Blood, Sweat, and Extra Blood

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Transcript

Sam Balter: John Felts is the enterprise improvement supervisor for US Achieve. When he took his first gross sales job, his state of affairs was lower than supreme.

John Felts: I used to be a rustic music tune all wrapped up in a single. Misplaced my spouse, misplaced my job.

Sam Balter: He fell into gross sales after working in IT for years.

John Felts: “So, you’re a salesman?” I stated,” No, I’m actually not.” And she or he stated,” Properly, you desire a job?”

Sam Balter: The primary few weeks, didn’t go nice.

John Felts: I used to be struggling. I used to be doing the present up and throw up.

Sam Balter: However when a life- altering alternative arose, he gave the whole lot he needed to win.

John Felts: I went by way of complete blood. I went by way of plasma. I even did platelet donation.

Sam Balter: That and extra, on this week’s episode of Fairly Large Deal. How did you get began in gross sales?

John Felts: That’s a part of the story, really. That is mid 2000s. I used to be going by way of a divorce and I misplaced my job on the similar time. I used to be a rustic music tune all wrapped up in a single. Misplaced my spouse, misplaced my job. And I used to be out searching for a job. I had been an IT man for 10 years, working for 2 fairly good- sized public corporations. I utilized for a voiceover IP engineering job. And in the course of the interview, the CEO says,” You realize what? You’re not the best individual for this job. And I don’t need to waste anybody’s time.” And I used to be form of determined, so I wanted a job. So I stated,” Properly, I’ve received this different half. I’ve been promoting lengthy distance and web circuits as a dealer. If I may work with you to promote that to your clients, that may be nice. I don’t need to be an worker or something like that.” And she or he stated,” Wait a minute, you’re a salesman? I believed you have been an engineer.” And I stated,” No, I’m an engineer. I’ve been an engineer for 10 years.” She stated,” However you’re promoting me proper now on the truth that you’ll be able to promote web circuits. So that you’re a salesman.” And I stated,” No, I’m actually not.” And she or he stated,” Properly, you desire a job?” I stated,” Yeah.” She stated,” I’ll rent you proper now to be a salesman.” I stated,” Okay.” So she employed me on the spot and I stated,” Yeah, when do I begin?” And she or he stated,” How about tomorrow?” And that was it. That was the start of me being a salesman.

Sam Balter: Okay. So day occurs, you get the job. Are you prepping? Are you watching Boiler Room or something to prepare on your first gross sales job?

John Felts: You realize what? I knew so little about gross sales on the time that I didn’t even know these motion pictures existed. Glengarry Glen Ross is now a favourite. However again then I had no concept that it was even that form of film, or that it existed as a result of heck, I didn’t do this form of factor.

Sam Balter: And the way previous are you when all of this is occurring?

John Felts: Gosh, I’m 34, 35. On the time, received a three- year- previous and a six- year- previous. I received to do what I can to help them. The primary few months didn’t go nicely in any respect. And I used to be struggling. I used to be having a tough time chilly calling. I used to be doing the present up and throw up, telling them what I knew and the way I’d do it, and this and that. Not listening to what their wants have been. So yeah, I’d say it was 9 months earlier than something good occurred.

Sam Balter: Wow. So 9 months in, you’re actually not liking some facets of the job. Are you pondering of bailing?

John Felts: Sure. Sure. And within the meantime, I wasn’t making commissions as a result of I wasn’t promoting. So I took a second job as an affiliate professor at evening, educating IT and safety and VoIP. I needed to do no matter I may.

Sam Balter: Okay. That now, brings us to the beginning of this story. Okay. Let’s discuss, who’s the shopper? The place does the story start?

John Felts: The shopper is a neighborhood blood financial institution. It was an organization referred to as Blood Supply on the time. They’ve since merged with another person. Had no concept how massive they have been, however I used to be conversant in them as a result of I’ve at all times donated blood, ever since highschool. So the corporate that I’m working for, has achieved some work on an current telephone system that one other firm put in years earlier than. And it was coming to the tip of lifetime of this specific telephone system. So that they wanted an improve. So that they pseudo launched me to the IT division. The IT division already has a few of their favorites picked out. They know they need to do the improve and there’s most likely 15 totally different corporations that might do that improve within the area. We weren’t the largest canine on the town by any means. We have been most likely about quantity 5 on the listing. And we’re all vying for it. So I received launched and I used to be having numerous bother getting conferences.

Sam Balter: How did you get the primary assembly?

