Category: Podcast Episodes

Bill Cates – The Referral Coach – SIV #037 Shownotes

Don't keep me a secret!

A good friend of mine, Eric Silverman recently introduced me to Bill Cates. I had read Bill’s book Don’t Keep Me A Secret several years ago so I was thrilled when Bill agreed to come on the podcast.

Bill has revolutionized the way sales professionals acquire ideal clients by adopting a proven process to generate personal introductions and communicate a more compelling value proposition. Bill is the author of three best-selling books: Get More Referrals Now, Don’t Keep Me a Secret, and Beyond Referrals. His newest book, Radical Relevance, is scheduled for release in late May or early June.

Bill is also somewhat of an adventurer. He has trekked through the Himalayas of Nepal and the Andes of Peru. He has lived on a houseboat in Kashmir, India, climbed Machu Pichu, reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, camped on the Arctic Circle… and he has toured the country as the drummer in a rock and roll band.

Things Bill And I Talked About

  • Bill’s first experience in sales was selling furnace filters for Cub Scouts. He learned the importance of:
    • Getting referrals
    • Effective sales contests
    • Visualization
  • Bill’s belief in listening to audio programs
  • Why people don’t ask for referrals
    • They have never been shown
    • Sales manager was never taught so they don’t know how to teach it
    • It is easier to keep doing what they are doing
    • Psychologically people are afraid due to mistaken assumptions and self-limiting beliefs
  • Becoming referrable through outstanding service
  • Rory Vaden’s quote, “It’s hard to be nervous when your heart is in service.”
  • Many people disguise their no’s as a maybe
  • The difference between an introduction and a referral
    • “Call Frank and tell him I gave you his name,” is no longer an effective method
    • Electronic handshake is much stronger (usually done by email)
    • Getting everyone together is stronger still
  • How soon can you ask for a referral? When value has been delivered and when value has been recognized
  • The importance of paying attention to people in your client’s sphere
  • You must have confidence when asking for introductions
  • Bring a list of possible clients to referral meeting
  • Have fun with it. “Who on this list would you avoid if you were me?”
  • How to separate yourself from the competition
    • Go vertical
    • Avoid shotgun approach to marketing
    • Learn about your prospect before reaching out to them
    • Bring innovative strategies to your clients and their business
    • Use education to take your prospect off the market
  • Two Anthony Iannarino quotes:
    • “Most customers are more comfortable with their problem than with your solution.”
    • “It’s no longer good enough to have sales acumen. You must now also have business acumen.
  • Why he hires coaches and why you should too. It takes humility to get better!

Books We Talked About

Spoiler Alert: There are just a few… As always, just click on the book cover to discover more!!!

don't keep me a secretbeyond referrals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How To Reach Bill

Bill is very accessible. You can find out what he is doing and check out his great resources at http://www.referralcoach.com/resources

Thank You For Listening

I really appreciate you listening to the podcast and would love it if you would be so kind as to rate the podcast on iTunes.  To do that, all you have to do is go to https://successisvoluntary.com/iTunes and follow the instructions.  It will take you less than 30 seconds and would be a huge help to me as it will keep the podcast towards the top of the business charts in iTunes which will help new people discover it.

I look forward to seeing you back here next week, in the meantime, don’t forget that everything you do in this business is voluntary.  Including success!!!

Paul Freed – The Art of Recruiting – SIV #036 Shownotes

Did I ever mention that Success Is Voluntary?

I am very excited to introduce you to my friend Paul Freed. I meet Paul 5 years ago at a Michael Hyatt conference titled Launch. We had a lot in common and decided to start a Mastermind group with a couple of other guys we had met. The time we spent working together helped me to clarify exactly what I wanted my podcast and blog to look like. Paul’s insight and passion dramatically impacted my thinking and my business.

Paul is a named partner in Seattle’s premier executive search firm. In other words, he helps companies attract top-level candidates for companies like Starbucks, REI, Zillow, and T-Mobile. He travels all over the world speaking about job search, recruiting and employee attraction. He is the only person I know personally who has given a TED talk. To say Paul is a power player is a major understatement. On top of all that, he is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.

