How can mastering storytelling become your ultimate sales superpower? Insights with Stephen Steers.
Episode 29 Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)
How can mastering storytelling become your ultimate sales superpower? Insights with Stephen Steers.
In this engaging episode of the Business Superfans Podcast, host Freddy D chats with Stephen Steers , the entrepreneurial spirit behind Context Selling. Stephen shares his evolution from childhood ice pop salesman to sales strategy guru, emphasizing the transformative power of storytelling in sales. They explore how personalized communication and a deep understanding of client needs can turn prospects into superfans. Despite a technical hiccup during a pivotal Bosch presentation, Stephen’s integrity and adaptability shine through, securing the deal. The duo reflects on sales as a journey of personal growth, resilience, and the joy of creating mutually satisfying partnerships. Tune in for a dose of inspiration and practical tips on becoming a sales superstar!
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Mentioned in this episode:
Business Superfans Accelerator
Attention business owners, are you looking to transform your employees, customers, and business allies relationships and elevate your brand to new heights? Join the Business Superfans Accelerator today. Led by me, Freddie D, this dynamic mentorship program empowers you to turn your stakeholders into passionate superfans. The ultimate brand advocates who actively promote your business. Imagine a community of dedicated supporters promoting your products or services, not just through word of mouth, but as proud champions of your brand. With exclusive access to monthly Q& A sessions, brainstorming opportunities, and valuable resources like online courses, playbooks, and much more. This program is designed to provide you with the tools you need for sustainable, profitable growth. Don't wait. Every moment you delay allows your competition to get ahead. Sign up now at bizsuperfans. community and start unleashing the potential of your superfans today. Your brand's transformation awaits. Let's make business growth your reality.
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Transcript
Hello, Stephen, welcome to the business superfans podcast.
2
:Glad you could join us.
3
:Stephen Steers: Thanks
for having me Freddy.
4
:It's great to be here with you.
5
:Freddy D: So tell me a little bit about,
your background and what led you into,
6
:the sales world that you're in right now,
where you've been consulting numerous
7
:companies all over the world and been
traveling to a multitude of countries.
8
:What got you there?
9
:Stephen Steers: How many of errors
that's what I like to say, I got some
10
:near death experiences in there I
had some really tough roles, but I'd
11
:say first and foremost, I suppose
we should start at the beginning.
12
:The first thing I ever
sold was ice pops as a kid.
13
:So if you ever know those Costco.
14
:Bulk hundred ice pops.
15
:I got those in high school
for three or 4 a pack.
16
:I would freeze them in my fridge
cause I was allowed to have one and I
17
:would sell them for a quarter a pop.
18
:So I'd profit like 10, 12 bucks on a pack.
19
:And that was how I would have
my candy money or whatever seed
20
:money for little silly projects
that led me to go into yard sales.
21
:Where I would buy things that I
thought were cool and interesting.
22
:And then I'd post them on Craigslist
because Crescent's was coming up.
23
:And that's how I started to pay off.
24
:My student loans was with buying and
selling things on Craigslist when
25
:there weren't other jobs to have.
26
:So fast forward a couple of
years here, graduated college.
27
:I got into the construction business
was the first serious, actual
28
:real quote unquote job I had.
29
:And I was In field project manager.
30
:And so my job was half to go on
site and half to be in the office
31
:and make reports for my boss.
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:And so one day I was at the
Baccarat hotel and suites on sixth
33
:Avenue in Manhattan, New York.
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:And the building was basically finished.
35
:So nobody there was wearing
much construction gear.
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:We're just walking and doing
reports and doing punch list stuff.
37
:The project's basically over.
38
:People have moved into their
30 and 50 million apartments.
39
:So I walked the entire building from the
ceiling, from like the rooftop, all the
40
:way down to the construction entrance
took me about three hours with my foreman.
41
:And we get to the construction entrance,
which is a triple height floor and
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:he's shown me pictures on his phone.
