Welcome to SALES with ASLAN, a weekly podcast hosted by ASLAN Co-founders Tom Stanfill and Tab Norris, geared at helping sales professionals and sales leaders eliminate the hard sell. At the end of the day, we believe that selling is serving. ASLAN helps sellers make the shift from a ‘typical’ sales approach, to one that makes us more influential because we embrace the truth that the customer’s receptivity is more important than your value prop or message.
The goal of these interviews is to spotlight various experts in the world of sales and sales leadership – sharing informational stories, techniques, and expert interviews on the sales topics you care about.
The following are notes from Ep. 165 – Plan to Crush 2023 – Part 2
In this episode, Tom and Tab continue their conversation from last week, discussing how to plan for the year ahead. What do we need to do to crush our number in 2023?
The guys take on this topic by tackling the foundational and fundamental questions that all sellers should be considering.
Listen to the conversation here:
Or check out the full transcript:
00:13
Tom Stanfill
Tab, welcome back to the studio for one more episode of Sales with Aslan. It’s good to see you, my friend, as always. This Tab, this is really maybe the only reason. We do podcasts because I get to see you on a regular basis.
00:27
Tab Norris
No, it really is. I’ve thought of that, too. We have coffee, we drink beer, we have whiskey if we need to. Whatever we need to do to catch up. It’s kind of the way we do it. We build it in.
00:40
Tom Stanfill
I wonder if they missed the ales with aslan, because he used to say, you can’t spell sales without ales. We would drink beer and we got fat.
00:51
Tab Norris
Yes, we did.
00:54
Tom Stanfill
I, of course, did.
00:55
Tab Norris
Never. But I did. I was carrying at least eight to £12 of beer weight.
01:02
Tom Stanfill
I just got tired of drinking beer. Hey, we’re doing the podcast at nine in the morning. I’m tired of faking it. I’m just tired of faking it.
01:11
Tab Norris
You know what we can do, though?
01:13
Tom Stanfill
I think we should bring out the.
01:14
Tab Norris
Right I think we don’t bring it back. We only bring it back on special occasions.
01:20
Tom Stanfill
Okay, so what would be a special occasion?
01:23
Tab Norris
St. Patrick’s Day.
01:26
Tom Stanfill
Valentine’s Day. All right, Valentine’s Day.
01:29
Tab Norris
We build it around a holiday. We do one podcast around each holiday, and we have a celebratory drink of your choice.
01:37
Tom Stanfill
Oh, I like this a lot. Okay, so we got Valentine’s Day coming up, and I say we do Cosmopolitan.
01:50
Tab Norris
We have to think through that. But you could be creative. Bring whatever is your Valentine beverage. Beverage.
01:58
Tom Stanfill
No judgment.
01:59
Tab Norris
No judgment. Tom, I’ve learned a long time ago to never judge you on any of those.
02:06
Tom Stanfill
I will say, along the lines of drinking an adult beverage, I’ve gotten into an espresso martini.
02:13
Tab Norris
It’s funny. My neighbor, that’s what he always gets. I’m like, he doesn’t even drink coffee. He loves it.
02:27
Tom Stanfill
But I’ve been doing the decaf. Right, but think about papinated espresso martini. I mean, what a combo. Not that I drink a lot, people. Not that I drink. No. I mean, I very rarely have any.
02:39
Tab Norris
But every once in a while, but.
02:41
Tom Stanfill
In moderation, as they say, yes, I might have one tonight after speaking at the conference this week.
02:47
Tab Norris
That’s a great place to start, Tom. Yeah, I know. For our listeners, tom had a wonderful experience this week. He had the opportunity to speak to a nice sized group, and I am sure they were delighted. I’m sure I’m going to hear lots of great feedback. But tell us about it, Tom.
03:07
Tom Stanfill
Well, I hope so. Just the most delightful organization oh, gosh. Working with Merck Animal Health, and just the most quality people. I mean, I would meet if saw anybody in the elevator lobby, anybody I met, and I said this on stage. I said, you people are amazing. I know they probably thought, oh, it’s a speaker. Thing work with you along. Hey, you guys are great. But I actually really meant it. I mean, they were just a quality organization, and I said something to them. They kind of came to me right before I got on stage, is like, there may better products out there, right? There may be I don’t know your market like, but there may better. But they’re not better people.
03:50
Tab Norris
No, right.
