#198: What B2B Sales Professionals Are Doing That You Aren't
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This is the Skalable Growth Podcast.
I'm your host, Luigi Prestinenzi, and each
week we will go on a journey, A journey
that will inspire you, motivate you, and
help you be the very best you can be.
Our focus will be on mindset, tactics
and the strategies that will enable
you to create more opportunities and.
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Welcome to another episode of
the Skalable Growth Podcast.
I'm your host, Luigi Prestinenzi,
and as always, I'm pumped on it and
excited to have you join us for what
will be another incredible episode.
Before we get into today's episode,
because there is a lot of value jam packed
into this week's episode, I just wanna
say for our longtime listeners, thank
you for showing up each and every week.
I value you, I'm grateful.
I just wanna say thank you for
allowing me the opportunity to share
some insight, share some content
to help you be the best you can be.
And if you're a, a first
time listener, welcome.
We hope you take away a
little bit of insight.
We hope we take away benefit.
That'll help you in your journey
of being the best you can be.
Now, I know I say every week that this
is gonna be an incredible episode.
We could get some awesome takeaways,
but the reality is, this is a really
good episode, and I, I say this because
I usually take notes during an episode,
but this episode I took a couple of pages
of the notes and the reason why it's
sort of resonated for me because I'm
hearing and I'm seeing, look, the market
is changing, the economy is having an.
On salespeople globally like that is now
the reality, and we've seen job layoffs.
The news is talking about the negative.
There's a lot of negative
sentiment out there.
Now, this is not an episode where I want
you to think about that negative sentiment
or the things that we can't control,
because you've heard me talk about
focusing on the things that we can control
when it comes to selling, but the reality.
The economic environment does impact
how our buyers behave, and we need
to consider that and need to consider
the things that they're thinking
about during the buying process.
And why I love this episode because
we have John Feldman, who's the VP
of Customer Acquisition at Absolute
Software because we really dive into the
characteristics that he sees in his team.
From top performers and the things that
they do, and also the things that they
do when things don't go to plan, and
this is why I'm really keen to share
this content and share this particular
episode with you because John's manager
team, for a number of years, he's sat in
the VP seat for literally over a decade
and also been a high performer himself.
He does bring a level of insight
about what his sellers do,
like his high performers do.
What are the things that they do
to drive and achieve performance?
Their, their mindset, their
behaviors, their actions.
And again, when we think about
what's happening in the market, We
need to be controlling, focusing
on the things that we can control.
This is why this episode's gonna be so
valuable for you to listen to because
John will walk through the things that his
team are doing to achieve certain results.
So can't wait to get into this episode.
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Before we do jump into this
episode, before you probably have
to pause, take some notes, go to
notes, or you know, write it down.
And you might even listen
to this twice, this episode.
Right.
But before we get into that,
I'm really pumped to talk about
the launch of Growth Forum.
You've heard me talk.
We have been sort of letting
you know that it's coming.
It's coming in.
Last week we did launch and
it was an incredible launch.
We got some amazing people involved
who are running live sessions each
and every week for our community.
So in the show notes, there
is a link, it's Growth Forum.
Dot io, go and check it out.
It's free to join.
There is so much past episodes or
or recordings that you can access
on a variety of different topics in
sales and marketing, and we've got
professional development topics as
well, and we have an amazing roster
of upcoming sessions over the next.
Few months, and you'll be able to see them
in the upcoming section of the community.
Jump in there because as
I said, it's free to join.
There's courses, there's a prospecting
program, there's an SEO program,
there's gonna be digital marketing,
there's gonna be discovery program.
There's gonna be so many
different programs you can access.
So this is for our community.
We are putting this out there
to help you in your journey
in being the best you can be.
So go check it out.
This week, our live sessions
all around sales planning
and all around what you can.
To really build out your sales plan to
make sure 2023 is a solid year for you.
And then we have some great speakers,
bestselling authors, uh, Craig
Valentine on the Perfect Day Formula.
We've got Victor Antonio Running Sessions.
We've got Trevor Collins, who's the
founder of anti-matter marketing and has
achieved amazing things running sessions.
