Lightning Round: Top 10 Strategies to Stay Motivated and Selling Through the Holidays
Question: Vincent from Nigeria asks, “ I am new to sales, and your platform has really helped me. ‘Can you discuss which sales strategies are effective to target B2B or corporate clients in the investment industry. E.g, mutual funds?”
Book: Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Maugborgne
Summary
Can you imagine transforming your sales strategy just like you would a fitness routine? This episode shows you how to reshape your approach by understanding customer needs and evolving your methods to stay ahead in a rapidly changing market.
We dive into Meridith’s banking experience to illustrate the necessity of adaptability and the power of versatile communication. Whether it’s adjusting the timing of your outreach, or selecting the right channel to connect, staying tuned to your customer’s preferences is key.
As the holiday season approaches, maintaining motivation becomes crucial. In this episode, we uncover the importance of focusing on key metrics that matter, rather than getting lost in vanity metrics.
The following transcript of this episode was generated by AI. Semantic errors may occur.
[00:01] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Hey, this is Meredith Elliott Powell. You know what time it is, it is 8 am Eastern Saturday morning. Mark and I are freezing our tails off in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
[00:10] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Why are we here? Why?
[00:11] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Here at a conference. But you know what? It is our favorite time of the week. It is time for Sales Logic, the show where we dive into the strategies, discuss the steps, everything that you need to know to sell effectively. Mark got a good show today.
[00:24] – Mark Hunter (Host)
We got a good show. We’re going to be talking about choosing the right sale strategy Perfect as we head into the new year and the lightning round. We’re going to be talking about top 10 strategies to stay motivated and selling through the holidays.
[00:36] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
All right, let’s do it, let’s go, all right. Welcome back to Sales Logic. Now, before Mark tells you everything that’s on tap for today, I like to tell you how the show works because we want to feature you, the audience. If you have questions, if you have concerns, if you just want to sell more effectively, send your questions to saleslogicpodcastcom, because we’ll feature you right here. We’re going to discuss a hot topic. Do a lightning round cover a book, mark, let’s dive in.
[01:25] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Okay, so choosing the right sales strategy Now, this seems easy. This seems simple, but there are so many variables that come into play. What are some strategies that maybe you’ve used to select your strategy?
[01:31] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
You know, first of all, I think one of the biggest mistakes we make with sales strategies is we think about how we’re comfortable selling, and a sales strategy is not about what is comfortable for you. It is about what is effective with the customer. And what I mean by that is just yesterday. Mark and I are here doing some masterminds in Minneapolis, working on our businesses, and we were talking about what your sales style is in our mastermind yesterday and some people were saying I’m not comfortable smiling and dialing using the phone. Other people were saying I really, you know, I much prefer sending emails. Well, it isn’t about you and it really is about what is effective. So when you ask me that question, I’m constantly changing my sales process based on what is working in the marketplace at the moment.
[02:22] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Thank you for saying that because it’s so powerful, because so many salespeople I run into well, it’s email, it’s email, it’s email. That’s all I do, and they’re doing it because it’s easy for them. I’ll go back to the argument. People say well, I can’t stand the telephone, cold calling, cold calling doesn’t work, cold calling. The people who say that and I’m not a fan of cold calling, but the people who say that are the ones who are afraid to pick up the phone and call. You have to do what works for your customer and it evolves. And it’s different Because, again, I look at my sales strategy, it’s dramatically different than what it was just 18 to 24 months ago, and I’m sure yours is too right.
[02:59] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Yeah, completely. So here’s a couple of questions. I think, when it comes to finding the right sales strategy is number one you have got to define who your customer is, Get crystal clear on who your customer is. And then the second question is ask yourself, where is your customer? Because, Mark, I was thinking about this when I knew we were going to talk about this for the show. I was thinking back to the years when I was a banker, and when I was a banker, you literally were a community bank. I mean, I’m so freaking old that we didn’t do loans online. We didn’t do anything like that. And so the way that I sold in those days was by joining the Rotary Club, joining the Chamber of Commerce, taking positions in my community, building relationships and doing things like that. If I were a banker today, that would not be the right sales strategy.