03:50
Tom Stanfill
And that’s what really, customers buy. The customer buys the person. This is relevant to anybody, obviously, that’s listening to the podcast. When I look in the farm industry, I think the farm industries industry is interesting to study because people would think of all industries, it’s really dictated by the product, right? You got the best vaccine, you got the best drug, you’re going to win, everybody’s going to buy the same thing. How in the world are you going to influence doctors and change their buying behavior? But here’s the reality. One rep goes into the territory, numbers go up, one rep goes into numbers go down. It’s based on the rep in the territory. That’s why they have thousands of sales reps, because they don’t just put information out, because the person really makes a difference, which kind of connects to our topic. Tab because we’re kicking the year off with the series of what do we need to do to crush our number in 23.
04:46
Tom Stanfill
We’re starting with kind of foundational questions, and I think we can’t overlook the foundation of setting the foundation, which is what I did when I sold my house. Tab random detour.
04:59
Tab Norris
Yeah.
05:03
Tom Stanfill
I put my house on the Market blows deck in July, and we try to make it as attractive as possible, right? We got a new front door. We painted everything. We got everything pristine as we could. We did all that. Right. So what was the deal up? They went into the crawl space and.
05:22
Tab Norris
They’Re like, whoa, wait a minute.
05:23
Tom Stanfill
What’s going on in the crawl space? Like crawl space? Who cares about the crawl space?
05:27
Tab Norris
Nobody sees the crawl space.
05:29
Tom Stanfill
Yeah, well, I think that’s sales. When we think about preparing for sales or being successful in sales, we think about the things we do, we think about what we say, we think about our process and all those things. I think it’s good to return to the fundamental. I don’t know what football coach said. The fundamentals. Tab you probably know that more than I as a dog fan. By the way, congratulations of the dog.
05:51
Tab Norris
Very proud of the dogs. Two and are back to back. And it was a lot of fun.
06:00
Tom Stanfill
It went to the game.
06:01
Tab Norris
Yeah, it went to the game out in Los Angeles and that new stadium, so five.
06:06
Tom Stanfill
Yeah, it looked pretty cool, which it’s.
06:08
Tab Norris
Designed you’ll love this, Tom. It’s designed for Southern California, so it’s got like a covering over it. That created this high tech wind tunnel to where it’s not air conditioned or heated, so that the air conditioning can come from the breezes coming off the Pacific Ocean and they pull through. Well, it was 48 degrees and pouring down rain with high winds. What it did is it created a tunnel of rain and wind, cold, arctic wind.
06:38
Tom Stanfill
It was, like, really perfect for you. It didn’t look on television, though. It didn’t look like it was very cold or rainy outside players.
06:49
Tab Norris
No, the players were fine. It was all the peripheral. And I was actually pretty good. I caught a lot of the wind. We were down low in the end zone, so were right on the wind tunnel, but weren’t wet. But some people sat over leaks. We had friends that was leaked, like, leaking on them the whole game. Others sat around the edges where they were getting wind. Water was rain was getting blown in. It was pretty heavy rain, but you’re right. That stadium is 100 yards or feet or whatever down into the dirt because all the planes fly over. FFA regulation had to bring it down. So it was really cool. It was a cool stadium.
07:28
Tom Stanfill
That’s a cool FA. You can’t really see that on television. Was it exciting? Because the game was obviously a blowout.
07:34
Tab Norris
Was a dog fan. It was incredibly exciting because it was you were worried.
07:38
Tom Stanfill
You just celebrated the whole thing. You’re celebrating.
07:40
Tab Norris
You just want to stomp just like another score. Let’s see if we can score. We were like, let’s see if we can hang 50 on them. Of course, hung 65 on them, but it’s great. Of course, Athens here is just buzzing. Stetson, his tradition, he started last year. He works there’s a canes, like, chicken finger place right up down the street. He is sponsored by them, so he takes orders. He puts on their head.
08:05
Tom Stanfill
Still cracks me up like a college player.
08:08
Tab Norris
He’s paid by them.
08:09
Tom Stanfill
Yeah. I don’t know. I probably wouldn’t have been sponsored by maybe the but he puts his headset.
08:16
Tab Norris
On Tom and he takes orders for the drive.
08:20
Tom Stanfill
No way. So he does the drive through.
08:22
Tab Norris
He does the drive, too. You get your order and there’s Stets and Bennett giving your chicken.
08:26
Tom Stanfill
Oh, my God.
08:27
Tab Norris
He said the thing is, he goes, all right, thank you very much. That’ll be 65 seven. He used the score from the game, and people like, 65 seven? What are you talking about?