We've got cooperating through
there how many different
sessions that you can access.
So check out the show notes.
I know I've oversold it in
that little clip, right?
But I am so excited about it because
the value there is is incredible.
And again, it's free to join.
So go and check it out.
But before you do that,
check this episode out.
John's gonna drop some value.
You're gonna take away some notes, and I'd
love to hear your feedback on this one.
Actually hit me up on LinkedIn.
Hit me up if you do join the community,
hit me up on the community and tell
me what you loved about this episode.
Welcome to the show, Jon.
Thank you very much, Luigi.
I'm very happy to be here.
Thanks for having me.
Yeah, I'm, and I'm really happy
to have you on as well, Jon.
And I know that we've had, for our
listeners, um, full transparency,
I've worked with Jon for a number of
months, um, gee's, nearly six months.
I think it might have been Jon.
Um, correct.
Working with your sales
team, uh, providing them with
training and coaching around.
Uh, sales development and prospecting.
So I'm really happy to be able to get
you on our show and really talk a bit
about the perspective that you bring
managing, uh, a high performing sales
team and, and a large team a as well.
So I'm looking forward to diving
into this topic of what are the
characteristics that make up a high
performer and what sellers can do
to differentiate themselves in 2023.
. Before we dive into that topic, would you
mind just sharing a little bit about how
you started in the wacky world of sales?
Oh, this is a, this is a bit of a
crazy story, so I'm happy to share.
Um, what really got me interested
or even sort of aware that this
was an industry was probably.
25 years ago, maybe longer.
Yep.
And I was hanging out with, uh, a group
of buddies and there was this one,
uh, individual who was always around.
Mm-hmm.
always wore the flashiest clothes.
Always drove the nicest cars, right?
Yeah.
And you could tell that like
he was doing well for himself.
And, uh, I had asked my buddy
who knew him well, I'm like,
like, he seems to like you.
, not to say like was a step ahead of
us, but he was a step ahead of us.
Mm-hmm.
. And uh, I asked him, I said
like, what line of work is he in?
And he said, he's in tech sales
And I said, interesting.
So him and I, uh, got to be pretty
good buddies and funny enough,
it was his referral into what I
would call my first foray into.
Into sales because I had saw the
type of lifestyle that he had led.
Yeah.
And I'm not gonna lie, like, you
know, I wanna be able to provide
very well for myself and my family.
And I saw someone like me who
was university educated and also
had a, a degree from a, from a, a
local college here as well, that's
specialized in sales and market.
He, funny enough, he actually went
to the same course and did the
same course, , and he showed me
a path that I never knew existed.
Hmm.
And, uh, once I, I got a taste of
what sales was and saw the world, um,
I knew this was something that I was
gonna dedicate myself to for my career.
Oh, what a story that, that's
actually a really cool story, John.
And.
. It's funny that you've described the
motivation for you was seeing somebody
quite successful, um, and that's what
drove you to join the profession.
I'd love to sort of dive deep on that
for a moment, because I think for many,
like joining because of money or objects
or lifestyle is one thing, but was
there a point where you realized, That
selling was a lot more than just the
things that you can make or the money
that you can make from the profession.
Yeah, absolutely.
It actually changed when
I went into management.
Okay.
When I went into sales management, it
goes from, you know, having the confidence
of being able to know that you can take
care of yourself, but then realizing
that you can take care of others.
So I realized that by good management and
taking an interest in people and showing
them a skillset, if they're interested
in gaining that skillset, that you can
make a real difference in people's lives.
as well.
And I know that sounds a little bit
corny, but I mean, a salesperson,
all we are is, is, uh, sorry.
As a sales managers mm-hmm.
, all we are is sales
managers and sales leaders.
We're we're coaches and mentors.
Yeah.
We're on the ice, you know, we've
got the whistle in our mouth.
That's a hockey analogy, by the way.
And we're, we're just coaching the team
to be the best that they can and some
really, really respond to good coaching.
Yeah.
And those are the ones that
you put your effort into.
It becomes like, almost like a level
where you've reached like your, your
potential and then if you're interested
in teaching others, you go into management
and you help them reach their potential.