[03:49] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Well, and that’s the whole thing. It’s adapting to where your marketplace is at. For some industries it’s text messaging, for some industries it’s email, for some industries it’s calling. But you have to be able to and this means you are going to be probably outside of your comfort zone and ultimately then to the customer you’re dealing with. Everybody has a preferred communication method, and then we have a secondary communication method. First thing I got to do, if I’m trying to sell to you, let’s find out what is your primary communication method and that’s what I have to use, even if it’s not. But that also means it may be different times of the day, it might be different days of the week, there are different seasonalities and, again, when you adopt a sales strategy, there are so many pieces that come into play Because, again, right now we’re recording this in the fourth quarter. Fourth quarter for a lot of industries, no go, but for other industries it’s game on. So you got to understand your marketplace.
[04:46] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Yeah, I love what Natalie is saying here. Member of our sales logic mastermind. Phone calls are so powerful and recently people have really appreciated a call instead of a virtual video call. So true, natalie, right, but by the end of first quarter that could change again. Mark, I want to come back to what you said. Is that you know? I think what you said is so important when you said that I’ve got to figure out your preferred communication styles. I cannot tell you how many people email my husband, rob. If you went into Rob’s inbox right now, there is probably 2,500 unread emails. He never, ever, reads an email, but he would answer a phone call all day long. I would never answer a phone call, but I will read my email.
[05:35] – Mark Hunter (Host)
See, and that’s the whole thing, and again it’s going to vary by person and you’ve got to be able to pick up that signal. This is why, in your sales strategy, you have to be prospecting using different communication methods, because you don’t know which one’s going to work. For some it might be phone, For some it might be email, For some it might be social media. You’ve got to use different approaches and then when they respond, then I can begin to determine is that their preferred? I don’t know that necessarily until I have at least a couple of communications back and forth.
[06:06] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Yeah, so, bryn, thanks for popping in here. Our LinkedIn and social media expert Strategy, one who needs what you do the most, absolutely Find that ideal. What are they doing, thinking or exploring, before they even know they need your solution? What value can you bring to them early on? Identify where they are and start conversations that matter to them, that lead to your solution, not with it?
[06:33] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Well, that kind of leads to the question that we got. It came this week from Vincent in Italy and he says hey, I’m new to sales and your platform has really helped me. Can you discuss which sales strategies are effective to target B2B or corporate in the investment industry? So that’s a very unique space. So I threw that into the sales logic brain and one of the things that it came back with was utilize data and analytics. Because it’s the investment, because it’s corporate, because it’s B2B, by using data and analytics, you’re probably going to be more effective in being able to communicate properly with that respective person. There’s a host of other things that the brain said, but that’s just. That’s just the one.
[07:14] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
I think you know I feel like a little bit today. Mark and I have talked about you know. Basically you’ve got to understand the customer and figure out what it is they need. You still need Vincent. This is so important for you. You’re brand new. You need to have a strategy and you need to have a plan. This is kind of like going to work out Like this morning Mark and I were both in the gym early, I was using my app for my weight workout and basically I work a weightlifting scenario four days a week and we do it based on three months and then I adjust it based on whether I’m achieving my goals or not achieving my goals.
[07:55]
Now the same thing needs to happen for your sales strategy. So, vincent, you’re brand new to sales and basically what you need to do is, just like Bryn said, define your ideal customer profile, figure out where they are, where they live, where they’re looking for information, then define how you’re going to get in touch with them. You’re going to make some phone calls, you’re going to do some social media, you’re going to send some emails, maybe you’ll send some things through the mail, maybe you’ll invite them to a webinar, whatever. You need to lay out the behaviors, then measure it for three months and see how it’s doing. Figure out did the phone calls land more? Did the emails land more? Did more people show up?
[08:34]
When I did a masterclass, what was kind of working, and then adjust it in the second quarter, do it again, adjust it in the third and adjust it in the fourth. I say that because I feel like a sales strategy is art and science. You got to get the science of the strategy down. What am I committing to do day in and day out? And then the art is figuring out what’s working and adjusting it.
