COULD THIS ONE CHANGE MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE???

In sales, it's a roller coaster. We have great days, we have bad days, but how do we keep ourselves from going too low and make sure that that high is realistic? We're going to be talking about that today. I think you're really going to enjoy this interview. And one of the things that we have to do constantly in sales is talk to strangers, become friendly Not friends. There's a big difference. Everybody thinks it's all, oh, you gotta be friendly or liked, but it's really, do they want to talk with us? Will they take our call? Let's get into this interview. At the end, I'll sum it up and make sure you're checking out the courses at b2brevenue.com.

Here we go. Hey Gary, thanks for joining us today. As a way of getting started, give us a little background on yourself.

Sure. Look, thanks very much, Brian. My name is Gary Daly and I work for actually one of the biggest IT companies out there. I work as a field sales rep. We specialize in cloud, cybersecurity, and networking. But just to give you a bit of context, actually, when I left university, I actually wanted to be a football agent, would you believe, or a soccer agent, maybe as you guys in the US would call it. And I ended up going to Australia backpacking. And I actually got a job as a junior sort of sales specialist with an IT reseller who specialized in PC power management. And the interesting thing was this company actually went into administration and liquidation, and I was there for 4 years. So it was an extremely tough situation. And then actually, just to fast forward, I moved to the UK, went to London, and joined the current company that I'm with. And in 7 years, I've went from you know, an ADR or an SDR to a field sales rep. So just to give you a bit of context on the journey.

Well, yeah, your accent could land in a lot of different places. Where are you today? You're in Ireland today?

I'm in Ireland, yeah, I'm in Galway in Ireland, but I've lived, as I said, in Australia, in London, and obviously here.

Yeah. And why sales for you?

I think, to be honest, when I went to Australia, I'd finished like a commerce degree in the only jobs that were out there was in recruitment. And I quickly learned that recruitment was another sort of fancy word for sales. And I just really liked the concept of, I guess there's a plant beside me here, you know, you water your plants and you can sort of see them grow. And there's a lot of sort of self-development aspects, I think, in sales as well.

A lot of analogies to sports?

Yes. Yeah, of course. Yeah. I know if you put the work in, you sort of get the output, I think.

And what makes you good at it?

I think, to be honest, I stand on the shoulders of giants. Once again, I'll give you sort of an example, because you're your own best example. When I joined the company that I'm with now, I quickly saw who the top performers were. And I just— little things. I was a junior guy. I asked the guys and girls for a coffee, what made them different, listened in to their phone calls. sort of how they talked. Um, also listening to the CEO, you know, who's, who's obviously the best salesperson in the company. Um, and just learning from others. So like I said, you're standing on the shoulders of giants. You're picking from here, you're picking from there. And that's what I really like about it because there's so many different sort of flavors that can make you successful.

And a lot of people do just the opposite. They say, I know what I'm doing. I'll figure it out.

Yeah, they probably do. But then I guess you're probably hitting your head against the wall and, um, and you're not being successful. So I think, yeah, there's maybe a lot of humility or emotional intelligence, I guess, that comes into it. Maybe when you're younger, you don't really see that, but as you get older, uh, hopefully for a lot of people, they, they look for mentors out there because I think we need mentors to be successful in any role.

So what were some of the bigger lessons that you learned Talking to those people. But I like that strategy. It makes perfect sense.

Yeah, I think when I saw though, I think there's, for a lot of them, there's just a directness. I think there's this sort of a, I guess, a myth in sales about building rapport, you know, how is the weather, how is this, how's that. But really rapport for them is just getting to the point, like, okay, maybe you're selling a car, you know, uh, okay, what type of car do you like to drive, you know, what tires, um, what All that type of stuff. And that's building rapport because it's, you know, everyone wants to get to point B sort of from point A very quickly. And I think the directness, but in a really nice authentic way, is what I found that the top guys have.