So it's a big give back moment.
Hmm.
Yeah.
That's, that's an awesome
description, right.
Of, of the role of a, of a sales leader.
So thanks for sharing that.
And, and, and just in your role, um,
And in, in the, in the sales leadership
roles that you, you have been in, you've
managed some pretty big teams, right?
Yes, I have.
I've managed teams upwards
of, uh, including our renewals
teams, upwards of 30 or 40.
Okay.
And across those teams.
And this is why I'm, I'm really
excited to, to dive into this topic.
Um, , you would've seen reps
that have overachieved Yes.
And reps that have underachieved
and ultimately been on a
performance improvement plan.
And in some cases you've had to let go.
Um, let's firstly start with the, the,
the high performers, uh, over the years.
Are you able to share what you've seen
as the characteristics and behaviors
that high performers exhibit that.
Enable them to achieve consistent results.
Yeah, that's a great question.
So I look for four things when I hire.
It's coachability, urgency,
resiliency, and curiosity.
Those four things in terms of the d n
A of a sales rep is what I look for.
But if I like, it's funny you
say that cuz when you say, , the
high performers, they immediately
come to my mind like I see them.
Like I'm looking at them in my
mind and going, what, what was
the, what separated from them?
Mm-hmm.
. And in management, you look to balance
your sales team on a matrix, right.
A skill will matrix.
And I would say that the most
successful salespeople that I have,
Are the ones that have will for days.
Mm.
They just have this desire,
this innate desire to be good
and great at what they do.
Yeah.
They're extremely coachable.
They don't mind messing up because
they know that they're trying new
tactics, so they, they're not fear
of, they don't have a fear Yeah.
Of failure.
So the resiliency is very good.
And the the, um, Their urgency, they
have that natural sense of urgency to
not start tomorrow but start today.
Hmm.
And I think what really separates an
average sales rep from an excellent
sales rep is just that desire to really,
really want it and put the effort
in that, uh, that they're gonna do.
Yeah, they're incredible.
And I just wanna go back just for
those cuz so it's coachability.
, you had curiosity, urgency.
I think I missed one.
Uh, coachability.
Yep.
Urgency, resiliency and curiosity.
Ah-huh.
. Resili.
Curiosity because I look
at a client like a watch.
Yeah.
There's all these moving
dials and, and gears and cogs.
And you don't really understand the
business until you understand what turns
this, that turns that that functions this.
So then you know what inputs and
outputs your product could have
and effect in a positive way.
Yeah.
On the business.
It's why deals are one and
lost in discovery, right?
Yeah.
The more you know about their
business, the more powerful you.
Yeah, it's the mechanics, right?
Absolutely.
Knowing the mechanics, and I
mean, I love this, I think, and
I'm taking some notes already.
It's always a sign of a good podcast
when I sit there and take some notes
and have a few aha moments myself.
Um, uh, hey, one question
I'm really keen to ask you.
. When we look at, you know, a high
performer and we think, yeah, they're,
they're achieving incredible results.
Sometimes, you know, outsiders or
observers can create a picture in their
mind that a high performer is, is perfect.
Yeah.
Um, have you seen high performers that
might not have had the best skillset or.
Been so great at writing or their
education wasn't so great, but yet
their will for days, their will had
enabled them to achieve success.
And if so, can you maybe just talk
about somebody that comes to mind?
Yeah, that's a, you know,
it's interesting you say that.
Um, I don't see a correlation between
higher education and success and sales.
Yeah, I don't, um, I've seen a
lot of excellent salespeople come
out of two year programs that
specialize in sales and marketing,
so I don't see that correlation.
What I see is a hunger to be successful
and do something with their lives in
an industry that they have passion.
Yeah, that's, that's what I see.
And I say this to, to my sales team,
and I say this to people that I mentor.
Don't get into sales if you're, if
you wanna be number two or number
three, , that's the wrong mindset.
Yeah.
You have to come into sales, like
you're going to be number one.
And the difference between the people that
I'm talking about and the people that.
Perhaps didn't do so or continue
to struggle is that they bring it
every single day in their own way.
Yeah.
