0
SPEAKER_04
In this episode of the Advanced Selling Podcast, we realize that Bill has way too much time on his hands for audio editing.
0
SPEAKER_04
We imitate the greatest sound known to any 8-year-old on their bicycle.
0
SPEAKER_04
And we take a listener call from Lauren about how to react when she loses deals based on price.
0
SPEAKER_04
Welcome, everybody, back to the Advanced Selling Podcast, the longest running sales training podcast in sales training podcast history.
0
SPEAKER_04
My name is Brian Neal.
0
SPEAKER_04
I m Bill Kasky.
0
SPEAKER_04
And we are here every week for your listening enjoyment.
0
SPEAKER_04
Coming off vacation, for me, I ve got my vacation voice going.
0
SPEAKER_04
If you are a new listener, we re glad you are here.
0
SPEAKER_04
If you are a veteran listener, tell all your friends.
0
SPEAKER_04
We are on the road.
0
SPEAKER_04
Send us an email, listener at advancedsellingpodcast.com.
0
SPEAKER_04
Put in the subject line, come see us.
0
SPEAKER_04
And we ll talk about how to get that started and come visit you.
0
SPEAKER_04
We like to do little trips like that.
0
SPEAKER_02
We love to do that.
0
SPEAKER_02
It s really fun.
0
SPEAKER_02
We get a lot of emails in here.
0
SPEAKER_02
Some of them have questions attached to them.
0
SPEAKER_02
You know how we love to hear from you.
0
SPEAKER_02
In fact, one of our topic today is going to be coming from a listener named Lauren, who has a really good question.
0
SPEAKER_02
But we also got a note from one Matt B. I don t know.
0
SPEAKER_02
Matt Boyd.
0
SPEAKER_02
We ll go ahead and use his name.
0
SPEAKER_02
Oh, can we?
0
SPEAKER_02
Yeah.
0
SPEAKER_02
OK.
0
SPEAKER_02
Well, we just did.
0
SPEAKER_02
He sent us a note, and it was rather funny.
0
SPEAKER_02
He said, hey, have you guys ever listened to yourself at half speed?
0
SPEAKER_02
Because we have some listeners who listen at 2x or 1.5x speed, which you can do on the device.
0
SPEAKER_02
And so that s good.
0
SPEAKER_02
I listen to some podcasts at 1.5x.
0
SPEAKER_02
But I thought, no, I have never actually taken a whole evening.
0
SPEAKER_02
Listen, stretch the podcast out, 20-minute podcast in two hours.
0
SPEAKER_02
But he said, well, you need to listen to it at half speed.
0
SPEAKER_02
So I went back and did a little digging, spent about nine hours on it.
0
SPEAKER_02
I was going to say, Bill, how long did this take you?
0
SPEAKER_02
I went back, and I want you to hear, Brian, what it would sound like at half speed.
0
SPEAKER_02
I m ready.
0
SPEAKER_01
Brian and I celebrate my 60th birthday with cake that has 1 million calories Coincidentally enough.
0
SPEAKER_01
It s called the millionaire cake We also hear from a listener who emailed us a question That wasn t the right question
0
SPEAKER_03
We re still trying to track down Brian s golf clubs from nine years ago That so is funny that is uh, that was some good Wow, well, I think I d had a stroke that s what it sounded like I d had a stroke it
0
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, I ve never.
0
SPEAKER_04
So it begs the question, who in the world would ever listen to a podcast at half speed?
0
SPEAKER_04
Matt.
0
SPEAKER_04
Matt B would.
0
SPEAKER_02
Absolutely.
0
SPEAKER_02
So thanks, Matt.
0
SPEAKER_02
You gave us a little.
0
SPEAKER_02
Gosh, that s funny.
0
SPEAKER_02
That s a little entertainment for the day.
0
SPEAKER_02
So I appreciate you, man.
0
SPEAKER_02
Yeah, maybe.
0
SPEAKER_02
But we do have a legitimate call.
0
SPEAKER_02
And this is from a listener named Lauren.
0
SPEAKER_02
So let s hear what Lauren has to say.
0
SPEAKER_00
Hey Bill and Brian, my name is Lauren and I m a relatively new listener.
0
SPEAKER_00
I recently started a position with a new company and your content has been very helpful in my transition, so thank you.
0
SPEAKER_00
In this new role, I partner with a variety of vendors who will ask me for a bid for one of their clients.
0
SPEAKER_00
My question to you is, what should my response be when my company s bid doesn t end up winning?