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:We're having a laugh.
44
:And then he taps me on the shoulder
and I take one step forward towards
45
:the door and a cement block falls
directly where I was standing.
46
:Literally missed it by that much.
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:Freddy D: Holy coly.
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:Stephen Steers: Crazy situation,
and I remember staring down at this
49
:block and the foreman says to me, not
everybody gets a chance like that.
50
:You're here for something.
51
:And I thought about that
very deeply in that moment.
52
:And I said, Hey man,
I can't come to lunch.
53
:I'll catch you later.
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:And I just went on the two
hour walk around New York on
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:my way back to the office.
56
:And I, and it came to the conclusion.
57
:I was like I'm going to die one day.
58
:If I'm going to die, I might as well
die doing the thing that I want to do.
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:Or, at least be on the path to that.
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:And I'd always wanted to be
an entrepreneur and podcasts
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:were very new at the time.
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:So I was listening to like smart,
passive income podcast and any business
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:thing that I could remotely find,
it was just in my head and I was
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:like I want to be an entrepreneur,
but I don't know what skill I have.
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:And when I thought about it and sat down
and asked my friends and everybody else,
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:you're like you're great with people.
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:Maybe you should do sales.
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:And so that's the first spark in my head.
69
:I was like I do selling
things, making money's cool.
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:Maybe I should get into sales.
71
:So I've launched a campaign of going
to four to five events at night.
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:I'm sorry, a week part of me in New York
that were startup or whatever related.
73
:And in about three months,
I had an offer to a startup.
74
:And I got a job as an SDR and then
I started by code calling and cold
75
:emailing journey with a lot of
errors and a lot of mistakes, but
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:a lot of learnings and eventually
got promoted into an AE position.
77
:That company started to not do super well.
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:So they let go of a lot of salespeople
started at another company.
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:My first remote position.
80
:And then that company went belly up in a
couple of months because they built their
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:platform on Facebook and Facebook changed
the algorithm as in diversify friends,
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:that's a good thing for you to do.
83
:But luckily as it happened, when
I was working there running sales,
84
:they'd hired a consultant, a super
experienced consultant to work with
85
:me as we built out our B2B process.
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:And I got along very well with this guy.
87
:He was massively helpful, and I let
him know that I got the ax from the
88
:place, sent him a thank you email.
89
:And he got back to me a few days later and
he said, Hey, I'm sorry to hear that, but
90
:maybe we should hop on a call and I can
help you figure out what's next for you.
91
:And so a half an hour call
turned into a three hour call.
92
:And at the end, he said, Hey, I have a
job for someone like you, if you want it.
93
:And that's how I got into consulting.
94
:I worked with him for a number of
years, cut my teeth and learned a lot.
95
:Okay.
96
:And then eventually I was ready to
scratch the proper itch and do what
97
:I'd set out at the beginning and start
my own thing, which is where I am now.
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:Freddy D: And what is your own thing now?
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:Stephen Steers: Yeah.
100
:I run a small boutique consultancy
called Context Selling,
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:where we review phone calls.
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:We review B2B phone calls.
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:So the nexus here is The phone
call is the lobby to your business.
104
:If you want to build super fans,
they got to have a great experience
105
:with you from the very get go.
106
:And if they're coming to speak with
someone from your team, and you
107
:don't have that figured out the
right way, they're not going to
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:be able to tell anybody about you.
109
:And they're not going to want
to because the experience is
110
:going to leave them wanting.
111
:So what we do is we review phone
calls with a 30 point rubric.
112
:That's everything that should
be in a good discovery call.
113
:Including stories, what stories you can
tell, where you should put the stories.
114
:And then I create those calls and then
coach reps or teams on the findings
115
:from those calls with the goal of
making your next call your best call.
116
:So I wrote a book called Superpower
Storytelling that informs a lot of
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:the ways that I teach folks because
stories sell and they close the sale,
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:but they never close the conversation.
