Blood, Sweat, and Extra Blood

Obtainable wherever you hearken to podcasts: Apple | Spotify | Web site

Transcript

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

John Felts: I used to be a rustic music music 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 mentioned,” No, I’m actually not.” And he or she mentioned,” Effectively, 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 all the pieces he needed to win.

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

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

John Felts: That’s a superb a part of the story, truly. That is mid 2000s. I used to be going by a divorce and I misplaced my job on the identical time. I used to be a rustic music music 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,” what? You’re not the fitting particular person for this job. And I don’t wish to waste anybody’s time.” And I used to be form of determined, so I wanted a job. So I mentioned,” Effectively, I’ve obtained 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 might be nice. I don’t must be an worker or something like that.” And he or she mentioned,” Wait a minute, you’re a salesman? I assumed you had been an engineer.” And I mentioned,” No, I’m an engineer. I’ve been an engineer for 10 years.” She mentioned,” However you’re promoting me proper now on the truth that you possibly can promote web circuits. So that you’re a salesman.” And I mentioned,” No, I’m actually not.” And he or she mentioned,” Effectively, you desire a job?” I mentioned,” Yeah.” She mentioned,” I’ll rent you proper now to be a salesman.” I mentioned,” Okay.” So she employed me on the spot and I mentioned,” Yeah, when do I begin?” And he or she mentioned,” 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:  what? I knew so little about gross sales on the time that I didn’t even know these films existed. Glengarry Glen Ross is now a favourite. However again then I had no concept that it was even that type of film, or that it existed as a result of heck, I didn’t do this type of factor.

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

John Felts: Gosh, I’m 34, 35. On the time, obtained a three- year- previous and a six- year- previous. I obtained to do what I can to assist them. The primary few months didn’t go properly 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 might do it, and this and that. Not listening to what their wants had been. So yeah, I’d say it was a superb 9 months earlier than something good occurred.

Sam Balter: Wow. So 9 months in, you’re actually not liking some elements 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 giant they had been, however I used to be accustomed to them as a result of I’ve at all times donated blood, ever since highschool. So the corporate that I’m working for, has carried out some work on an present cellphone system that one other firm put in years earlier than. And it was coming to the tip of lifetime of this specific cellphone system. In order that they wanted an improve. In order that they pseudo launched me to the IT division. The IT division already has a few of their favorites picked out. They know they must do the improve and there’s in all probability 15 totally different corporations that would do that improve within the area. We weren’t the largest canine on the town by any means. We had been in all probability about quantity 5 on the checklist. And we’re all vying for it. So I obtained launched and I used to be having a variety of hassle 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 mentioned,” Hey, are you interested by having us bid on this?” They usually mentioned,” Positive, ship your particular person out, otherwise you come out.” And he or she mentioned,” what? I’m going to move this one alongside,” as a result of she knew I wanted assist, I believe. So I began researching the corporate extra and I mentioned,” I donate with you guys.” They usually mentioned,” Oh, that’s nice. That’s fantastic. The place do you donate?” And I mentioned,” Effectively, in Folsom, as a result of that’s the place I stay.” They usually mentioned,” Oh, properly, if you happen to’re ever down right here and also you wish to donate, now we have one on the headquarters. And it’s a lot greater. 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 mentioned,” Hey, properly I’m going to be within the constructing. Can we get 15, 20 minutes of your time to have this second assembly?” Positive sufficient, that labored. I believe they discovered it tough to say no. In the event that they had been there, I used to be there, they may as properly. Sadly, I took the assembly after donating. That was a lesson realized. You get a bit bit lightheaded after blood donation. So I’m undecided I used to be all there, however perhaps that shut me up a bit bit. And I began listening a bit extra at that time. So going ahead, lengthy course of, and there was a variety of competitors. So I began donating each couple of weeks, so long as they’d let me. There’s limits to how typically you possibly can donate. So I did all the pieces I may to get in there as typically as attainable. I went by complete blood. I went by plasma. I even did platelet donation. All apart from one time that I donated, I obtained in with the IT division and obtained in all probability 9 or 10 totally different conferences. There was just a few mishaps alongside the best way. I handed out making an attempt 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 a few 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 he or she mentioned,” What’s going on?” And he or she regarded and you possibly can see within the little tube that my blood was not the fitting coloration. It was extra of orange than a pink.

Sam Balter: And did you’ve any sense what the rivals had been doing?

John Felts: Sure, a bit 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 aspect. And I had been giving journeys and I had been giving golf golf equipment and the entire giveaway kind issues that come together with that typically. And I don’t promote that method. 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, rivals 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 obtained higher as properly. I believe they noticed it as me doing one thing for them, extra than simply making an attempt to promote them.

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

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, convey your engineers and let’s begin actually fixing this drawback and placing the answer and proposal collectively.” And that’s once I knew we had been heading in the right direction. Ultimately, after much more months of that and several other totally different iterations, we did give you a proposal. And within the meantime, they’re hiring us to repair different issues which have been occurring. So I believe the belief had been gained at that time. And naturally, ultimately, we did find yourself successful 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 massive, 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 had been a small store.

Sam Balter: And was the closing of the deal, was {that a} massive second? Or was that identical to by the point it closed, you already knew you had gained 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 massive.

Sam Balter: And I believe simply as a closing query, is there something that you just wish to from this, impart to gross sales individuals right this moment? Or perhaps simply even to your youthful self, beginning out, that you just want you had recognized?

John Felts: Definitely. Primary, be artistic. Discover artistic methods to do no matter it’s you’re making an attempt 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 if you happen to lose this one, you would possibly get the subsequent one. And don’t hand over. Plain and easy. Don’t hand over.

Sam Balter: This episode of Fairly Huge 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.