And was that something that took a while to develop or you just—

Oh, for no, for sure. For sure. Um, I mean, I don't think I'm introverted, but I don't think I'm extroverted at the same time. And one of the things that I've, I think I've done well is studying sort of, you know, great people like yourself. And a lot of it is direct. And to be honest, it was a little uneasy for me to use. Luckily, in the company that I'm with now, I got to actually take over a role looking after the Middle East. And it was a completely different culture. And I almost felt like I could use some of the material as opposed to using, say, the Ireland and the UK market, because it's very direct. I felt easier using it in the Middle East because once again, it's a very direct sort of marketplace. And over time then, with a smile on your face, I just found that people like this and it sort of resonates with them.

And I think that smile on the face helps a lot.

Oh, for sure. Yeah. There's nothing worse than being pressured. I mean, we're, we're, we all get calls from, from salespeople and, um, you know, talk to people and if they don't have a smile on their face, it's not genuine, authentic. You just don't want to be there. It's too pressured.

And give us some more examples of what you learned along the way.

Yes. I mean, there's different things. Like for me, one of the things that I've learned is I started going to Toastmasters as well, which is sort of to improve presentation skills. Because what I found was if you put all the salespeople in a room and all hands on a Monday morning, if they have to present a deal to their colleagues, a lot of us sort of shy away and we don't present it sort of with authority, with confidence. So I saw that I'm lacking in sort of presentation skills and I started going to Toastmasters and it puts you in a room with strangers. You could be asked any topic, completely random. One of the first topics I got asked was, why should Ant-Man win an Oscar, Gary? Go, you have 2 minutes. And I froze, you know, that type of thing. So By going to that, it also helped me in interview skills. Once again, when you're selling, I guess, to IT managers, CIOs, it just sort of breeds a bit of confidence across, I feel.

How long did it take to build that confidence up?

I would say probably about a year. Repetition is a skill, isn't it? It's that thing about thousands of hours to perfect anything. I think over time, and then also sort of, I guess, role-playing as well with different colleagues and testing it out. And also looking back at yourself, like if there's recordings of you presenting, so that you're not using filler words, so that you're looking directly in the camera, because we're obviously in this home working environment at the moment. So little things like that along the way.

It is a lot of little things, isn't it?

I think so. Yeah. the little things add up to sort of the, the big things as well. And there is, there is this sort of, uh, short-term mentality sometimes in sales, but I think having that long-term vision is quite important as well. Because I was even just speaking to this, uh, to one of my engineers earlier, like those little things, while they don't look like sort of that they're going to have, uh, progress, you know, in a year or two, maybe you've sort of built up a great relationship and you do sort of get involved in larger projects that maybe You know, just didn't look like that earlier.

Right. Because we're in an outcome-based profession. But there's so many little things that go into that outcome that you really can't count or check off. But they're just showing up every day, making sure you follow through, make sure you really find out the why behind the why.

Yeah, no, exactly. Yeah. I think that that's probably something like a lot of people may not actually agree with because they're looking at, I guess, income-producing activities. But you also have to look at, like I said, those little things that you mentioned.

Right. Because anyone can take an order.

Yeah.

But if you don't— but then what happens at 9:05 when you're done taking all the orders for the day? You have to go make orders.

You've got to put in the work. And even just little simple Little simple follow-ups, like, because you— we can't assume that they've seen our email, you know, we can— you can never sort of assume that for anything, you know, you might have to follow up 2 or 3 times. And I think they appreciate when you do that as well. So it's, it sounds easy, but, you know, a lot of us don't, don't do it.

And what drives you? What are your motives?

I think my motives is, is just to once again sort of see your progress, like from where you've been. Because I think about it, I'm always thinking like about target Gary. Um, you know, what, what, what's Gary going to look like in 10 years' time? And I think it is good to actually look back and this might sound funny, but I think everybody has a book in them because if you wrote a book now for your, your previous self, like myself 10 years ago, I think they could learn so much. So that's sort of what drives me. And, um, I think I do now like sort of giving back and giving advice to maybe younger salespeople just to, sort of see that, that, um, sort of when the penny drops for them. So I think what drives me is, um, is just getting better every day. Um, eventually sort of progressing into, I guess, a leadership role. Um, but I'm very happy at the moment in the individual contributor role. I think I just, I need to sort of perfect this and then give back probably to, to sort of the, uh, I guess the younger sales generation.

And how do you make sure you do get better every day? Do you have routines, ways of keeping track?