What We Talked About

  • Most people fall backwards into their career
  • The cyclical nature of business
  • Mixing your identity with your job title
  • How to not allow your job to define you
  •  You have value, meaning, and worth regardless of how things are going
  • How his firm went from no revenue for two months and came roaring back to be the largest executive search firm is the Pacific Northwest.
  • The two questions you must nail on your job interview
  • How to benchmark your competition
  • Why most company’s job descriptions suck
  • What to do about it
  • Recruiting is a sales and marketing function
  • Putting your best recruiting pitch into a 2-3 paragraph narrative and including it in the job description
  • Looking for candidates that are working and happy vs. job seekers
  • Organizations hire based on competency and fire based on culture
  • The importance of reading your job description out loud
  • Why video emails are so critical and can be your unfair competitive advantage
  • And other duties as assigned

The Four Books We Talked About

As always, just click on the covers below to learn more.

Book cover how to win friends

Platform by Michael Hyatt

 

 

 

Connect With Paul

Paul would love to connect with you and help any way he can. To find out more go to his website:

http://theartofrecruiting.com/

Thank You For Listening

I really appreciate you listening to the podcast and would love it if you would be so kind as to rate the podcast on iTunes.  To do that, all you have to do is go to https://successisvoluntary.com/iTunes and follow the instructions.  It will take you less than 30 seconds and would be a huge help to me as it will keep the podcast towards the top of the business charts in iTunes which will help new people discover it.

I look forward to seeing you back here next week, in the meantime, don’t forget that everything you do in this business is voluntary.  Including success!!!

Tim Martin – Personal Coaching – SIV #035 Shownotes

If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always got.

I can’t tell you how overwhelming and humbling the response to the re-launch of the Success Is Voluntary blog and podcast has been! Your emails, phone calls, and comments on the website and Facebook have meant more to me than you will ever know.

One of the crazy, unintended, but gratifying side effects of the re-launch has been that several people have asked if I was available for personal coaching. The answer is yes I am, but only for the right person. Before we get into who I accept into my coaching program I want to tell you a story.

My Story

The year was 2011 and I was stuck. If you are a movie buff I would assume you have seen the classic movie “Groundhog Day.” I was so stuck in my career development that every day seemed like I was Bill Murray’s character, Phil. I was doing the exact same things over and over and over and over again. I was desperately stuck. I was making great money and should have been in a very comfortable place in my career. But the simple fact was that I wasn’t getting better. Worse yet, I was (and it’s hard to say this humbly) the absolutely highest performing sales manager in my organization. I really had nothing to learn from my peers or my bosses.

The Turning Point

I decided to do something radical.  I decide to hire a personal coach after a very successful sales career of just over 14 years. Hiring this personal coach saved my career, and also quite frankly my sanity. I had to do something different or I was going to burn out. I made the very hard decision to seek professional help. This decision completely changed my career arc and opened doors to opportunities I could never have imagined. And best of all, just like good old Phil, I was able to once again move on with my life.

My Belief

Because of my incredibly positive experience, it is my belief that every salesperson and sales manager needs to hire a coach. They owe it to themselves, and the people that are counting on them.

The 3 Reasons You Need To Hire A Coach

  • You are stuck in your excuses.
    • Your coach is going to ask you the hard questions. Oftentimes this is somewhat akin to therapy (don’t ask me how I know that.) What I mean is that often the person being coached already knows the answers to the hard questions. They just need someone to call them out on it. One of the excuses I told my coach was that the market was saturated. He simply asked me how many millions of dollars in sales had been made, by my company, in my market the previous year. When I told him the answer, he asked me what percentage of those sales my team had made….. When I answered less than 10%, my excuse evaporated like light fog in bright sunlight.
  • You are stuck in your bad habits.
    • Many veteran salespeople fall into bad habits over time. Perhaps their skill level helps them to overcome some of these bad habits, but by removing their bad habits the veteran salesperson will see their sales skyrocket. A perfect example is that every sales organization, since the beginning of time, has taught their salespeople to get referrals. In fact, most sales organizations require their new salespeople to ask for referrals when they are training. So then why is it, according to the SalesBoard.com, that 85% of veteran salespeople don’t ask for referrals. Especially since the Sales Board also claims that the closing ratio of referral business is in excess of 70% better than cold calling. Clearly the veteran salespeople need this and many other bad habits culled out.
  • You are stuck with your self-limiting mindset.
    • Zig Ziglar stated that the biggest obstacle to sales was the 6 inches between your ears. I have now professionally coached salespeople for just over 21 years and I couldn’t agree with Zig more! One of the mindsets a personal coach will teach you is how to reframe the word rejection. If you are in sales there are series of simple of equations that lead to the sales person’s closing ratios. Many new and veteran salespeople see getting a no as being personally rejected. A personal coach will help you to change that mindset to see it as simply a metric result. In other words in the B2B sales world, if we call on 100 small businesses in person 25% of the time the Decision Maker will come to the counter. 60% of the time they come to the counter they will give us an appointment to present our solution. Once we present to the Decision Maker, the closing ratio of business owners who agree to our value proposition typically is around 50%. If you do the math, 50% of 60% of 25% is about a 7% success ratio. 7% doesn’t FEEL very good. It is easy to FEEL like we were abject failures 93% of the time. But if you look at it as a metric result, you quickly understand that if you want 7 accounts all you have to do is simply walk through 100 doors! Can you see the difference in mindset that creates?