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:And if you want to build super fans,
you got to keep the conversation moving.
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:Freddy D: Absolutely.
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:Stephen Steers: What's the name of
that book and where can people find it?
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:It's called Superpower Storytelling, a
tactical guide to telling the stories
123
:you need to lead, sell, and inspire.
124
:And you can get it on my
website at stephensteers.
125
:com or on Amazon, if you are so inclined.
126
:Freddy D: Excellent.
127
:So tell us a little bit of a
story of how your method has
128
:transformed some companies.
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:Stephen Steers: Yeah, great question.
130
:So I can speak to two that
really make me extremely excited.
131
:There was a company in the podcasting
space, and I came over there to
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:help them build out their sales.
133
:And so rewrote their entire series of
sales scripts, redefined their stories,
134
:trained our team on it, and we were
able to triple revenue in 12 months.
135
:Wow.
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:So that's super exciting.
137
:And it feels really nice.
138
:There's another company in the
consulting space that works in
139
:the medical side of consulting.
140
:And by adjusting two or three questions
inside of their scripts and helping them
141
:always make sure to book the next meeting
on the call, we increased their close
142
:rates by 25 percent in three months.
143
:So those are two I'm really excited about.
144
:Freddy D: So, let's talk more about
the power of storytelling and how
145
:that really transforms the whole
conversation and creates superfans
146
:that in turn attracts more of the same.
147
:Stephen Steers: Absolutely.
148
:There's a stat I researched
when I was writing the book.
149
:And it says that 65 percent of information
is retained when shared in story form.
150
:So if you think about this, you can tell
people all the stuff that your company
151
:does, but if you can tell them a story
about another founder or another company
152
:that came to you, What that founders name
is, what their business was like when they
153
:came to you and the vectors that you've
been able to influence and change through
154
:methodologies and the results you got
them to, that's something I could take
155
:to my team, that's something I could take
to somebody else that I meet at a meetup
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:or somebody in one of my many groups and
say, Hey, yeah, they worked with John over
157
:at lagavulin construction company, and
when we started working with John's team
158
:was flatlining, but what we were able to
do was help them understand for specific
159
:places that they were able to grow in.
160
:We doubled down, triple down, and we
doubled the goal that we had because
161
:we were super stringent about the
criteria where they weren't previously.
162
:And so now.
163
:They've grown their team.
164
:They've grown their
influence in the marketplace.
165
:And they're one of the best
known people in the business.
166
:Freddy D: Excellent.
167
:That's just amazing because when you
think about it, I look back in my sales
168
:career and share stories about other
manufacturing companies cause I was
169
:selling manufacturing software and how
the technology that I was marketing
170
:had transformed those companies.
171
:So that intrigued, especially the
executive management team, cause we were
172
:talking not about features and functions.
173
:We were talking about business growth
strategies, in a manufacturing world
174
:where I was at, which was a tool and
die, scrapping metal cost them money.
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:Stephen Steers: Yeah.
176
:Freddy D: So we talked about, that
business part of the equation, but
177
:it was all about stories of how, this
company had those issues, they bought our
178
:technology and those issues went away.
179
:Stephen Steers: Exactly.
180
:And I think the other reason that
storytelling is super important is
181
:There's a quote I really like about it.
182
:It's by a guy named Horace and it
says, you need change only the name
183
:and you are the subject of the story.
184
:So if you're talking about great
results for a company in a similar
185
:industry, manufacturing, tool and
dye, et cetera, if you've gotten
186
:great results for these folks.
187
:I can see myself as
getting to those as well.
188
:And so it's a social proof
point because it's not just you
189
:saying, Hey, I'm great at my job.
190
:Buy my services.
191
:I'm great at my job.
192
:It's look what we did for John and
Sally and their family business.
193
:It creates a different emotional
space around the issues.
