Everything You Need to Know About Sales: Part 1

[Mac]

100%

If it's one thing introverts do well, it's not talking.

I'd argue, that with the right training, there are some sales jobs where introverts can excel:

1. No/minimal small-talk bs
2. Straight to the point
3. Analytical/Calculated

Sound like the perfect recipe for B2B...

4. Allows and even forces other people to talk about themselves, with the right body language

Jordan Belfort and these other gurus mention how powerful, and even dangerous, their methods are in the wrong hands. Real power comes when your prospect is handing you their feelings on a silver platter.

They say that so that people will buy their programs. It's great salesmanship in itself.


Also I believe there's huge opportunity in the residential market for residential properties if you throw up a few Facebook ads or Google AdWords with a landing page to give them a free report on why PACE can save them money. Or a white paper.

Then you have a huge email list of leads and you bring this info over to these big companies and say hey I have over 2,000 leads just waiting to get their houses retrofitted. You want all these sales? Pay me this much. If not, I go on to the next guy.

 

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[Guest24480]

Hahaha! Thanks @OVOvince

This is something that's been on our mind.

While the internet is a great tool that can get you all of the information you need in an instant, the problem is, you've got to filter out a lot of the crap to get to the golden nuggets!

It's easy to get lost in the sea of content.

We noticed that many people on the forum suffer from information overload and analysis paralysis.

Having too much information can be a problem. A lot of times, people wind up feeling even more confused than when they started. We have so many options available to us. Once we immerse ourselves into the various books, courses, etc, we do learn things, but we start to overthink and procrastinate on when and how to start.

This then leads to analysis paralysis. People will ponder on this information and not take action. They are always seeking out the "perfect" way to go about things.

The truth is, there is never a perfect way or perfect time.

Our goal was to record our chat and hopefully share with others on the forum our "No B.S. Guide to Sales."

Many people are lost on the subject (I once was too).

@Ubermensch has given some pretty solid advice on getting started in the field. All you need to do now is put this information into action!

I'm at the analysis paralysis stage and have been since a few months after I joined the forum. One second I want to do eCommerce, then an online service business, then sales. This changes daily, and I think it's because the perfectionist doctrine been drilled into my head from a young age.

I truly am chasing after the "perfect" starting point (which obviously doesn't exist). As a result, I've wasted 2 years of valuable time which was the initial reason I was afraid to take action in the first place. It's a catch-22 at its finest.

The sad part is I'm still lost. I know I HAVE to start on something but WHAT? I can't shake the damn feeling.

Thoughts?

 

[blackbrich]

Start something.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

[Thiago Machado]

I'm at the analysis paralysis stage and have been since a few months after I joined the forum. One second I want to do eCommerce, then an online service business, then sales. This changes daily, and I think it's because the perfectionist doctrine been drilled into my head from a young age.

I truly am chasing after the "perfect" starting point (which obviously doesn't exist). As a result, I've wasted 2 years of valuable time which was the initial reason I was afraid to take action in the first place. It's a catch-22 at its finest.

The sad part is I'm still lost. I know I HAVE to start on something but WHAT? I can't shake the damn feeling.

Thoughts?

3 Simple Steps To Solving Your Problem​

1. Pick a niche
2. Master it
3. And make sure your actions are in alignment with your goals.

Its good that you're aware that you want everything to be perfect. Things won't be.

Pick something in demand and master a money making skill.

You can't go wrong with sales and copywriting.

Sales = direct interaction (face to face / on the phone)
Copywriting = Sales in print

They are the same thing.

Do you like sales? I don't know. But you'll sure as hell need to make sales if you want to grow a business and make money.

Does it suck? Well... that depends on your skill level.

You only like the things that you're good at.

Think about that...


P.S. Watch the videos below (especially the first one).

- Thiago

 

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[axiom]

Ubermensch and Axiom Discussing A New Sales Guy


Cliff Notes:

Ubermensch: So why don’t you talk about this guy you’ve started working with. You said you got a new recruit or something -- a new sales guy?

Axiom: So basically he came to me -- he had heard about what I was doing in the construction industry from a friend of a friend. He’s a young guy, he’s at school right now, and he doesn’t want to be. He wants to be rich. He has the hunger that it takes to succeed. So he came to me wanting to know more about what I do. So I told him I work in the construction and energy industries and right away he said, “I’ll do whatever it takes to work with you.” So I had him start making some phone calls and just yesterday he started and he already got me four leads. So this guy -- he really wants it.

Ubermensch: Wait a minute. I don’t understand. You said he’s going to school right now, right?

Axiom: Yeah.

Ubermensch: So that’s the way to get money right? Go to school, get a job…

Axiom: You’d think, you know? Become a lawyer or something, but I guess not.

Ubermensch: So in other words, he DOESN’T want to end up at Starbucks when he’s 31.

Axiom: Yeah I get that feeling from him.

Ubermensch: That kind of reflects the whole point about sales and how to get into a good situation. You said the first day, he got 4 leads on the phone?

