TRANSCRIPT

0:00  TERRY LANCASTER

You My name is Terry Lancaster. I'm a marketing strategist. I'm an author. I'm a trainer, and I'm a storyteller. I help businesses tell their story better. And people ask me what what does that mean? It's pretty simple. Every everything has words. I put the words to Kevin some of the graphic design. I'm not much of a graphic designer, but there's always words that have to go into that. So I write blog posts, radio and television spots I like to copy for websites, or write direct mail pieces, but I help businesses tell their story better 90% of the work I do is in the car business, and I wrote the book, How to sell more cars. So I'd love an introduction to a car dealer. But I also work in several industries because everyone needs to tell their stories of just this week. Yesterday, actually one o'clock this morning. I was writing a landing page for a crawl space cleaning company in San Francisco. And this afternoon, I'm going to be meeting with a mortgage broker in Georgia to design a direct mail piece so we got lots of things going on, mostly in the automotive industry, but anything that has to do with marketing, training and and putting words on paper, I I got my started on this on Telegram, an accidental salesperson, this job in and I realized very quickly that pseudo famous that they made almost no money. And so when I when I graduated from college, I went into radio sales, and that's more than a few years ago, so I was selling radio advertising in Mississippi. I had a lot of friends in the television industry. And that's when I first started hearing the name, Jim Doyle, from Jim Doyle and Associates they were at the three imminent training of is still are pretty imminent training company in the television industry. And I've got I've got to say that every man every one, every man joined the army straight out of college, because that's what makes me every person spent at least a year selling radio or television advertising. You can sell radio and television and smoke. There's no barrier there. But you really need a lot of fun to be able to sell radio advertising and Jim Doyle has been selling television advertising for half a degree and training for leaders in the television industry in the last 30 years and he just retired a few years ago that would be an amazing career and not a doctor who tells me so you got a little bored and decided that a new project. I'm going to introduce a bazillion great salespeople and write a book about it. So how's that for retirement project that doesn't sound like you drafted up but I think you just published a book this year it's selling with a servant's heart. Tell us today what he learned by talking to the best salespeople in the United States of America. Jim, how are you buddy?

3:48  Jim Doyle

Nice to be here. Pretty much what you can take away from that introduction to two things. One that I'm old 50 years of making sales calls and the second that I second call and sadly both of those things are true. Which is really unfortunate. And what Teresa right the way you described entering the sales beat on the air. We feel that most people do that. When they decided on air telling you they want to drive a car built in the same decade they're living in I think I'll get into sales like that. So, so you know the folks on this we have been for a long time. And you know, if you Google today, the books that are sales books they have titles like close pitch, when in persuading me to a group even of 20 and 30 year old salespeople close early and always on closing, you know, I remember as a brand new sales manager, newer sales manager, taking my team down to the heights of conventions in Boston, Massachusetts. So I read that team for a day of sales, training their salespeople from hundreds of different industries. And on this stage, there's a guy who's one of the Guru's of his day. He came out what was he talking about? He was talking about whatever we talk about in those days. You got to close you got to ask for the order. And he came in sorts business and he said, remember it's so well he said, you know, here's what I if I uncouple and they've got a couple of kids bounce around. You said I'm trying to solve the trenches, and I'll tell the story. I'm told a story about another young company. And just like they had a couple of precious, beautiful kids. And unfortunately, I was unable to sell them insurance. And how did I feel that six weeks later, when I read that those those those baby's parents suspicious baby's parents were killed in a tragic car accident. And if they were here tonight, what do you think they'd advise you? And he said, That's what I call the back the hearse up to the door and let him smell the carnations clothes. And I hope that you all don't think that I'm sitting there in that audience. That's good. TV, no, well, you didn't buy our advertising your business clothes 30 years ago. 31 years ago, I started working with sales organizations in the broadcasting business and they had just a wonderful run we built and continue to a company that was 25 employees and make probably 4000 sales calls a year on real life clients. We and what I learned was that the people who were the most successful, didn't sell that way at all. And so I got to sign my clients, literally the quiet time to go on and on. I got to do this book, I got the title, it's right time to really wanting to meditation time. And then about a month later, I've got what turned out to be the killer idea. And I went around and just I wanted to more than just meet up. So I did close to 35 interviews, wanting different industries, some of the most extraordinary salespeople that I ever met in my life. But the one thing that characterize all of them, they were the highest. And they will describe that I met he was referred by a former client of mine. And what I would do is I call people and I'd say hey, this book