08:42
Tom Stanfill
So they don’t know it’s him.
08:43
Tab Norris
They don’t know it’s him. Then, of course, people figure it out, right? Anyway, it’s a lot of fun.
08:49
Tom Stanfill
I’m so happy for them. That’s pretty cool. It’s hard for me to say that as a Tech.
08:54
Tab Norris
I know.
08:56
Tom Stanfill
As one of my kids went to Georgia. Anyway, I’m glad you got enjoyed the game, but I forgot how we got on that?
09:04
Tab Norris
No idea.
09:05
Tom Stanfill
Other than that we’re going to talk.
09:07
Tab Norris
About back to the basics.
09:08
Tom Stanfill
Back to the basics. Back to the basics. One of the things foundational ideas that I shared was about this concept of we need to get an invitation if we’re going to influence I think one of the most critical elements of influence is overlooked is how do we get a seat at the table?
09:29
Tab Norris
Yes.
09:30
Tom Stanfill
Right. We might feel like we’re influencing because we’re talking, right. We’re answering questions, we’re telling them, but we’re kept at arm’s length. When we’re a trusted partner and we earn a seat at the table, we get invited in. One of the things I like to say is until the customer says to you, what do you think we should do? You really don’t have an opportunity to influence whether they audibly say that, not audibly verbally say that, or they think it right. Until they ask that question, what do you think we should do? You really can’t influence so in order that you’ve got to get that invitation, you’ve got to be invited in so that they say, okay, what do you think? Right, right. What’s the number one thing we need to do? I guess maybe you should say probably the most challenging thing, the thing that we need to work on.
10:24
Tom Stanfill
Obviously, we’ve got to communicate what our motive is. We’ve got to drop the rope. All the things that we’ve talked about on all these podcasts and things that we teach. I think one of the most big, probably the most difficult challenge that we face is what I call being inviteable. In other words, are you invitable, like, the number one reason you accept an invitation? Who’s signing it? Like, who’s it from? You get an invitation from somebody, what do you do? What’s the first thing? Who’s this from? Right.
10:55
Tab Norris
Yes to everybody.
10:57
Tom Stanfill
Yeah. You go, well, who’s this from? That’s the first thing you look at. Then you go, well, what’s this about? But right. If I get an invitation from you, I don’t care what the invitation is, I’m going right here.
11:09
Tab Norris
That’s the way it works. We have an agreement.
11:13
Tom Stanfill
We have an agreement. If you send me an invitation, I’m going. What I want us to do is kind of assess on this podcast to help our listeners, our friends out there, and whether you’re a leader developing a sales organization or you’re a rep and you’re responsible for a number I think this is a good thing to stop and ask yourself as you’re moving into 2023, kind of ask yourself, how invitable am I? I love it if I say that I related this as I thought about this, I kind of related this to marriage. Like a question that a lot of us won’t ask. A question that I try to ask myself on a fairly regular basis is, would my wife date me if she weren’t married to me. Oh, God. And you’ve been married a long time. Yeah. In other words, based on my behavior, who I am, how I treat her, what I’m like to live with, would she date me just purely based on her interaction with me on the last three months.
12:16
Tab Norris
Right.
12:17
Tom Stanfill
That kind of helps me say, what am I like to live with? Because we tend to look at the other person and say, the problem lies with them. The problem lies with the market. The problem lies with the products we sell. The problem lies with the customers issues. It’s always somebody else’s fault versus who am I? Right? Let’s assess. Am I invitable? I thought we would dive into that tab. What do you think?
12:39
Tab Norris
Let’s do it. I think that’s a good takeaway. So you have three big points, four.
12:43
Tom Stanfill
Big well, I would say the thing that I would let’s just focus on this, because I think this is the biggest issue that determines whether they accept our invitation and maybe takes the most work. Some other things, it’s like tips that we need to remember, like how do you position the meeting and those things. I think the thing that requires the work and what I would recommend we focus on as we begin the year, what I need to focus on is to begin the year is ask yourself this question do you have the expertise to lead? I always think about being in sales, whatever your role is, national account, strategic sales, you’re working on the SMB market. You’re ultimately the one that needs to be leading. The customer has a problem. Your role in sales is to lead them right to the best solution. Right.