194
:And then furthermore, most importantly,
is stories enable you to sell an
195
:outcome, which is what people want
to buy from you in the first place.
196
:I don't care about the widget.
197
:I don't care about what language
your platform is coded in.
198
:At least not yet.
199
:I want to know that you've thought about
me and what you can help me to achieve.
200
:And I think a story is the easiest
way to get people to understand that.
201
:Freddy D: Yeah, you bring me a point
that was one of my techniques was
202
:with the owners of the company,
especially in a tool and dye shops.
203
:That was my world that I was
in for a decade and change.
204
:I didn't get into the features, it
spins this way, it turns that way and
205
:it's blue or it's green or the button,
the menu button isn't the right size
206
:or whatever, got out of all that stuff.
207
:We focused on, okay, Stephen, where do you
want to be in three years in the company?
208
:What's your goal for the company?
209
:What are the challenges
to get you to the goal?
210
:And the other part that I would
talk about is, okay, when do
211
:you want to be profitable with
this investment in technology?
212
:Because it's not about when
am I going to get installed?
213
:It's when do you want
to make money with it?
214
:So it'd be you and I on a marker
board, laying out all the steps that
215
:need to take place to achieve the
profitability and the goals you want.
216
:We worked it backwards, because you
got to run two systems simultaneously
217
:the old way, the new way.
218
:Okay.
219
:You can't just shut it off, you
got business to do, then you've got
220
:to get productivity and everything
else steps in the way and the people
221
:got to be trained and et cetera.
222
:And we would lay all that out and
be like Stephen, to meet your goal,
223
:can you give me that PO today?
224
:Stephen Steers: It's your goal.
225
:Yeah.
226
:Freddy D: You'd be surprised how
many deals closed that way because
227
:I emotionally, through the story,
in a sense, laid out the plan.
228
:You agreed, you put it together,
you gave me the timelines.
229
:So it's, your story.
230
:I'm just going to have you read it.
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:Stephen Steers: Yeah.
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:Freddy D: That's it.
233
:Stephen Steers: Do you know
the sales trainer, Tom Hopkins?
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:Freddy D: Yes.
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:I've met him.
236
:I've met him a couple of times.
237
:Actually funny story since we're
talking about stories I got
238
:one of his books and I lost it.
239
:So I sent him a letter.
240
:saying I was at this event that
he was at and I had gotten one
241
:of his books and I lost the book.
242
:He sent me a free one, mailed me a
free one with his signature on it.
243
:I still have it, and it was
like, that's a cool dude.
244
:Stephen Steers: I love that guy and
I think one thing I've been doing
245
:with my sales journey is just going
back, even closer to source material.
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:Freddy D: Yep.
247
:Stephen Steers: I follow a guy
named Patrick BeDavid, he says
248
:he learned from Tom Hopkins.
249
:So I never heard this guy.
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:Freddy D: I know patrick.
251
:Stephen Steers: So I was like,
Oh who's this Tom Hopkins guy.
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:I look up Tom Hopkins.
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:I read a couple of his books.
254
:He mentions like Dick Gardner and
P E Can't remember the other guy's
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:name right now, but he mentioned
all these other folks and I go
256
:and get their books and I read.
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:And I think what's really important
about that for me is once you can find
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:those threads before there were gurus.
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:But before this was a big
thing, it was like super niche.
260
:It was like, these guys were out here
testing all of these phrases, these
261
:words, these scripts, and the building,
these stories, and that just makes
262
:the methodology that much stickier.
263
:So I love that.
264
:But I mentioned Tom Hopkins specifically
on your point there, because.
265
:He says, if the prospect
says it, it's true.
266
:So everything that you've worked
with them on the board, it's
267
:like, here's what you said.
268
:And what I love about that
is it unlocks urgency.
269
:And I think where a lot of folks get
it wrong in sales is they want to
270
:establish urgency, which you can't,
they have to feel it themselves.
