It‘s not called First Replier

Million dollar real estate broker Ryan Serhant observed that one reason why you may not be finding success is because you are replying and not responding. In this automated, ever-growing commoditized world, your greatest asset as a sales person is differentiating yourself by responding instead of replying.

In this automated, ever-growing commoditized world, your greatest asset as a sales person is differentiating yourself by responding instead of replying.

We salespeople often reply when the customer we’re currently working with is the cherry to our crap-filled month. Nothing’s been going right & no one is buying, so it’s no surprise this one isn’t either. While everyone around you seems to be swimming in deals, you just so happened to have caught the one picky customer who has NO CLUE what they want; or the customer who seems to be 11 yrs out from buying; or the customer who you just don’t seem to jive with… In defense, we shut down mentally and lay up lame ass replies to their questions & concerns. Replies are words placed in the right order, said at the right time, yet void of any emotion.

We had a customer come in recently who was all busted up. Her life was turned upside down. She left her abusive husband while he left her with bad credit and a repo’d car. Obviously she was an emotional soup-crying, confused, & no idea what to do from here. A tuned out salesperson would’ve pulled her credit & replied with, “Sorry, your credit is too bad I can’t help you,” but a tuned-in salesperson would respond by saying, “Look, your credit has taken some hits, so which family member can we get on the phone right now, to get you back on track? Today is going to be your new birthday!” The responding salesperson aligned with her emotional state & offered a specific course of action.

Think about it…they’re not called First Repliers, they’re called First Responders because they come onto the scene, asses the situation, & work to get you to safety. Customers need that from you. They come in with a range of emotions & need you to asses and respond in a way that aligns with their emotions & the results they need to see. The one they do business with is the one who responds best.

That might as well be you. 😉

I’ll see you in the Sales Life.

⭐️ Catch The Sales Life with Marsh Buice podcast. You can find it on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Play

The multiplying forces for your Life

Hear the 8 min episode, “The multiplying forces for your Life,” here.

• In a previous blog, we talked about the 3 forces holding you back: Resistance, rational thought, and your friends and family.
• But you have allies to help push your forward to success as well.
• • Your allies are: Stupidity, stubbornness, blind faith,  passion, and your friends & family. (Yes friends & family can be a help and hindrance.)
• You’re stupid, and I hope you stay that way too.

“Ignorance and arrogance are the artist and entrepreneur’s indispensable allies. She must be clueless enough to not know how difficult it’s going to be, yet cocky enough to think she can pull it off anyway.” ~Steven Pressfield

• When new in sales, have you ever showed up and sold the customer no one could ever sell or  sold the package/product that every other sales person walked around and you sold it for all the money? That’s stupidity in action. As salespeople, we get too smart for our own good. Grow smart in your knowledge and experience but stay stupid in predicting whether a customer can, will, or is able to purchase from you right now.
• • 3 lbs, i.e. your brain,  is what’s standing between you and mind-blowing success.
• • Rational thought and logic step in and try to talk you out of taking risks…asking for the business..making more calls…& pressing beyond the no’s.
• Stubbornness is a multiplying force for you. It’s when you bite into something and refuse to let go.
• • You’re so stubborn in your quest that you’re like a dog with a chew toy. Try to take a dog’s toy out of his mouth-you can yank left and right, but he won’t let go…and if he loses his grip, he quickly pounces forward to get it back.
• • • That’s the kind of stubbornness you need to succeed.

• • • You don’t wait for an opportunity you make one…and when you make one…you’re stubborn enough to master it.

• • • • During the recession, I had a salesperson who wouldn’t let go of customers. Even after I’d exhausted all of my angles and resources, he stayed with the customer and kept trying. One night when we were locking up, I asked him, “Why do you stay with customers even when I tell you to let them go?” He told me, “Because I don’t know when I’m going to see another customer again.” He made the most out of the lack. Where other salespeople stood around, complained and worried about the future, he maximized his present.
• • • • Keeping that mindset caused him to dig, press, and recycle different objections, thoughts, and ideas over and over…and he ended up making deals no one thought could be made.

Work as if you’re broke and sell as if you’re rich. Be so humble to work your ass off as if you don’t know where your next meal will come from and when you’re with a customer, be so confident to act as if you couldn’t fit another dollar in your bank account even if it’s untrue.