Like the one rep that I'm thinking
about in my mind, like literally
you would knock on a store and
say, Hey, do you have two minutes?
And they would look at you
with steely eyes and go.
You know that nine to 11 is my sacred time
for prospecting, so no, I don't, yeah.
And I respected that so much.
So the dedication, the time blocks.
Yeah, the um, the resiliency
to just sit there and do what
they had to do to be successful.
The focus.
And for that person was amazing.
He was a hard worker, very hard worker.
Um, but the results came as well.
The other person I'm thinking
about maybe didn't work as hard,
quote unquote, but the way that
he worked was very good because.
He was the most prescriptive
seller I've ever worked with.
The confidence that he alluded on the
phone, it made his clients want to work
with him and want to trust him because
he, he didn't even come across as a, as
someone who was selling them something.
He came across as someone who
was trying to help them solve
the problem that they had.
And had experience doing it in the
past with a reservoir of stories
that he would tell during the cycle.
Yeah, I love this.
And just before I, we, we, we touch on
this cuz you've said a number of things.
Just that element of being
selfish with their time.
Um, and there's a really great book
called Sales Truths by Mike Weinberg,
which our listeners will know, Mike,
because I'm a big fan of Mike Weinberg.
But he talks about one of those
sales truths in that salespeople
like high performers are absolutely.
Selfish with the way that
they spend their time.
Right.
And they don't give up their time freely.
So, you know, I can see why that
particular person would look up
at you and say, Hey, you know,
this is my sacred time, right?
This is my prospecting time block.
Because it's a, it's a non-negotiable,
but let's just go and, and I do
wanna go back a little bit, right?
Because some of the words you mentioned,
dedicated, focused, you know, want
to be number one, desire wants.
They're pretty expressive
characteristics, right?
That really paint a, a picture
of, of a particular personality.
But I just wanna touch upon the
next element that you spoke about,
which was about helping, et cetera.
Um, and I'd love to break
those characteristics down.
So even though the high performers that
you're talking about ha possess that,
, that insatiable desire for success.
Do you mind sharing the other
characteristics that the buyer's seeing
that is making it easier for the buyer
to progress through the buying journey?
Oh, that's a good question.
So how did it look on the other side?
Yeah, because we are looking at it
now from the seller perspective,
but I actually wanna flip it because
in some cases, , that type of
personality can be seen a little
bit too intense from a buyer.
So they're obviously doing something
that's adapting their style to make
or to engage that buying committee.
Right.
And, and especially with the products.
And just again, for our, our,
our listeners, you're selling
complex B2B solutions, so there's
multiple people in Correct.
Involved in the.
Yep.
Um, can you just walk us through how the
buyer is seeing these characteristics and
what they're doing to adapt their style?
Yeah, that's, it's such a good question.
I would equate it to kind of like
when you're sh when you're shooting a
movie, , there's all of the, uh, the
hectic activity, but as soon as the
camera rolls, the professional comes on.
Yeah.
And the way that they presented
themselves, they, Eli.
A ton of confidence.
Yeah, they brought a ton of value.
Value through stories.
. And the other thing that they
were extremely prescriptive.
They would never ask questions like,
so what do you think the next step is?
Mm-hmm.
, they would say things like,
typically with customers like you,
the next step looks like this.
Yeah.
Right.
And like, really pull them
through the sales cycle and their
confidence came from the stories.
Um, I, I ask, it's funny that
you're asking me these questions
because I literally remember
listening to one, uh, call that.
that one of the reps was having, and
I remember him answering a question,
something like, you know, we have, we
have, um, a lot of different customers and
I've, I've helped a lot of cu different
customers do it in very different ways.
Let me walk you through
one of the ways Yeah.
And just the way that he did it.
, I could imagine that the person on
the other hand, on the other line
was thinking, yes, this person's
been here before, solve this problem
and can immediately recite what
they did to resolve that issue
that the prospect was having.
It was, um, yeah.
You know, it's, it's, it's a level
of confidence and deliverability
in a, in a prescriptive way.
Mm-hmm.
that.
Frankly it was, it was a learning
experience for me cuz they were very good.