271
:And you have to be able to come up
272
:Freddy D: with that
whole mindset themselves.
273
:Stephen Steers: Correct.
274
:Freddy D: And that can be
buying, not you selling.
275
:Stephen Steers: Exactly.
276
:So sales is really about opening
doors and it's asking the right
277
:questions that create the space
for you to help them build a story.
278
:So why do you tell a story?
279
:The whole point of telling a
story is to better help your
280
:prospect tell their own story.
281
:And if you're doing that the right way,
like you do with outlining it on the
282
:board, they're going to not be able to
see it any other way, except, you know
283
:what, I got to do something about this.
284
:And that way you are a partner with a
long term vision for their business and
285
:that's how they become a superfan because
you've asked them the right questions.
286
:Freddy D: I would go one other
step is ,they would have the guys
287
:from the shop floor come in, they
would have management come in.
288
:I made sure I got everybody's name.
289
:Then I sent them all a thank you letter
through the mail that said, okay,
290
:Stephen, thank you for your time.
291
:I appreciate your input
in today's meeting.
292
:Hope you got a lot out of it, et cetera.
293
:We look forward to working with
your company, blah, blah, blah,
294
:but everybody got a letter tweaked
a little bit for each individual.
295
:We would win the sale and I would ask
what was the decision that helped,
296
:finalize everything and go with us.
297
:The answer always was we felt
after the sale you would provide
298
:us with the best support.
299
:Stephen Steers: Yes.
300
:Freddy D: That was really the seed
was planted with the thank you because
301
:Johnny in a shop floor, nobody ever
acknowledges Johnny, and for him to get
302
:a letter that says, thank you so much
for your time and participation in our
303
:meet, that when they had a meeting to
discuss which vendor they were going
304
:with , he'd say, I like these guys.
305
:Stephen Steers: That's how
I got my first sales job.
306
:I interviewed.
307
:I sent every single person I talked
to a personalized handwritten
308
:thank you note in the mail with
a piece of candy or something.
309
:And then I'm remembering one of the
larger software deals I sold with Gartner.
310
:I'll give you the quick story on that one.
311
:That one's a fun one.
312
:So when I was working at the software
company, I was on the phone with Gartner
313
:and I started that deal when I was in SDR.
314
:So I met them at an event, I
qualified them, they went dead.
315
:I got promoted in that time.
316
:And the whole sales cycle took 524 days
from qualified opportunity to close.
317
:So it was a slog, right?
318
:My first six figure deal for business
lines of Gartner, which felt great when
319
:it closed, but it was a slog on the
way, but we get back into conversations
320
:after maybe a year of me nurturing them.
321
:And there are big companies,
so they move really slow.
322
:And they said, Hey we want
to test this software out.
323
:Can you give us a license
for a month to play with?
324
:So I go to my manager and I was
like, Hey, they're looking for this.
325
:We might lose the deal if they can't
do this because it's competitive.
326
:And he's we can't do that.
327
:You got to find another way.
328
:So thought about it.
329
:And I was like, Hey, I'll be
down in DC on such and such date.
330
:If you guys want, I can come in and
bring anybody you wanted to the meeting.
331
:And we could play around
with the platform.
332
:You can ask me all the questions you want.
333
:That'll be better than you just
figuring it out on your own.
334
:And they're like, yeah, come do that.
335
:So booked a two hour, three
hour meeting with them.
336
:They invited maybe like 30, 40 people.
337
:And I'm also a scrum master.
338
:So I'm super curious
about how you build tech.
339
:So I would always join the early
morning scrums with the tech team.
340
:I'd come in early and just sit
with them because I want to know
341
:about how this product's built.
342
:If I'm selling it, I love to be able
to say, actually, no, that's not a
343
:feature on our roadmap because of X,
Y, and Z, or that's going to take this.
344
:And those guys appreciated it.
345
:So I made friends with
a guy named Dimitri and.