Let’s Be Honest

My guess is that if you are really honest with yourself, you would admit that to some degree you are stuck in your excuses, stuck in your bad habits, or stuck in your self-limiting mindset. In fact if you are like most people I work with, you are probably stuck in all three areas.

Maybe you are comfortable continuing on the way you are, but I believe that personal coaching will take you to the level of success you dreamed of when you started your sales journey. If you are ready to join the top 10% of the producers in your company, you must get unstuck!

You Deserve It

You and the people in your life deserve your very best effort. The future of your clients and/or the people you lead hangs in the balance. Will you free yourself from excuses, bad habits, and self-limiting beliefs?

Let’s Do This Thing

The next move is up to you! You were made for greatness! Don’t allow yourself to stay stuck. Listen, I’m not the right coach for everyone. Quite frankly, not everyone is a good client for me.

Who I Work With

I want to work with people who are committed to making their career, and their life, the absolute best that it can be. I’m looking for people that won’t settle for less. I only work with people who are ready for change and are willing to do the work. If that sounds like you, contact me by email at tim@successisvoluntary.com or  CLICK HERE to find out if we are a good fit for each other. If we don’t make that “love connection,” I can’t encourage you strongly enough you to find someone else.

Exponential Growth Is Within Your Grasp

Your growth as a true professional salesperson can be exponential. I would highly encourage you to take the plunge and hire a personal coach today! I promise you that you will thank yourself for it and so will your family.

As Always… It’s Voluntary

You don’t have to get coaching. You don’t have to raise your hand and say you might need help. You don’t have to continue to grow. All of these things are voluntary, but so is success!

Again, If you are interested in starting a discussion about coaching CLICK HERE

Tom Hopkins – A Lifetime of Excellence – SIV #034 Shownotes

I love talking to my heros!

When I relaunched the Success Is Voluntary blog and podcast this January, one of the first congratulatory emails I got was from Tom Hopkins. Tom had been a guest on the podcast 4 years ago and his episode still holds the record for the number of downloads of an SIV podcast (just over 4,500.) In his email, he asked me if I would like to have him come back on the podcast. I was stunned and incredibly humbled that A) Tom is a subscriber to SIV, B) That he actually reads my emails, and C) That he contacted me with his very generous offer.

If you listened to his first appearance you know what a huge influence Tom has had on my sales career and quite frankly my life. I could not be more thrilled to get to glean more wisdom from Tom during this interview. The thing I love about the SIV podcast is that I get to ask questions and learn from every guest we have on. The way I look at it is that I get at least 1% better from each and every guest. I thank you for coming along with me on this incredible journey.

In the interest of time, so that you can get to listening to the podcast asap, I have again bullet-pointed the things we talked about on today’s episode.

What I Learned From Tom Hopkins Today

  1. Tom began his real estate career at 19 and he didn’t even own a car.
  2. His manager tricked him into cold calling.
  3. Tom remembers the exact number of cold calls he made (64) to get his first appointment.
  4. The incredible response to his last book When Buyers Say No.
  5. The need to be a true professional salesperson has only gotten greater over the years due to the internet.
  6. A professional salesperson must be sharper than ever before.
  7. The very best salespeople are “Master Askers.”
  8. You must get the prospect emotionally involved.
  9. All customers make their decision based upon emotion and then justify that decision with logic.
  10. Salespeople are in the emotion business.
  11. The importance of not using sales or industry jargon with prospects.
  12. Negative words lead to negative emotions, which lead to negative results. Conversely, positive words lead to positive emotions, which lead to positive results.
  13. Tom’s “secret sauce” is that he continues to work harder on himself than on his job skills.
  14. Why Tom believes we should learn one more people skill every day.
  15. Why being a servant leads to long-term success.
  16. How little things like thank you cards separate the pros from the hacks.
  17. How reading has changed his life.
  18. The two books that had the most impact on him:
    1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
    2. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
  19. What keeps him motivated
  20. His generous offer of 70% off his training CD’s for Success Is Voluntary subscribers.
  21. His upcoming Sales Academy in Los Angeles.
  22. The fact he wants to make “The Tom and Tim Show” an annual event!