• Blind faith isn’t about knowing the whole formula before taking a step-it’s about taking the leap not certain where your foot will land, but faith that it’ll land right where it needs to.
• • They call it blind faith for a reason…there is no such thing as certainty. The only certainty you need is breath and legs…and with that, you can make massive things happen.
• • The only thing Life hands to a person in wait is scraps.
• Make and create your opportunities..use your blind faith and mix that with your passion. Passion is where you work nights and weekends…it’s working in the overlaps of time…10 min here…3 min there…it’s doing what you’re good at and becoming the best…becoming a beast.
• • I knew I had a passion for sales during the recession of 2008. I didn’t know if the doors would be unlocked or if I’d even have a job, but I never lost my love for the sales profession.
• • You’ll often find your passions in the most dire of circumstances & chaotic of moments. When occasions are at their hardest, you’re still unwaveringly pressing on and improving. That’s your true north…that’s your passion.
• • Fear will rob you of your passion.
• • • We what if ourselves to death. What if it doesn’t work? What if I can’t go back to my old job? What if, what if, what if?

But what if you did make it?

• Friends and family are your multipliers too.

When you’re at your highest or at your lowest, darkest moments, there’s nothing like friends and family being there for you.

• My daughter’s been like that for me. While sitting at the light the other day she told me, “Daddy, there were days I didn’t even know who you were anymore, but I still came to see you anyway because you’re my dad and I love you.”
• Let your family be on your bus…just don’t let them drive it.

This is your ride…your Life. Now take your stupid, stubborn, blind faith, passionate ass out there and make something happen today.

Subscribe to The Sales Life w/ Marsh Buice podcast where we make a point in minutes not hours. Check it out on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

You need doubters

You need doubters… you do…

I know you reeeeally want others to believe in you… I know you endlessly plead your case to your besties and your Aunt Laura, but you must have doubters in your Life. You need doubters because if you didn’t have someone to say that “You can’t”…if you didn’t have someone say “You won’t”-if you didn’t have those who didn’t believe in you then how would you ever grow?

Who would provoke to rise otherwise?

When I got to McNeese State University, I came in as an undersized offensive lineman –  truthfully I really I think I was brought in to just fill a slot.  I was #5 on the depth chart-meaning 4 other linemen would have to go down, fail out, or spontaneously combust before I’d ever get a shot at touching the field..and that’s exactly what happened (minus the combustion part). All of those playing in front of me either flunked out or got hurt, so like the Red Sea parting, I suddenly became the starting offensive tackle…for a day. Upon hearing the news, the coaching staff immediately began scrambling because they didn’t think I was “ready-” which is really code for they weren’t ready to cast me as a starter. So they ended up finding a kid at a junior college to immediately fill the open spot, but with only a week before practice started for the new season, the kid decided he didn’t want to play football anymore.

With no other options..no one to take from one position and slide into the vacancy, the coaches reluctantly gave me the nod.

And I’ll never forget that…

I set out to bust my ass-training extra-staying late, to earn that spot. I started that year as a sophomore never looked back and went on to become an All-American, All-State (Louisiana), and was elected Permanent Team Captain by my teammates… an undersized lineman who started out as #5 on the depth chart.

None of that would’ve been possible had they not doubted me first.

I needed them to doubt me…

Doubters make you prove yourself… not to others-they make you prove yourself to you. Doubters provoke you to raise your game up, test your faith, and they become your litmus test to see if you really want what you say you want. Have you ever told someone your far-fetched idea and as soon as they laugh, scoff, and look at you crazy you shrink? You downsize – minimize your plans because you didn’t have absolute conviction in your abilities and destination.

Doubters test your ignition – is it a spark or flame?  Do you want it so bad… do you see it so vividly that the second they doubt you-when they do a double take at your grandiose plans…the second you see that glimmer of doubt in their eyes or their expression, that only fan the flames even more? 