13:39
Tom Stanfill
You need to be leading. That’s what? You’re not there to answer questions. Yes. That’s part of your role. You’re not in fulfillment. I’m not your relationship manager. Yes, those are part of your role. But ultimately, do you have the expertise? If they’re going to hire you, they’re basically asking you to follow them. The high performing reps here’s the way I think this is so important. Low performing reps are average performing reps. Here’s what they depend on. They depend on their company’s brand. Right? Hey, I got great stuff. I got great stuff. I work with this company. They got great products, great brands. Or the company brand itself, I depend on if I’m an average performer, I depend on my company’s brand. When the market’s hot, I do great. Right? I’m doing great markets hot. I’m doing great markets down. I’m like, well, company got to fix their brand.
14:34
Tom Stanfill
Company needs to fix their brand. Those people got a problem. Well, the reason we can’t do this is because of blah, blah, blah. It’s the company’s brand. The high performers, it’s their personal brand. Well, think about their personal brand.
14:47
Tab Norris
Yeah, well, because you think about it, there are people with problems in all markets that we can help solve.
14:54
Tom Stanfill
Exactly.
14:55
Tab Norris
You’re exactly right.
14:57
Tom Stanfill
Every customer has a problem.
14:58
Tab Norris
Everybody’s got a problem.
15:00
Tom Stanfill
Everybody. If we’ve got the expertise to lead, it’s not just limited to what we sell. It’s seeing it. It’s sitting at the table and saying, well, let me look at your whiteboard. What are you trying to accomplish? What’s your destination? What’s your plan to get there? What are the problems you have? I am the person who focuses on this and helps hundreds of companies. We have thousands of people that do this, and we are a resource for you to help you solve that problem, whether it’s I sell the products, but I have the expertise, my personal brand, you are buying me. I want to be part of your team, and I think that’s the key to crushing it in 23.
15:38
Tab Norris
I agree. So how do It? What are some ways that I have the expertise?
15:44
Tom Stanfill
So, Chavez, I thought you might ask.
15:46
Tab Norris
Me that question, because I do know one answer. You can do something for, like, 37 years, right? You’ll probably kind of become an expert, but I’m guessing all our listeners don’t want to just wait 37 years.
16:00
Tom Stanfill
Well, I also have met people who have been doing it 37 years.
16:03
Tab Norris
They still aren’t experts.
16:04
Tom Stanfill
No, they’re not experts. Here’s why. The first question I would ask you should ask yourself to determine if you have the expertise to lead is, do you own the customer’s problem? I kind of mentioned that earlier, do you own the customer’s problem? Because when you step into the room, the instincts are, is the customer has the problem. Tell me what your problem is, and I will help you. I will answer your questions and provide your proposal, and I will do the things you’re asking me to do. I’m sure you have a process in figuring out how you want to solve your problem, and you have a lot of things going on and a lot of people. You tell me what your processes or your questions are, and I will be very responsive to answering those questions and giving you what you want versus saying, Time out.
16:59
Tom Stanfill
I am going to assume that because this is what I do for a living and all I do for a living, like in our case, right? We help organizations solve their sales execution problem by providing sales training, right? We’ve solved that problem hundreds of times for 20 something years. If I just met with the company before this podcast, they may have done it zero times. Now, they have their thoughts and they have their plans, and they’ve had their meetings and all that, and they’ve got their process, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Of course they should, but they’ve solved this problem zero times. Who should be the one that ultimately leads that? Who’s the one I should say now, again, that doesn’t mean they’re wrong. I want to say, look, for you to solve this problem, these are the things that you need to do.
17:48
Tom Stanfill
To do that, you need to have all of these things. Now, I don’t provide all of the solutions, but I need to own it. So that’s the first question. Do you have the mindset of that? You own the customer whatever you sell, it’s designed to solve a problem. The question is, how do they solve that problem? It most likely will not just include your solution, and you need to be an expert at that.
18:15
Tab Norris
Yeah, that’s awesome.
18:17
Tom Stanfill
Am I firing you up?
18:18
Tab Norris
Yes, I’m getting fired up.
18:23
Tom Stanfill
All right, so to do that tab, first, it’s a mindset, it’s a decision. Like, it’s the way that you approach it. My job is not to explain, communicate, provide a solution. My job is to solve the customer’s problem, and that’s what earns me at the table. Secondly. So how do I do that? I’ve got to study the customer’s business. The question would be, how much time do you spend studying the customer’s business? What’s the whiteboard, what’s their whiteboard look like? Right. We talk about this all the time. What are the industry pressures? What’s happening in the industry? What’s going on? If the recession is happening or rates are going up or COVID, whatever, what does that mean to their industry? What are they going to be doing? Who are they listening to? Who are they reading? What trade shows do they go to? What are the things that they care about?
