You have got to show up the first time with a process and a mindset and a way of doing things. The signals that you are all about the moment that you're in. You're not about getting some outcome like getting a deal.
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Hello and welcome to the Audible Ready Sales Podcast. I'm Rachel Klett Miller. Joining me today is our own Brian Walsh. Hi Brian, how are you well?
Rachel? I've been great. I've been up for eight and a half hours today because one of my dogs got skunked. At three point thirty in the morning, a beautiful fall night in Cleveland. One of the dogs had to go out, so they both went and one of them got skunked. So I'm dealing with skunk smell on me in my house, on my dog. It's been a fabulous eight hour shart to my week.
Let's go oh, oh my gosh, well that is a start to your week, Brian.
Right through it, it was like walking through a haze of a horror movie. I smelled it and I went to grab the dog and literally I felt it coming over me.
It was.
It was terrific.
Laugh right, and you don't well, I will see you don't sound like or look like you smell like skunk.
So there's that. We don't do these podcasts in smell a vision, right exactly.
So as we shift to sales topics today, Brian, we're going to talk through some best practices for staying tethered to accounts no matter what you smell like. Right, We know we need to do it, but how do we do it? How do we make it part of our selling discipline, our habits? So this is what we're going to talk about today. And Brian, I know that you've sold, you've managed, you've coached, you've helped entire organizations get better
at this. I want to start with just hearing from you about the mindset that we all need to have in order to do this.
Well. Yeah, so I think the mindset has got to be about lifetime value. Now, look, I know some organizations aren't built around the concept of extracting lifetime value and having long term relationships. And if you're not, you should
probably just hang up from this podcast. But if you are, if you're interested in long term relationships right and more wallet share, that's the reason this conversation matters because in my mind, it's actually the only way to get there is to have this mindset that says we're going to do all the right things from the moment we enter. And I know you're going to ask me some of
the questions, so I'll just stop right there. But I just think the mindset has got to be about long term growths, not just retention.
That makes sense, yes, long term growth, and it's really more than just checking in on the accounts. I have some vendors that we've worked with that I can feel that they're just checking in, like some task popped up in Salesforce and they need to just send me an email. So how do you prevent the appearance of just checking the box when you're checking in with your contact?
That's a great question. It goes back to what I said, It starts the moment you enter, right, So I think that's the first thing. The moment you enter a customer organization, the way you enter that initial conversation and how you set that up, and how you set up how you think about the relationship that you're going to have, and how you speak to that in terms of value act. That's the goalpost that you're kind of creating or setting up.
So it starts with that both internal and external communication, right, so as other people come in and out from both our organization or the customers organizations, there's this ability to constantly have a why that matters more than anything else. Why are we here, What are we trying to solve? What does great look like? Then you can get into the what what do you do to get there? And
all of that. But it also I think includes the understanding that there are results measures that everybody cares about, right getting a deal, getting to an ROI for a customer, etc.
Those are results measures. I want to focus on what I call the process measures from the moment I enter, meaning what are the things that we're doing that give us the best chance to qualify this opportunity for both sides and be honest with each other about what this opportunity is or is it, and where this opportunity is or isn't where it's going or where it's not, so that every step of the way, we're doing the right things in the right way at the right time before
the sale and after the sale, which give us the best chance of getting to those outcomes. And it's also the kinds of things that we can use You've heard me talk about this before to measure where we are and getst getting there so we can course correct or adjust along the way. And I think less but not least if you agree with that kind of take on the world, it also means that And I'm right now kind of thinking about the frontline individual contributor who's leading
a customer relationship with other people that's around them. But someone's got to take accountability to those behaviors or short term process metrics or it's already lost, right, And any outcomes that you get are just kind of luck and happenstance. So I think that's the first thing. You have got to show up the first time with a process and a mindset and a way of doing things that signals that you are all about the moment that you're in.
You're not about getting some outcome like getting a deal.
Yeah, it's about managing the now so you can better manage the future.
Right, Yeah, you set up what the future is all about. Yeah, this conversation and where we're trying to go. Yeah, and there's.
