[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

Get help with your sales team

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 26, 2025
How Can You Predict The Future Of Sales Ops? One of the keys to sales success is to be able to predict the future – what that other person is thinking, what they might say, what they will experience, how they will feel about the product/service. But what can you do – from a sales ops leadership perspective – to predict the future in masse of all the potential customers that will flow into and out of the sales process/funnel? That is a really tough one, but it is doable. Meeting Prospective Customers Where They Are The key is to always meet the prospective customers where they are and with the experience they hope to find. It’s a common theme now in these articles because it’s important AND widely disregarded – your potential customers do not care about you, your sales team, your company, your industry. They don’t care about your stats, your testimonials, your logos. They don’t care about your mission statement or your values. They only care about themselves. They also firmly believe that there is currently unlimited choice for any product/service, which means that everything in their mind is a commodity. Easily replaceable and interchangeable. Nothing (other than iPhones…which you can only get from Apple) is special to consumers unless they feel like it should be special. Are You Still Making It All About You? There is a good chance you are still running a marketing, sales funnel that is all about you. I bet if I looked at your company’s website that from the top down it’s all about you (the company). How great you are. What you do for people. What you have done for others. I bet if I tried to speak with your sales team, I will be made to go through your process whether I like it or not. Maybe fill out a form and wait for a response. Or made to call into a toll free number, even though I don’t want to talk to someone yet. Or made to use a chat widget on a site to get started. I bet when I speak with your sales team, 70-80% of the conversation will be about them, your company, and how amazing you all believe you are. This is all fair. No one starts a company to be mediocre. The goal is to provide value and make money. The missing piece, again like I said above, is no one cares about your goals. They only care about themselves. Predicting What Customers Want From The Sales Experience Back to your mission as sales ops leader – predict what massive amounts of prospective customers are going to want from the Sales Experience. It’s why I wrote about it last week and even offered up a book for free to help in any way that I can. To succeed at your mission, you have to stay ahead of the curve of what the public, and specifically – your buying demographic, psychographic, and valuegraphics, want from that experience. Key Questions To Shape The Sales Experience Do they want to call, text, email or chat? Probably all of them…so can you offer each one? (Don’t make someone decide if they want to go through your hoops…remove all the hoops) Do they need to see pricing online – should it be available and transparent? (In most cases, yes) What sales process will be ideal for moving the most people through the sales conversation to a successful outcome? (More discovery, empathy, active listening. More front-loaded about them, not you. Use the Authentic Persuasion Pathway as your model) Who are the decision makers? Is that individual going to decide or do they need to check with others for approval? (Set them up for success, and don’t force them to make a decision in the moment – you will just lose the potential sale) What type of follow up do they want and need until they make the buying decision? What type of post-purchase follow up would go above and beyond a) their expectations and b) what others in your industry do? If there is an ‘onboarding’ stage after the sale – how can you make that actually customer centric and successful? (It is rarely both) Can You Stay Ahead of the Curve? Remember – evolution is natural. The buying public is always evolving their desired sales experience. Can you predict the future of what they want so that when they encounter your company it matches what they were hoping to find – both in the experience and the solution to their need?
By Jason Cutter February 25, 2025
How do you, as a sales leader, help your team become Oracles that can predict the future? [make sure to read the Selling Effectiveness article this week https://go.sellingeffectiveness.com/LI.2.25.AM ] There are five ways to facilitate their Oracle-ness. Be Present in the Moment First, you have to get your salespeople to be in the moment. The challenge that most salespeople (and…humans, for that matter) experience is they are always thinking ahead. Salespeople default to thinking about what they will say next. The next part of their script or process. The next question they want to ask so they can get through discovery. The next part of the agreement they need to discuss and review. Their mind is too busy thinking about what they are going to say and do next, that they aren’t present. As weird as it sounds, if you want to predict the future you must be present. I have said this for decades: the moment you no longer need to think about what you are going to say/do next and can actually be present with your prospect and truly listen to what they say (and don’t say) – you will become a sales professional. Master Active Listening Second is Active Listening and paying closer attention. It’s actively listening…it’s taking what I mentioned above and putting into place. First step is to be present, second is to actually listen. For what they say. For what they aren’t saying. For changes in their tone. For when they are talking to someone on the side – who are they talking to, and is it about your sales conversation? If you sell in person, reading their body language and facial expressions. You must help them develop an almost sixth sense of listening (and yes, I know hearing is one of our senses…but this goes beyond hearing…it’s truly, deeply listening). Ask Better Questions Third, is to help them ask better questions. So many