19:16
Tom Stanfill
Who are the experts that they listen to? What are the industry pressures? All the things that’s going on? We tend to when we think about when you’re in your company, like our company, what do we talk about? We spend most of our time talking about, as every company does. This is the things we do, problems we have. This is the frictions we have to address. This is what we need to say. This is how we need to improve. How much time do we spend saying, this is the problems our customers have?
19:45
Tab Norris
Right.
19:46
Tom Stanfill
It’s usually lopsided towards the company. We’re typically I hate to use the word self centered, but it’s normal. I mean, we’re all typically yeah, totally. Well.
20:02
Tab Norris
A comment around that, because I.
20:04
Tom Stanfill
Think you’re making a comment.
20:05
Tab Norris
Please comment around that.
20:06
Tom Stanfill
Please comment.
20:07
Tab Norris
I don’t know if any other listeners I just would think if I was a younger salesperson, the younger version of me, and I hear you share.
20:14
Tom Stanfill
All that’s, a lot of stuff, what’s.
20:16
Tab Norris
In that whiteboard and industries and what they’re reading and blah. I just want to encourage our listeners and get your insight on this. You can’t learn everything all at once.
20:31
Tom Stanfill
That’s a really good point.
20:33
Tab Norris
Be focused, be strategic, have some victories. Pick a segment, pick a domain, pick an industry where you feel like it’s strategic, where you really could get traction. I would highly encourage that.
20:49
Tom Stanfill
I think that’s a brilliant point.
20:50
Tab Norris
Go learn another one. Because sales, I know this sounds crazy, but a lot of times sales people get all over the place. You can just be all excited and go and you’re looking for what you’re looking for. I think that’s a helpful tip as you begin this journey of knowledge and learning.
21:10
Tom Stanfill
I think that’s a really good point, Tab. And here’s where I would start. There’s a problem that the customer has that you solve probably better than your company.
21:20
Tab Norris
There you go, there’s your litmus.
21:21
Tom Stanfill
Yeah. If you look at what’s unique about your solution, like what’s your real differentiator, right? That differentiator is centered around a customer problem, something that’s going on in their world. I would start there another way to say this is if the customer said this, you’d get really excited.
21:41
Tab Norris
Yes. Because it’s going to break right into your expertise.
21:44
Tom Stanfill
You’re going to go, oh, boy, I love when they say that. They go, here’s what’s going on in our world. This is the thing that we’re struggling with. If you sell a custom solution, or customization is the key to your success, or a certain product that you offer is like that. You just dominate. That’s where you start. You start with that problem. Again, think of it as a problem, not a need for a product like what’s happening? Why do they need to buy that? What’s going on organizationally that’s driving people to need that. Of course, some of us were account managers and we sell products and it’s just about like, hey, when they run out of it, they need to order more. What’s going on globally in the business? What problem is ultimately that solving a need and get bigger, connect to that. That’s the first thing I would say is I think and then also look at, maybe I should have said this first is you look at the customers, your most qualified customers, like what vertical, then narrow in.
22:47
Tom Stanfill
Those two things, product and customer types or problem and customer type that is most aligned with your sweet spot. The by the way, is you don’t have to be an expert overnight. Just ask two or three questions that you don’t have to ask. Hey, do you got a couple more minutes? I just met with the company in a certain industry, right? I haven’t worked in this industry in a while, so I don’t really know, maybe some changes in that market. Say we got hey, you want to ask a couple of questions about your industry? Because last time we worked with XYZ, one of the leaders in the industry, but that was several years ago and I’d like to learn more about what’s changed in the industry. You guys have been in this industry x number of years, and you guys are this type of people like to talk about their stuff.
23:36
Tom Stanfill
Oh, yeah. Ask a couple of extra questions, and then you’ll just get smarter.
23:41
Tab Norris
Perfect. Love It. All right, so it’s mindset first.
23:47
Tom Stanfill
Yeah. So, first of all, first question do you own the problem? Second question. How much time are you spending studying the customer’s business? I’m not going to tell you what it needs to be. It just needs to be a percentage, right?
24:02
Tab Norris
It needs to be something.
24:03
Tom Stanfill
Yeah. The more for the higher percentage, the faster you will become an expert. Because I want to focus on that expert. You can become an expert. Becoming an expert is a choice.
24:12
Tab Norris
Yes.