[08:55] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Now there’s another piece on that and that is determining what your POE is. Your POE, it’s your point of entry. In other words, what are you leading with? What’s the piece? Now, we always talk about outcomes. You got to create, got to sell to the customer’s outcome. But what do I get in the door with? What’s that POE? And it has to be simplistic and the ability for the customer to understand your value proposition. If, when you state your value proposition, two questions don’t come to the mind of the customer, then you haven’t engaged them. All you’re doing is sharing with them something you want to have, a value proposition that generates interest from them. So they’re asking you questions. Now I can begin to hone in on my POE, and the POE has to be simple enough for them to understand. Vince, this is what you’re going to have a challenge with, because you’re going into a very difficult industry investment, community, corporate, B2B that’s chum. So you’ve got to be very crystal clear because they’re probably looking at you like why should we even talk to you? Poe absolutely important.
[10:01] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
First of all, I love that question. I’m going to come back to that in a minute. I want to talk about what John Wong has brought up here, because I love it. Put yourself in a position of making connections each and every day. Okay, drop mic and show. That’s all you need to know. This is such a discipline. A sales strategy is such a discipline piece.
[10:26]
Mark said something a moment ago, and that was why should a customer talk to you? That is a question we should be asking ourselves every single day. Do you realize that, other than your money and time with your children, there is very little you are protecting more than your time? I mean, would I rather go play tennis or talk to a salesperson on the phone If they are not adding something that is going to make me money, give me peace of mind, make my life better? I’m heading to the tennis court, so this isn’t about you trying to get an appointment. It is about them going. Oh my God, Vincent, there’s nothing I need more to do today than to talk to you. You have to come up with that compelling reason.
[11:06] – Mark Hunter (Host)
So maybe I need to be a salesperson on the tennis court to sell to you?
[11:09] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Yes, you do. That would be good. That’s how it’s going to work.
[11:12] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Okay, on the tennis court to sell to you. Yes, you do, that would be good, okay, okay, see, this is the whole thing, because if I’m not, if I don’t have a strategy, I may have the best solution in the world, but if the customer can’t understand and dial into it and buy into at least why they want to carry on the conversation, I don’t have a chance. And again that comes back to who is it that you are dealing with? And again, icp. We talk about this a lot on the show and I say then you got to understand my communication method, what’s the strategy? And I got to be very clear on my POE. But come back to what several people talk about the network you create. We are living in an era where information is table stakes.
[11:50] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Yeah.
[11:51] – Mark Hunter (Host)
And we have to be carried in or co-opted in or collaborated with other people. So the relationships that people have, because if somebody can sit there and say, oh, I know, meredith, she’s outstanding, yeah, I will take that call. This makes relationships networking even more important than ever.
[12:11] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Yeah, I love what Dave Sanderson is saying here is history has shown us the devastating cost of inaction. I mean, that’s just not in sales. That’s every aspect of your life and you know you have got to move. Also, Mark, with what you’re saying, I love what Bryn is chiming in here again with is that you need to consider integrating a campaign into your strategy. Bryn, I love this. I just really added this to my sales strategy is I do a lot of cold calling, a lot of cold calling, and I warm them up now with an email campaign and social media interactions because I’m trying to get them at least knowing that I am bringing some level of value to the table.
[12:55] – Mark Hunter (Host)
That is so key because your sales strategy has got to be repeatable and simplistic enough that you can just. It just becomes routine because otherwise you’re fighting, pushing a rock uphill. Every day I talk with some of the top performing salespeople and they all sit there and say it’s so boring. It really is boring because I just repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. But that’s the key to success. You’ve got to be able to, like you, I email, I call, I email, I call. Your strategy has to be repeatable, scalable and sustainable. So many people have a sales process that is neither scalable nor sustainable. That’s not a process. I just got a one-off activity.
[13:41] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Yeah, thomas, you are dead on. I really agree that where salespeople struggle is they don’t vary. Their strategy I always say when I’m speaking about sales is that you’ve got to realize, through no fault of your own, you did nothing wrong, but some of the strategies you’re using right now will not work in three months. I mean, think of this. Think about June of 2024. We hadn’t decided the election here in the United States, and where people were was very different. Now, as they look at 2025, the outlook is going to look completely different. It’s not about judging it, thinking it’s right or wrong. It’s understanding that the mindset of the people you’re calling on shifts with things going on in society that have nothing to do to you. When that, um, when that strike happened in California with the, with the ports and the supply chain got shut down, that completely shifts your sales strategy.
[14:42] – Mark Hunter (Host)
You know, it’s so true at at this event that Mayor and I are at. Two years ago we were introduced at this event to chat GPT.
[14:50] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
November of 22.