346
:He was the sales engineer.
347
:So he would assist on sales
if we needed certain things.
348
:So I said, Dimitri, I'm going
down for this big meeting.
349
:Can you be available for
30 minutes after this time?
350
:And he's yep, I got you, Steven.
351
:No problem.
352
:So we go through the meeting.
353
:And I make sure to mention, I said,
Hey if there's some technology
354
:related questions I can't answer,
I have Dimitri standing by.
355
:From a five to five 30 when we'll
call him with any questions.
356
:I can't answer, go through.
357
:There's only two questions.
358
:I can't answer, call up Dimitri at
five picks up on the second ring.
359
:Hey, what's up, Steven?
360
:How you doing?
361
:And I said, Hey, I'm here
with X, Y, Z, his name.
362
:They have a couple of questions for you.
363
:They run through Dimitri
answers them flawlessly.
364
:We'll call him.
365
:We hang up with Dimitri and then it's
me and my main contact and I said,
366
:Hey, what did you, how did it go today?
367
:What did you think?
368
:Any feedback?
369
:He's Oh, I think very good.
370
:We're going to have
some things to consider.
371
:We're going to get back to you and stuff.
372
:I was like, great.
373
:That makes sense and I said,
just to clarify, this is a
374
:competitive situation, right?
375
:You're looking at our competitors,
our top two or three, and
376
:they're like, yep, absolutely.
377
:We are.
378
:And I said, Hey, at the end of the
day, whoever you choose, they're
379
:going to have a great product
that's going to serve your needs.
380
:But we're going to come down and
see ya and Dimitri is available
381
:on the line if you have questions.
382
:And I saw his eyes flicker and
I was like, I know I got it.
383
:And of course I won the deal.
384
:It came in Christmas Eve that year,
which was a fun one, but I'd certainly
385
:echo with you that personal touch, that
taking the time, that showing who you
386
:are before there's a dollar exchanged
is the thing that most salespeople,
387
:most organizations don't bother doing.
388
:And so I think it's actually
pretty easy to build those fans.
389
:If you just think about the
other person a little bit more.
390
:Freddy D: You remind me of a similar kind
of a story, but a little bit different.
391
:Again, selling in the manufacturing
space, I had a reseller in Germany and we
392
:did a presentation to a Bosch location.
393
:They really liked the technology.
394
:The tagline I came up with was machining
intelligence and, decades later, now
395
:we've got artificial intelligence,
but it was a relational database to
396
:add some smarts based upon geometric
shapes it would automatically create
397
:toolpaths and stuff like that.
398
:So it was state of the art stuff
and this division of Bosch was
399
:interested and they liked it but they
didn't have the authority to buy it.
400
:It had to be done by corporate.
401
:So I flew back to the United
States, my reseller set up
402
:an appointment at corporate.
403
:So now I'm flying back out and this is
only a 10, 000 sale cause they're only
404
:going to buy one license initially.
405
:We're in corporate and we're
doing the demo and the software
406
:crashes and, how fun that is.
407
:So it came up to lunchtime
and they invited us to lunch.
408
:I says, no, I was in charge of
global sales at the time and I
409
:said we're going to talk our tech
team and find out what's going on.
410
:We call and we find out
it's a repeatable bug.
411
:During lunchtime we could
repeat it multiple times.
412
:Once everyone returned from lunch
I said, first off, we found a
413
:softer bug and we can repeat it.
414
:We showed the bug and the softer crashes.
415
:Came clean , we have an issue.
416
:We identified it, we'll take care of it.
417
:But I also noticed that throughout
the whole presentation, because
418
:this is brand new technology, some
artificial intelligence in the
419
:machining, some of the eyes were
glassed over, because they didn't
420
:understand it, we were going too fast.
421
:So I says, you know what, we're going
to restart this whole presentation
422
:all over and go step by step and
make sure that you understand it.