That's actually really interesting.
I, I, I want to, I wanna build on that.
because often if we think of it, and
I've asked this question hundreds and
hundreds of time when running training
at the start, which is, you know, when
you think of a salesperson, what an
image or word or thought that comes up?
And a lot of the time it's a
negative, it's a negative word
that's associated to a seller, right?
Yeah.
It's, it's, it's, and it's often that that
used car slicked back, um, Smooth talker
can say anything at the right time that
overconfident particular salesperson.
But what you've just described though
from a confidence perspective, it's
not confidence in the way in which
they're holding their personality.
It's confidence by knowing how
their product has helped others and
the use cases, and being able to
articulate that story to their buyer.
, which ultimately gives the buyer
confidence in, in feeling, yes, this
person understands our needs and
knows how to help us move beyond the
current state and fixing X problem.
So I, I love that description.
Right, because I think we often,
we, we, we can, we forget that.
Yeah.
Even though we're told not to
sell the features of what we do.
I think, again, what
you've described there is.
Explaining how a customer has fixed
a problem, delivers valuable insight
to the other person listening, and
that ultimately delivers confidence.
Yeah.
And you know what the, the
really, really good ones do.
Mm-hmm.
the really, really good ones.
Focus in on the differentiation
in your product.
, right?
That only your product has, that
uniquely solves the problem.
So that way when they go to the
competitor and they say, well,
do you have X, Y, Z feature?
And they say no, it
almost becomes a negative.
But this is what the really, really
good, smart, strategic sellers do.
And funny enough, both
of them had complet.
Opposite personalities, as I said.
Yeah.
One was the super hard worker in early,
stay late, and one was just very cerebral
in the way that they went about it.
I'll, and I'll tell you, one of them
said to me because I, I promoted
to him from S d r to, uh, an AE.
and he, he said, I have a goal in my
mind that I am going to sell into Amazon.
And at the end of the comp year,
he did it not once, but twice.
Yeah.
Love that.
So he is visualizing his success
as well, which is awesome.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And he's, you know what I gotta
tell you, he was a young kid.
and, uh, I, I think I've learned more
from him than, than he has from me.
Yeah, that's awesome.
Yeah.
What a great story actually.
Um, Hey John, this is a topic
because I think 2022 served up.
Some really challenging
moments for sales orgs.
2023 has started a little
bit, uh, challenging, right?
There's a lot of layoffs,
especially in the tech sector.
They're continuing to happen every week.
You sort of see mass layoffs.
Um, We know that it's
impacting sales performance.
Uh, a lot of sellers are
struggling to create or even
win opportunities at the moment.
Um, and we are, and, and there's
a lot of predictions saying it's
gonna continue like that until sort
of, at least the start of 2024.
One thing I wanna ask you, and
you've been around a while, um, talk
me through when you've seen a high
performer achieve great results.
But then fall into a bit of a slump.
What did they do to get
themselves out of that slump and
start achieving results again?
Oh, that's, uh, you know, I've seen
it happen a few times and it's funny.
Um, , I think the human being's first
reaction is to say, I should change things
up or I have to do something differently.
The reality is, is that what, what
got them to be successful and maintain
success is the same thing that
is going to keep them successful.
And it's just by going back and practicing
and going to do the basics again.
And I can tell you that the
one rep that I'm talking about
had a bit of a, a rough patch.
Did go through one, but didn't
change the game all that much, just
continued to refocus himself on
doing the things that got them to
be successful in the first place.
And you know what?
I, I, and I'm not, I'm not
saying that, that, you know, if
something's, you know, completely
failing that you continue at it.
I'm not saying that Hmm.
But in these, in these particular
instances, You know, there's
things that we continually have
to do in order to be successful.
One is, one of them is blocking out time
and making sure that you have the pipeline
and the deals in the first place to work.
, right?
Because you see some sales reps who are
good and where they go through their
slumps is that they hate prospecting.
Yeah.
Right.
So they say, well, I'm done with that.
I got a full pipeline.
Now I'm gonna go exhaust the pipeline.
And guess what?
They go through a slump
because there's no pipe.
