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I made this mistake when a rep was shadowing me at my 2nd sales gig We stood in sams clubs or knocked doors, trying to get estimates scheduled for our sales reps. The rep that was shadowing me and was on a pip. They told him to work with me at Sams Club for a day to see what I do (nice little ego boost right there). I was 24 at the time and mentoring and training still was pretty new to me. I noticed a problem the rep was having when spoke with a prospect. He spent 35 minutes, talking to the prospect who was just trying to kill some time and he continued on with it. In that time span, there were probably around 20-40 people that walked past us that may have actually wanted to discuss our services, not just shoot the shit. Here's where I messed up. After he was done with chatting with the lady, I came up to him and said "You spent 35 minutes talking to this lady. You're not supposed to do that! That was a lot of time you wasted!" With me coming at him like that, of course he didn't take that well. What I've learned throughout training mentoring and developing others is to us PCP. PCP stands for Praise Correct Praise. It's a nicer way to give criticism esp for someone you haven't established a strong relationship with yet. Using PCP I could have said "Hey, I can tell you're really friendly and great with talking to people, that lady really enjoyed the conversation! (PRAISE) One thing I noticed that could be worked on is the time spent engaging in the interaction as that could be used for speaking to other prospects that want what we have. Just mindful of that. (CORRECT). Other than that, I really like how you interact with people, keep the good vibes in each interaction!" If you already have an established relationship with the person though, and you can just be blunt and straight up say EXACTLY what you're thinking, then that's different. But I barely knew this rep, and should have went the PCP route. #sales #sdr #bdr #accountexecutive

Taking a minute to think about one of my favorite sales movies Glengarry Glen Ross. During the best scene from the film Baldwin’s character goes on an epic rant, and he touches on the ABC’s of sales: Always Be Closing. While I love the film, I have to disagree here. As sales professionals we’re obsessed with closing the deal, which is entirely the wrong way to look at it. Sales isn’t about closing, it’s about opening. Opening the relationship is the hardest and most critical part. So I think we should flip the “always be closing” mindset on its head and think of it more as “always be opening”. Always be opening the next relationship, the next opportunity, the next renewal, the next referral. It’s more about pipeline creation than “closing the deal”. If you open things up the right way, and are obsessed with always building pipeline the deals will close themselves.

Five years ago I decided to jump from sales rep to manager. I packed my bags and moved to Atlanta. Here is what happened 👇 Morale was bad. The office was losing money. There was talk of closing the branch (think ‘The Office’ Season 2 minus the humor) But I wanted a challenge. I wanted to create an environment people would want to be in. And I had a plan to make it happen. The Good ✅ I told each sales rep to stop cold calling and instead focus on growing accounts that I got. By month two we were a profitable branch. (Timing helped with some unexpected market condition wins) By early 2019 we were hiring sales reps like crazy to grow even faster. We had a system that was working. People bought in and were excited. We set up more new customers each month than any other branch with half the sales force. We played ‘We Are The Champions’ if our office had the highest load count total of the day and left early. The Bad ❌ I was a one person show. I wasn’t good at delegating. I was the IT person setting up computer workstations, interviewing for customer service and sales, training new hires, and managing my own book of business. I was insecure about the lack of recognition I received. By the end of 2019, I couldn’t do it all anymore. I got burnt out and couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I started taking interviews at other companies and I felt like a failure, letting down the people who had bought into my vision. What I learned 💡 In true brokerage fashion, I had to learn on the fly. And learn I did. Knowing what I know now I’d have done a million things differently. I still feel bad for the reps I let down when I decided to walk away. But I’m still proud of what we built in a short period of time. Going from sales rep to manager isn’t an easy task. Not all ‘good’ sales reps are meant to be managers. Most shouldn’t. My advice? ✅ Learn ✅ Ask questions ✅ Don’t be afraid to make mistakes ✅ Listen to your people ✅ Over invest in your top performers ✅ Have contagious fun

The first sales job I ever had was selling coupons D2D in NJ in 2008.    Prior to knocking doors I hadn’t had much exposure to sales. I imagined that you simply needed a great product to be a rockstar salesperson, the reality was far from that…   I was lucky enough to work with some top-notch salespeople who were in the beginning of their careers while knocking doors. The part that amazed me was that all these people needed to be successful was grit, they didn’t have an incredible product, access to training, or mentors. They simply never gave up.   All of them were successful because of their unwillingness to allow mistakes to evolve into failures and always found a way to move forward.   Yesterday I started my 5th business, the first four didn’t work.   I have deep gratitude for those early salespeople who led by example and showed me it was possible to never give up.   In work or in personal life, remember there are people watching, the greatest thing you can do for yourself, and others is to be a leader and role model. So, if things get difficult today or this week, hopefully this is one extra reason to push a little harder.   “I finish when I’m done, not when I feel like it” -David Goggins   #sales #business #Goggins