That is an impressive list for an interview that lasted just over 30 minutes! Below you will find links to the books we talked about, to his webpage to take advantage of his offer of 70% off, and more information about his upcoming Sales Academy.

Today’s Links

Thank You For Listening

I really appreciate you listening to the podcast and would love it if you would be so kind as to rate the podcast on iTunes.  To do that, all you have to do is go to https://successisvoluntary.com/iTunes and follow the instructions.  It will take you less than 30 seconds and would be a huge help to me as it will keep the podcast towards the top of the business charts in iTunes which will help new people discover it.

I look forward to seeing you back here next week, in the meantime, don’t forget that everything you do in this business is voluntary.  Including success!!!

David Mead – Start With Why – SIV #033 Shownotes

What is YOUR why?

I don’t know about you, but I have had a handful of epiphanies in my life that dramatically impacted my thinking, my business success, and my life.

Early in 2010, someone introduced me to a TED talk given by Simon Sinek that absolutely changed the way I looked at my life. I have always had a strong vision of why I was doing what I was doing, but I didn’t understand the importance of sharing my why with the people I was leading, including my own family.

The TED talk is titled How Great Leaders Inspire Action. It is the 3rd most-watched video in the history of TED.com with over 37 million views. Shortly after the video was released, Simon released his first book titled Start With Why which expanded on the concepts he had laid out in the video. It was a runaway bestseller.

I contacted Simon’s organization and they were gracious enough to offer to bring David Mead, one of their top trainers, onto the Success Is Voluntary podcast. David has been with The Start With Why Movement since almost the beginning. In fact he was working with Simon before the TED talk. David travels extensively all over the world speaking and helping organizations instill a Start With Why culture.

The 13 WHYS David And I Talked About

  1. WHY working on higher calling will lead to higher profits
  2. WHY as a species we search for meaning, purpose, and belonging
  3. WHY the Golden Circle is critical for people and organizations to understand
  4. WHY your perspective can change the way you look at obstacles
  5. WHY the message of starting with why has resonated so deeply with so many people
  6. WHY no one grows up hoping they will hate their job
  7. WHY we must use our gifts to make a positive difference in the lives of others
  8. WHY most people don’t have or can’t articulate their why.
  9. WHY people lose their why
  10. WHY customers can tell is someone or the organization isn’t connected to their why
  11. WHY companies don’t align their actions with their stated why
  12. WHY people don’t buy your product, they buy you
  13. WHY more companies are embracing a why based culture

Books David and I Talked About

Click on the pictures below to be taken to Amazon.com to learn more

 

 

David can be reached at djmead@twitter.com

Make sure you check out the Start With Why website by CLICKING HERE

Thank You For Listening

I really appreciate you listening to the podcast and would love it if you would be so kind as to rate the podcast on iTunes.  To do that, all you have to do is go to https://successisvoluntary.com/iTunes and follow the instructions.  It will take you less than 30 seconds and would be a huge help to me as it will keep the podcast towards the top of the business charts in iTunes which will help new people discover it.

I look forward to seeing you back here next week, in the meantime, don’t forget that everything you do in this business is voluntary.  Including success!!!

Jackie Kohorst-Payne – Grit + Professionalism = Always Wins – SIV #032 Shownotes

People say "stubborn" like it's a bad thing.

Have you ever meet someone that you instantly knew was a true professional and that you were really going to enjoy collaborating with? Someone you knew was going to make you better? I first meet Jackie in early 2016. Her story of grit, determination, and triumph inspired me then, and it continues to inspire me today!

Not only is Jackie inspiring, but she is also a world-class professional and leader. In today’s episode, Jackie breaks down where the VB industry started, how it got to where it is now, and where it is headed. I know I have never heard anyone outline the ever-changing world of VB with the detail and insight that Jackie gives us in this interview.