See when others judge you or determine your future only from the front porch of today- man that notion alone should ignite you toward a full-fledged inferno. Doubts are just opinions, but you are living, breathing talented absolute fact and they just kicked the ant pile. They woke you up to say, “Fuck this!” See there’s a difference between saying, Fuck You  and Fuck This…You is a defensive stance….This is a new mission-a mission where you stop telling and start showing…Up. It’s the point where you work at developing yourself and no longer wait to get picked. Your effort..your grit..your resilience is what puts you in the starting lineup of life. You’re already in motion when they “all of the sudden“ take notice.

 

By then it’s too late…

 

They underestimated you which is a good thing.  See, when people discount your abilities… when they underestimate you…when they pay you no mind… when you’re non-factor in their book, when they don’t give you any resistance-they don’t even object or get in your way because they don’t think you can do it and you just keep showing up working right there in their face… doing, growing, becoming what they never saw you in the first place…

 

But you did…

 

*Check out The Sales Life Podcast  less than 10 minutes long to get you ready for the greatest Life skill there is…Selling your way through Life. Find it on iTunes or your favorite podcast platform.

You got next

Graham Betchart a sports psychologist & mental toughness coach to professional athletes begins coaching his players w/ 3 plays. These 3 plays set the foundation toward continuous growth that you & I can use…the good news is we don’t even have to run sprints or stadiums to be one of the best!

• Play #1: W.I.N. stands for What’s important now? Simply controlling the controllables. You can’t control the ultimate outcome but you can heavily influence it. Outcomes can be influenced by the 3 things within your control: Attitude, Effort, & Focus. If your attitude is one where you’re walking around blowing your breath in big huffs- looking like a big ass eye roll emoji then you’re going to get back what you put out- negative results. But if your attitude is that of being open minded- in his book Principles, billionaire investor Ray Dalio calls it being radically open-minded, this mindset keeps the channels of your mind open and flexible. Look, things are going to ebb & flow- some things will bounce your way, other times, even when done perfect will not, but you’ve got to keep the attitude and keep plugging knowing things will swing to & fro. If you think about the times that you’re all pissed off, you usually have a rigid, closed mind, don’t you? You’re also in control of your effort- concentrate on giving full effort to each day, customer, & encounter. I find that when your attitude trails off you tend to be more me focused– worried more about what you’re getting & less of what you’re giving. You just give it all you got- you’ll get what you deserve. You also control your focus. Ask yourself, What time zone am I in right now? We live in 1 of 3 time zones: Past, Present, or Future.The only one that’s productively real is what’s happening right now. Stay local (not loco).
• Play #2: Be present. Graham says it’s reeeeel easy to play present when you’re winning and everything’s going right- but can you play when your in the shit spin cycle of Life…can you play present even when you’re in pain? Graham has a saying that I love & use that re-centers me back to the present when I feel like I’m starting to drift into the past or future, “Play where your feet are.” It’s an instant slap back to reality- where are your feet right now? Play there…
• Play #3 Next Play Speed: Athletes don’t have time to get hung up on a blocked or missed shot- Graham coaches his players to hurry up and get into the next play. This prevents them from getting stuck in an action that has already happened. Whenever I don’t do well with a previous customer, I try not to park & bitch about what I did or didn’t have/do- no, I quickly get back in the mix by looking for the next play- the next opportunity or activity that I can possibly capitalize on.

So that’s it! 3 plays is all you have to remember & run today. W.I.N. (What’s Important Now); Play Present, & Next Play Speed.

Blow the whistle- You’re in!

I’ll see you in the Sales Life!

⭐️⭐️Subscribe to my weekly podcast The Sales Life w/ Marsh Buice. You can find it on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Play

It’s not about just you

I had a salesperson that I just couldn’t seem to get her to work with more customers- being she was new, I would repeatedly emphasize to her to work with more customers, but when they would come in, she’d usually fall back & let another salesperson Up (catch) them. I couldn’t figure it out..she knew her product, she was technically sound, & she was used to competing against the boys because she came from a male dominated industry …so what was it? When asked, she responded, “Marsh, I don’t have a huge need- the other salespeople around me have to struggle to make a sale in order to pay rent & car notes- I don’t have a huge need so I don’t need to make much.” Leaning back I asked her, “So what’s your end game…” to that she told me that she planned on being in the car business a long time. “Then if that’s the case, you’re not doing yourself much good- here’s why…

First, you can’t teach what you don’t know & you’ll never know until you first do. In his biography, Arnold Schwarzenegger said the 3 keys to him becoming a 7x Mr Olympia, successful businessman, & one of the highest paid actors at the time in Hollywood were reps, reps, reps.”