📈 Dealing with the Ups and Downs of a Sales Career 📈 SDRs deal with a lot of negatives throughout their day. In fact, you’re far more likely to run into a day full of negatives. Zero clients booked all rejections and things like that. 🔥 Luckily, Sydney Senior has just the right solution to dealing with negativity: ➡️ Focusing on what you can control This involves: ✅ Expanding your time horizon - Don’t dwell in the now. Focus on the future. ✅ Building on your skills to develop a long-term sales career. This time on Shake Sales, we return to an important topic that plagues every SDR: dealing with burnout. So, Sujan Patel invited Sydney, a specialist in achieving happiness and fulfillment in her career. Check out this week’s #pod to get the low-down on how to deal with everyday burnout! #ShakeSales #burnout #SDR #sales

Have you ever seen GlennGary Glenn Ross? It is considered a classic sales movie and one of my favorites. Most people who have seen the movie remember the iconic scene with a young Alec Baldwin when he breaks down the ABCs of selling. Always Be Closing He also highlights a sales contest where first place wins a new Cadillac, second place a set of steak knives, and third place you're fired, which is hilarious. When I rewatch this scene, I wonder if this is how people outside sales view those in sales. ❌ Pushy ❌ Fast-talking ❌ Cheap suits ❌ Thief and criminals The reputation of sales reps is only sometimes a favorite one. The good news is that the stigma of sales is improving. If you are looking for a great career where you can learn skill sets that will translate into several other jobs, consider sales. 💰 Bonus: Earning a six-figure income without a formal degree is realistic in sales. You don't have to spend years ramping up to this income; you can achieve it in your first year. 📓 Note: In sales, you will get what you put in. Sales have significantly changed my life for the better, and I'm so thankful I walked into Huffines Chevrolet in the late 90's and asked for a job. 🚀 P.S. If you are considering a sales career and have questions, please DM me. #flagstaff #sales #movies #career #salescoaching

If you want to sell your business someday... 1) Build Your Future Sales Pipeline: Nobody wants to buy something with bare, or nearly bare cupboards. 2) Risk is Your Worst Enemy: Buyers don't want a high risk fixer upper, they want something that is plug and play to profits 3) Build Your Team Well Before the Sale: Thinking about a hiring a head of sales or marketing leader? Make the move now to show you have your stars in place with solid date to back them up.

Calling all business owners! 🚀 Let's talk about finding that perfect salesperson. What traits do you look for when hiring for your sales team? Drop your thoughts below! Personally, we find experience in fast-paced environments like the restaurant industry to be invaluable. Let's swap insights and learn from each other! #Sales #BusinessGrowth #TeamBuilding #wegetitdone

Pre Season Blitz’s are where you over come your fears! For most sales people the first time cold contacting homeowners can be very nerve wracking. These brave souls are out here making it look easy in Phoenix this week! So many studs out here, looking to be the 1 in their family to make a difference for generations to come. Join an elite sales culture this summer and see what you can benefit from by learning the most valuable skill set in the world. #sales #hiring

“Sorry, Paul. We decided to go with someone else.” 😲 I was a new hire. Sales rep. Less than 30 days in. We were introduced late in the process by an exec we knew there. This was supposed to be the fastest deal won in new rep history. I tried to save it. No luck. My VP tried to save it. No luck. My CRO tried saving. No luck. We all accepted defeat. Then I made one last call the next day. I called the exec that introduced us to the opp at his company. He was in a different division, but I still wanted to update him and thank him anyway. After hanging up with him I get a call from my VP about the loss 😤. He wasn’t happy. Luckily I had another call coming in so I told my VP I’d call him right back. It was the exec calling me back. The one I just thanked. He said he spoke with someone and if we could do XYZ, we will earn their business. We committed to do XYZ. The next day I get a call from the actual buyer saying they changed their mind and we officially won. All because of that one last call. That was almost a decade ago, but it stuck with me. Right before accepting defeat or calling an end to a shitty day... there’s still that one last call waiting for you to make that can turn it all around. #sales #toponepercenter #onemore