Things I Learned From Jackie

  • Why she sought out a full-commission sales position.
  • How advertising sales set her up for success in VB.
  • The biggest changes she has seen in the industry in the last 15 years.
    • The interest in the marketplace for VB
    • Technology
  • How changes in compensation structures have driven brokers and carriers into the VB space.
  • The landscape is more competitive than ever before, and why that is a GOOD thing.
  • Why technology changes are scary for traditional VB carriers.
  • Why online enrollment is attractive to even small groups and why we MUST adapt now.
  • Why technology isn’t enough.
  • Why one-on-one enrollment will never stop being important.
  • Why millennials are more interested in one-on-one enrollments than their older peers.
  • HR professionals often don’t understand their benefits packages.
  • The lessons she learned from being absent from her business for 6+ months.
  • Where she needs to spend her day-to-day energy to best drive her business forward.
  • What needed to happen to re-boot the business.
  • Why brokers think what the VB agent does looks easy.
  • How hard it is for a broker to go in-house with VB.
  • What a blessing it is to get to reinvent yourself.
  • The excitement of knowing that you can rebuild and use the lessons you have learned along the way.
  • How Angela Duckworth’s book Grit crystalized many of Jackie’s life lessons.
  • The lesson of having to work hard to stay competitive.
  • How natural aptitude can get in the way of success.
  • No matter how difficult, she never says it can’t be done.
  • Why does there have to be a box to think outside of?
  • Believing there is always a way to be successful if you put your heart and soul into it.
  • Hard work and passion have contributed to her success much more than ability or aptitude.
  • Why David Maister’s book Managing The Professional Service Team was foundational to her success in advertising and VB
  • Why clients choose the professional service firm they do.
  • Why firms keep their professional services firm.
  • There is more than one way to give customer service.
  • How does the client want you to deliver customer service?

Books We Talked About

Click on either book to find out more

                                    

What Keeps Her Motivated

  • She loves solving problems
  • She likes that the marketplace is constantly changing
  • She is excited that product and rates don’t win the business

Jackie’s Advice To New Agents

  • Read
  • Talk to successful people
  • Ask people smarter than yourself
  • Look for the wider path
  • The worst plan, beautifully executed, will provide success.
  • Why answering emails is a path to disaster…
  • Managing customer expectations

Thank You For Listening

I really appreciate you listening to the podcast and would love it if you would be so kind as to rate the podcast on iTunes.  To do that, all you have to do is go to https://successisvoluntary.com/iTunes and follow the instructions.  It will take you less than 30 seconds and would be a huge help to me as it will keep the podcast towards the top of the business charts in iTunes which will help new people discover it.

I look forward to seeing you back here next week, in the meantime, don’t forget that everything you do in this business is voluntary.  Including success!!!

Ron Jones – Let’s Go Fishing – SIV #030 Shownotes

Why we must fish (and hunt.)

I actually meet Ron on a fly fishing trip in New Mexico. The trip was an award for a contest we had won from our carrier at the time. We would soon become fast friends and peer mentors.

This is also one of the “lost SIV episodes” that I recorded but was unable to release during my hiatus from SIV.

In this episode Ron talked about one of our favorite subjects…. (no, not fishing) RECRUITING!

The Things We Always Seem To Talk About (Non-Recruiting)

  • Freedom of time
  • The law of averages
  • How numbers are magical
  • Why it is so important to know your numbers
  • The impact we make
  • Our shared love of Jim Rhone

The Things We Always Seem To Talk About (Recruiting)

  • Recruiting is the lifeblood of our business
  • The reason we need to recruit
    • They leave
    • They stay
  • The 3 right kinds of candidates (in order of preference)
    • Nominations/Referrals/Licensed Agents
    • Center of influence/Observation
    • Internet job boards/Social Media
  • Quantity vs. Quality
  • Group vs. Individual interviews
  • Who am I to say the candidate can’t do it?
  • What makes you so special?

The Philosophy of Hunting vs Fishing

Hunting you have 2 options:

  • Stalk your prey
  • Sit and wait for them to come to you

Fishing you must:

  • Go to where the fish are biting
  • Offer the right kind of bait
  • Present the bait in an attractive manner

(If you listen to the podcast this will all make sense.)

Ron’s Books

Ron has co-authored 2 books. His second book Life-Defining Moments from Bold Thought Leaders will be released February 6th.

His first book is outstanding and is an Amazon bestseller. You can find it on Amazon by clicking on the picture.

Final Thoughts

I started this quick podcast recap with the fact that I met Ron on a company-sponsored awards trip. I can’t for the life of me remember what the qualifications were or what we had done to get there. I just remember:

A) The fishing was outstanding. For the record, I landed more fish those two days than Ron and caught the biggest fish. (but who’s counting?)

and

B) That the friendships forged on trips like that are better than any stack of plaques or trophies.

Thank You For Listening

I really appreciate you listening to the podcast and would love it if you would be so kind as to rate the podcast on iTunes.  To do that, all you have to do is go to https://successisvoluntary.com/iTunes and follow the instructions.  It will take you less than 30 seconds and would be a huge help to me as it will keep the podcast towards the top of the business charts in iTunes which will help new people discover it.