8:23  Jim Doyle

they would give me these names. They were in the RV business probably sells more dollar volume just as one individual than 90% of the RV dealers in America do and that's how substantial he sells these big coaches you know, that sold most of the entrepreneurs and former corporate executives. We have $2 million in value 60% of his businesses repeat 30% of his business for for ever coaching brand new salespeople. You know if we can get that low churn if we can have that high of repeat business, you start you're really just on the 30 yard line 100 yard racing. And customers absolutely raved about this. By the way, almost all of us today in business are in some form, and risk of being a commodity that was more expensive than its nearest competitor. So to build a relationship and build unbelievable loyalty, Lisa was forced on 4500 realtors in Sarasota County, Florida where I live up with million dollars. Who really knows the big big number 150 million in 2021 Jeff Wagner was nice and I was introduced to for fine line in the mortgage broking business is broken into like six eight mortgages a month, chapter 16. So that's the kind of level that we target so we came up with some ideas that became the genesis solely with a servant's heart that came out wonderfully, wonderfully well. Thank you. So I thought I'd just take a second and talk a little bit about some things here one of the lessons and then open it up for questions. Terry as an attorney you want me to be brilliant or greetings and brief. So what is selling? I think it is an obsession with the customer. So this is way beyond when with quite bad credit. You know, I think one of the focus on how the other person sort of in part Silla is actually so much more focused on the customer when, even if it means it's good for the customer. They know it will ultimately be good for them. So they're not afraid to take a short term, what might seem like a snapback order for the long term benefit of the customer because they have such a high level of competence. That's a win. And so once you get to that level of several changes, almost everything about this type of question for you. And it also changes all that for free, which is the owner, one of the owners of a family owned insurance agency, the Richmond agency of Michigan. Now and probably a lot of us have an insurance agency involved and my insurance agency. When I call up the insurance agency, I call Lowe's and lowest woman who changes my policy. She's the one who will add you know a new car or take off a car that you sold me questions about what company might have two three days before the hurricane. And so we talked to Lois and every insurance agency in America that I've dealt with my entire life, there's a lowest price is to sort of find this focus on assessment. So he changes the grasses over lotuses in his agency. He's got a red team and the greens. The red team handles the same kind of noticeable

Unknown Speaker  12:49  
person. But the green tea, they're looking at Group Policy, maybe a month, maybe six weeks before it comes up for renewal. And they're reaching out to you proactively, and they're seeing you hate your homeowners is coming out and we think there's a way that we can get the same level of coverage and actually reduce your premium. Exactly, we've outlined that. I don't know what your short term seems like forever and half the time I've never heard from us before. Only How would you feel if you get a call from somebody on his team about that organizations?

Unknown Speaker  13:35  
Talking about the business look at the amount of Radio TV progressive state farm Allstate. Here's an independent agent growing significantly. What is my customer outcomes? Probably the motto of this is the highest lead acquisition salesperson. So Dallas is my model. So I took all these interviews and distilled the top ten sales lessons on joy and increased income. And I really want to join pieces for you, these people have such

Unknown Speaker  14:29  
extraordinary

Unknown Speaker  14:34  
work that they get, and it's not just in their finances. They truly want to make a difference. They truly are committed to customers. You know, when Lisa? She said when I made the bold move from selling service restoration after 20 years of selling that. One of the things that may have been a blessing about the book kameez number of people who have bought it for their kids, because the kids are beginning sales careers and what they're trying to do is is help their kids to fall in love. Because selling is done correctly. It's imagined and it has so much opportunity to bring us so I hope we're having lessons in the q&a time. Worked on 10 I worked for them play the long game, ask a million questions, teach notes sell which is way to think about how you make a presentation. Closing art and trust customers not always and I will talk about just one of those just a second with this group today. Because I've gotten a personal lesson about this just in the last couple of couple of weeks. You know, I have this amazing gift or a few years ago with any students it has now my kindergarten I was excited and they will want to introduce Stu and at the time. He was the number one dodge dealer in America in the morning. And so I love hanging around people that looks successful. Look at that kind of stuff. And we get private pulling away from the rest of you just turn down offer dealerships for something outrageous, monstrous amount of multiple 10s of millions of dollars. We talked a little bit about how that decision is family