24:12
Tom Stanfill
That’s all required to become an expert is a choice. I want to become an expert at your solution. Absolutely. The customer’s business probably more important. Third question I would say is how much time are you studying the customer’s options? Right. You choosing your solution is one option, right? That is not their only option.
24:41
Tab Norris
Understanding all the things they could do to solve that problem. Which is a really good point, Tom, because most salespeople figure out what their solution solves, and that’s all they think about.
24:53
Tom Stanfill
Well, yeah, they think about it. This is what my solution does.
24:56
Tab Norris
This is what I offer that problem.
24:58
Tom Stanfill
I remember one time meeting with my insurance guy, a guy that sold the insurance. I loved the guy. And then I said he recommended something. I said, okay, well, there’s like, what, hundreds of insurance companies and a lot of different options, and there’s whole life and blah, blah. Why are you recommending this versus these other products that I’m hearing about? He didn’t really want to answer that.
25:20
Tab Norris
Because I don’t sell those.
25:24
Tom Stanfill
I want you to explain to me how the market works. What are all that? Because, by the way, if you don’t explain it to me, then I’m going to go look at the all options.
25:34
Tab Norris
Exactly.
25:36
Tom Stanfill
I remember I walked into a simple, stupid example, but I walked into Lowe’s and I was looking for a grill. I told you the story. Yeah. They had, like, I don’t know, 50 grills. So I went at the Lowe’s. It was the first place I stopped. I’m like, those are the options they had. I went to the next place and saw their options. I went to the next place and I went to four different stores. Ended up buying what from the last store I went to. Because I’m like, now I know all my options. By the way, the grill that I bought was at the first location I went to.
26:08
Tab Norris
Wow.
26:09
Tom Stanfill
But I didn’t know my options. Since I don’t know my options as a customer, I research all my options. If I can have like I remember one time the guy met with a long time ago. Frankly, it was a first time home buyer. I walked into Sears to buy kind of a similar purchase, but it was a different thing. I needed to buy a range top or something. I think it was a range for my kitchen. He goes, I’m leaving because I was doing the same thing. I want to know my options, I’m leaving. He goes, So where are you going? I said, Well, I’m just going to go look at other stores and see.
26:43
Tab Norris
Where this thing out.
26:44
Tom Stanfill
Yeah, I got to figure out you’re not going to figure it out. I’m going to figure it out. Right. Because that’s fine, it makes sense. He said, but let me just tell you one thing you need to know. Wherever you go in the city, we have more options than everybody else. We have the widest selection of ranges in the market. I said, So you mean no matter where else I go, I’m not going to see anything different than I’m seeing in your store? He said, no, I go.
27:08
Tab Norris
He studied the options. He knew the option well.
27:12
Tom Stanfill
He knew that I was going to look well.
27:14
Tab Norris
He was an expert. He had expertise. That’s a really good point, because that’s a great takeaway. We need to really spend our time understanding all the options, know all the options.
27:27
Tom Stanfill
They’re going to search it. So know it. Know who your competition is, know what the difference like in our world, there’s different types of companies, they do different types of things. Be able to make sense out of that. Either the customer has to make sense out of those options or you can help them make sense out of those options. You have to do that with integrity. Right. There’s really three they have three categories of options in house. Typically not always, but that’s one of the options. We can do this ourselves. So that’s an option in some cases. In some cases, it’s not outsource. Okay, so I’m going to outsource. So what are all the options? Outsourcing. So that’s your competition. Or we could do nothing. Why does it make sense for you to do nothing? There’s always a reason why the customer should do nothing.
28:13
Tom Stanfill
Like nothing. Right now, you should delay this because they’re trying to figure it out. Last one tab. Are you going to do like a drumroll? It’s like anything we should do sound, we should add.
28:29
Tab Norris
Yeah, we should.
28:32
Tom Stanfill
Last one is be teachable. That’s the fourth question. How teachable are you?
28:40
Tab Norris
Man, I like that.
28:43
Tom Stanfill
Yeah. Here’s where I see the lack of being teachable in another way, lack of humility is when someone is an expert, we see them as a competitor.
28:55
Tab Norris
Yes.
28:56
Tom Stanfill
If you’re inside an organization, especially in a big organization, there’s people in there that just know their stuff. Right. Like I met with when I was buying my house, I met with a. Mortgage mortgage guy. I’d like to have him on the podcast. Number three in the state of Georgia’s mortgage loan officer. He works for a pretty big organization. A lot of loan officers work in his organization. He’s not only the best loan officer in that organization, he’s also one of the best in all of Georgia. I wonder how many loan officers in his organization take him to lunch, ask him questions, want to learn from, or do they see him as I don’t want to learn from him. He’s my competition. He makes me feel bad about myself. I’m better than him. He got here first, or whatever. In other words, the question is, do you seek people out in your organization who are experts and learn from them?