Cuz they've been ignoring the hard yards.
, right.
The good ones go back and they make sure,
because they've lived this, they've lived
the dry times for a while, that they
always make sure that the pipeline is, is.
in a place where they can be successful.
So it's not so much as, as changing
your game, but being cognizant
of the things that made you
successful in the first place.
Yeah.
And sticking to your plan.
Stick to your plan.
This is the resiliency in this thing.
Mm-hmm.
. And in this market, the selling time, I'll
tell you, it's gonna separate the winners
from the losers cuz gone are the days.
You know, if you, if you went to
Zoom in 2000, you got President's
Club based on, on outlying economic
conditions in the pandemic, right?
Yeah.
Those days are gone.
The good sales reps will fight through
this and the ones that were never
that good are gonna have a struggle.
Yeah.
So, We'd love your opinion on this.
Um, you're talking about this time is
gonna separate the, the good from the bad.
Well, maybe, maybe not the bad, right?
Because that's probably a wrong
word, but it's gonna separate.
We're gonna see a clear distinction
between those that can work through
these challenges and those that can't.
Right.
If you're actually listening to
this going, you know, um, I did
ride a pretty, pretty good wave.
Economic environment enabled
me to achieve success.
I'm now in a position where I'm
really struggling to meet performance
because, and the other out outcome from
struggling to meet performance, you
can be potentially on a performance
improvement plan and it can have,
you know, Downstream impact, right?
Nobody likes to be laid off.
Or the confidence that sales can,
the negative impact of confidence.
You know, you can go home questioning
yourself or you can be with your family
going, I'm not producing in my role.
It can, it can actually affect
your mood and stuff, right?
But if you are listening to this
going, I haven't been sticking to the
game, I haven't been time blocking,
I haven't been visualizing, I haven't
been dedicated like any, hearing
this, having a few aha moments.
What are one or two things that they
should be doing instantly or immediately
so that they can change their direction
and change the momentum in their role?
Yeah.
Like first of all, when, when you get
into a rough selling patch, like some
say that we're gonna get into mm-hmm.
It can weigh on you mentally.
And I think what people have to
understand, and I I I learned this
from, from, um, Another person that
I work closely with is that you gotta
separate your yourself from your,
your, from your professional self.
Your intrinsic value will never change.
You are who you always will be.
Yeah.
Right.
Because you are going through
a tough time or because.
Prospects are now saying no, does not
mean that your self worth has reduced.
That's not true.
So I'm gonna like, for all the
sellers out there that are starting
to recognize this and feeling a little
down on yourself, you can't, right?
That is your job persona,
not your human persona.
Your intrinsic value has not changed.
That's number one.
But number two is, You.
You have to be comfortable with
yourself with the level of effort
that you're putting in Win or lose.
Yeah.
So there's no guarantees in life, but I
can guarantee you this, if you left it
all out on the field doing all of the
things that you thought that you were
gonna do to be successful, getting up.
Talking to partners, talking to
referrals, reaching out, having
meetings, going through a tight sales
cycle, not skipping any steps, right?
And being the best you that you can
be in terms of your sales ability.
And it doesn't happen.
I tell you what you're gonna feel.
You're gonna feel pretty good, that
at least you gave it a hundred.
Um, I would be very surprised that if
you put all of that level of effort
in that you wouldn't be successful.
Yeah.
But that's what it's gonna take to get you
through tough selling times, is that you
just gotta bear down with that resiliency
in you and you just have to go and do
all of the things that you know to do.
And others will not do that.
The others who maybe cut corners and
didn't prospect as much or weren't
as prepared, that's gonna come
and bite them in the ass, right?
Yeah.
Because the days of, you know,
having a little bit of extra budget
around to fund your project are gone.
Now you're gonna be competing with
other priorities and other priorities
that are linked to the biggest projects
or biggest initiatives in the company.
And if you're not one of those right,
then you're not going to be successful.
Yeah.
But you know, a year ago that
budget may have happened.
It may not happen now.
Yeah.
That's a John, that's a like, I mean,
I've got pages, I've got two pages
of notes from this interview, John,
and it's, it's an awesome response.