Reps weatherproof your career. You’ve got to work with hundreds of experiences, objections, scenarios, & obstacles while fading & maneuvering through thousands of rejections not only so that you can learn, but so that you can pay it forward and help others succeed who are starting out as well. Reps also give your customers the needed assurances that you can help them with their current situation because you’ve helped other customers maneuver through similar circumstances as well.

“This brings me to my 2nd point,” I told her, “When you’re not working with enough customers, not only do you not possess enough of the necessary skills that they desire & deserve, but not working with enough customers means that you’re OK with them buying from an inferior salesperson- if you say that you’re here to help customers, then you’ve got to follow through with actions to those words.”

“Which brings me to my 3rd point,” I quipped, “Do you have kids?” She told me that she had a boy and a girl- Mason & Madison…”Do you want them to do well in life,” I asked knowing she’d say yes. “If you want them to do well, then be their teacher- set the example because they can’t be what they don’t see. The reason why so many struggle as adults today is because, no one played the part…no one showed them the pattern… no one chalked the outline, nor showed them what they could be because no one helped them see…no one showed them more so they’ve accepted less.”

You must do well…you must reach beyond your comfort zone…you must dig deep and get back up…you must set audacious goals & kick the door in when Life tries to slam it in your face…you must reach higher because this isn’t just about you.

It’s way bigger than that…

….but first you’ve got to set the bar.

I’ll see you on the Blacktop.

“ish”

I know a guy who is always late to work…now when it comes time to leave, man he bounces out with precision-on time, every time, but he can’t seem to make it to work with the same gusto. The other day he & I are talking and he’s telling me how last month didn’t end well and this month is starting even worse…and come to find out his months in sales have progressively gone downhill. I cut him off by asking him, “What time did you get to work today?” Stammering he answered…”What about yesterday…& the day before that? As a matter of fact have you ever gotten to work on time for a solid month?” He was locked and loaded with the comebacks that ranged from the kids, alarm clock, clothes in the dryer, to funeral processions (in the mornings?)- he had a range of reasons why he couldn’t punch in on time…

I cut him off by saying, “You live in the ish world.”

Giving me a WTH look, I elaborated telling him that you’re starting your day in the hole- coming in at 9ish ..10ish ..You’re not precise- and because you’re not precise- because you’ve got slack to your day, you’re not as productive as you should be because you’re in debt the minute you step on the lot.

Look, I know things unforeseen happen…your kid forgot her lunch or your teen left his assignment under his bed…things popping up are rare…your ish is not…it’s become habitual & is incrementally costing you big time. When you live with an ish creed, you’re showing (to yourself) that you’re not taking things as serious as you need to. Look you’re a professional and pros don’t roll on ish.

Ish means somewhat-that you’re not all the way committed and bought in to that which you are doing. You’re not salesish, associatish, accountingish, parentish-you damn sure don’t want a doctorish. Look, your clients are looking for a pro not an ish- act like one.

I don’t care what your job title is today- it won’t stay that way if you step your game up, but I can assure you that you’ll forever swim in the Lake of Mediocrity as long as you rock with that ish mindset. Even if no one checks you on it…even if you’re on a salary or commission, stay sharp- you show to yourself & others (trust me, others are watching-even your kids) that you take what you do and how you do it very seriously.

We all have 86,400 seconds in a day. Make a few minor adjustments and you’ll see your progress compound.

I’ll see you on the Blacktop!

Subscribe & Listen to my daily podcast The Sales Life w Marsh Buice on iTunes or anchor.fm

Unauthorized Charges

So I’m at the grocery store and the lady tallies up my-what I went in for two items and came out with a basket full of items and I reach into my wallet only to realize my ATM card is missing. You know that feeling-the heart pounding, cold sweat feeling you get when you begin to imagine that some dude is at Footlocker and soon will be heading to Forever 21 for his boo and he’s doing it all on your dime-at least for the moment anyway. As my nerves settle, I realize that I have fraud protection and once I initiate the claim, they’ll eventually reverse my charges.

