Top Secrets of Marketing & Sales David Blaise

Particularly in the early stages, breaking through a sales plateau may just mean doing more of what you're doing. But generally, at some point, we hit a plateau that is created by the fact that we can't run any faster. We can't do any more by ourselves.



So we either need to implement new procedures and new processes, we need to get some help, or something needs to change fundamentally in the business in order to get us to that next level.







David: Hi, and welcome to the podcast. In today's episode, cohost Jay McFarland, and I will be discussing the idea of breaking through your sales plateau. Welcome back, Jay.



Jay: It's so good to be here again with you David, and as always, I'm very excited about this topic. I know businesses that hit these thresholds. It can be a monumental task to get to the next level and they're not sure how to do it. Is it, is it marketing? Is it adding new products? I think that's what a lot of them try to do. They're like, well, let's add 10 more products to the lineup and then we'll do it. And oftentimes that can just make the situation worse and not better.



David: Yeah, it's true. Most businesses, I think it's safe to say, at some point run into some sort of plateau. They hit a level of sales and they can't get past it. I believe in small businesses this is particularly true, where you're just working and pushing and you're trying to get to that next benchmark. And you just can't reach it.



And there are thresholds, I believe in small business, getting to your first hundred thousand in gross sales and then your first 250, and then you hit 500 and then a million and then 2 million and going from there.



And in the early stages, you can generally do pretty well, like to get from a hundred thousand to 250 is often easier than it is to get from a million to 2 million.



But most of us, at some point, will encounter some sort of sales plateau. You get there, you see it, you're targeting it, you're working toward it and you just can't seem to hit it.



And so it's really just a matter of getting stuck. It's like, I feel like I'm stuck and I'm here and I need to be here and I'm not sure what to do next.



Jay: Yeah. And I wonder how much of it is that they're not really sure how they got to the first plateau. I mean, they may think that they know,



David: That's true.



Jay: But it could be something completely different. And this could go back to something we talked about in a previous podcast: following up with your customers.



Find out why they purchased, how they feel about their purchase. Are they returning customers? Are they not returning customers? So if you didn't understand why they bought in the first place and how they felt about that purchase, it's going to be hard breaking through that next plateau.



David: It is, absolutely. And the biggest hangup that I see for most people is not knowing, "what do I do next?"



And as you indicated, people get to a certain point in some cases, they're not sure how they did it. What's that referred to as? Unconscious competence?



Jay: Mm-hmm,



David: Where I'm doing things and it's working, but I'm not even sure of what I've done. So I haven't gotten around to building a system around it to put that into place so I can replicate it.



But there's also the idea that what gets me to here will not necessarily get me to here. Right? So what gets me to level one won't necessarily get me to level two.



That's not always the case, particularly in the early stages, you can do more of what you're doing to get to a higher level. But generally, at some point, we hit a sales plateau that is created by the fact that we can't run any faster. We can't do any more by ourselves.

From a sales mindset connection standpoint, market domination starts with the idea that it's possible. And if you're not sure that it's possible, ask yourself this, your very best clients. When they think about who to go to for the products and services you offer, who do they think about?



Obviously, if they're your very best clients, it's you. They're thinking about you. So you've already achieved a level of mindset or market domination with your very best clients. That demonstrates that it can be done. So then it's a matter of saying, okay, well, how can we do this with other people?









David: Hi, and welcome to the podcast. In today's episode, co host Bianca Istvan and I will be discussing the topic of the sales mindset connection. Welcome Bianca.



Bianca: Thank you so much, David. Very happy to be here with you. And I'm just curious, what do you say to people who think mindset is woo-woo?



David: Yeah, there are a lot of people who feel that way. To some extent, I've been one of them. And in fact, Bianca is our newest addition to our team here at Top Secrets. She and I actually met in a clubhouse group years ago, and we were talking about the idea of mindset there.



And I said, well, I'm not really all that much into mindset. Most of my training is about the specifics of what to do. And Bianca said to me, well, I don't think so. Everything you talk about is pretty much mindset related. And I didn't realize it at the time, but it really kind of opened my eyes to the fact that, yeah, a lot of what we do, even though it's not geared to be about mindset, is about mindset.