Ryan, I'm just, before we focus on
the, the ethic and the work ethic and.
And, and what's required to
work through these challenges.
I just wanna go back on something that you
said, because I think it was quite, it's
quite an important for those to hear this,
that your intrinsic value doesn't change
if you're not performing in your role.
Like that doesn't change who you are.
It just means there are, there's
something going on in your role.
And I, and I really like the way
you've described that, right?
Because I think that's important for us.
We've gotta separate that
because, and I'm guilty of it.
I'm guilty of my work will impact the
way that I view myself and my self
worth, and that impacts the relationships
that I have in my home life, right?
So I love the way that you've
different, you've separated
those two, so I thought so.
So I wanna say thanks for that.
Um, but the second thing is,
What I'm hearing you say is
really control the controllables.
Focus on the things that you can control.
We can't control the result, but focus
on all the things that we can control.
The time blocking, the getting up early,
the preparation, the, you know, the
training, the practice, um, following the
basics, getting the fundamentals right.
All those things we
can absolutely control.
Uh, and that's what I took
away from your final state.
a hundred percent.
Just Just show up.
Yeah.
Right.
Show up and show up, and if you
do, you show up as the best.
You and I go back to it.
You don't want to be in sales.
If you have the mindset that you're
gonna be number two and number three
and be happy with 65 or 75% of your
quota, that should not be your mindset.
I can do okay.
In sales, your mindset should
be, I'm gonna be number one.
I'm gonna lead, I'm gonna do
everything I can to be super
successful in this industry.
Yeah.
Because frankly, that's the mindset
that keeps people in this industry
for a very, very long time.
Yeah.
It's what keeps them there.
And I can tell you the two gentlemen that
I've referred to, yeah, they're still,
they're still going very, very strong.
And I will credit my friend Mike
Myers for teaching me the lesson of.
Awesome.
And, and you know, John, for me,
this has been an, an absolute awesome
episode because we've really spoken
about, and again, the characteristics
that, and, and, and the, and
the plays that you've laid out.
Absolutely anyone can execute, right?
This is not superpower.
Sort of skills or, or, or things
that people need to have to be able
to achieve success and, and I love
the way that you've described it.
I love the way that you've spoken about
the high performers that you've observed
and what they've done to achieve success.
Um, may before we let you go, because
we've, we've covered a lot and we're
gonna chuck it into the show notes.
Um, where is the best place for
our listeners to find and tell
us a bit about your podcast?
Cause we'll make sure we put that
in the show notes of where they
can locate it and listen to it.
Oh, sure.
So our podcast is called The Rally Call.
I do it with a good friend of mine,
uh, Andrew Smith, and it's produced
by a good friend of our Scott Switzer.
We're available on Apple, and as
I said earlier on, uh, on Spotify,
and we talk about the things.
That, not so much the tactical items about
sales, but more of the broader industry.
What to expect when you
get into, uh, a sales role.
Mm.
How to manage up things like optics
and how those are so important.
The, the very important
concept about alignment.
So we talk about a lot
of industry things in.
that I think that anybody who is
in the industry would find a lot of
value, uh, lot of value with, uh, our
last episode, or I really enjoyed, we
did the journey of a seller , uh, a
uh, an individual that I worked with.
He, uh, started off schlepping
copiers in Saskatchewan and
ended up as the COO of Marketo.
Oh, no.
So it's a great example once
again of that resiliency.
And drive.
And he took us through his
career highlights and lowlights.
And I think it's a good example of what
can be achieved in this industry when
you have that mindset that I want to
be number one and I want to be great.
And I love this story.
Awesome.
Well, ma, well John, this
has been an awesome episode.
We'll make sure, in our show notes,
we put the link to your LinkedIn
profile, we'll actually put the
link to the, to your podcast.
Um, so I just wanna say thanks mate.
Thanks for coming on the podcast.
I really, really enjoyed this chat.
Obviously, I've enjoyed working
with you over the last sort of six
months and I look forward to to, to
working with you in the future, mate.
Thank you sir.
And same with you.
I, I love the course, I love
your content and if we can do
this again, you just let me know.