Yeah, for sure. I mean, I always try to invest in myself. I'll go back to the Australia example. When things weren't going so well with the company I was with, I started going to business seminars. The likes of Tony Robbins, all this type of stuff was huge for me. And it was sort of like seeing The Matrix, to use another analogy. I saw that I actually, there is ways to improve. So I continually invest in programs or books. I get up at 5:00 AM, part of that 5:00 AM club. And I generally read every morning as well. And there seems to be a bit of a myth about people who get up at 5:00 AM, as in it's sort of a, I guess, sort of a showing off thing that you're getting up. But for me, it's sort of that anxiety that I don't want 8:00 AM to come on me just to be straight into work because I want to have learned something before that just to— Reduce that anxiety a little bit, I guess, before you start your day. Yeah.

And it's something that, you know, because certainly in your 20s, very few people are morning people. They're usually night owls. And then 30s, 40s, people start to become morning people because it's the quiet time. There's a time you get a lot done. It's yours.

Yeah, exactly. It's almost like a non-negotiable for me now. Like if I started the day any other way, it would just, I just wouldn't be able to perform at those levels. So I think that's a way to sort of stay ahead of the game and sort of apply, you know, different metrics. So when I'm starting at 8, I have a routine, you know, it's, it might be sort of following up or it might be starting cold calls or it might be, you know, it could be a variety of different things. And I follow a system. I particularly like Getting Things Done, which is sort of a, I guess, an email system just to make sure that you're on top of things and that you don't lose Any emails or sort of conversations.

Yeah.

And also when you get up at 5, make sure you get to bed— what, you got to go to bed, what, 9, 10, right?

10. Yeah, yeah, 10 o'clock. I'm very boring, right? You know, I'm very, very boring.

Well, you know, for the week time, what really good happens after 7 on a weeknight, right?

Exactly, exactly.

Nothing that helps productivity in the morning.

No, of course not. No. And, uh, yeah, as you said, then you're sluggish the following day and you, you just, you can't perform at the levels that you— I guess we're treating ourselves as sales professionals like athletes. Um, you know, if they're doing it, there's a reason.

But there is a reason, right? Yeah, because it requires warm-up routine. Because to get better at anything, it's a lot of repetition and emotion and feedback.

Yeah, no, absolutely. Yeah, like, that's, that's exactly my stance on it as well.

And the, you know, the, the early morning thing is it's a way of building it every day instead of waiting, you know, for it to hit you upside the head.

Exactly. And there was a really good saying, um, that I came across. It was, you know, commitment doesn't— or it was, passion doesn't create commitment, commitment creates passion. Which basically, for me, the job that I'm doing now, I didn't really know about this industry, didn't know about the product. So, you know, you don't necessarily have to have a passion. You have to have a commitment to it sort of from the get-go, and then you'll get better over time.

Right. Because, you know, some people like sales immediately, but most of us, we get in it and we're a fish out of water until we have success.

Yeah, exactly. I think there's, there's definitely a few myths. I mean, I started the job that I'm doing, I guess now, 7 years ago. I'm nearly 7 years in the company. I was 27, 28, which to some people would be, you know, he's over the hill. Like, oh yeah, you need to get into sales.

You can't hang with us.

Yeah, exactly. So I think there's no, there's no right time per se. I think you just, you just get, get started when you can.

And what do you wish you learned earlier?

I wish that I— I guess it's a very, very good question. I think I go back to the presentation skills, um, and maybe sort of the standing on the shoulders of giants like you talked about earlier. I mean, some people don't like to ask for help, but I think that that just— that gives you the blueprint for success. And what I really like in this company now is you can almost see that blueprint when you're a junior person. You can see Okay, who's the next level up? And then after that, who's the next level? So I wish that I'd probably learned that earlier, is asking for help, because you can't do this all by yourself. So that's probably the answer for that one, I would think.

Because you need the initiative to know that you need help, which we all do.

Yeah, of course.

And has anyone ever said no to you when you asked for help?