[14:51] – Mark Hunter (Host)
And it was just being and we were on kind of leading edge and you look at how that has changed everything. You see, you do have to be adept, but here’s the whole thing. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Too many times what happens? Salespeople come up with a strategy and they get into it and they don’t stick with it long enough to statistically get viable results.
[15:13]
To understand what I always say is this I want to test my process three times the length of what it takes to close a sale. In other words, if it takes a quarter to close a sale, I really got to stay with this process by and large for three quarters to really understand whether or not it’s working. Now I’m going to make little tweaks along the way, little changes, but you’ve got to stay in the game. Now there are tsunami events like, for instance, the election chat, gpt. There are tsunami events that you got, but those you know what. You just have to put yourself in a position that I’m going to understand and learn and run ahead of where my customers are at.
[15:51] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
I’m curious how many of our listeners physically use a strategy Like you. Literally, if I asked you right now, what do you do day in and day out to make sales calls, what do you track and what do you measure, how many would answer that? Because if your answer to that is, it’s loose, you need to tighten it up. I was just working this morning before Mark came in here and we set up this call on my sales strategy. I work a top 100 every single year and basically every single month.
[16:25]
I track the sales calls, I make the sales follow-up calls, I make the proposals, I write the proposals I win and the proposals I lose, and I know that I need to make X amount of calls a month, I need to write X amount of proposals a month, I need to win X amount and I need to lose X amount. Why do I track the amount I lose? Because if I don’t lose enough, I’m not keeping my price high enough. So that’s what I track. So, vincent, I tell you that because where you need to start is, before you ever lay out the behaviors, you really need to lay out. What do you need to accomplish in order for you to hit your monthly goal. How many calls are you going to need to make? I’ve got to make three to four times the amount of calls that it’s going to take me to get the proposal in order to do that. So I know that measurement.
[17:18] – Mark Hunter (Host)
I want to come back to that, because you got to measure what matters Too many times. Just because it’s easy to measure doesn’t mean you should measure. I see so many salespeople. They are tracking things that really don’t make a difference.
[17:31]
Now, activities are absolutely key because the activities are we’re going to drive your results, like you said, the number of proposals you make, the number of calls you make, the number of emails but you’re measuring that because that makes a difference. You’re not measuring how many posts are you putting out on social media, or how many likes or how many no, totally irrelevant. And you’ve got to hone it down. And if you can’t get your metrics down to a simplistic number that you can very quickly gauge because I also see people and I see this when I work with companies they measure their activities, but it takes them three weeks to get the results after the quarter’s over. Okay, come on, excuse me, guys, we’re already 20% into the new quarter and you’re out. It’s got to be simplistic. If you can’t measure your results on a daily basis, you’re not measuring the right results.
[18:22] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Yeah, so true, john, I love what you’re adding here In essence, what his comment is about and the importance of being a listener. And, john, I think that’s really great advice to Vincent who’s just getting started. Vincent, I’d go out and I’d talk to per John’s advice. I’d talk to really successful people in your industry and ask them what works in their sales strategy, what doesn’t, and then talk to customers, say you know what works for you, what do you want to know about investments? What would be valuable for you? You can kind of go on a listening tour. And Hugh here, another valuable member of our SalesLogic mastermind really talking about he agrees that an action is never a strategy. Motion, motion, motion, motion, motion it is everything. But you’ve got to have that defined strategy. If you don’t have one, that’s where you need to start.
[19:11] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Well, and that’s the key that again, I could be busy but I’m not productive, and this is what I see so many salespeople Well, I’m busy, I’m busy. Well, what have you done to really create revenue? You haven’t done anything because, again, you’re putting your time into things that really don’t matter. Keep your process tight, simple. I go back to top performers. They have a very simplistic process that they literally repeat, repeat, repeat. And what does it do? It allows them to efficiently, efficiently sell and put the big numbers up.
[19:44] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
So if you want to be good at sales, you got to dare to be dull, you got to dare to be boring, right.
[19:50] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Spot on with that. And here’s the the whole thing. Just because it works for somebody else, do not think it’s going to necessarily work for you, because how many times have you know, like Mary, you got a great process. I’m going to copy it and I may not get the same results, because I have different customers, different, different you’ve. You’ve got to start off. You can start off with a template, uh, but then you’ve got to hone it down and make it fit for you, because, at the end of the day, sales is an emotional experience. Stop and think about that. An emotional experience and your sales process is a reflection of that and it transfers over to your customer, which ultimately determines the results you get.