Axiom: Yep, first day.

Ubermensch: That’s young money type stuff, there. So what types of -- you don’t have to get into specifics -- but what kind of commissions and fees… How much money can he make with each lead?

Axiom: Well it’s B2B, right. So we’re working with companies from the $5-20 million revenue range -- actually one of the companies he talked to was $300 million or something. We’re talking big deals here: six figure, seven figure paychecks at the end of the day. And I mean it’s a little bit longer of a sales cycle but it’s worth it in the end. And this is recurring annually.

Ubermensch: So he called a $300 million company. That could sound a little strange to the uninitiated, but at the end of the day there is still one professional that makes the decisions. You can take over an entire army by cutting off the head of the king.

Axiom: And it’s just a matter of getting in front of the right person. So long as you have a valuable offer, and you convey that… I mean, even big companies need help. They need to be optimized.

Ubermensch: So how did he get these leads? Did he get these leads by picking up the phone and dialing? Or did he get these leads by watching videos all day? I’m just trying to clarify.

Axiom: It was more on the dialing side.

Ubermensch: Is he behind on his credit card bills? Pick up the phone and start dialing. Is your landlord trying to evict you? Good, pick up the phone and start dialing. Does your girlfriend think you’re a F*cking worthless loser? Good, pick up the phone and start dialing. I love sales, man. It’s the best way to make real money quickly. Line up 100 guys and they’re all going to do different hustles. You show me the guys who are going to do sales -- as long as they are selling the right service or product -- they’re going to win. More often than not. More often than the other guys.

Axiom: Right. And look, people around the forum are starting to realize that. Before, nobody really talked about sales and now threads are being started and questions are being asked. It’s awesome because it didn’t get as much attention as it deserved.

Ubermensch: Agreed. 100%.

@Ubermensch
@Cyriex

 

[Thiago Machado]

Ubermensch and Axiom Discussing A New Sales Guy

Ubermensch: So how did he get these leads? Did he get these leads by picking up the phone and dialing? Or did he get these leads by watching videos all day? I’m just trying to clarify.


@Ubermensch
@Cyriex

Hopefully my previous comment didn't give off the wrong vibe.

I am totally in favor of taking action and that's why I told him to pick a niche, master it, and make sure it's aligned with his goals.

The videos were there to help him get some sense of direction.

@holmzee

@axiom has a great point. Pick a niche (he mentioned construction which is a great field to get into on the sales side) and take action.

This thread is full of things you can act upon.

All you have to do is put in the work.

Keep us updated.

 

[sharkas]

You guys have a very good knowledge about the subject. However, I must admit that it was difficult to listen to, especially the two first parts. May I suggest something ? I'm sure that if both of you, and others guys who are doing well in sales, were to write an ebook containing everything you know about sales, or the most important, a lot of us would be glad to pay for it. Like a good book containing the best = time saver. Just a suggestion guys, nice job anyway!

 

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[Paul Thomas]

Anyone heard of "Power Home Remodeling"? Its a grind, short sale role that provides home remodeling solutions with financing - that's the incentive. I want to hear the veteran's thoughts if possible.

I just spoke to a contact of mine there who worked in the sales rep program. Basically - its all commissioned based, and you are in your car all day - you can't be in a major city without a car, because its all driving. You receive a text from headquarters for an appointment to go to a home and make a sale for windows, roof, whatever it may be - and its one shot to make the sale and that's it.. There are no callbacks, there are no recurrent sales. You can make 10% per sale, and there is no ceiling. My friend said the worst guys in the office make $70k a year, and the top sales reps make $200k, and then when you move up the managerial ranks you can make much more than that.

I initially thought it sounded great, but than realized - this is not the type of sales you want to be in. You are not building a book of recurrent business, the sales are small incremental gains, and you're income is essentially tied to your time. Not to mention its ALL COMMISSION, and YOU pay for your car and gas that you need to use daily. Thoughts?

 

[JokerCrazyBeatz]

This thread makes me feel empowered

 

[Ubermensch]

This thread makes me feel empowered

Lesson #1, Joker to Joker:

You get in sales for one main reason: To get paid.

Sorry. That previous sentence was incomplete. I'll fix it:

You get in sales for one reason: To get paid a helluva lot of money - in the form of checks and direct deposits - preferably with a mix of 1) those coming in a very large one-lump sum, and 2) those that recur annually - like annuities - month-after month, year-after-year... potentially decade after-decade (depending on the length of the client engagement/agreement.)

Step one: Pick an industry (take no longer than a week).

Step two: Pick a company (or several) to sign agreements with, preferably for a split of net profits.

Step three: Sell. Sell. Sell (preferably a product with a short sales cycle with a short sales cycle. A short sales cycle - which @Ubermensch defines as "less than one month" means you can get paid ).

Step four: Get paid.

There is minutiae between the steps, and that is the overall gist.

