 23 years of selling, there were times I wanted to quit. I hear people say this too often: → “Sales feels too pushy.” → “I’m not cut out for selling.” → “I can’t ask for more money—it feels wrong.” But here’s why that resistance to sales means something good is happening. Hating sales is like resistance to growth. With growth, you don’t: → Try to avoid it → Try to work around it → Ignore the discomfort it brings Growth is necessary. Growth is empowering. Growth can: → Challenge you → Push you to learn more → Present new opportunities When you lean INTO selling instead of RESISTING it, that’s when things click. And that’s how I view sales. When it feels uncomfortable, I know I’m: → Doing something that stretches me. → Doing something that moves the needle. → Doing something that brings me closer to my goals. And that’s exactly what leads to progress. You don’t close deals by sitting back. You need to face the challenge head-on. Hating sales means you’re stepping outside your comfort zone. REAL progress begins when you push past your limits. So the next time you feel resistance to sales or selling more for your business… Lean in, and watch what happens. PS. Briony had an $13k week this week, after first hating sales. And consistent sales each month since joining The Client Acquisition Club. Interested in joining? https://lnkd.in/egE6a3Cf

What do you talk about at a Sales Conference? I was asked to talk about our Advice and Face 2 Face "Super Dupa Service". So, I took the Sales team on our PURPOSE and WHY we do what we do. If you don't know your purpose or your why, the culture to Super Dupa Service is unclear. Simon Sinek and the Golden Circle is perfect for this and for the Sales Team. In May 2024, the Australian Bankruptcies - Trading Economics put out an article on "Insight into Small Businesses in Australia". 60% will close within 3 years of trading and 20% in 1 year. My WHY every day and my teams collective and shared WHY is to save Aussies businesses. Small to medium business are the backbone of our economy. If non-compliant or if they don't understand award interpretation and have backpay challenges - they have to decide if they can go on that family holiday or they have to remove their kids from the private school to the local public school. Hard decisions for these families to make to ensure they do the right thing by their employees. That is our PURPOSE we don't just "answer a call" So impactful! Oh, BTW Salespeople out there - commission is not your WHY...it is the result of the WHY and trust/loyalty you bring to the table when you care about your customers. Your WHY drives retention, repeat service, increased share of the wallet due to loyalty. Peninsula Australia are dedicated to Building Better Businesses Thank you Stuart Holder Anthony Wanne Rous David P. Caroline Marston

Young and Earning: The Power of Effort in Sales! 💸 In sales, your commission reflects the time and effort you invest. The more you put in, the more you earn. Your success is driven by how much you’re willing to dedicate and focus on your goals. 🌟🚀 #YoungSalesperson #CommissionEarnings #SalesEffort #SuccessDriven #SalesJourney #EarnYourSuccess

I follow one golden rule in my sales career every day 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Why? I've realized in the encounters where someone was selling to me - whether my business or individually - I ALWAYS went with the person/organization who held themselves in the most professional way possible. I ALWAYS chose that person/organization who explained the benefits of using their product(s) and their value-add. Coincidentally, I've never went with the person/organization who was condescending about their competitor. In a recent example, I was choosing between two booking services on an R&R golf trip to Scotland. Both proposals were relatively similar - product and price - but it was the difference between the sales pitches: Salesperson 1 - "We have you in a king-sized rooms at the Rusacks hotel overlooking the 18th hole at the St. Andrews Old Course - the home of golf. You are in walking distance of Dunvegan and The Jiggers Inn - two of the best pubs in the area." Salesperson 2 - "I've never heard of them before" - in a snobbish tone. "They have 2 reviews on Google, both 1 stars." "Our price is lower." To me, after some quick due diligence on Salesperson 1's company reviews, I found both were not impactful enough to matter. Two bad reviews since 2009; that's pretty good. The business was old school and clearly didn't prioritize Google Reviews as much as Salesperson 2's company did. But the way that Salesperson 2 presented themselves, that was a 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘧𝘧, and a nail in their coffin. Stop talking bad about your competitors. Treat them with respect. Instead, talk about the benefits of using your products/services. And remember, you aren't going to win every deal! #sales #golf #insurance #realestate #agent

Mastering the Hunt: Lessons in Resilience and Strategy from Ira Zlotowitz I had a great conversation with Ira Zlotowitz, the visionary founder of two of America's largest commercial financing brokerages. We discussed a significant milestone in my career—closing two clients who hadn't engaged with us in over five years. These are the kinds of leads many in the industry overlook, yet they underscore a powerful lesson I learned from one of the greats in commercial real estate financing, Ira Zlotowitz. Back in 1995, Ira introduced cold calling to CRE. Before that, you didn't do million-dollar deals with someone who cold-called you. Reflecting on the countless conversations and training sessions with Ira, three pivotal lessons stand out—lessons that transformed me from just another sales rep to a true hunter in the field: 1.) Become a Hunter: Embrace proactivity. Seek opportunities where they're least expected and forge new connections relentlessly. 2.) Self-Generating Strategies: Master your market. Develop tactics that not only generate leads but position you as the preemptive solution to client needs. 3.) Creative Problem Solving: Tackle each client's unique challenges with innovative thinking. Look past initial rejections to uncover and deliver solutions that truly resonate. Forever grateful to Ira Zlotowitz and beyond blessed to have been trained by the best. To my peers in sales, remember: the path to becoming a top-performing sales rep is paved with persistence, strategic innovation, and the willingness to chase down every lead, no matter how unlikely it may seem. Here’s to hunting down our next big win.

📢 Announcing my 5 day challenge: Get Fully-Booked🎉 👉The FREE sales challenge for growth focused business owners who want to make more sales, more comfortably. I am SO excited to launch this! This is for you if: 🔹You want bigger and better sales but you're feeling stuck. 🔹You can't see where the next sale is coming from and can't quite put your finger on why selling feels so hard. ` 🔹You want some quick wins and money coming into the business but your 'Big 2024 Goals' still feel out of reach. 🔹You want sales but hate selling. You don't know where to turn and feel isolated and alone as you're trying to plan out your offers.   🔹Selling makes you feel icky, terrified and exposed - especially now you want to raise your prices but have no idea what to set these to.  `🔹You feel the pressure to 'have your best Quarter' but have no idea how to make the money you want.  🔹Or, sales have been good but you want them to be GREAT! You're up for trying a new way and seeing how much revenue and sales you can make when you put the pedal down. This is YOUR TIME! You just want to be told WHAT TO DO, and to make sales... on repeat! 💥By the end of this challenge you will have a red-carpet ready sales strategy that you will be able to roll out and implement time and time again. All you need to do is sign up, show up and take action! We kick off on 15th September for the welcome party, then get cracking from 16th September. I’ll be showing up every morning and evening to deliver your daily actions! 👉So, are you ready for the challenge?  Is it time for you to Get Fully Booked? I think so! Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/evFEi7Rh See you at the welcome party, Enfys