[20:27] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
All right, we are burning time. What’s up for the book?
[20:31] – Mark Hunter (Host)
The book Blue Ocean Strategy.
[20:34] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Yeah, mark, and I have mentioned this book more than a few times. It was funny. I had a client email me yesterday that we’re working on some leadership things and he said can you tell me some things to be, can you tell me a few books to read to be an unbelievable leader? And I put down Blue Ocean Strategy because I think if you really want to understand how to put together a strategy, blue Ocean Strategy is the book you need to read, and because it’s going to push your thinking, it’s going to push your boundaries and that’s absolutely key.
[21:02]
Okay, you ready for the lightning round I want to make one comment before we get into it, because, mark, you made a great comment here that I really want our listeners to leave with. If it isn’t making you uncomfortable, you’re not pushing yourself hard enough. I just think that’s so key and I didn’t want to let it go.
[21:16] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Is that why we were both. I was in the gym before five. You came down about 5 am. Okay, because we’re doing this live at 7 am and yeah, we, yeah, it’s, it’s. You got to put yourself in uncomfortable situations to achieve the results that you want. Right Lightning round Ready. Top 10 strategies to stay motivated and selling through the holidays.
[21:38] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
I think if you want to stay motivated and sell through the holidays, you need a plan of how you’re going to do it, what you’re going to do, so that there’s no question in your mind how to do it.
[21:46] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Two you’ve got to realize that you have to play the long game and enjoy the holidays. But play the long game. Set yourself up for the first quarter.
[21:53] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Number three set a little competition with your friends and your peers so that you get a little guilt associated if you don’t do the strategies.
[22:01] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Number four know that relationships matter. Right now, calls and conversations are more powerful than ever.
[22:07] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Yeah, Number five think about the vision and how you want to start 2025 and remind yourself that taking a little bit of action now will make getting started in 2025 that much easier.
[22:18] – Mark Hunter (Host)
When you do have to stop because you got some sort of a holiday event. Stop, Be singularly focused on that and your family, your kids, whatever it is, and then you get back into work. But don’t try to do this multitasking thing during the holidays.
[22:31] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Number seven use selling through the holidays as an opportunity to get a reward. Like, I have to make three calls before I go play tennis, so I know that I’m going to get a reward after. That gets me motivated.
[22:47] – Mark Hunter (Host)
We’ve only had tennis brought up three times in today’s show, so clearly we have two more to go. Number nine or number eight, I don’t know what it is is, make sure that you are celebrating your success.
[22:59] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
Look back over the year, celebrate the success, hey congratulate yourself and use that as motivation to keep going. Yeah, I would say number nine if you want to stay motivated by selling, get on every morning and watch a YouTube video. Watch something that gets you motivated. Join SalesLogic Mastermind if that’s going to help you. All right, your turn.
[23:17] – Mark Hunter (Host)
Number 10 is make sure that you are focused on your goals, but it’s the activities that are going to achieve them. If all you are is focused on the goals, it’s easy to say, wow, I can’t get there. Focus on the activities that will drive you to the goals. It’s easy to say, wow, I can’t get there. Focus on the activities that will drive you to the goals. Hey, with that, people should join SalesLogic Mastermind because, again, every month, we’ve added a new feature called SalesLogic Expert Exchange. You got to be participating in these. There’s so many things in the SalesLogic Mastermind. Just go out to SalesLogicPodcastcom. You’ll see all the information there, and we want to see you in the program for 2025. Hey, with that, we want to say thank you for listening to Sales Logic. If you like what you hear, subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcast app. If something we’ve said has earned you a single dollar, consider telling a friend about our show, because it’s how we grow, when we help you grow. I’m Mark Hunt.
[24:07] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
And I’m Meredith Elliott Powell. Remember when you sell with confidence and integrity all of this uncertainty suddenly becomes your competitive advantage.
[24:13] – Mark Hunter (Host)
And the sale becomes logical.
[24:15] – Meridith Elliott Powell (Host)
All right, we’ll see you right back here next week for another episode of Sales Logic. Until then, go, clay’s a deal.