I look forward to seeing you back here next week, in the meantime, don’t forget that everything you do in this business is voluntary.  Including success!!!

Les Heinsen – Optimism Isn’t Enough – SIV #029 Shownotes

"Just because time passes doesn't mean that things are going to get better." - Les Heinsen

Les Heinsen is one of my heroes. I don’t use that term loosely. I won’t take time to explain that statement here. I covered that 4 years ago the last time Les came on the SIV Podcast. During his time with us then, he gave an absolute Masters Class on leadership. Listen to it HERE

One of the things I admire most about Les is his optimism and ability to encourage others. He is someone that believes in his people and helps them to see the future as it could be. As optimistic as Les is, he fully understands that optimism isn’t enough… Not by a long shot.

Lessons I Learned From Les This Week

  • We can be efficient with things. We must be effective with people. Don’t get them reversed!
  • Pursue your passions.
  • We must be intentional with our business.
  • Don’t just build a business plan, build a blueprint.
  • Don’t let the day, the week, the quarter, or the year get away from you.
  • Periodization is the key to staying on track for larger goals.
  • Optimism is great, but you do have to execute on your plan.
  • Work is anything you are doing when you’d rather be doing something else.
  • Don’t allow others to sidetrack you.
  • Don’t suffer fools.

Les admitted he has been well out of his comfort zone while getting his new winery Element 79 Vineyards up and running. One of his mantras during this time has been, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?”

Foundational Book

The one book that has influenced Les’ life and career more than any other is Jim Rhon’s classic 7 Strategies for Wealth and Happiness. I wholeheartedly endorse it as well. It has been foundational in helping me think big and execute on those ideas.

Exciting New Journey

Les and Sharon are deservedly proud of their new endeavor Element 79 Vineyards.

I, like many of Les and Sharon’s friends, think that they have the best exit strategy on the planet. They are following their passion and really are enjoying the hard work that taking on this new challenge is bringing them. I would encourage you to check out their website HERE to see if you are lucky enough to live in a state where they can ship their wine. And Yes, that picture is actually their vineyard.

 

Contest Announcement!

I have an exciting announcement!  By popular demand, I am bringing back the contest where you and your whole team can win a copy of my eBook: Disturbing Questions: Making The Decision Maker Uncomfortable.  I have received numerous emails and comments on the blog that many of the sales leaders for Aflac, Colonial Life,  and other carriers are using this podcast as part of their Monday Morning Meetings.  I CAN’T BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW HUMBLING THAT IS TO ME….  So here is what I am going to do.  Each week I am going to pick a “Sales Team of the Week” and send them each a copy of my eBook.  To enter this contest all you have to do is email me a picture of your sales team huddled around a computer screen showing the Success Is Voluntary website.  Please include a list of who is in the photo and their email addresses so I can send them a link to the book!  That’s it!  Pretty simple right?

My email address is tim@successisvoluntary.com

Thank You For Listening

Hey! I really appreciate you listening to the podcast and would love it if you would be so kind as to rate the podcast on iTunes.  To do that, all you have to do is go to https://successisvoluntary.com/iTunes and follow the instructions.  It will take you less than 30 seconds and would be a huge help to me as it will keep the podcast towards the top of the business charts in iTunes which will help new people discover it.

I look forward to seeing you back here next week, in the meantime, don’t forget that everything you do in this business is voluntary.  Including success!!!

Joe Buzzello – Is a Genius? – SIV #028 Shownotes

Your "Genius Work" is what you were created to do.

On Monday I introduced you to the idea of doing your “Genius Work.” I learned this concept from my friend and mentor Joe Buzzello. We have talked about it often and I felt it was time to bring it to you, my faithful subscriber. As a reminder your “Genius Work” occurs when:

 

  1. You love doing the work.
  2. You are talented and do the work with excellence.
  3. You can monetize the work.

To further explain this concept I invited Joe to join us on today’s Podcast.

But before you click on the play button, I want you to remember back to second grade when we were first introduced to the Venn Diagram. If you will remember, a Venn Diagram shows where two or more things overlap. For our example, the chart above illustrates that sweet spot where all three components (enjoyment, talent, and monetization) of “Genius Work” all intersect.

 

As a reminder, Joe has authored two Amazon best-selling books: The CAP Equation and Drawing Circles. Both are excellent and I heartily recommend them!  

I have also read an advanced copy of his new book: A Life In Sales. I promise you will not want to miss it when it comes out.