 

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[JokerCrazyBeatz]

Lesson #1, Joker to Joker:

You get in sales for one main reason: To get paid.

Sorry. That previous sentence was incomplete. I'll fix it:

You get in sales for one reason: To get paid a helluva lot of money - in the form of checks and direct deposits - preferably with a mix of 1) those coming in a very large one-lump sum, and 2) those that recur annually - like annuities - month-after month, year-after-year... potentially decade after-decade (depending on the length of the client engagement/agreement.)

Step one: Pick an industry (take no longer than a week).

Step two: Pick a company (or several) to sign agreements with, preferably for a split of net profits.

Step three: Sell. Sell. Sell (preferably a product with a short sales cycle with a short sales cycle. A short sales cycle - which @Ubermensch defines as "less than one month" means you can get paid ).

Step four: Get paid.

There is minutiae between the steps, and that is the overall gist.

Thanks for the post . You should do voice overs man lol , you got a perfect voice to use for something

 

[axiom]

Click Here to Listen to Ubermensch and Axiom Respond to JokerCrazyBeatz​

Cliff Notes:

Ubermensch: Alright What’s up?

Axiom: We’re here to talk to you guys today about Mr. 0-100.

Ubermensch: Mr. 0-100. His name is JokerCrazyBeatz.

Axiom: JokerCrazyBeatz. I like it. So this guy is self-identified as a “noob robot”, which I believe, correct me if I’m wrong, is your term?

Ubermensch: No I think that’s Thiago.

Axiom: Oh well you guys came up with it in your recordings. So that means he’s listened to your recordings, which is a good start. That’s what I said in my reply.

Ubermensch: Cool, so what is he talking about

Axiom: He’s talking about the fact that he wants to learn. He doesn’t really know where to start in his entrepreneurial journey. He knows he wants it. He knows he wants to learn marketing, sales, basically how to creaTE A business from nothing.

Ubermensch: Yeah. Look, I think at the end of the day you have to read through people and what they say.

Axiom: Yep, absolutely

Ubermensch: I think all the people who listen to us -- there’s a specific group of people. And there seems to be a heck of a lot more of them than I thought

Axiom: Oh me too, I didn’t see our recordings getting as much attention as they have to this point.

Ubermensch: Oh, yeah, not at all. So these are people who are a little honest with themselves about what they want. These are people who don’t want to be shady, however they watch Wolf of Wall Street -- Deal with your problems by becoming rich -- you know, that resonates with you.

Axiom: It motivates them to do the same, legally of course, because doing illegal shit gets you in a lot of trouble and is more of a pain in the a$$ than anything else.

Ubermensch: Right. So this dude wants to go 0-100

Axiom: He does. Real quick.

Ubermensch: Yeah. It’s possible.

Axiom: I mean, it’s been done.

Ubermensch: It’s been done. You’ve got to have something to sell in order to make money. You have to be locked and loaded with a product.

Axiom: Yep, you can’t have some flimsy widget that is just like any other widget that you put your logo on. You need to come up with something new. Sell something that actually provides value

Ubermensch: If this were like pick-up artist coaches taking these young scrubs out and teaching them how to do game it just comes off really awkward but it’s a decent business plan. If you’re Eben Pagan, it’s a decent business model.

Axiom: Yep.

Ubermensch: I feel like if I were taking scrubs -- like they come to me like “Man, my pockets are hurting” -- you take the guy or girl you’ve got to have an agreement in place with a company or group of companies that are going to pay you a split of net profits on the selling of a service or product. They’ve already been tested in the real world and generated millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars.

Axiom: They’ve already been proven.

Ubermensch: You can take that, you put on the team jersey.

Axiom: Yep, all you have to do is sell it.

Ubermensch: Forget all the startup stuff. Look, you need something to sell now. 0-100 implies you want to do it real quick.

Axiom: Right, you don’t want to go 0-100 in a Prius. You want to go 0-100 in a Lamborghini.

[Queue Drake]

Ubermensch: Such a perfect song for what we’re talking about right now.

Axiom: Yeah man, Drake is pretty fastlane.

Ubermensch: He has the content. The girls like it. The guys like it. Drake is -- wait, are we really gonna do this sidebar on Drake right now? No we’re not.

Axiom: Nah.

Ubermensch: No, we’re not doing the sidebar.

[Queue Drake Again]

Ubermensch: Hey this is like that Family Guy shit where they’ll play out a joke and delay it forever. Our thing could be playing out hardcore hip hop hustle music. Because this is only for the hardcore guys and girls. You’re honest about it. You want the money. You’re not -- Ah, I’m not even gonna talk shit now.

[Queue Drake Again]

Ubermensch: Yeah so, I guess that was kind of appropriate. A little beats for JokerCrazyBeatz.

Axiom: Who needs Spotify when you can listen to our dope-a$$ recordings.

Ubermensch: This is cool. Real cool. We’re the coolest, man.

Axiom: The coolest.

Ubermensch: Alright that’s enough. I think we’ve beaten the dead horse.