Two parts of this which you've kind of mentioned, Like one is staying titled when you're trying to sell that initial deal and then then post sales. So I want to talk about the two of those. I know that even some of our customers right now are kind of shifting, like the consumption a consumption model, So what you were responsible with in the relationship before might be different now
and your role may be adjusting. But anyway, so let's just talk about staying tethered when you're first selling, when you're first building that customer relationship. We talk about validating and qualifying the deal, which require byers you stay tethered. Right, But what does that mean to you when I say that? And how do I make sure I have discipline around that as a rep?
Yeah? Great question, And I think you're right, there's the before and the after. The two are connected. But on the before side of this, I think it's the thing that the best sellers always do. They ensure that every conversation starts and finishes with what we've heard, but before
that even happens. The best people understand that every interaction with a customer, and again i'm talking the before here, before we even get the first deal and every deal subsequently that we work on, but every interaction has a defined objective for that moment, and I define that step so that before I that interaction even takes place, I am ready along with the rest of my team at a minimum, and hopefully the customer is even ready because
I've gotten some people on the customer side prepared for this interaction before it takes place. But at a minimum, I am showing up knowing, here's my objective for this moment, and here's what the appropriate next step is, assuming we achieve that objective in the time that we have today, so that I'm never trying to have to think in the moment about, well, what's the right next thing to do, or I'm not surprising people with some inappropriate next step
because it's all I can think of. So there's that there's this idea that I show up with, as I mentioned, an ability to quickly draft people in who haven't been there from my team or the customer's team with the Hey, here's where we already are, Here's what we already know, Here's what we're trying to solve for, here's what great looks like. This playback of everything that we already know.
That I actually use at the beginning of a conversation every conversation to draft other people in as I mentioned, but to kick off more and deeper discovery, right, so I can in that moment always make sure that discoveries are part of every conversation. I'm expanding and deepening the conversation. And then lastly, I'm using that moment to always qualify who's in the room. I had. This happened just the
other day. I was in a conversation with one of the sales team members on our team and five or six people from a current client, and we're talking about another thing, another issue that they're having, and it was really interesting as we were doing deeper discovery with them to start to figure out and I already know who
these people are. I've worked with them now for a while, but it was interesting in that moment to realize, Oh, in this case, this person has a lot more say in the conversation that we're having than they had a year and a half ago in a different conversation. They were in the room for that conversation, but they didn't have the kind of say or sway this conversation. So I'm constantly using this point of view to do all of that qualification of who's who, what's what, all of that.
And I think the last thing Rachel is this also puts me in a position at the end of it conversation or in the follow up in it like an email kind of thing, to not only recap and help people realize that we've just expanded the conversation or gone deeper, but even drop in new points of view. Hey, I've been thinking about you can do this at the beginning too, Right, here's what I've heard the last conversation. Here's a playback
on what I've heard. But you know, there's something I typically hear from other clients that I don't think we've talked about yet. So it's really in my mind on the pursuit side, all about showing up every step of the way with a really solid understanding of you know what I'm about to say. The challenges are trying to truly help you think through and the outcomes attached to solving true those and I think you're going to go somewhere deeper solving it there.
Yeah, and you mentioned a couple of ways that you
use that information as part of a follow up. I think it's always helpful on these podcast when our experts share some of their favorite questions that they use in the conversation to validate some of the components or maybe just kind of your tried and true ways to ensure you're getting the information on the table that you need to because we all know there's all this stuff going on without you, right, so you make sure that you're bringing this stuff up that you can validate some of
the things that you need to.
Yeah. I think that's a great question. So first of all, I would say it is very powerful if you have a point of view in terms of who matters and why they matter. Because you've heard me say this before. A lot of us were talked to ask the question, who else is going to be involved in this decision? And you know, I've come to believe that ninety percent of the people we talk to you don't know. And it's not that they don't care, it's just they don't
Whatever I do for a living. They're not involved in that every single day. They're certainly not buying for it every single day. So you probably have a much better point of view anyhow as to who's going to be involved and why they matter for different reasons, right, I care about the purchasing and the spend. I care about the who we're going to buy from, or I care about the how do we implement something successfully? So those
are typically going to be different people. So having a point of view like that in my hip pocket makes it a lot easier for me to put that on the table and not have to ask, but to say, hey, we have expertise, we know who the people in your organization are going to be that are typically involved in something like this, because now it puts you in a
position to ask for access for the right reasons. And this is something that I think is really important, the ability to ask for access in a way that most people don't. Most people ask for access by saying, hey, who else is going to be involved in this and can I meet them? Now? That's one end of the spectrum beca you know what I mean, a lot of done that. I've done it, you know I did it.