Anthony Iannarino – Business Acumen – SIV #027 Shownotes

"Product knowledge" won't even get you to the dance.

This is my first podcast in 4 years! I can’t think of a better guest to kick off 2018 than with one of the smartest sales trainers on the planet, Anthony Iannarino. I was so bummed when I had recorded this interview in 2014 and then wasn’t able to publish it. The good news is that Anthony absolutely crushed it and I can’t wait to share it with you!

I first started following Anthony when I discovered his fantastic podcast, “In The Arena” on his website thesalesblog.com If you aren’t following Anthony, please go check him out (of course after listening to this episode!) He inspired me to begin this podcast and website.

Anthony just released his 2nd book The Lost Art of Closing. It is a follow-up to his first book, The Only Sales Guide You Will Ever Need. Both are excellent!

During our time together, Anthony taught us that it is no longer enough to have sales acumen (although you must have it.) Today’s sales process is driven more by business acumen. In other words, you need to understand your buyers business and be able to “see around corners” for them. If you can do this, Anthony describes this as a Level 4 Value Creator. 

Anthony’s 4 Levels of Value Creation

  1. Delivering your customer a good product. (But most of your competitors have good products.)
  2. Giving your customer a great experience. Starbucks is a perfect example. (But they are not the only coffee shop in town that delivers a great experience.)
  3. Delivering a business result to your customer that can be measured as a ROI. (Most of your competitors can articulate how their product or service can deliver the same of better results.)
  4. Developing relationships of value. (Not just you like them and they like you. Instead, are you a critical thinking partner with them? Do they see you as an expert in their industry? What future opportunities and/or challenges can you help them predict?

The Two Biggest Mistakes Sales Organizations Make

Having followed Anthony for some time I knew that he does a great deal of consulting with sales organizations. I asked him if there were any common themes that he noticed in teams that were really struggling. He didn’t even hesitate. He said that a) Either the organization didn’t have a formalized sales process, or b) They weren’t following it. After 20+ years of leading sales teams, I couldn’t agree more.

Anthony also mentioned another gentleman I follow. Chris Brogan is a sales, time management, and marketing genius. His courses, on a multitude of things, have greatly helped me. You can find Chris at: chrisbrogan.com

 

I really appreciate you listening to the podcast and would love it if you would be so kind as to rate the podcast on iTunes.  To do that, all you have to do is go to https://successisvoluntary.com/iTunes and follow the instructions.  It will take you less than 30 seconds and would be a huge help to me as it will keep the podcast towards the top of the business charts in iTunes which will help new people discover it.  I look forward to seeing you back here next week. In the meantime, don’t forget that everything you do is voluntary.  Including success!!!

Tim Martin – Success Doesn’t Leave Tracks – SIV #026 Shownotes

It leaves a superhighway!

Success Leaves Tracks.  I know this isn’t an original idea.  I first heard Brian Tracy say that exact phrase in 1999.  I believed him then.  Today I think he was dead wrong!  I’ll explain that in a moment…..

But before we get going, I have a quick reminder for you.  The SIV podcast is brought to you by the good folks over at ReadItFor.me.  Your excuse of not having enough time to read just went out the window.  What Steve and his team do at ReadItFor.me is take the absolute best-of-the-best business, sales, leadership and self-improvement books and turn them into 12-minute videos.  They already have an extensive library there at your fingertips and it continues to grow each week.  They also hold weekly teleseminars where they take a book and do a deep dive for an hour into how to best apply the lessons from that book.  If you were only able to make one of these teleseminars a month it would be worth your entire subscription cost, trust me!  I never miss a week!!!  The best part? As a SIV subscriber you can get a 30-day free trial!  All you have to do is go HERE.  It will automatically take you to the free 30-day trial.  If you decided to subscribe (and honestly why wouldn’t you?) you will get a 10% discount off their already ridiculously low price.  Just use SIV as your coupon code when you check out. It does need to be in all capital letters.

In today’s episode, I talk about how Brian Tracy was wrong.  He said that success leaves tracks. I believe that is such an understatement that it is wrong.  Success doesn’t leave tracks… Success leaves a superhighway.  To get from where you are today to the pinnacle of success all you have to do is find out what the top people did and then just go do it too!!!  It really is that simple!

In my 17 years in this industry, I have never seen anyone who:

      1. Was coachable and trainable.
      2. Went to work every day.
      3. Actually completed their training.
      4. And failed.  Not one time!”