So the whole woo-woo thing really kind of touches a nerve with me because I felt that way in the past. It's like, oh, mindset, well, no, you just need to do the stuff. But the reality of the situation is that if you don't have the right mindset, if you're not willing to take the necessary actions, then you're not going to be able to get there.



So it seems to me there's always a mindset element that has to be there, whether or not you really want to think about it.



Bianca: That's so true. And you know, for me, it's great to see that. I mean, you have this ability to connect with people on another level and that's, you know, congrats to you for having this mindset. Fantastic.



David: Well, thanks. And so do you. And that's actually how we started communicating was in this clubhouse group and so when we connected again recently, I just thought it would be so great to have you on our team because I know that that's an important aspect of what you do and your communication with people has been great.



So I'm really glad we've been able to put this together. But for most salespeople, it seems to me that mindset may be in the back of their mind. They may be thinking about it, but for the most part, they're probably just thinking, How do I make this next sale? How do I make this next contact? And so while I don't think you have to spend a ton of time thinking about mindset every day, just recognize that if you don't at least have it going on somewhere in the back of your mind, you're probably not going to do the work you have to do in order to get it started.



Bianca: Yeah, that's so right. And I know you talk a lot about the first contact and what that means, but please tell me, you know, why do you think the mindset is so important when having the first contact with your potential client?



David: Well, first contact is difficult for a lot of people, and a lot of people think of first contact as just being cold calls. And that's one example of first contact. And in those situations, mindset is really hard for some people. J just the idea of the fear of picking up the phone is an issue for people, which is all a mindset thing.



If they can't get past that,

Staying in touch with prospects is required, and creating value in your communication is certainly something that will keep you from being a pest in sales. Because if what you're saying to them is going to help them to accomplish a result, they'll be a lot more likely to pay attention to it.



But ultimately it's required. You can't just skip it.





David: Hi, and welcome to the podcast. In today's episode, co host Bianca Istvan and I will be discussing the topic of staying in touch without being a pest. Welcome back, Bianca.



Bianca: Thanks so much, David. And wow, such a topic. Please tell us, why is it so critical to stay in touch?



David: Well, I think for anyone who is in sales, you recognize that you're probably not going to sell something in one call.



You're going to need to have multiple points of outreach, multiple contacts with a prospect or client before you're going to be able to make that first sale, let alone the second or third or fourth. So staying in touch is obviously a critical part. of the process, being able to reach out to them on an ongoing basis without coming across as annoying or without coming across as what most people would describe in sales as a pest.



I think this is something that more salespeople tend to think of than prospects or clients. I mean, unless you're really annoying, right? In which case they may think you're a pest. What I've heard from a lot of salespeople is this exact thing. How do I Remain in touch with the people that I need to be in touch with without being a pest.



And so again, I think that's why this topic is such an important one.



Bianca: Now that's, that's absolutely so right. And that leads me to my next question, like what do you think people mean when talking about being a pest?



David: I think the concern is what's going on in their head, what they're thinking about.



If I'm a salesperson and I'm going into any interaction with another human being with the idea that I want them to buy something. If that's my motivation, then it's likely I may be thinking in the back of my mind, oh, I hope I'm not being a pest about this, But, If you can make it about the person that you're interacting with, then it's totally different because now you're not just there to sell them a product. You're there to try to help them with whatever it is that they're trying to do. So if you're selling custom imprinted promotional products, you're not just selling them something that has their logo on it, you're selling them awareness or you're selling them more sales in their business, or you're selling them the idea of being in front of more people.



So when you think of it in terms of what it actually delivers for them, it makes it a lot better for you.



Bianca: Well, that's so true. And yes, absolutely right. But what about, you know, because this is a sensitive topic as well. And what if you're afraid to make those calls? What if you're afraid to send that first message or you just think you can do it?



David: That goes back to mindset, which I know we've talked about in previous podcasts as well. But I think if you're in sales, you recognize that you have to do it, right? There's no alternative. You have to be able to reach out. Now, it doesn't have to be a phone call. It doesn't have to be a networking event. It doesn't have to be an ad on social media. It can be lots of different things. So I think if you recognize that there are different things that you can do, and you can find out something that is more comfortable for you, that will certainly help.