But on the other end of that spectrum. It's a person who can say, look, these are the people that we know are going to be a part of this conversation for one of the following big reasons, and here's why those people should see us. Like I purposefully say us, I'm talking to you, and I know that I also need to get access to your CEO, your chief operating officer, whatever I'll say, Rachel, here's why your chief operating officer
is going to care about this. From our experience, this COO typically thinks about the following three or four things when it comes to this conversation. Here's why they're going to care, and here's why you should take me there. So now I've asked you in a valuable way for both you and the other person I want access to. And the why is not about me. Why is that I need to see them so I can check a box and salesforce that I met the COO. I know, here's why they care, Here's why you should take me.
And then I think, no matter who you're in front of, one of the things you got to get comfortable with and it just comes from doing it and learning that it's not all that scary a thing. To do. And everyone who's listening to this who does this will agree with me. You've got to get comfortable whatever you hear and asking two or three more questions whatever they say, you got to get comfortable. Well, so what I met a guy in a client last earlier this year. I
just loved it. He's been very successful and he's very honest about it. He said, I just keep asking the same question. Well then what's just like, oh, and it works for this guy, it's great, right, But you know it's like, well then what or so what or why does that matter? Who else is impacted by this? Because here's what we typically see or what will happen if you don't solve
for this. So your willingness to grab whatever you hear and pull on that thread two, three, four different ways, you know, even thinking about when you're talking about a current situation or an outcome and the impacts, whether they're negative consequences or positive business outcomes. Typically there's four or five constituencies that you can pull on the company, the team, the department, the customer. You am I willing to go to that level of depth. That's I think how you
do this. You've got to be willing to go there.
Yeah, the depth is where you can really provide the value. And I know I set this conversation up to talk like the initial sale and then the post sale, and the really truth is, Brian, everything you've said is a little bant after the sale, right, we still have requirements for success, we still have outcomes, we're still trying to drive all of that. But maybe just some pointed things
we can talk about once you've established a relationship. What are some common mistakes that you see reps make when it comes to staying tethered to the account for the long term, right after the initial whatever it is deal is done.
Well, the first mistake they make is they don't do a great job on the front end of documenting and getting customer agreement on what are the challenges we're trying to help you solve and one of the outcomes that we're trying to help you drive to. If you don't do that on the front end, this is going to get really tough because now you're just going to be viewed to someone that they're buying from. Right. So that's
the first thing. But the second mistake they make, when they do make a mistake is even if they do that well in the front end, they don't create short term process measures that give the rest of the team the ability to look for the things to tell them they're heading in the right direction. All they get is, Hey, the customer's got a goal of going live by September
first of twenty twenty five. Okay, well, what are the other things we've agreed upon to put in place between now and then to make sure we're on the right track, and that two months in, if we're off track, we have more than enough time to adjust. So there's that. And then the other big mistake they make when they make them is they don't communicate those things effectively to the people who are coming in after the fact. I win the deal, I throw the deal over the fence
to somebody else. I'm like, good luck, let me know if you need anything right versus Hey, here's exactly why this customer wont This is what's being put in place. These are both the short term metrics so that we can adjust as appropriate that give us the best chance they get to September one of next year, and or these are the outcomes we're trying to truly drive by then. And then the other big mistake they make is they
expect other people to just go do it. Now. I know the conversation models and the type of I'm in will have an impact on this, but most companies do have people who care about the successful outcome. So maybe it's not the new business rep. Maybe their job is to move on and go through something else. That's fine, but there's somebody whose job it is to make this thing happen, and whoever sold it has the responsibility to communicate it so that this person can then take that
ball and run with it and lead. And then I think the last big mistake they make is they don't stay engaged. They wait. I mean, they're happy to re engage when they get a phone call that says, hey, there's a new opportunity here, but they don't stay engaged. So now they're kind of parachuting in and out of
the account. And if you're in a role where you get, hey, pass the first deal, I just think you have a responsibility and customers react so much better to that level of consistency that you didn't just handle the ball off to somebody else and like, call me if you need me. So those are my big three or four thoughts on that.