423
:That whole afternoon, there was a
transformation, because they were more
424
:interested now, because one, we came
clean, who usually comes clean saying
425
:that we have a software bug, usually
you try to hide it, we admitted it,
426
:hey, it's software, there's going to be
some challenges, and we went through,
427
:and all of a sudden the dynamics of the
room changed because, I acknowledged
428
:and recognized that they were being
glossed over and they were not paying
429
:attention anymore because they weren't
understanding what was going on.
430
:The fact that I recognized it and
started the whole thing over by the
431
:end of the day, everybody was happy.
432
:They were thanking us, smiles
and conversation and we got
433
:the order a few weeks later.
434
:I remember the owner of the
company tells me , you've spent
435
:more money than we made on this.
436
:I replied you don't
understand the big picture.
437
:We got Bosch.
438
:Stephen Steers: Yeah.
439
:We're in.
440
:Freddy D: Yeah.
441
:Now we can go market to all
the suppliers of Bosch and say,
442
:Bosch is using this technology.
443
:Maybe you guys should look at it.
444
:That's exactly what happened.
445
:Stephen Steers: Exactly what happened.
446
:Yeah.
447
:I can't see the forest for
the trees a lot of people.
448
:That's great.
449
:Congratulations on that, man.
450
:The principles always apply, right?
451
:Like the same there's a quote I love.
452
:It says we need to be reminded
more than we need to be taught.
453
:I think that's part and parlance why
sales training is so important because a
454
:lot of people just tend to forget small
things, but also the stuff that worked in
455
:the old school way with being in a room
with people being a person of integrity.
456
:Walking people through things, admitting
your mistakes and sharing that value.
457
:That's the game.
458
:That is the entire game of sales.
459
:And I think a lot of people
forget it's still the same.
460
:It hasn't changed.
461
:Has not changed.
462
:Freddy D: Yeah.
463
:Stephen Steers: People solving
humans solving human problems
464
:in a business context.
465
:It hasn't changed.
466
:Freddy D: Nope.
467
:I would always, when we would do a
presentation, I would go around the room
468
:before we even started and say, Stephen,
what's your objective on today's meeting?
469
:What are you looking to get out of it?
470
:And then you circle back and
says, okay, did we address
471
:what you're looking out of it?
472
:So it's either a yes or no and if
it's a no, you go back and clarify
473
:whatever, till it becomes a yes.
474
:. But if it's a yes, then
that's a first by sign too.
475
:Stephen Steers: Yes.
476
:Oh, I love it, man.
477
:When it works and the strategies are
aligned, man it's a beautiful blast.
478
:It's such a blast
479
:Freddy D: I try not to smile sometimes
in those events because I know
480
:what's happening, and you just got to
481
:Stephen Steers: A blue steel face,
482
:Freddy D: Yes . It's just a
domino effect, and yeah it's fun.
483
:I love it.
484
:Stephen Steers: What is your
favorite part about sales?
485
:Freddy D: My favorite part about sales.
486
:It's an excellent question is when
everybody's happy that they made the
487
:right decision, when they're excited
that they bought it and they're
488
:excited to utilize the service.
489
:So as an example, I landed a
very large government agency.
490
:The story was they wanted a partner
that could deliver, that would
491
:be there if they had any issues.
492
:We've been there whenever
they've had any issues which is
493
:infrequent and they're my superfan.
494
:Usually we have a monthly meeting and
we spend maybe five minutes on business
495
:and 15 minutes on personal stuff.
496
:Stephen Steers: Real friends.
497
:Yeah.
498
:What about you?
499
:Stephen Steers: There's a couple of
things, but I think, I echo what you
500
:said, but I think it's the person you
have to become when you're selling
501
:and you're selling with integrity.
502
:I think that's it's knowing
what tasks you need to complete.
503
:It's following up with people and
it's just being the person that
504
:is resilient when things go wrong
and knowing how to handle it.