Axiom: Dead horse full of money.

Ubermensch: Dead horse full of money? What is that? Some sort of Scarface…

Axiom: Yeah, dude. Some Godfather shit.

Ubermensch: Scarface-Godfather shit. Dead horse full of money. I love it. Shoutout to Cyriex.

Axiom: Shout out to Cyriex. That was random as hell, but I’ll go with it.

@Ubermensch
@Cyriex
@JokerCrazyBeatz

 

[JokerCrazyBeatz]

Click Here to Listen to Ubermensch and Axiom Respond to JokerCrazyBeatz​

Cliff Notes:

Ubermensch: Alright What’s up?

Axiom: We’re here to talk to you guys today about Mr. 0-100.

Ubermensch: Mr. 0-100. His name is JokerCrazyBeatz.

Axiom: JokerCrazyBeatz. I like it. So this guy is self-identified as a “noob robot”, which I believe, correct me if I’m wrong, is your term?

Ubermensch: No I think that’s Thiago.

Axiom: Oh well you guys came up with it in your recordings. So that means he’s listened to your recordings, which is a good start. That’s what I said in my reply.

Ubermensch: Cool, so what is he talking about

Axiom: He’s talking about the fact that he wants to learn. He doesn’t really know where to start in his entrepreneurial journey. He knows he wants it. He knows he wants to learn marketing, sales, basically how to creaTE A business from nothing.

Ubermensch: Yeah. Look, I think at the end of the day you have to read through people and what they say.

Axiom: Yep, absolutely

Ubermensch: I think all the people who listen to us -- there’s a specific group of people. And there seems to be a heck of a lot more of them than I thought

Axiom: Oh me too, I didn’t see our recordings getting as much attention as they have to this point.

Ubermensch: Oh, yeah, not at all. So these are people who are a little honest with themselves about what they want. These are people who don’t want to be shady, however they watch Wolf of Wall Street -- Deal with your problems by becoming rich -- you know, that resonates with you.

Axiom: It motivates them to do the same, legally of course, because doing illegal shit gets you in a lot of trouble and is more of a pain in the a$$ than anything else.

Ubermensch: Right. So this dude wants to go 0-100

Axiom: He does. Real quick.

Ubermensch: Yeah. It’s possible.

Axiom: I mean, it’s been done.

Ubermensch: It’s been done. You’ve got to have something to sell in order to make money. You have to be locked and loaded with a product.

Axiom: Yep, you can’t have some flimsy widget that is just like any other widget that you put your logo on. You need to come up with something new. Sell something that actually provides value

Ubermensch: If this were like pick-up artist coaches taking these young scrubs out and teaching them how to do game it just comes off really awkward but it’s a decent business plan. If you’re Eben Pagan, it’s a decent business model.

Axiom: Yep.

Ubermensch: I feel like if I were taking scrubs -- like they come to me like “Man, my pockets are hurting” -- you take the guy or girl you’ve got to have an agreement in place with a company or group of companies that are going to pay you a split of net profits on the selling of a service or product. They’ve already been tested in the real world and generated millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars.

Axiom: They’ve already been proven.

Ubermensch: You can take that, you put on the team jersey.

Axiom: Yep, all you have to do is sell it.

Ubermensch: Forget all the startup stuff. Look, you need something to sell now. 0-100 implies you want to do it real quick.

Axiom: Right, you don’t want to go 0-100 in a Prius. You want to go 0-100 in a Lamborghini.

[Queue Drake]

Ubermensch: Such a perfect song for what we’re talking about right now.

Axiom: Yeah man, Drake is pretty fastlane.

Ubermensch: He has the content. The girls like it. The guys like it. Drake is -- wait, are we really gonna do this sidebar on Drake right now? No we’re not.

Axiom: Nah.

Ubermensch: No, we’re not doing the sidebar.

[Queue Drake Again]

Ubermensch: Hey this is like that Family Guy shit where they’ll play out a joke and delay it forever. Our thing could be playing out hardcore hip hop hustle music. Because this is only for the hardcore guys and girls. You’re honest about it. You want the money. You’re not -- Ah, I’m not even gonna talk shit now.

[Queue Drake Again]

Ubermensch: Yeah so, I guess that was kind of appropriate. A little beats for JokerCrazyBeatz.

Axiom: Who needs Spotify when you can listen to our dope-a$$ recordings.

Ubermensch: This is cool. Real cool. We’re the coolest, man.

Axiom: The coolest.

Ubermensch: Alright that’s enough. I think we’ve beaten the dead horse.

Axiom: Dead horse full of money.

Ubermensch: Dead horse full of money? What is that? Some sort of Scarface…

Axiom: Yeah, dude. Some Godfather shit.

Ubermensch: Scarface-Godfather shit. Dead horse full of money. I love it. Shoutout to Cyriex.

Axiom: Shout out to Cyriex. That was random as hell, but I’ll go with it.