Yeah, some great points there, Brian. And also this idea too. I'm like, even if you're not compensated on what happens after the initial sale, right, staying engaged can still drive value. Like let's not forget referrals that people can throw you when they're happy with the business.
Right.
So I'd love to hear from you how you like to stay in touch with people? Is it finding reasons to reach out? Like how do you do that? How do you make sure that you're continually being a resource, whether or not you're compensated for it or not? Right?
I read? Okay, Yeah, that's somewhat for mudginally because I think reading is becoming a lost art. And I have to force myself too, because I get it. I mean, we get hit with so many different venues of communication these days, but I try to read the other thing I try to do. And it's a little different for me because I'm now not an individual seller anymore. But as a seller, I would find ways to do networking.
I'd do like CIO type dinners or lunches where I'd get two CIOs I'm doing business with and two CIOs and I'm trying to get more time with etc. And I get them together, and you know those kinds of things. I'm constantly looking for something that I can send you a note on that we are either relevant to or we've seen other people deal with, so I can maybe give you a point of view or send you in a direction to say, hey, I saw that your company's thinking about this. I don't know if you know, but
that happened here. Here's I remember them doing X. Does not have anything to do with me, but certainly made me think of you. And I'd be happy to introduce you to that person if I can so as anything
like that. But I also think when it comes to you and who you are to the customer, you have a responsibility to make sure that if they're sitting in a certain seat by mid low right, you're thinking about what does that person care about on a day to day basis, and if I'm going to communicate to them about us specifically in this project that we're doing or we just sold them or whatever, I have to remind myself that deck communication has got to meet them where
they live like. It's the classic examples to why economic buyers have a tency to not come to quarterly business reviews. It's because the quarterly business review is typically a replay of, Hey, here's how many people are using our software or our product, and here's what your building looks like, and here's what your consumption is like. They don't care about that. They care about what's the business problem you're helping me solve. How are you doing in helping me solve that? What
results are we getting as a result of that? Right? Because I also think back to the point that you made about reference ability and next deals, et cetera. How you communicate to them after the sale will have a huge impact and whether or not you get considered thoroughly for next opportunities.
Yeah, I think there's been some great points of discussion here, Brian, and I think we could probably spend a couple hours on this topic, right, And I think that the way I've appreciated the way you approach this topic because it's it's something that we need to remember with every account, right,
because we get so much throat at us. That's sometimes the things that fall by the wayside unintentionally, but help differentiate you as a rep, help your relationships, and when you nurture relationships, they're there when you need them right, If you haven't been nurturing them, it's really hard to fly in out of the blue and say, hey, can I get a referral?
Right?
What's the one thing you want people to remember about this topic? What's the big takeaway for them today?
I think the big takeaway is if you don't do this from the start, it's really hard to go back and put these stories together. So I think it's how you enter initially that matters, and that it's on you. Don't wait for somebody else to do it for you. It's on you to set up a relationship that's based on business value, just not product or technical value that
you can then attach to. It's easier to attach to what I'm trying to help you solve for and when I'm trying to help you accomplish and it is something cool that my platform does right. And I think the other thing I'll remind people of is if you do this really well on the front end, you cannot only hold other people on your team accountable and actually hold the customer accountable to know what they were trying to solve for. But when change happens inside of an account
and you only have two choices. When one of your key contacts moves on or leaves, you only got two choices. You can hide from the new person who takes Thatchir, or you can go running to them. I prefer to be able to go running to someone because I have a great story to tell them, Because if I hide, there's a good chance they're going to realize I'm hiding for a reason. And so that's my other take on this. I think what this kind of mindset does for you
in an account that's going to have change. People change jobs and companies change, et cetera, et cetera, it just puts you in a much better position to make it easy for people to go, oh, that's a great relationship. We're good. Let's feel focused on the ones that are Yeah.
That's it, Brian, great gems today, despite all your struggles in the overnight hours with make sure your.
Dog wear a Clane sweatshirt that doesn't smell like stunk yet, So that's good. Maybe we're making progress.
Well, I appreciate you taking time to talk with me on this today as you clean up your dog and your house and all of that. You thank you, thank you talk so all right, thank you to all of you for listening to the Audible Ready Sales podcast.
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