17:02  Jim Doyle

so we will increase inflation for cars. Who's Who's taking more notes than anyone who's the first person to come up to that session with a question

Unknown Speaker  17:25  
who actually did go through this and etc. Because it was one thing he thought that I was on to that they might be appropriate but it just taught me so much I have never met a successful person is a lifelong

Unknown Speaker  17:46  
Ontarian QRP people floating around I probably 50 years ago told you that I probably more than anybody maybe aside about marketing. Anyway. Go watch the presentation. And somebody was talking about Cardinal marketing and I realized that have a card advice for me today. Agents because I've gotten in touch with University of Notre Dame professors who teach said a great line he said if we fail to change the world goes on just become increasingly irrelevant if we will, just because I think especially it's we've had success, and we've have some of the benefits. We've got to be really, really careful to keep learning and keep growing and keep trying to be better at our craft but better at understanding our chronic stones. Named some of you might know us the greatest motivational speaker of all time, was a colleague of mine, the National Speakers Association, five years who say you will be the same person you are today, except for the books you read, and the people you meet, or MIT and even the podcasts within zoom calls. You We can't stay the same today. I've been coaching sales managers in the last few years. If you have a salesperson who says see today, as your business gets harder and harder and harder. There are the lights plus the same thing for those of us who need A's or a minus. If I don't change and continue to grow. I'm a C plus. And as the business gets harder and harder, all of the space that we work in, we're challenging we've got to do so much longer. Into the question that was right before he has sent them to the power grid. It's very sad that we weren't able to do that on Tuesday when I wrote this book first I thought I'd pass this on have so many wonderful conversations with people I realized that this is a book it's not just about sales, it's really about about life. You know, a friend of mine has a great mind and she said something like gifts givers takes from the universe as appropriate accounting system. You know whether that was my kids. My wife was amazing. I wrote a book that had that she wonders if I read that chapter or even read it again. What are the things that I've come to understand this privilege of meeting all these wonderful sailors is if you want to sell more, the way to serve more, so I'm excited question time period. Thank you. Oh, by the way, part of any organization that the highlight of the years that dirty Christmas, I've decided that I want to move to Nashville join

Terry Lancaster  21:06  
is Jeff, thank you so much. And you know, I was looking at your top ten sales lessons there and you had the closing is such as you know, don't close at we get that a lot. The clothes early most often are not always the clothes that I had a chance to interview Bob Berg who wrote the Go Giver. If you have to resort to ninja clothes and secret word tracks to convince people to buy something that they don't want to buy, that's not sales, that's criminal fraud, who use it. So we get a lot of a lot of trainers have completely backwards.

Unknown Speaker  21:49  
I think we need all of us who have the opportunity to mentor people we're coming up with people that we know the community WordPress. Everyone surely aware of it. So they're they're not always the first word in the title of the book itself. This is a selling book is not a book. It's about selling, but what sort of customer obsession with customer results. There's no driven to find out what the issues are the customer face they're so driven to really understand the business issues behind the decision. But by the time they get to the point it's very, very, very relaxed.

Terry Lancaster  22:42  
To be automatic. It should just

Unknown Speaker  22:45  
Well, I think especially one of the top ten sales lessons in the book that I'm probably got clear on the interviews was this idea of teach themselves. So if I'm working with a customer and I'm talking about how am I gonna work out why.

Unknown Speaker  23:06  
Here's how you ready business. I want to reduce the effects of these illustrator dollars this is actually true. During that period of time, my arbitrage Arbitron ratings company back in the day

Unknown Speaker  23:34  
radio. My question was pure reward. And I featured here in the book because of all the people who've ever called me. He goes, most representative may have a new product and products because they're really appealing. So they would come up with some skin and I'm broke. I mean, like businesses struggling. Like many of you sort of mail every day to have scared and grow and then figure out a way to show me that product and say this is how you can use this to position your station in a way that we make it look like we actually had listeners or members and and you would walk out with the AnyConnect contract over and over and over. Showing me not mine. A lot of time in the diagnosis process with why selling this house and how something's going on then closing becomes really easy. But I think from the nods I think I'm speaking to the choir a little bit

Terry Lancaster  24:54  
Well, we I will open up to questions in just a second but I've got one more for you. Do you get the top ten sales lessons and you talked about the the never stop learning. But if you hadn't again and just the point if you had to write a new book and you only have one of the top ten sales lessons to write it on, what would it be?