@Ubermensch
@Cyriex
@JokerCrazyBeatz

Lmao so much value in this post aside from the jokes, thank you a lot

 

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[Ubermensch]

Lmao so much value in this post aside from the jokes, thank you a lot

Wait a minute.

Someone call the genius Alessandro Potente.

Your name is @JokerCrazyBeatz... and yet... you don't like... jokes?

Is that a joke?

In the words of the Joker, "And I thought MY jokes were bad!"

HAHAHAHA...

I accuse you, sir, of possessing no sense of irony.

 

[JokerCrazyBeatz]

Wait a minute.

Someone call the genius Alessandro Potente.

Your name is @JokerCrazyBeatz... and yet... you don't like... jokes?

Is that a joke?

In the words of the Joker, "And I thought MY jokes were bad!"

HAHAHAHA...

I accuse you, sir, of possessing no sense of irony.

Noooo I love that comedy that's what makes you guys cool lol it's why I listened to the first recordings

 

[Guest24480]

3 Simple Steps To Solving Your Problem​

1. Pick a niche
2. Master it
3. And make sure your actions are in alignment with your goals.

Its good that you're aware that you want everything to be perfect. Things won't be.

Pick something in demand and master a money making skill.

You can't go wrong with sales and copywriting.

Sales = direct interaction (face to face / on the phone)
Copywriting = Sales in print

They are the same thing.

Do you like sales? I don't know. But you'll sure as hell need to make sales if you want to grow a business and make money.

Does it suck? Well... that depends on your skill level.

You only like the things that you're good at.

Think about that...


P.S. Watch the videos below (especially the first one).

- Thiago

I skimmed this thread before posting last time but went back, read the entire thing and listened to the podcasts.

My mindset is more solidified now for sure.

All I can do now is hustle..

 

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[jilla82]

man havent been on this forum in a long time.
Found this thread while looking for a specific Chet Holmes video.

Ive been doing the internet thing full time the past four years...but something hit me a few months ago.
I wanted to get involved in real world business...person to person.

So I decided to get a sales job to learn those skills.
Putting my resume together now.

Great thread...will check out the rest of the audio's.

 

[jilla82]

is working B2C that much different than B2B?

im looking to get my first gig...and im thinking of finding an inside sales position that will require me to pound the phone all day.
Figure the volume of calls will help me become a killer on the phone.

Found one place that looks interesting...its b2c, and they say the average guy makes about $80K - $100K, and the best ones making about $200K.
Problem they have is most people just cant keep up with the work load and the hours required.

Figure when im done working there I can find my way into B2B

 

[Thiago Machado]

@jilla82

Do you mind sharing more details about the job? (such as industry?)

From my experience, the main difference is that

B2C
Usually composed of a short sales cycle (sell quicker).
Lower commissions

B2B, it's usually a longer sales cycle. (You have to get approval from a bunch of people etc).
Higher commissions

The fundamentals of selling are basically the same, but your approach definitely changes when your selling to a different audience.

It's one thing to sell a product to an average Joe, and another when selling to an executive.

Congrats on the gig btw!

 

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[jilla82]

@jilla82

Do you mind sharing more details about the job? (such as industry?)

From my experience, the main difference is that

B2C
Usually composed of a short sales cycle (sell quicker).
Lower commissions

B2B, it's usually a longer sales cycle. (You have to get approval from a bunch of people etc).
Higher commissions

The fundamentals of selling are basically the same, but your approach definitely changes when your selling to a different audience.

It's one thing to sell a product to an average Joe, and another when selling to an executive.

Congrats on the gig btw!

I dont have a gig yet...but im pretty sure I could sell myself to any of these companies w/ entry level sales positions because they all seem to burn through people based on the fact that most people are looking for a "work life balance" and other nonsense.

This particular company im looking at sells training software for people that trade stocks (I live pretty close to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange). Average product price is between $5K - $20K. They provide the leads, and youre trying to 1 call close.

and of course there seems to be plenty of BDR positions in Chicago.

All this commercial real estate talk has got me thinking also...I have a really good friend whose mom made a killing in commercial real estate...she has retired and lives on an island her husband purchased. But I bet she could teach me a lot.

Im 34 and have never held a regular job...so im still trying to wrap my head around getting into an organization.
I put together a resume and will start calling companies Tuesday.

 

[Lukebrisbane]

UPDATE:

I moved to Stockholm, Sweden from Brisbane Australia.

Applied to about 80 different start-up technology firms, ended up getting a sales job for a start-up. I'm the 7th to join, they are venture capital backed so pretty exciting.

It's an app to help the food service industry so i'll be walking into restaurants and cafes pitching them. Will update when I start.

Edit: So I was thinking, in terms of building a network of referral partners say in the technology field, I want to become an authority for sales in the tech start up industry, my first aim is to be the best and make a name for myself in selling for tech start-ups in Scandinavia. I have a month till I start and am just trying to formulate a long term plan.