29:53
Tom Stanfill
I love it in this competition, so.
29:55
Tab Norris
I think that’s good. Another thing I think around this kind of the humble thing is, don’t, I think if you’re going to be an expert, you have to be able to stretch out of your comfort zone, and you’re going to make mistakes and learn from your mistakes. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be like, I can’t ever make a mistake, so be okay with that. I mean, you think about it, tom, most of the things that you and I have been around a while, a lot of the things I’ve learned by making mistakes.
30:27
Tom Stanfill
It’s an opportunity. It’s a great teacher. Yeah, it’s a great here’s the cool thing about what we’re talking about, though. We’re not talking about making mistakes related to presenting your solution.
30:40
Tab Norris
No.
30:41
Tom Stanfill
Right. That hurts. That’s painful. The second place, you get zero for second place. I think of selling as, like, bachelor. If you’re in second place, you’re leaving a limo crying. There’s nothing else. There’s no, like, second place prize. You just lose. What we’re talking about is becoming an expert in the customer’s business. If you make a mistake, what you do is maybe you ask a stupid question, or maybe what? Maybe you waste time studying something that you or maybe you feel a little stupid. The bottom line is you’re focused on the customer. That’s it.
31:21
Tab Norris
That’s where I see it happen.
31:22
Tom Stanfill
You can’t make a mistake. Really?
31:25
Tab Norris
Yeah. But, see, if you’re constantly doing self assessment, you’re like, I was an idiot. That was a dumb question. If I had done a little more research or I had talked to somebody else, I shouldn’t have asked that. Now I know. Now I know forevermore. It is locked into my brain. I’d rather you stretch and maybe ask that question versus just throw up, show up and throw up or just do what your normal kind of go to is. I just want to encourage people.
32:00
Tom Stanfill
Yeah, I think that’s a good thing. Well, and I also think, Tab, what you’re highlighting is sometimes things don’t go well. Right. What we typically do when things don’t go well. This kind of goes back to the idea of how datable are. You like, things aren’t going well in my relationship. It’s so much more natural for me to go. So my partner it’s my partner’s fault. If they would do this differently than our relationship, here’s what they need to do to fix our relationship, versus asking myself, what’s my contribution to the problem? I think when we’re selling and things don’t go well, and I’ve been in a mini win loss conversations, okay, we lost, right? The wins are fun. Oh, here’s what I did. We won. We lost. Here’s what they did. Or here’s what the company did, and we lost. The question I always like to ask myself is, I’m always going to assume I may ask myself just the way I think about it.
33:01
Tom Stanfill
I’m always going to assume, and I think the best reps do this. The best leaders do this. The most successful people do this. I always assume it’s my fault because that’s where the learning is. If I always assume if I’ve made a mistake, I always assume it’s my fault. I assume, okay, there’s something I don’t know. There’s something I could have learned. There’s something I didn’t. The customers aren’t stupid. Oh, they asked for this, and then they do. I see this all the time. When people sell to us, things don’t go well. They started it well. You guys weren’t clear. This didn’t happen. I’m like, It’s never my fault. The customer’s fault that things to go well. You want to ask more questions, we give you the access. Now, customers do things that sabotage us, but you can always say time out and go, I’m not participating, right?
33:51
Tom Stanfill
You can always say that. Ultimately, we need to say, it didn’t go well. What did I miss? That’s where you’ll start to learn more about the customer. You’ll develop your expertise. I love this idea that my coach said this to me the other day. Expertise is always an option. It’s always your choice. It takes six months, maybe. I have worked with people that have been doing the same thing for 25 years, and they kind of still know the same thing they knew once they got past year one. This is the things we sell, and this is what it does, and this is how it works. If you need it, I got that down.
34:38
Tab Norris
I don’t work with this company. Tom, this guy, he’s been there 40 years or whatever, and we’re talking about him. He says, I don’t need to learn any of this stuff. I said that’s awesome. So tell me what’s going on. Why do you not need to learn anything? He goes, Let me just tell you what I do. I’ve been doing it for 30 years. I just walk in. They love me. I walk, and I go, hey, what you got lying around your desk that I can sell you. I’m like that’s.
