Today’s post is sponsored by ActiveCampaign and Mindstudio.ai.
“We got sooo greedy for the past 10-15 years. And we over-engineered the sales process and it wasn’t really hard to sell. I’m sorry. 2010 to 2022 as the golden age of sales. Especially in tech sales. We were able to get away with blasting out templated emails. Setting up meetings with anybody with a pulse. Asking *&%$ BANT questions. Droning through demos. Letting our SEs do the majority of the work and then offering a massive discount. That was sales for the past ten years. Now it all came crumbling down.”
That’s the transcript of a video interview between two sales goo-roos recently.
Better late than never.
Since 1997, I’ve successfully sold financial services, mobile homes, telecom test equipment, high-tech products, SaaS solutions, training, and consulting services.
I’ve sold life insurance across the kitchen table to a husband and wife.
I’ve sold mobile homes standing in a parking lot, signing papers on the tailgate of a truck.
I’ve sold at a conference table at Google’s HQ, where I coordinated nine participants from seven countries for the final decision.
I’ve sold from the stage.
I’ve sold via webinars.
I’ve sold over the phone.
I’ve sold via websites and landing pages I’ve created from scratch.
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So I’m happy to hear this goo-roo’s confession that his ilk has over-engineered the sales process.
They did it to justify their exorbitant fees.
They did it to justify their year-long programs and courses and levels after levels of access.
They did it to justify their next book—after writing “The Last Sales Book You’ll Ever Need!”—their next webinar, their next “incredible finding after speaking with thousands of clients.”
Being great at sales is like being in great shape.
It’s doing a lot of boring, simple things consistently over your lifetime.
But that doesn’t fill webinars and conference centers and online communities, does it?
Now, don’t get me wrong.
There is always something to learn…something to tweak…something to adjust…because selling is like BJJ: you’ll never completely master it.
Ask a grappler how he feels after winning quadruple-gold at World’s and he’ll say, “Yeah, but I missed several submissions today…my spider guard was not where it needs to be…but, all in all, it was a good day. Now back to the mats. I know what I need to work on.”
While there are always little tips and tricks that emerge over time in BJJ, the physics of BJJ NEVER changes because THE LAWS OF PHYSICS Do. Not. Change.
All you must to be great at Jiu-Jitsu is…take away space when you’re on top…create space when you’re on the bottom…get your opponent to overreact and use their momentum against them.
You learned this from Archimedes and his long stick.
“Archimedes’ lever is a concept that describes the principle of leverage, where a small input force applied to a long lever arm can overcome a much larger output force (load) on a shorter arm. It is famously summarized by his quote, ‘Give me a place to stand, and I can move the world’.”
Do you know what else doesn’t change: Human nature.
It’s why these sales goo-roos “over-engineer the sales process.” They want to prove their worth. They want to stand out. They want to differentiate themselves. They want to stroke their egos by getting you to pay them more while they deliver less, and eventually stymie your sales, your growth, your business, and your career.
It’s why you fall for the hype these sales goo-roos throw out there.
You want instant gratification.
You want to differentiate yourself.
You want to be on the leading edge…the bleeding edge.
You want to be seen and known as “innovative” and “creative” and “insightful.”
You want these goo-roos to be right, so you can tell your grandfather or your father or your school guidance counselor or an ex-girlfriend or a former boss or your current boss or the jerk who always beats you every month, every quarter, every year by being disciplined and consistent that they were wrong about you.
(How’s that working out?)
I started selling in late 1994 while I was still in the Air Force, and I can tell you that once I understood human nature, which does not change, but it does manifest itself differently based on the situation, i.e., am I talking with a husband at the kitchen table with his wife or the owner of a small business or the data center manager of Google in a conference room in Mountain View, CA with seven other PhDs (and me) negotiating a 7-figure hardware deal.
Once I understood how to manage those different scenarios and manage expectations in those situations, selling has been easy and profitable AS LONG AS I did the #1 thing all salespeople must do, which I’ll discuss in another post.
Hint: it’s not selling or negotiating or presenting or creating proposals. It’s also not doing demos or researching prospects on LinkedIn.
Standby, and I’ll get into this over the next five posts. It’s deep and nuanced, but I’ll leave you with this to put a bow on today’s writing: KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Listen to the goo-roo’s confession.
They’ve over-engineered things on purpose.
If sales calls and sales meetings and demos seem stressful and complex and burdensome and over-scripted, they are.
If you have sorted, sifted, and separated…
If you have found pain…
If you have reached the decision-makers…
If you have a good product/solution…
If you have good delivery and support…
Then just listen.
Don’t answer unasked questions.
Follow the New ABCs of Selling.
Make a lot of money.
Market like you mean it. Now go sell something.
~Wes
P.S. Want feedback from fellow closers? Drop your story in The War Room.