I just wanted to get feedback on how building out the network so i can eventually go onto either selling for a bigger tech company. My aim is to get experience in the start-up, hit it hard like crazy, improve selling skills then I suppose start building that network out.

edit again: I was thinking, i know uber sells multiple different products/services to customers through the construction niche, could anyone think of how someone could do that through technology? I'm going to be selling stuff to cafes/restaurants, maybe i could find some other businesses to cross sell their products while i'm there. Or wouldn't that work in this sort of setup? Maybe my start-up employer wouldn't appreciate that. I'll have to think about that.

 

[DClaiborne]

@Ubermensch as someone who stalks you on this forum (reads everything you post), I wanted to say thanks for this awesome thread.

I love sales, overcoming objections, and have been doing different types of sales the past 10 years. Started out direct selling nutritional supplements to medical professionals for 2 years, to owning my own gym and doing B2C sales for 7 years, and after reading your posts last year decided I needed to get into a bigger pool. For the past year I've been doing commercial insurance sales with $10m - $200m annual revenue companies selling directly to c-suite executives with great success.

My next step is to figure out how to continue to sell something/anything of quality to that same clientele, but for myself instead of at a company.

Will definitely start looking into the construction side of things and still hunting for energy related ideas as I know those are still very lucrative.

Most difficult part now is to try and figure out how to start doing this while doing the commercial insurance sales until I can leave.

Thanks again man and keep hammering away.

 

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[Greg R]

@Ubermensch, I often see you talking about the Construction Industry and the vast market surrounding it.

Hypothetically speaking:

From a sales perspective, what areas of Construction would you get into if you had to sell in that industry? Heavy equipment, technology, services, etc... There are so many different sectors; residential, commercial, civil, structural, and industrial. For a newb robot with 15 years of construction experience, does the sector even really matter?

I currently work as a Construction Engineer in a position where my income seems to be separated by my efforts. I could work my butt off one day, do nothing the next day and get paid the same.

With my hustle and work ethic, I feel as though I could better utilize my time and have my pay directly reflect the effort that I put in.

I work 60 hours weeks at my full time job and it seems like I could bring in a lot more cash if I focused the same amount of time in a sales related position.

... you get the point.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ubermensch]

@Ubermensch as someone who stalks you on this forum (reads everything you post), I wanted to say thanks for this awesome thread.

Damn, brother.

I feel obliged to cue a Belfort Clip:

I love sales, overcoming objections, and have been doing different types of sales the past 10 years. Started out direct selling nutritional supplements to medical professionals for 2 years, to owning my own gym and doing B2C sales for 7 years, and

Do you still own the gym?

Congrats on the (right) decision to leave B2C and enter the realm of B2B. B2C, from a salesman's perspective, usually only makes sense if you can put the power of aggregation (hiring teams) to work.

after reading your posts last year decided I needed to get into a bigger pool.

For the past year I've been doing commercial insurance sales with $10m - $200m annual revenue companies selling directly to c-suite executives with great success.

My next step is to figure out how to continue to sell something/anything of quality to that same clientele, but for myself instead of at a company.

The book Rainmaker (<<<-- link for @BookwormMitch ) contains rare empirical data about the marketing habits of seven-figure earners in sales (specifically, in the financial advisory sector). Around a decade ago, Financial Adviser magazine published a synopsis of the findings.

Long story short, if you want big bucks, figure out creative ways to build strategic partnerships with clients and vendors that service them.

You are thinking exactly as you should be.

In fact, I talk to guys like you all of the time, helping them monetize their client base. $10M - $200M companies suffer from a magnitude of inefficiencies that can be solved with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 strategies. These strategies are almost always - 99% of the time - unknown to middle-market companies.

In corporate America, inefficiency equals opportunity.

Will definitely start looking into the construction side of things and still hunting for energy related ideas as I know those are still very lucrative.

We should connect via PM, make a few deals happen, and then post in this thread about our winnings. That's where I want to take this thread.

Most difficult part now is to try and figure out how to start doing this while doing the commercial insurance sales until I can leave.

It's as easy as connecting you with companies in a variety of niches in the energy, energy efficiency, and construction space.

These companies will sign commission agreements with you, agree to giving you a split of the profits generated from selling to your relationships, etc.

In the beginning phases, the companies will probably rely on you for an initial introduction, and that could be the extent of it. Thus, you would not need to invest much of your time, beyond a simple connection over e-mail.

Again, in the beginning phases, these companies (and their staff) will prepare proposals for your clients, and do all of the "heavy lifting" associated with the transactions.

Thanks again man and keep hammering away.

Based on the sound logic of Rainmaker, my ability to "hammer away" depends entirely on my ability to build solid relationships with decision makers, clients and vendors in the interconnected and multifaceted world of buildings - and the services/products/industries that surround them. Hence why I like to hear awesome stories of sales evolution like yours.

 

[Ubermensch]

@Ubermensch, I often see you talking about the Construction Industry and the vast market surrounding it.