But what about you?

Everything you’ve worked so hard for-mentally, spiritually, physically…financially-multiple accounts that have taken you years to build up…

Imagine as if you’ve got a big magnetic strip on you and you’re letting people and events make unauthorized charges on your emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial well-being.

Be careful who you let into your life-who you let snuggle up, lean in, and ride shotgun in your life. They may be making unauthorized charges…swiping…pulling threads from the fabric of your life. Even some clients-the ones who seem that there is no pleasing them are swiping…incessantly draining your emotional accounts when you could be using your resources for others..

…your employer, family, “friends,” co-workers-hell even the Capital One credit card…

Watch for leaks…

Energy draining leaks-those people and events that seem to suck the life right out of you-debiting you of your energy…often these swipes are small, incremental charges that seem like minuscule infractions only to realize-often too late, that you’re drained, overdrawn and operating in the red. Financially, if there’s some things you just cannot pay-I mean no way, no how-pay your essentials-pay your rent, insurance, car note, day care, and buy groceries to sustain your storm..and if you’ve got to let a bill ride, then hell let it ride. I know you don’t like it…I know you’ve busted your ass to have good credit, but you’ll get it back. If it can go down, then it can surely go back up. I’d rather you be 30 days late than cut your life 10 years short with panic attacks and depression.

The reason why you’re so exhausted..the reason why you have no idea how you got home..the reason why you have no clue what your daughter told you what happened at school today or the fact that you’re just too tired to eat macaroni and cheese is because you’ve let too much drain you-too many of the wrong things..too many of the wrong messages have pulled on you making unauthorized charges on a priceless account…

You…

Watch for leaks today. Make sure the right energy comes back to you-if not-even if it’s a close, love one…

Deny the charges.

I’ll see you next time on the Blacktop!

P.S. Take me with you! Did you know I have a daily podcast? Subscribe to The Sales Life w Marsh Buice (found on iTunes) right here and you’ll get a daily 5 minute dose of positivity.

Fold your clothes

The other day I could tell something was amiss with one of my salespeople. Normally he’s all teeth-smiling and jolly, but today I could tell he was aggravated. When I asked him what was up he told me that not only was he not selling any cars nor did he not have anything working, but nothing was going right at home either-he wasn’t spending time with his newborn daughter, his house was a mess, and he had a mountain of clothes to fold. When he finished, I looked at him and said, “Go fold your clothes…” Now you should’ve seen the look on his face-like, “Dude did you hear anything I just told you?!” But I repeated it again, “Go fold your clothes…because it’ll serve a few purposes…”

First, the act of folding your clothes will get you a small, easy win. No exertion-no sweating, just a simple act. It’ll bookmark a win and stop the erosion of slack and sloppiness in your days. Second, folding your clothes will squelch the chaotic voices in your head. You know the voices that go banging away in your head when you have 684 things that need to be done and you end up doing none of them because you’re pissed off that the day is almost already gone. Taking this one simple act will enable you to regain control over your days. Lastly, folding your clothes will cause you to bleed…one win bleeds to other wins too. Because it was so simple, so easy to do, your mind pings the win and begins to look for the next one. Notching up the wins will lead to incremental and eventual massive gains…one sock at a time.

From the sink to the desk drawer, think about all of the countless tasks that you’ve been putting off that have mounted up and caused you to feel like your days are slipping away from you.

If you want a better day, sales career, and life….go fold your clothes.

Check out my daily podcast The Sales Life w Marsh Buice found on iTunes or anchor.fm.

 

Look what it takes

When Dr. Howard Thurman- philosopher, educator, minister, & mentor to Martin Luther King & Mahatma Gandhi, took his young children back to his hometown of Daytona Beach, his girls saw a nearby playground and asked to go swing. “You can’t swing on those swings,” said Thurman.

He promised them that he would explain more once they got home…Dr. Thurman had to buy some time because he was at a crossroads- a moment that I’m sure every black parent faced during those times (& still in some respects today)…

….how do you tell your children they can’t play on a “White’s only” playground.