No, no. Like, I mean, I've asked some very high-profile people, and I think there is this, the law of reciprocity. I think I'm probably butchering that, but which just means that, yeah, if you ask for something, people do generally want to help as well. So, and I think when you ask these mentors, maybe the higher-profile ones, like, give them an out, because we know that everyone's time is precious. So I always do try and give them a little bit of an out. Like, look, if you can't do it, I completely understand. And generally, yeah, like you said, most of them will say yes.

Right, because what they want to know is that you know what help you want, and if they give it to you, that you'll do it.

Yep.

And, and you'll tell them how well it worked for them. A lot of people ask for help and then they argue or try and rationalize why they don't need help.

Yeah.

That it's something outside of them. It's the economy, it's their territory, it's the product, Anything but them.

Yeah. And this is it, like, and probably a lesson that I learned when I went to all these seminars was, you know, you are where you are because of you and no one else. And you're not to play the actual blame game. And like you said there, I mean, it's, it's very well and good, you know, reading the books and getting the advice, but actually putting it into practice as well is the key thing. And, you know, I'd always get excited to go back to the mentor and tell them, look, I tried this and, and it worked or it didn't work, maybe I should tweak it. So you're constantly tweaking, trial and error, uh, in this job, which is another reason why I love it.

And, you know, the Toastmasters thing's a great thing because you had to take the initiative, you know. And they, they say next to fear of death, fear of public speaking is number 2.

Yeah, exactly.

And I remember in college we had to give a presentation In front of everybody. And I was like nervous as could be. It was life. I remember it till today, sweating out in the parking lot, going in, giving it, and then feeling like a fool because I didn't do well. And, and it's one of those things, it takes a long time for both the confidence and then to be able to present, make eye contact, feel relaxed. And enjoy it.

Yeah, 100%. And I have the exact same experience when I was younger, literally sweating through a suit in a group presentation and leaving as soon as I finished. So for me, yeah, I think it, like we mentioned earlier, it is practice. But also, like I said, you pick lessons from maybe the best salesperson in the company. And for me, it's the CEO or the owners. And you take little golden nuggets Or sort of phrases that they use. And then you practice it so much that it almost becomes, it becomes how you say it and not how they say it. And you start to get a bit more creative as well. But I tell this to every younger salesperson. People are probably bored of me saying it. Join Toastmasters, like practice public speaking because it's, you know, there's, there's no, uh, there's no losses with this.

Yeah.

Today's version is just start a YouTube channel, but you have to read the comments.

Yeah, exactly. And I think, I mean, kudos to you as well with, with the videos, because what I'm finding now, even on something like LinkedIn, is people are definitely getting a lot more sort of confident in actually typing up content or even having pictures of themselves. But video, you're putting yourself out there. Like, you— it's a very vulnerable position, like you said, and there's always going to be haters. And I'm sure you probably know more about that than anyone.

Oh, Well, it's probably not the right way to go about it. Toastmasters is supportive because everybody's got to get up there.

Yeah.

On social, it's just the opposite. People can be anonymous and say the rudest, crudest things to you, but that are irrelevant. So it doesn't really give you any constructive feedback. But I like your point about reading the books too, because, you know, people put reading way up And it's helpful information, but like the Toastmasters stuff, you have to present. You have to get up in front. That's where the magic happens.

Yes.

Getting out of that comfort zone, putting yourself out there, and then being bold enough to take the feedback instead of it looking at as insult. It's presents. They're giving you Christmas presents, birthday presents. And if you take it, then that's where your career goes, because the great salespeople crave coaching. Don't just ask for it, crave it.

Yeah, no, it's so true. And I think you win or learn in sales, and especially in the presentation side of things. And to be honest, you're sweating through that suit and your experience, that sort of does drive you on and you'll always remember that no matter what. So it is good to make mistakes, but, you know, just don't make them again. Like, get better at the next one.

And that's it. Because, you know, from going from that in college to basically giving presentations almost every day, I still get nervous, and it— that doesn't go away. But you become more comfortable at it, and you become better at it. And after you do it, you see it as A performance, not a person. It's how well I did it that day. Doesn't mean I can't do it better tomorrow.

Yeah.

And, and I think too many people just get comfortable with the knowing, the reading. Everyone asks me about the books. It's like, you can read the book, but, you know, I can tell you what the answer is, but how well do you do it?