0
SPEAKER_00
Typically the reason we don t win is because of the bottom line.
0
SPEAKER_00
We are a relatively large company and our products and services tend to be more expensive than our smaller competitors.
0
SPEAKER_00
How should I be responding to the vendor without making it a price war?
0
SPEAKER_00
It s very difficult to communicate our value because I m working through the vendor and not establishing the relationship with the actual customer and decision maker.
0
SPEAKER_00
I realize we won t win every single time, but I feel as though the outcome may be different if there was no middleman involved.
0
SPEAKER_00
Thanks in advance for your help.
0
SPEAKER_00
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
0
SPEAKER_00
Keep up the great work, guys.
0
SPEAKER_02
So Ms.
0
SPEAKER_02
Lauren, great question.
0
SPEAKER_02
We ve got a couple different thoughts I had.
0
SPEAKER_02
I know you had some too.
0
SPEAKER_02
Is there anything we need to say before we get into it in terms of how she s thinking about this?
0
SPEAKER_02
issue?
0
SPEAKER_04
This is a very common issue with companies like this that sell through distributors or people that get specked in on engineering drawings or architectural drawings and things like that, where you don t have a direct path to the end user, to the buyer.
0
SPEAKER_04
It becomes very, very difficult.
0
SPEAKER_04
And some people even wonder, why the heck even have salespeople then?
0
SPEAKER_04
Why don t we just use marketing to keep in touch with this, which I don t think is the thing to do.
0
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, I think.
0
SPEAKER_04
Common problem, though.
0
SPEAKER_04
Extremely common problem.
0
SPEAKER_02
Agencies, if you re calling on advertising agencies trying to get them to spec, and you can t get to the client, and the agency doesn t ever want you to even talk to the client.
0
SPEAKER_02
No, because they re all scared of them.
0
SPEAKER_02
It is a fear-based thing, but.
0
SPEAKER_04
Yeah.
0
SPEAKER_04
So this may be, I ll hop into my thing here, if that s OK with you.
0
SPEAKER_02
Yeah, go ahead.
0
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, I think this might be a thinking thing, shall I?
0
SPEAKER_04
Hop on into that thing.
0
SPEAKER_04
Hop on into that thing.
0
SPEAKER_04
You mentioned, Lauren, in your comment, and this is for everyone else listening, she said, when we lose a deal, it almost always comes down to the bottom line, she said.
0
SPEAKER_04
And I would have you rethink that.
0
SPEAKER_04
The reason I have you rethink that is that s the message that you re getting from the person who s actually selling to the end user, who probably isn t an advanced selling podcast listener.
0
SPEAKER_04
Likely not.
0
SPEAKER_04
So they are not enlightened yet to know that that is rarely, if ever, the actual real problem.
0
SPEAKER_04
It just isn t.
0
SPEAKER_04
It s the easy thing to say to you so that you don t try to sell to them.
0
SPEAKER_04
Absolutely.
0
SPEAKER_04
So I think that s a deflective statement to you, Loren, so that you don t ask any more questions.
0
SPEAKER_04
Because then all you can do then is just lower your price, and then there s no skill or value in that at all for anybody.
0
SPEAKER_04
So I would have you rethink that first and foremost.
0
SPEAKER_04
That would be my first little bit to her.
0
SPEAKER_02
So I would go further than what you did, which you sort of highly suggested she look at a different way.
0
SPEAKER_02
I would say that it s never only price.
0
SPEAKER_02
Yeah.
0
SPEAKER_02
It s not that price is not in the mix, but it s never only price.
0
SPEAKER_02
So like you said, when we hear you say that it s price, no, it s not price.
0
SPEAKER_02
In fact, I think a lot of times we think price represents one of the top two reasons, and usually it s not in the top two.
0
SPEAKER_02
But that s what they re telling you, as Brian said.
0
SPEAKER_02
So I would go back through and say, OK, what else is there besides price that we re just missing?
0
SPEAKER_02
Here s my thought.
0
SPEAKER_02
A lot of times, and I had this exact thing happen, I was calling on a computer manufacturing, they were an assembler more than anything, and they were selling through CDNOW and some of these online retailers.
0
SPEAKER_02
And they would go in and talk about the features and benefits of their products, their servers.
0
SPEAKER_02
And that s the wrong thing to talk about with the vendor, with your channel.
0
SPEAKER_02
The right thing to talk about with your channel is how is your product, if they buy it and send it on to their customers, going to help them create more profitability, create less hassle.
0
SPEAKER_02
So the pain set changes.