35:03
Tom Stanfill
It.
35:06
Tab Norris
Like projects.
35:09
Tom Stanfill
What are you lying around? How are you doing?
35:12
Tab Norris
I’m like, you’re right. I guess if that’s going to continue working for you forevermore.
35:18
Tom Stanfill
Yeah. By the way, if you can just walk into a room and say what’s lying around on your desk, how can I help you today? There any reason you forgot to call me? If that works for you just keep doing keep on going.
35:34
Tab Norris
But it was funny. That guy lost his job a year later. A year later, he lost his job.
35:40
Tom Stanfill
Okay, there you go.
35:41
Tab Norris
Because it changed. The market changed. And guess what? He was a dinosaur.
35:45
Tom Stanfill
Yeah. Some people I’ve talked to people before, they kind of have that same mentality, and they’re like, this is working for me. I’m like and I’m like, well, what if it doesn’t work? And then I’ll quit. I’m not great. But there’s something about that, though. I think you have a hard time as a human being, kind of being what’s the word? If you don’t do one thing with excellence, it’s like everything you do kind of that bleeds over to everything. That really a person of integrity to say, I just kind of whatever you want to say.
36:26
Tab Norris
Nobody listening to this podcast is that person. I just don’t think I think the people listen to this podcast are trying to get better.
36:33
Tom Stanfill
Yeah, probably.
36:33
Tab Norris
They’re not sharpening their skills.
36:35
Tom Stanfill
Well, it could because they just like Utah.
36:38
Tab Norris
Well, that is true.
36:39
Tom Stanfill
Yeah. Because we are super entertaining.
36:43
Tab Norris
So go back. Keep us organized here, Tom.
36:46
Tom Stanfill
Okay, so you want me to keep us organized?
36:49
Tab Norris
Yes, I do.
36:50
Tom Stanfill
Yeah.
36:50
Tab Norris
That is kind of ironic.
36:54
Tom Stanfill
Mr. Organization. Yeah. Liza will just review quickly. Tab. I’ll keep us organized. The question on the table is what the goal? The destination is we want an invitation. We want to be invited. We want to see it at the table. We want to get in early. We want people to ask us questions because they see us as a complete resource, not just somebody that sells products. They see us as a resource that will help their business be successful. If we are that person, we will get more meetings. Our reputation will proceed as people will buy invite us, and loyalty goes up. Our conversion rate goes up, our margins go up. We’re more successful. Right. So that’s all great.
37:33
Tab Norris
All good.
37:33
Tom Stanfill
How do we get the invitation is we got to be inviteable, right. So how do we become invisible? We’ve got to develop the expertise to lead. And so it’s a mindset thing. Do we own the problem? Do we study the customer’s business? Do we understand all the customers options? And are we teachable? If we answer those questions positively, we’re going to develop the expertise. And I’d say tap. I’d say six months.
37:59
Tab Norris
Yeah, I think that’s probably about right. If you’re all in.
38:04
Tom Stanfill
Yeah. Now, of course, you sell super complex solutions like nuclear warheads to governments or something.
38:11
Tab Norris
Those nuclear warhead salespeople.
38:12
Tom Stanfill
Yeah.
38:12
Tab Norris
Those jobs are just flying off.
38:14
Tom Stanfill
You sell nuclear war. There’s a lot to that. Because the problems you’re solving, I mean, they’re kind of weird and secretive. There might be secretive like you’re selling the North Korean. Like, what problem are you solving? What? We’re trying to blow up Japan and not Japan. They wouldn’t blow up Japan. I hope we don’t get in trouble with the North Korean. You know what? We may just got banned from China.
38:33
Tab Norris
Yes.
38:34
Tom Stanfill
Because I said that. I apologize. I apologize. Hi, my friend.
38:38
Tab Norris
That’s a great, this is good. I like back to the fundamentals.
38:42
Tom Stanfill
Back to the fundamentals. It’s a series on crushing in 2023. I hope to our listeners that this was helpful. Please give us feedback on how we can serve you more effectively. Give us feedback on the podcast. Rate us so that other people will find us. Obviously, if you have a topic ideas tab, reach out to us on LinkedIn. Right? Bring down Link. Give us topic ideas. We’re just two guys in a room alone talking. We don’t know who we’re talking to. Tell us. It’s great to meet people. Like I listen to your podcast, so give us feedback. All right, my friend. To our lovely audience out there, thank you for listening to another episode of Sales with Aslan. It’s a wrap, my friend.