Yeah, exactly. You have to be accountable. I think you maybe even have to have sort of an accountability partner with you to make sure that you're doing these things as well.

Well, when my career really took off, I had people that you could sit down and role-play with, either on the phone or go through a deal, pick apart each other's deals without it being a personal attack. It's, it's where the deal is and what you can do.

Yeah. And I think one of the good things about the company and Whit now is they sort of celebrate gaps as well, which is good because there's nothing worse than even say if you're going into like a forecast meeting feeling like you're sort of being judged or it's like going into court nearly. It's good to actually celebrate the gaps so that you can obviously get better and ultimately help the company.

Instead of playing business where you're lying or misrepresenting it, Yeah, you're really looking for holes so that you can fill them.

Yeah, exactly. And I guess that's what we're doing every day in sales. Like, if we're getting a new program, like, it's actually sort of, sort of fill a gap where maybe we have a bit of a weakness.

And where did you learn to kind of take ownership of this, as opposed to— especially when you work at a big company, you can say, well, I'll just go to their program when they offer it. Or wait till they do.

Yeah, I think I'm lucky, like in a sense that I didn't go into a big company from the get-go. Like I said, I was with this smaller company in Australia that yeah, that that went. And by the way, I still have a good relationship with the guy there. So I I do have that sort of saying: Don't get bitter, get better. But yeah, I think that that was a good start because like you weren't given anything, so you had to go out and get something. And if I ever hear people complain that oh, we don't get enough training, I'm like. you know, you can do it yourself. Like even when I was a junior rep and I tell this to other junior reps, like spend $25, um, on a cold calling program, spend, you know, something on personal development. Like, you know, it doesn't have to necessarily be sales because I mean, sales is personal development and anything you do for self-growth is going to help you. So like I said, I think not being with a bigger company actually helped me because there was no sense of entitlement.

Well, that's it. Because until you own it, you're not going to really look for the other things.

Yeah, exactly. And I think that the way that I look at what I'm doing now, ultimately, I work for a company, but I would like to think I'm an intrapreneur, which is you own your own business. It's your own business. If I, you know, turn off my laptop at whatever time, no one else is going to check my emails or follow up for me. So you're your own business, right?

Yeah. And if you pretend or fake it, you're only cheating yourself.

Exactly.

That, you know, solopreneur or salespreneur, that mindset, whether you accept it or not, you are.

Yeah, it's so true. Yeah.

Because if the company has a bad quarter, the managers keep the best people. They don't keep the worst people.

Yeah. Yeah. And attitude as well is, is so important. I mean, there's definitely, there's times where you'll struggle obviously in sales, but your, your attitude is key. Like, how can I get better? What went wrong there? Um, you're sort of reflecting on things. And to be honest, I think I went to so many business seminars and there were so many quotes that I almost thought You know, this mindset stuff, it's sort of gone over my head, but actually it's so powerful. I can see why so many courses talk about, uh, mindset, because it is something that's just training your subliminal, you know, over a number of years.

Well, let's face it, when— I'm sure you've been exposed to a lot of reps, the ones that are, you know, B, B-, C+, is it really skill set or is it mindset?

Exactly. You said it. You said it. I think it's, uh, it's definitely mindset, 100%.

Right. Because within the first 5 minutes, they're telling you why they can't sell anything.

Yeah.

And it's like, well, if you don't think you can, I don't know if I can convince you you can.

Yeah, exactly, exactly. And it's, it's that— is the glass half full or half empty?

And the root is always kind of that personal responsibility.

Yeah.

Because if you think you're responsible for it, you'll take action. If you don't think you're responsible, you'll wait for it to happen.

Yeah, it is.

There's a lot of psychology in this for sure.

Yeah. And did a lot of that come from your sports background, or did your parents kind of ingrain that in you?

I, to be honest, I, I don't really know. But yeah, I think I followed a lot of sports. So, um, I mean, I didn't play it to a crazy high level, but just following it and the mindset of people. And, um, you know, players like Roy Keane, who I don't know if your audience will know, but he just had a, a big winning mentality, an Irish player. Um, so, you know, things like that, I think. Yeah. Yeah.