0
SPEAKER_02
It s not the pains of the customer anymore, the end user, I mean.
0
SPEAKER_02
It s the pain of your customer.
0
SPEAKER_02
What are their problems?
0
SPEAKER_02
What are they trying to accomplish?
0
SPEAKER_02
And I think sometimes we, and I know that sounds so, how could you forget that?
0
SPEAKER_02
It s the person that s actually cutting you the check.
0
SPEAKER_02
But we get so wrapped up in our products, and we think that everybody cares about what product pain our product solves, not what s the business pain that our channel has.
0
SPEAKER_04
No, for sure.
0
SPEAKER_04
That s another, this is a real thinking shift as we re talking about it.
0
SPEAKER_04
Lauren, you ve got to start to think about your role in the whole process differently, which I think is what Bill s talking about.
0
SPEAKER_04
So we ve got a little phrase that we use around here.
0
SPEAKER_04
We talk about having an expert persona.
0
SPEAKER_04
And when we teach that and talk about that, what it means is not having an expertise in what you do.
0
SPEAKER_04
So if you sell floor coverings and you want to get your floor coverings specked in in an architectural setting,
0
SPEAKER_04
You don t become an expert in floor care.
0
SPEAKER_04
That s baked into the cake.
0
SPEAKER_04
You become an expert in construction, construction management, in interior design, in space and safety and wellness and things like that, and how floor covering impacts that.
0
SPEAKER_04
Because if you can teach your client, who in this case is the middle person,
0
SPEAKER_04
things that they may not know, or things that give them an edge to win the deal, you become more valuable to them.
0
SPEAKER_04
So that s what I d be looking for.
0
SPEAKER_04
I would be looking for things that I can educate my buyer about that give them an edge in winning a deal, and change that in your being, in how you show up, versus giving them what they ask for in a spec, or in a drawing, or whatever it is in your case.
0
SPEAKER_02
It s kind of the general contractor dilemma, which is when you re selling to a general contractor,
0
SPEAKER_02
We automatically say, well, you know what?
0
SPEAKER_02
The general really doesn t care whether he buys from Brian, Bill, or Travis.
0
SPEAKER_02
It doesn t really matter.
0
SPEAKER_02
Well, that s wrong.
0
SPEAKER_02
It does matter.
0
SPEAKER_02
It matters massively.
0
SPEAKER_02
It does matter.
0
SPEAKER_02
And there are some, we used to talk about this, well, what if you re
1
SPEAKER_00
What if you re 5% high?
1
SPEAKER_00
What if you re 10% high?
1
SPEAKER_00
I ve got a couple of clients who are 100% high.
1
SPEAKER_00
They re double everybody else, and they still get the business.
1
SPEAKER_00
So you would say, well, that can t be.
1
SPEAKER_00
There s just no.
1
SPEAKER_00
But it does, and it happens, and you ve had it too.
1
SPEAKER_00
So I just think we have to be careful of the assumptions we make about why people buy.
1
SPEAKER_00
Yes, without question.
1
SPEAKER_00
Do you have another one?
1
SPEAKER_01
Uh, I do not.
1
SPEAKER_01
I have two more that are.
1
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
1
SPEAKER_01
So the next thing is, uh, don t be afraid to challenge this process.
1
SPEAKER_01
And what I mean by that is everyone thinks that you re not allowed air quotes.
1
SPEAKER_01
There s a half air quotes.
1
SPEAKER_01
I m holding my phone in the other hand.
1
SPEAKER_01
You re not allowed to go direct to the buyer.
1
SPEAKER_01
Who said that?
1
SPEAKER_01
Who made up that law or that rule?
1
SPEAKER_01
You don t do that because you re scared.
1
SPEAKER_01
Because you re scared that if you do, you re never going to get another piece of business from this person.
1
SPEAKER_01
That s your issue.
1
SPEAKER_01
The fear is your issue.
1
SPEAKER_01
And you may be right.
1
SPEAKER_01
You have to do it tactfully.
1
SPEAKER_01
And so think about how you can turn that around.
1
SPEAKER_01
Here s a way to turn it around.
1
SPEAKER_01
I ll use my little example earlier.
1
SPEAKER_01
If I sell in construction, I sell lighting, I can have a little symposium on,
1
SPEAKER_01
You ve seen the little nest thing at home, right?
1
SPEAKER_01
It s like a nest where connectivity between utilities is a big buzzy thing.
1
SPEAKER_01
So I have some connectivity speaker come in and talk about this, and I invite all these building owners to this event.