Yes, because I am unaware of any industry so fraught with market needs, certainly not of its magnitude. The USA construction industry is a $1 Trillion dollar industry.

Global construction will reach $10 Trillion in a few years, and China will become the largest construction market in 2018.

This means that for those who are truly free, and wish to be truly free from onerous governments (and the silly mistakes that they continue to make), construction offers ubiquitous opportunity.

Where ever you currently sit, construction is nearby. Construction built the building in which you're currently reading this.

Hypothetically speaking:

From a sales perspective, what areas of Construction would you get into if you had to sell in that industry?

I actually do sell in the construction industry.

I honestly had no idea that guys like @Greg Rutkowski (construction industry professionals) frequented this forum.

I also did not know guys like @DClaiborne read and follow... that makes this much more interesting, and we could perhaps monetize this very thread, or at least the relationships that develop through it.

I've been meaning to join the Insider's group for some time now. Perhaps we could collaborate internally on a private construction and B2B sales group in there.

To answer your question directly, one should focus on the High-Value Needs. High-Value Needs are issues like energy for commercial buildings.

Windows provide a good example of what I mean.

Windows are the soul of a building providing sweeping views, daylighting and a sense of enhanced space. However, the glazing portion of the building envelope can be a costly design element. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, as much as a third of a building’s load is dedicated to cooling the solar heat gain transmitted through windows. Retrofitting the interior surface of existing glass can reduce energy costs 5% to 15% delivering a payback of two to three years. Rebates are frequently available allowing for a shorter payback and a strong ROI.

When the building envelope is compromised and glass fails due to a violent act of nature, blast event or civil unrest, window film can mitigate the damage by containing dangerous shards. Many public sector buildings and Fortune 500 companies have deployed the invisible shield of window film to insure the safety of employees and maintain business continuity following a violent event. Window films add to the HSW (health, safety and welfare) filtering up to 99.9% of harmful ultraviolet radiation that causes skin cancer and ailments of the eyes.

Heavy equipment, technology, services, etc... There are so many different sectors; residential, commercial, civil, structural, and industrial. For a newb robot with 15 years of construction experience, does the sector even really matter?

I answered this question above, however I'll elaborate by saying that the REASON you want to sell B2B instead of B2C has everything to do with the SIZE of the sale.

Yes, when it comes to revenue, profit, commission checks and deposits - size matters.

Businesses spend more money than consumers. They buy higher-priced items. Roughly half of the construction industry's size consists of the materials purchased.

Take electrical construction as an example. Electrical construction in the United States is s $130 billion industry. When an electrical construction company wins a job or project, half of the cost of the project consists of materials: Lighting, panels (solar), wire, conduit, connectors, etc.

The dollar signs to be made in the construction industry revolves around the materials purchased.

I currently work as a Construction Engineer in a position where my income seems to be separated by my efforts. I could work my butt off one day, do nothing the next day and get paid the same.

You should capitalize on your position within the industry.

Do you have relationships with estimators? How about project managers? Purchasing managers? Chief executives, owners, etc?

I would suspect that the answer is yes. If so, 95% of the hard work - building the relationships with the right decision-makers and influencers -

With my hustle and work ethic, I feel as though I could better utilize my time and have my pay directly reflect the effort that I put in.

I work 60 hours weeks at my full time job and it seems like I could bring in a lot more cash if I focused the same amount of time in a sales related position.

... you get the point.

Thanks in advance.

Yup, you need to partner up with the right service companies that can service construction companies. The strategies are usually immediately implemented, which results in relatively quick paydays 30 - 60 days.

Compared to most hustles, the payouts are rather large as well. Five figures is common, and six-figures to seven figures is possible, depending on the size of the project(s) and companies you deal with.

 

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[awanrmb]

Hello, I read your thread about energy efficiency and getting interested about it. However Im completely newbie in this and dont know anything about hiw to start and how to sell this.

Could you please shed some light in this? Do you have any experience with Indonesia market?

Thank you in advance @Ubermensch

 

[DClaiborne]

Damn, brother.

Do you still own the gym?

Congrats on the (right) decision to leave B2C and enter the realm of B2B. B2C, from a salesman's perspective, usually only makes sense if you can put the power of aggregation (hiring teams) to work.

I want bigger sales. Even the commercial insurance role I'm in right now, with how the industry is since I'm not with one of the big boy brokerages, I'm kind of hamstrung on the companies I can call on, so my recurring commission can be anywhere from $1k to $8k (max) per account. The best brokers at our agency have books between $600-$750k so they are only bringing in $120-$150k x year.

I want to bring in $300k-$500k and to do so need to create bigger transactions and shorter sales cycles. (Insurance sales cycles are typically anywhere from 6 months to 60 months)...

I do still own the gym for now. I have a manager in there running it but am looking to sell it by the end of the year.

The book Rainmaker (<<<-- link for @BookwormMitch ) contains rare empirical data about the marketing habits of seven-figure earners in sales (specifically, in the financial advisory sector). Around a decade ago, Financial Adviser magazine published a synopsis of the findings.