And how do you keep track of either your progress or kind of— because you go to these places or these workshops and it's all good, there's nothing bad about it. But a lot of people kind of get comfortable in the platitude level, you know, and I hear that a lot on LinkedIn and I'm like, oh, because the platitude is not really the knowledge, it's just the reaction of the, the question. Yeah. Do you keep a journal? Do you keep a, a video vlog or something?

Yeah, so I, I sort of have that— I've heard the saying before, if it's not broken, you know, break it. type things. Yeah, no, I definitely, I keep a journal and, you know, I sort of, I guess, look at all the metrics of what I've done sort of year over year. I set goals every year. Just did the same there at the turn of this year. So I just, I sort of have targets that I want to hit. And then it's very easy. Like it's, it's a metric, it's a number. So if you're not hitting it, you're not getting better. And then you've got to ask yourself why. And also just focusing on what program am I going to invest in this year, or even what activity outside of work am I going to invest in that's going to help me grow. So I just want to see those numbers sort of rising year over year.

And what works for you? Is it like a hard income goal, or is it ranking, or what gets you excited? What works Because a lot of people have like big audacious goals, which I think are good, but they have to be far enough out so that they're not accountable in a short period of time that would depress you if you don't get it.

Yeah, I think, yeah, I definitely set those sort of big hairy audacious goals. So I mean, to be honest, it is probably at the moment, it is income-driven, or, you know, it could be sort of, you know, winning a certain competition internally. So Yeah, it is probably income-related, in all honesty. I think that's probably what all our salespeople have at the moment. And really, that just means that you're making an impact with your customers and you're obviously selling your product.

And do you have some meaning behind it? A reward? A house, a car, retirement? Or is it just A goal?

It's—

yeah, there is always a meaning behind it. So I mean, I'm getting married in July, so that's obviously a fairly big one. Yeah, it could be when I got an apartment in London a couple of years ago. So the next step is a house. So yeah, there is always a meaning. Or it could be to give back as well, you know, or, you know, sort of look after my parents, things like that. So yeah, there's definitely always a little meaning to it. Um, you know, it could be even at the end of the month, I want to take, you know, X out for dinner, whatever it may be. So there is always a meaning behind it.

And what do you think your, your core motive as a person is? What gets you up in the morning? Is it competitiveness? Is it, you know, a brighter future? Is it control over your life? Is it fear of losing? Is it desire of winning?

To be honest, it probably is fear of losing. And I talk about a footballer who I mentioned earlier, and everyone said that he was a warrior on the pitch, but he said, I wasn't. He said, I was a worrier on the pitch. So he was worried about everything. He wanted to make sure everything was right. So yeah, I think there is that little bit of fear of losing, and you just, you want to make sure that everything sort of, I guess, goes right. But I also have this thing where I definitely want to sort of Give back as well. I want to learn all these lessons and give back because I guess I feel I maybe didn't have these lessons from you know a mentor before. So I actually and I've taken action on this. I've signed up for sort of I guess being a mentor, and it's it's all just free with a company in Ireland to actually just get a graduate for six weeks who's sort of going from university into you know sort of a sales career. And to be honest, like that, it sounds really cheesy, right? But that's like almost like a proud dad moment when one of them gets a job and it's because you've actually helped them in their interviews or given them a little bit of advice as well. So being honest, that probably is something that drives me now.

Well, that's insanely powerful because you learn best when you have to teach. A topic. Yes, because you have to think about how they're going to interpret it, misinterpret it, how you can clarify and make sure they get it.

Yeah.

And then all of a sudden you're getting it.

Yeah, exactly. And you, you sort of— I mean, it's not really talked about, there's a lot of imposter syndrome, um, in sales. Like, among— I had this conversation with 4 very close friends recently, and I think even giving this advice to the graduates, you're like, is this actually useful to them? And then when they come back to you and they say, whoa, this was amazing, then you realize, okay, I'm actually sort of doing something right here.

Yeah.

Cool.

Hey, appreciate your time today, Gary. Where can people go to connect and follow you?

Sure, a pleasure. So I think if they go to LinkedIn and they just type in Gary Daly Sales, they'll come across me there.