505
:And I think like just being resourceful,
I think that sales is one of the only
506
:things that I don't want to say forces
is the right word, but I'm going to say
507
:forces you to have to be resourceful
with the way you interact with people,
508
:the way you garner resources, how you
make your arguments for certain things
509
:and how you help people see stuff.
510
:I think it incorporates
every part of your brain.
511
:And that's my favorite part about it.
512
:Freddy D: I agree because like my story
with Bosch, I had to pivot and make
513
:some adjustments, in a small window
of time, lunchtime, and that was it.
514
:I had to regroup and turn this
thing around because it was
515
:going south, it was tanking.
516
:So it's also being observant and
watching body language, watching how
517
:people are reacting to what's going on.
518
:You've got to be on game.
519
:Stephen Steers: You have to be the person
the room needs and be able to move the
520
:room if you need to move the room, and
yeah, it's just, there's nothing like it.
521
:I don't think there's any
profession that requires that much
522
:of people to be on, that's fun.
523
:Freddy D: I'd like to have another
show to really deep dive into phone
524
:conversations, because that's your
specialty which can be very beneficial
525
:to our audience, as people overlook
the importance of phone sales, and you
526
:have to really establish a relationship
with somebody that you can't see.
527
:Stephen Steers: Yes.
528
:Freddy D: It's creating a superfan
out of that person over the
529
:phone, and that takes an art.
530
:Stephen Steers: It is.
531
:But I'd say it's the biggest
thing you can do there is just
532
:do your research on people before
you get on the phone with them.
533
:And that's something I don't see
people do enough of spend 10 minutes.
534
:Study their company, study the person's
LinkedIn profile, see what they're about,
535
:be able to talk to them and come with a
potential solution for them before they
536
:even get on the phone to show you're
like, Hey, it looks like you're doing
537
:X folks that typically do X who we
work with are usually experiencing Z.
538
:Is that consistent with you?
539
:Yes.
540
:I have some ideas, right?
541
:Okay.
542
:Just do your job
543
:Freddy D: And learn personality types.
544
:That's another one that we can
have a long conversation on because
545
:you, you take a soft personality
versus a driver personality.
546
:Someone that makes things
happen, they're oil and water.
547
:Stephen Steers: Do you prefer the Brian
Tracy or are you doing Myers Briggs?
548
:What personality tests do you like?
549
:Freddy D: I don't remember the name
of it, but it was basically, there
550
:was four quadrants and there was four
quadrants within those four quadrants.
551
:So you had driver, expressive,
amiable, and analytical, and
552
:then you get the same squares.
553
:into each group.
554
:Because everybody has a secondary
aspect, and this is way back when
555
:they first started doing that stuff.
556
:And it's a lot of fun because
if personality types and you can
557
:tweak yourself and share the story
to their tonality that they need
558
:you shortcut the whole process.
559
:Stephen Steers: Yes.
560
:Yes.
561
:It's a beautiful game.
562
:It's a beautiful science.
563
:Freddy D: All right, Stephen, so
how can people get ahold of you?
564
:Stephen Steers: I'm easy to find.
565
:I'm on all your social medias at
Stephen with a p h s t e p h e
566
:n steers s t e r s underscore.
567
:I would love to say hi
to you and he meet you.
568
:LinkedIn is probably where
you'll find me the most.
569
:If you like any resources about
storytelling, about call scripts
570
:Or if you even want me to review
one of your calls, you can find
571
:information on that at stephensteers.
572
:com slash podcast, where I'll have every
bit of information for you there and
573
:plenty of things to download that you
can use and put in your business today.
574
:Freddy D: Excellent.
575
:Stephen, it was a pleasure having
you on a business super fan podcast.
576
:Great conversation.
577
:And to all our listeners,
thank you much for listening.
578
:And let's go out there and
become superfan superstars.
579
:Stephen Steers: Thank you for having me.