John Felts: The primary assembly, we used the truth that we had already been doing a little work on their system. I consider the CEO referred to as and stated,” Hey, are you interested by having us bid on this?” And so they stated,” Certain, ship your individual out, otherwise you come out.” And she or he stated,”You realize what? I’m going to cross this one alongside,” as a result of she knew I wanted assist, I feel. So I began researching the corporate extra and I stated,” I donate with you guys.” And so they stated,” Oh, that’s nice. That’s fantastic. The place do you donate?” And I stated,” Properly, in Folsom, as a result of that’s the place I dwell.” And so they stated,” Oh, nicely, in the event you’re ever down right here and also you need to donate, we’ve got one on the headquarters. And it’s a lot larger. You’ll be able to at all times get in. You’ll be able to stroll in anytime, or set an appointment.” And so I did that. I arrange my subsequent appointment to donate blood at their headquarters facility. And since I used to be going to be there anyway, I stated,” Hey, nicely I’m going to be within the constructing. Can we get 15, 20 minutes of your time to have this second assembly?” Certain sufficient, that labored. I feel they discovered it tough to say no. In the event that they have been there, I used to be there, they may as nicely. Sadly, I took the assembly after donating. That was a lesson discovered. You get just a little bit lightheaded after blood donation. So I’m unsure I used to be all there, however perhaps that shut me up just a little bit. And I began listening just a little extra at that time. So going ahead, lengthy course of, and there was numerous competitors. So I began donating each couple of weeks, so long as they’d let me. There’s limits to how typically you’ll be able to donate. So I did the whole lot I may to get in there as typically as attainable. I went by way of complete blood. I went by way of plasma. I even did platelet donation. All apart from one time that I donated, I received in with the IT division and received most likely 9 or 10 totally different conferences. There was a number of mishaps alongside the best way. I handed out attempting to get out of the desk, knocked over a half wall that was lined with potted crops, broke all of the potted crops. Awakened to some individuals waving over me, saying,” Whoo, are you okay? Are you okay?” They did hear about it and so they thought it was humorous. And I didn’t suppose it was so humorous. However one other time, I had gone to a quick meals restaurant for lunch, earlier than going to donate blood. And I ended up clogging the blood machine. The phlebotomist approaches me and she or he stated,” What’s going on?” And she or he regarded and you may see within the little tube that my blood was not the best colour. It was extra of orange than a purple.

Sam Balter: And did you might have any sense what the opponents have been doing?

John Felts: Sure, just a little bit. There have been issues occurring, undoubtedly some giveaways that I didn’t do. Once more, I’d been an IT man for a very long time, on the administration facet. And I had been giving journeys and I had been giving golf golf equipment and the entire giveaway sort issues that come together with that generally. And I don’t promote that approach. I by no means have, I by no means will. However I did know that that was occurring.

Sam Balter: Was anyone else donating blood? Did you see anyone else, opponents on the headquarters?

John Felts: I didn’t, by no means as soon as. And I don’t know if anybody ever even considered it.

Sam Balter: In order these conferences are occurring, are the conversations getting higher? Is the method transferring alongside?

John Felts: Completely. The connection received higher as nicely. I feel they noticed it as me doing one thing for them, extra than simply attempting to promote them.

Sam Balter: It looks like you’re the underdog on this story. They’re like,” Okay, we’ll offer you a shot.” Is there some extent the place you turn to changing into an actual contender amongst the opposite opponents?

John Felts: Yeah. After a pair months of this, perhaps 4 or 5 months, they begin calling me, and calling me in and saying,” Okay, carry your engineers and let’s begin actually fixing this downside and placing the answer and proposal collectively.” And that’s once I knew we have been heading in the right direction. Ultimately, after much more months of that and several other totally different iterations, we did provide you with a proposal. And within the meantime, they’re hiring us to repair different issues which have been occurring. So I feel the belief had been gained at that time. And naturally, finally, we did find yourself profitable the improve bid. Now, that was a giant deal for me.

Sam Balter: How a lot are we speaking?

John Felts: Half one million.

Sam Balter: Oh, rattling. Was it large, relative to the individuals in your organization?

John Felts: Yeah, it was enormous. It was enormous for the corporate. It was enormous for the engineers. We needed to rent extra individuals. We have been a small store.

Sam Balter: And was the closing of the deal, was {that a} large second? Or was that similar to by the point it closed, you already knew you had received it? Or was it a down- to- the- wire deal?

John Felts: It’s at all times all the way down to the wire. For me, I by no means have a good time till there’s ink on the paper. However yeah, it was an enormous reduction. I used to be pleased with myself, for certain, that I may lastly say I offered one thing this large.

Sam Balter: And I feel simply as a remaining query, is there something that you simply need to from this, impart to gross sales individuals as we speak? Or perhaps simply even to your youthful self, beginning out, that you simply want you had recognized?

John Felts: Actually. Primary, be inventive. Discover inventive methods to do no matter it’s you’re attempting to do. Do don’t go essentially by what they taught you in some gross sales coaching class. Don’t get discouraged. One of many hardest issues to do in gross sales, simply don’t get discouraged. Even in the event you lose this one, you would possibly get the following one. And don’t hand over. Plain and easy. Don’t hand over.

Sam Balter: This episode of Fairly Large Deal featured John Phelps from US Achieve. It was produced by me, Sam Balter, and edited by Xavier Leon. When you’ve got a reasonably large deal to inform us about, tell us by writing to prettybigdeal @ zoominfo. com. In any other case, we’ll see you within the subsequent episode.