That's what's weird about human nature. People and speaking in public, speaking in front of a group is up there with the fear of death if you look at it from the mammal mind. So that's why sales can be a little hard. And we think, oh, that'll go away. It diminishes.

It does.

Certainly, I've gone out and spoken in front of people On a whim, but still get the butterflies, still get a little nervous, a little sweating. It's natural. Does it ever completely go away? Apparently not. I was doing a LinkedIn Live with somebody just last week, and even though, you know, it's a topic, it's me, I'm comfortable with it, you get a little nervous. A lot of the guests on the show, I can tell there's a little A little nerves, but that's natural. And if you're early in your sales career, don't think that it's just going to completely go away. It's natural. We have to learn how to manage it. Breathe a little, move around a little, get, get your body out of your head. Don't focus on the worst thing. Focus on how you've done well in the past. Build it up.

Practice.

Repetition gives you the ability To manage it. Gives you a chance to process it better. And that's what sales is. Too many sales leaders come to me and they go, Brian, can you train our people? I go, but the natural thing is, oh, they allocate 2 days. Do the people think they want to get better? Do they think they're already the best? And that type of training doesn't excite me because I want— To work with people that are self-motivated because I don't want to be the personal trainer where I'm counting reps. I find that not a good use of anyone's time. If that's what you need, you know, kind of hire an accountability type person, somebody to just check in.

Did you do your work?

Did you make your calls? Did you send your emails? I want to work with the people who have gone through that. They've got The discipline. They do the work. They want to become better. They understand that it is not just knowledge. They understand it's performance. Those people, I'll work with them all day because it's fun. They're pushing me. I'm becoming better. They're becoming better. And that's how we become better at sales. The 2-day workshops and training courses, There's nothing wrong with them. They—

you—

it's—

the information's good, but how fast can you apply it? How fast can you customize it to what you're doing? It takes time. It takes repetition. It takes feedback. It takes honing. That's what I want to do with the training, to do it online because we can't get together, and we can't get together You know, one day a week for a year, but we can do it online. And what if we recorded all these over the last 4 years so that people can consume it at the rate they want? And right now, even if you consumed it as much as a full-time job, there's that much content. Not that it is a full-time job, but we want to become better. To become better, you have to find the distinctions of what Is better. Do it, hear feedback, do it again. And it's not a reflection on you as a person. It's the performance. It's naturally we fall into certain traps, and I try and point those out and separate out the great from the good. And that is how you make sales. Think about all your deals. I bet just little tweaks could have kept that deal going, could have prevented it from getting stuck. And when you're in the deal, much like I am, you're not seeing those. Your emotions are taking over. Your fears will definitely snowball over your desires. So check out the courses at b2brevenue.com. There's a link in the show notes right below this episode. Uh, there's a video in there, a link there. It's on YouTube. It's on my LinkedIn profile. It's on the website at b2brevenue.com. Check it out. See if it's right for you. See if you're willing to become better at sales, or do you think you're already the best? If you do, can't help you. Sorry. I need the people who want to become better. We'll see you next time. Tell a friend about the show. Make sure you're checking out the Sales Questions, Brutally Honest Answers Show and the Sales Leadership Show.

Here we go.

I was just going to give a bit of a testimonial, if that's all right, just to kick it off.

Just as long as it's positive.

No, it is positive. It was a—

yeah, just because I started the course, I think in June of last year, 2021. I got a few more months left of access, which is good. But I feel like it's been a transformative experience in my own personal and professional life. I was able to go from a period of a low sales slump in the middle of last year, in the summer and early fall, and then really was able to then come back and exceed my target by the end of the, by the end of the 4th quarter. And so the only other thing I would say is that it's also really differentiated me amongst people on the sales team in terms of focus and clarity of what's important and now I feel really good about what I'm doing in terms of the approach of reaching out to customers and having those conversations and being focused, as opposed to just doing a lot of the other busy work on the side, like organizing resources and doing business analytics and all this other stuff. And so it's really been a noticeable difference with our executive team at, at my company. And so I just want to thank you for the content and for the these opportunities. And so I hope that helps if there's anybody new. It, it's— I'm, I'm a work in progress, but it's getting better.

So good.

Yeah.

And you're selling pretty hard stuff.