 If they “failed out” it always boiled down to one of those three things. They felt they were too smart to run the system we know is proven to work. So instead they decided to reinvent the wheel. (See Spare Me Your Creativity) Early in my sales leadership career, I would sometimes hire very experienced salespeople that were used to making $150,000 or more. Their attitude was always, “Just teach me your product, and get the @&%$ out of my way! I’ll be your best salesperson inside of 90 days. What’s the record, cause I’m going to shatter it!!!”  I’d like to be able to give you their names so you can call them and ask them yourself why they weren’t successful. I’d really like to, but I can’t. And no, the reason I can’t give you their name isn’t HIPPA. It’s simply because I don’t even remember their names. They were gone quickly once they realized their old ways weren’t going to work.

Or they thought that all of sudden since no one was looking over their shoulder and they were in complete control of their own schedule, they could get away with working 15 hours a week. Their motto was, “I know I started late today, but I’ll make up for it by going home early…”

Or they were a victim of early success….Maybe they opened up a 45 life case their first couple of weeks by calling on their uncle Jim’s cabinet manufacturing company. They were able to parlay that into a couple of sweet referrals. Now they are too busy to come to that class they registered for when they first started. Unfortunately, they miss an idea that could have made them an additional $50,000 in commissions this year, because they refused to move that enrollment that might net them $1,000 in commissions. Perhaps that class they missed might have given them an idea that helped them stick and stay…but we’ll never know because their wife told them that they had to go get a “real job.”

Is it possible someone could do all three things above and still “fail out” of this business? I guess it’s possible…. But highly unlikely! If it was possible, I think I would have seen it at least once out of the 2,000+ VB salespeople I have hired and trained over the last 16 years.

I conclude this topic with Ruby Recruit by saying this, “What I do know is this: The insurance industry statistics for retention of agents during their first two years is horrible. But of those that make it to one year, 80% eventually retire from the industry. In other words, it’s not for everyone, but for those that do what we ask, when we ask, and as often as we ask, their chances for success are very, very good.

Hey! I really appreciate you listening to the podcast and would love it if you would be so kind as to rate the podcast on iTunes.  To do that, all you have to do is go to https://successisvoluntary.com/iTunes and follow the instructions.  It will take you less than 30 seconds and would be a huge help to me as it will keep the podcast towards the top of the business charts in iTunes which will help new people discover it.  I look forward to seeing you back here next week, in the meantime, don’t forget that everything you do in this business is voluntary.  Including success!!!

Tim Martin – The Objection Handling Process – SIV #024 Shownotes

DANGER... They are rejecting me!

In Today’s podcast we are going to explore the process for handling objections. If you are new: You probably hate the word objection.  How do I know? I used to hate objections!  But now I am not only no longer afraid of objections, I actually push my potential clients to objections I know I can overcome. Why did this change for me? I learned the following:

Objection Handling Process

  • Hear it out completely.
    • Often the true objection is in the last few words or last few sentences.
    • Don’t be rude.
  • Feed it back:
    • Sounds stupid but it isn’t I promise.
    • Builds trust because it shows you are listening.
  • Agree:
    • They are expecting you to argue and they have no idea what to do with this.
    • It gets them off-center.
    • In my eBook Disturbing Questions I talk about how we must get the Decision Maker off-center!
  • Circle the wagons:
    • Other than that…
    • Is there anything else that you are concerned about…
    • You must overcome all objections, spoken or not…
    • Go Fish!
  • Answer it:
    • This podcast isn’t about the “answers.”  Hopefully, your carrier has given you great answers.
    • They just don’t usually teach you this type of process.
    • You must have 2-3 answers for every objection you get.
    • There are usually only 6-7 objections you get over and over again.
  • Transitional statement:
    • Oh by the way….
    • Almost unrelated subject
    • Takes the pressure off temporarily.
  • Re-Close:
    • Critical!!!!  If you don’t re-close you won’t get anywhere.
    • Keep pushing here!!!
    • Use alternate of choice: “Is this something that you feel would be best communicated in a group meeting or would you prefer to have us meet with your employees one-on-one to educate them?”

 

Hey! I really appreciate you listening to the podcast and would love it if you would be so kind as to rate the podcast on iTunes.  To do that, all you have to do is go to https://successisvoluntary.com/iTunes and follow the instructions.  It will take you less than 30 seconds and would be a huge help to me as it will keep the podcast towards the top of the business charts in iTunes which will help new people discover it.  I look forward to seeing you back here next week, in the meantime, don’t forget that everything you do in this business is voluntary.  Including success!!!