If you also think about the concept that we've talked about in the past about creating value in your communication, that is certainly something that will keep you from being a pest, because if what you're saying to them is going to he...

There are steps involved with making prospects and clients comfortable with you. You can't go from, "I have no idea who you are," to "I'm completely comfortable with you and I trust you implicitly" without steps. It just doesn't happen.









David: Hi, and welcome to the podcast. In today's episode, co host Bianca Istvan and I will be discussing the topic of making prospects and clients comfortable with you. Welcome back, Bianca.



Bianca: Thank you so much, David.



Definitely one of my favorite topics. And please tell us, what does it take to make prospects comfortable with us?



David: Yeah, that's sort of a magic key, isn't it? What does it take? Well, I think it takes desire, certainly starts with the desire to want to do it, because a lot of times we're just so focused on selling what it is that we want to sell that we don't really think about that too much.



We just think in terms of introducing ourselves and letting them know what we do and hoping that they're going to want to buy it. But so much of that, can never really happen until and unless we get to the point where they're comfortable enough to even want to hear what it is that we have to offer.



Bianca: Well, that's absolutely great. And yeah, I definitely agree with you. So who do we need to do this with?



David: Pretty much everyone, pretty much every prospect, every client we ever interact with, we need to create a level of comfort.



In some of my early training, I talked about sort of four levels, if you picture a target with archery practice it's a series of rings and outside the rings, there's this area outside the target. That I think of as total obscurity. They don't know who you are. They don't know what you do.



They have no idea why they should do business with you at all. So that's sort of outside the target. And then the first level inside the target is recognition. They recognize that you're alive. They recognize that you're taking in air on the planet, but they don't know exactly what you do or how you do it, or if they should use you at all.



They just recognize you. Okay, I recognize you. So you move from obscurity to recognition. That's sort of the first step. And then after they recognize you, then you can start to move to comfort. Because until I even know who you are, there's no way I'm going to feel comfortable with you. So there's that next level.



So you move from obscurity to recognition, and then recognition to comfort. And then from Comfort, you can eventually, if you do your job well and consistently, you can get to loyalty, right? We didn't even talk about loyalty in the topic today, but ultimately that's kind of the goal.



And Comfort is one of the steps we need to get through in order to get to any sort of level of customer loyalty. But when we talk about making prospects and clients feel comfortable with us, it really is a process.



And in our total market domination training, we talk about different methods of interaction. In other words, we have entry level awareness.



So entry level awareness is designed to make someone aware of the fact that we exist and we do what we do. From there, we can then move on to that comfort level awareness, which is designed to expand the relationship a little more.



Okay, I know who you are, I know what you do, and now I feel comfortable enough with you to place that first time order with you.



And then once that happens, if I deliver well and consistently, and then you order again, and I deliver well and consistently, then eventually that can lead to loyalty. But I think a lot of it goes to recognizing that there are steps involved here. You can't go from, I have no idea who you are, to I'm completely comfortable with you and I trust you implicitly.

Once you outperform your competitors in terms of the way that you do things, the way that you make your presentations, the way that you interact with your clients, the way that you follow up and service them -- when you're already outperforming your other competitors in that area, then the only thing you can really do is focus on how can I outperform my previous performance?









David: Hi, and welcome to the podcast. In today's episode, co host Bianca Istvan and I will be discussing the topic of outperforming your top competitor. Welcome back, Bianca.



Bianca: Thanks so much, David. So happy to be here with you. And what are we talking about? And what does that mean to outperform your top competitor?



David: Yeah, great question. For a lot of people, we kind of feel like we need to do it. We want to do it, but we're not quite sure how or what or even who they are. So, what it means to me is that we are doing a better job at the things that need to be done to be able to deliver a positive result for our clients.



So outperforming a top competitor means that we're doing it better. We're doing it differently. And we're able to convey that to people in a way where they understand it. They understand that there's a difference between the way that we deliver things and the way that other people deliver things.



Bianca: Wow, that's absolutely fantastic. And, you know, thanks for bringing so much awareness because yeah, it's a lot of confusion around this topic. And you mentioned something about who our competitor is. So how do you even determine who that is?



David: For a lot of people, when you're out there in the market and you're talking to people about buying your products and services, they'll say, Oh, well, I deal with this person or I deal with that person.