people in sales ask the discovery questions they are required to ask in order to check the discovery ‘box’. Or, they have done sales long enough they know all the answers, they think they know what everyone wants and why, so no reason to even ask questions. [Note – this type of salesperson thinks two dangerous things: 1 - everyone is the same and wants the same thing, 2 – people like to be sold to.] When your team asks better, deeper discovery questions with a focus on uncovering the what and the WHY, they will get better answers. Remember this – when you ask the right questions and you listen close enough, each prospect will tell you EXACTLY how to help them buy. Build Up Experience Fourth, build up experience. If you want to predict the future it comes from enough experience to know the probability of what will happen. For example, when I am in a season of commuting from home to an office, I am the type of person that can predict exactly what will happen on the freeway. Which lane is always faster around certain exits, which lanes always slow down, how much leaving five minutes later can make the drive suck a lot more. How do I know what will happen on a freeway with hundreds and hundreds of random people? Because of experience (and the fact that most people are just going through the motions in life so they become predictable). The more experience your team has with sales scenarios, they more they can predict the future. I generally see that it takes about six months for most people in a new sales role to have seen enough scenarios where they can start to know what will come next before it happens. Trust Intuition The fifth and final trait to help them with is intuition. One definition of intuition is “a thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning.” It’s that feeling you get when you know something, even if you cannot explain it. It’s what Malcom Gladwell wrote about in Blink! It’s what we do very well as humans, even if we don’t listen to it. The more you can help your team tune into their intuition and listen and trust it – the better they will do in helping persuade that other human. This goes back to the first suggestion – about being present. When your team trusts they know what to do and say next and they are mentally living in the moment with that prospective client, they can let their intuition guide them. Conclusion When I do trainings, public speaking, facilitating meetings, interviews, and sales – this is my main key to success. I trust and know that I have the experience to handle whatever comes my way in the present moment, while also knowing the destination I am heading towards. I can be present, let that experience and my intuition guide me instead of getting stuck in my head and worrying about what I will say next. Get your team to do some or all of these five steps – and they will become an amazing Oracle.
By Jason Cutter February 25, 2025
The Oracle’s Role in The Matrix If you have seen the Matrix movies, starring Keanu Reeves (as Neo), then you are familiar with an Oracle. In the movies, the Oracle knows what will happen. She has seen it, and it is predestined. In the Oracles mind there is no such thing as free will. In the first Matrix movie, Neo goes to visit her and knocks a vase off the shelf, and it hits the ground and breaks. Right before he hits it, she says “Don’t worry about the vase.” Neo says, “How did you know?” Then the Oracle responds with “What’s really going to bake your noodle later on, is would you still have broken it if I hadn’t said anything.” Becoming an Oracle in Sales Your mission as a sales professional is to be an Oracle for your prospects and clients. To know the future. Then be able to see around corners, as they say. Which means you know what is going to happen before it happens, because you have enough experience that you have become a psychic. You want to be able to predict, with amazing accuracy: What will happen next What will happen after that What issues will pop up What your prospect/client is thinking before they think it What concerns they might have before they have them Eliminating the Fear of the Unknown During your presentation/demo you want to set the expectation of what is going to occur next. Remember, humans fear the unknown. They want to avoid risk as much as possible. Your sales presentation is risky and dangerous and very unknown. They don’t know if you have good intentions or not. Are you going to persuade them? Are you going to try to manipulate them? Are you going to overcharge them? Will you actually care about what they need and want? Dealing with salespeople is so scary. Yet they still need and/or want something, so it’s the dangerous game they must mentally play. Guiding the Buyer Step by Step When you explain what you are going to do in part 1 of your process, and then what that part is done you let them know the plan for part 2, and so on – they will be at ease in the moment. They will feel like they have control over this portion, that there is an exit they can take if they don’t want to proceed. That level of control will help them accept the risk of part 1, and part 2, and part 3. Tell them what you will do. Do it. Tell them what you did. This will validate that you can be trusted. Predicting Thoughts and Feelings The next level is being able to predict what they will think and feel before they do. You can use this information in your presentation (without telling them what you are doing). You can also verbalize it, which could sound like “I am guessing from experience that you are probably wondering about _____, so let’s cover that right now.” Or “most people I speak with ask about _____.” They will think – wow this person knows what I am thinking, he/she is in my mind! And that’s a good thing. A really good thing. Conclusion The more they feel like you know what you are doing, know what they are thinking, know what they are afraid of – the more they trust you as a Guide. Because Guides only know what they know because they have helped other Heros successfully accomplish their journeys. Your mission as a sales professional: Become an Oracle.
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.
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