1
SPEAKER_01
And you also invite your customers to the event, who are the ones that sell to the building owners.
1
SPEAKER_01
And you become the hub of that thing.
1
SPEAKER_01
And you create this environment where they all get to come together and talk about connectivity and utilities.
1
SPEAKER_01
That s how you get around the process, where you have a direct line to both of them.
1
SPEAKER_01
And you re doing something valuable to bring them together.
1
SPEAKER_01
I like that.
1
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
1
SPEAKER_00
So get a little creative.
1
SPEAKER_00
And if you don t want to do it face-to-face, you can do a webinar.
1
SPEAKER_00
You can do an online chat or some kind of an online panel.
1
SPEAKER_00
But you ve got to figure out a way to get your expertise into the business.
1
SPEAKER_00
And you are the hub.
1
SPEAKER_00
You re not the spoke.
1
SPEAKER_00
You re the hub for this.
1
SPEAKER_00
Right now, you re a spoke.
1
SPEAKER_00
You re feeling like a spoke.
1
SPEAKER_00
A third wheel, if you will.
1
SPEAKER_00
As opposed to a fifth wheel.
1
SPEAKER_01
You might even be a baseball card that is attached to the bike that makes it sound like this.
1
SPEAKER_00
Oh, there was there was nothing like that, though, especially when it was a brand new one.
1
SPEAKER_01
Cash.
1
SPEAKER_01
It was good, man.
1
SPEAKER_01
It s the best use for clothespins, too.
1
SPEAKER_01
There s no there s no doubt the clothespin baseball card on the bike trick as an eight year old boy.
1
SPEAKER_01
There s nothing better.
1
SPEAKER_01
Do you have any pictures?
1
SPEAKER_01
I don t think that noise is good, isn t it?
1
SPEAKER_01
And it s just perfect because the spokes were like I was going to take a bike ride tonight.
1
SPEAKER_00
I think I m going to be sure I don t have any.
1
SPEAKER_00
I don t have any clothespins or baseball cards.
1
SPEAKER_01
Tomorrow, everyone in Carmel, Indiana is going, yeah, there s some jerk riding around with a baseball cart, some grown man baseball cart attached to his bike.
1
SPEAKER_01
That s funny.
1
SPEAKER_01
Do you have one more?
1
SPEAKER_01
Or do you want to end it?
1
SPEAKER_01
I don t know if I like my last one.
1
SPEAKER_01
Do you have one?
1
SPEAKER_00
No, I don t.
1
SPEAKER_00
OK, let me say this.
1
SPEAKER_01
I can t believe I m saying this.
1
SPEAKER_01
Part of me says, let s leave it be.
1
SPEAKER_01
Let s leave it be.
1
SPEAKER_01
If this is your business and this is the process, find ways to be valuable.
1
SPEAKER_01
And this just might be it.
1
SPEAKER_01
So then your game turns into a numbers game, where you, on average, win 2 out of 10.
1
SPEAKER_01
Then you ve got to find a way to find new customers.
1
SPEAKER_01
So you go to a different problem.
1
SPEAKER_01
So what you re trying to do is, how do I get the customers that I m selling to now to say yes more or win more?
1
SPEAKER_01
Or I might say, some battles aren t worth fighting.
1
SPEAKER_01
And you let that go, and you go find more customers.
1
SPEAKER_00
It doesn t sound like this is the ideal scenario.
1
SPEAKER_00
And so you either make it the ideal scenario, or you find prospects who are willing to follow you on your path.
1
SPEAKER_00
And there s got to be some value for them, though, on this journey that you re going to take them on where they have to be, they have to give you access to people.
1
SPEAKER_00
And if there s no value for them, they re going to see you just as a commodity.
1
SPEAKER_00
Yes, they will.
1
SPEAKER_00
Okay, if you want to talk to us about coming out to see you and your team, either both of us or one of us, make sure you send us an email to listener at Advance Selling Podcast.
1
SPEAKER_00
You can put in the subject line, come see us and that ll get the ball rolling.
1
SPEAKER_00
We ll schedule a meeting with you where we can talk a little bit about what you re trying to accomplish, but more importantly, what we re trying to accomplish.
1
SPEAKER_00
That s not true.
1
SPEAKER_00
We ll talk about you and what your issues are and how we can help.
1
SPEAKER_00
So, also, if you have a question, and it s a good one, just like Lauren s was, send us a voice memo to listener at advancedsellingpodcast.com, and we ll get that puppy on the air.
1
SPEAKER_00
See you next time.
1
SPEAKER_00
Bye.