So that's a good way to find out who your top competitors are. Because if you keep hearing the same names over and over again, that's a pretty good indication that they're a top competitor.



Also, very often when we're starting out in a market, we may be aware of sort of the big dog in the market, the person who is already recognized as a leader.



So, you may just know when you're going in the person who does the most advertising or who seems to be the best known in the marketplace. That's also a good way to determine, okay, this might be one of my top competitors.



Ultimately, we need to decide who we see as our top competitors. But that's really just the starting point. Because I think that people make a big mistake when they focus on outperforming other people as their top competitors versus getting to the point where they ultimately have to outperform themselves, right?



So I think ultimately we want to get to a point where we are our own top competitor that we're trying to outperform.



Because once you've outperformed your other competitors in terms of the way that you do things, the way that you make your presentations, the way that you interact with your clients, the way that you follow up and service them.



When you're already outperforming your other competitors in that area, then the only thing you can really do is focus on how can I outperform my previous performance?



Bianca: Wow, that's absolutely a great answer. And I heard there a lot of hows. So how do you really outperform your top competitor?



David: Well, a lot of it has to do with determining what is it that we're saying to people.



How are we saying it? How often are we saying it? So it really boils down to a lot of our interactions with our clients. How often we're communicating with them, the very specific things that we're saying. The way that we're performing.



Are we able to deliver what they're looking for in a timely manner?

Brute force selling usually comes about when someone feels like they have to sell their product or service, regardless of the needs, wants, or desires of their prospect. The alternative is better understanding, relationship building, and effective qualification.







David: Hi, and welcome to the podcast. In today's episode, cohost Jay McFarland, and I will be discussing the idea of brute force selling. Welcome, Jay.







Jay: Hey, thank you so much, David. I know we've talked about a lot of different issues, you know, generating leads and those types of things. I'm very anxious to talk about this brute force. When I hear it, as a customer, I'm like "brute for selling? What exactly do you mean here?" Because I might want to run away from it.

The Case Against Brute Force Selling

David: Yeah, well, I'm not really here today to advocate for brute force selling, okay? So, definitely not my first choice, but it seems to me like there are so many people, so many industries that tend to engage in it, that I thought we should probably have the discussion.



Jay: Yeah. I mean, nothing could be worse than chasing potential clients away. I think there's a fine line between brute force and still trying to help customers understand the importance of your products and using good sales techniques. It's really a fine line. Isn't it?



David: It is. There's definitely a balance. And I think there's a big difference between persistence and brute force selling. But to get to the core of it. I think one of the biggest problems that a lot of small business owners and salespeople have today is that they think in terms of selling.



I have to sell this product, or I have to sell this idea. I have to sell this concept. I have to sell this customer. "I have to sell," being the main thing.



When you're approaching someone for the first time with the idea of, "I have to sell," it's easy to slip into the wrong gear about trying to push what you have onto them before you've even identified, whether they have a need desire, money, budget, willingness to spend, any of those things.



When I think in terms of brute force selling, to me, it's often about people who have gotten into sales. They've been given maybe a lead sheet or in the old days, it was a phone book by their manager who said, "Go make sales. Knock yourself out."



And when you don't know how to do that well, then trying to sort of push or bully or cajole people into buying from you becomes the default.



So when the focus is just on sales as the first, middle, and end of the process, it's kind of a lose/lose for both the salesperson and the prospect. Also for the company. So it's a lose all the way around.

Effective Qualification is the Key

If we can train salespeople on the idea of first determining need, identifying whether or not this person is a good candidate for what we're selling. I mean, we're really just talking about qualifying. And a lot of salespeople and even a lot of sales managers fail to make the distinction between qualification and selling.



When we're qualifying somebody, we're not trying to convince or persuade them to buy our stuff. We're trying to find out if our stuff even makes sense for them.



And what I've seen over the years is that there are a lot of salespeople who waste enormous amounts of time pushing and trying to sell to people who have absolutely no capability even to buy what it is that they're selling.



Without taking that step back and saying, okay, let's do a little qualification first. Let's find out what this person is dealing with, and what sort of help they need. And if I can even help them, if you do that first, then you can find out pretty quickly if somebody is a good prospect for you or not.



And if they're not,