Long story short, if you want big bucks, figure out creative ways to build strategic partnerships with clients and vendors that service them.

You are thinking exactly as you should be.

In fact, I talk to guys like you all of the time, helping them monetize their client base. $10M - $200M companies suffer from a magnitude of inefficiencies that can be solved with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 strategies. These strategies are almost always - 99% of the time - unknown to middle-market companies.

In corporate America, inefficiency equals opportunity.


We should connect via PM, make a few deals happen, and then post in this thread about our winnings. That's where I want to take this thread.

Will pick up the book today and start reading it and will shoot you a PM.

Talking with the c-suite guys I thought they would have their crap together so much more than they do, and taking a more of an advisor and help role when selling insurance seems to create the sale and establish a long term client way easier than just it being a numbers game.

It's as easy as connecting you with companies in a variety of niches in the energy, energy efficiency, and construction space.

These companies will sign commission agreements with you, agree to giving you a split of the profits generated from selling to your relationships, etc.

In the beginning phases, the companies will probably rely on you for an initial introduction, and that could be the extent of it. Thus, you would not need to invest much of your time, beyond a simple connection over e-mail.

Again, in the beginning phases, these companies (and their staff) will prepare proposals for your clients, and do all of the "heavy lifting" associated with the transactions.

This sounds like a very solid way to make a full blown transition, and really looking forward to getting deeper into this for sure.

 

[Ubermensch]

I want bigger sales. Even the commercial insurance role I'm in right now, with how the industry is since I'm not with one of the big boy brokerages, I'm kind of hamstrung on the companies I can call on, so my recurring commission can be anywhere from $1k to $8k (max) per account. The best brokers at our agency have books between $600-$750k so they are only bringing in $120-$150k x year.

This is typical, and calls to mind a response I got earlier in another thread.

@Vigilante may recall it.

Someone commented that, in most sales positions, the top earners make only low six figures: $100,000 - $200,000 per year.

Many sales positions do not allow for extremely high annual earnings. I would define "extreme" as $1,000,000 - $10,000,000+.

The arrangement I exclusively pursue, and would recommend to anyone capable of selling B2B, consists of eating only what you kill, like an actual predator in the wild.

Of the 500,000 people currently viewing this site, probably less than one percent deeply relate with my message. Such people don't post memes on forums about lions; they are lions - and do lion sh*t - in real life.

I want to bring in $300k-$500k and to do so need to create bigger transactions and shorter sales cycles. (Insurance sales cycles are typically anywhere from 6 months to 60 months)...

First, why set your goals so low? Only $300k - $500k... in an arena with five-figure and six-figure paydays, you only need a handful of deals to hit your goal.

Talking with the c-suite guys I thought they would have their crap together so much more than they do, and taking a more of an advisor and help role when selling insurance seems to create the sale and establish a long term client way easier than just it being a numbers game.

What industry do you sell insurance? What types of companies are these c-suite guys running?

 

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[DClaiborne]

This is typical, and calls to mind a response I got earlier in another thread.

@Vigilante may recall it.

Someone commented that, in most sales positions, the top earners make only low six figures: $100,000 - $200,000 per year.

Many sales positions do not allow for extremely high annual earnings. I would define "extreme" as $1,000,000 - $10,000,000+.

The arrangement I exclusively pursue, and would recommend to anyone capable of selling B2B, consists of eating only what you kill, like an actual predator in the wild.

Of the 500,000 people currently viewing this site, probably less than one percent deeply relate with my message. Such people don't post memes on forums about lions; they are lions - and do lion sh*t - in real life.

That last part is true and why I stopped looking towards sales guru's or "successful" salespeople for guidance. Their idea of success is far different than mine especially from a sales aspect.

First, why set your goals so low? Only $300k - $500k... in an arena with five-figure and six-figure paydays, you only need a handful of deals to hit your goal.

I guess I should have clarified. That is a time based goal and the first step I want to hit where I would deem myself as "on the right path". That isn't by any means a final goal, but just step one on the way.

What industry do you sell insurance? What types of companies are these c-suite guys running?

I sell commercial insurance to companies in the Technology/electronic manufacturing, oil & gas (mid-stream, up-stream), and drilling equipment manufacturing industries mainly.

 

[Vas87]

Thanks @Ubermensch and others for so much actionable advice. I'm an optometrist and getting bored with my job but highly enjoy the sales process (upsells on lens coatings/sunglasses etc), so B2B sales with its much bigger potential paychecks got me super pumped. I am in Australia, and my state recently introduced PACE like deals (called EUA here). The annoying thing is I already booked and planned a 5 week holiday so I'll be reading up on those sales books and getting phone numbers of leads while I travel.

For picking companies to work for commission for do you stick to any particular type? Ie LED, HVAC, glazing companies? Or do you try to have a slice of as many pies as possible? And if so do you then package up the companies together?