Later he sat his girls down and told them that they were important…so important in fact that they couldn’t swing on those “public swings,” because the “public”only consisted of white children. He said, “You’re so important that it takes the state legislature, courts, sheriffs, white churches, bankers, & businesses-it takes the majority of the white people in Florida to keep 2 little black girls from swinging on those swings.”

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Dr. Thurman reframed the racial inequality he and his family were facing. He reframed the hatred and racism and made it a bridge instead of a barrier. He calibrated his daughters to-yes, see the injustice for what it is, but encouraged them to keep on going- to not let someone else’s opinions, narrow-mindedness, and blatant ignorance be the force of limitation for their lives.

Yes… there will be opposition, but maybe you’re facing opposition because what you are doing is of such magnitude- of such great importance, that those who oppose you are so fearful of you reaching your pinnacle, that they’ll stop at almost nothing to see you not succeed.

Importance is not some, Life’s good…I have no problems…kind of seance- no, Importance is recognizing the significance & impact that you are making and not letting up, giving in, throwing the towel, nor raising the flag.

It’s passages like this that remind me that I need to tell my children how important they are- not just to me, but to the whole world. My son is going through his first love breakup and while it’s incredibly painful to watch, I have to sit on the foot of his bed, rub his back, and remind him that maybe his boo can’t handle all of his awesomeness. His importance is irrelevant to the opinions of others.

We’ve got to remind salespeople, coworkers, & family members that some wrinkles in time are due to the fact that Life chose you…not because you’re weak, but because you are strong… Life deemed you worthy to enough-competent enough to fight this war you’re in. Not everyone can handle it…. but you can.

Whatever you face today, never underestimate your importance. The greater the opposition the greater your importance.

….Keep going.

I’ll see you on the Blacktop.

Wipe me down

This weekend is absolutely gorgeous- cool temperatures & blue skies…days like this call for a good chicken & sausage gumbo. As I was leaving to run some errands, I saw a guy wiping down his car. Two hours later, he was still out there wiping down his car. He was meticulous about everything- he even wiped the wheel wells, & the trunk and engine compartment- he spent hours to make sure his car was on point.

What I found interesting is he was such a perfectionist on his car, but when it came to his well being, he was not. With chammy in hand, he had a cigarette dangling out of his mouth, 22 oz. Bud off to the side, & his pot belly was an indication he hadn’t worked out in years- if ever at all.

My question is this…what if he was just as concerned-hell, what if he treated himself half as good as his sports car? If he did, I’d venture to say he’d probably be around longer to enjoy it.

To show the world we’ve made it- that we’re “successful,” we’ll give our health up in the process. Marketers know this…they’re constantly hurling messages at us to wear this, drink that, & drive this one, and we fall right into their bait. We’ll sleep and work out less, work longer hours, extra shifts, swipe a few extra times to impress people we don’t even like.

Treat yourself better than the things you want to buy. Don’t treat your well being like a clearance item- foregoing tomorrow’s security for today’s insatiability.

There’s nothing wrong with having nice things, but at the risk of losing yourself emotionally, physically, and financially, ain’t worth it. Just go to a garage sale- look in your attic, closet, garage, and storage units at all the crap you “had to have.” When dissolving my marriage, I had to do a detailed descriptive list of all of the valuables in my home…by the time it was all said and done, thousands of dollars and years of finance charges, those “valuables” wouldn’t even equal a full month’s paycheck.

You’re already a millionaire. Scientists have noted that if they put a price tag on all of your key body parts it would be valued at over $10 million. Sports franchises know this- why do you think they have the best equipment and dietitians? You damn right they’re going to protect and nurture their multi-million dollar investments.

There are some areas of your health, once taken too far, no amount of money will buy it back. Taking care of yourself is cheap- compared to stints, surgeries, rehab, and big and tall sizes. I know a portly guy who spends $300 for each dress shirt- his flesh only touches the fine labels…me? Man I’ll rock a $30 dress shirt with a $10 bow tie and swag it out. I can pull it off because I work my ass off to look & feel better- and because of the investment in myself, I carry myself with more confidence on the cheap cheap.

Your greatest expense should be on the greatest brand ever created…

Brand You.

Check out & subscribe to my daily 5 min episodes of The Sales Life Podcast