Reclaiming Sales

When it comes to new MRR, every MSP will say they need more leads. They’ll say, “When we get the at bat, we usually win… but we need more at bats.” While this might be true, it’s usually not the whole story. When it comes to sales and marketing, there is a difference between a referral and a marketing lead. Just because you close a lot of referrals, doesn’t mean you’re going to close your marketing leads… so don’t blame the marketing guy until you’ve listened to this episode.

Derek Marin is the Founder of Simple Selling, a Marketing Firm that can add between 6 & 13 new managed services agreements per year by generating warm pipeline, and consistently converting cold prospects into warm opportunities that close. Derek has been in marketing longer than you’ve probably been in sales, spend nearly 4 years in Customer Success and Channel Partnerships at HubSpot, and even owned a Juice Bar in Costsa Rica. 

Find him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marinderek/

“As soon as you hit an objection, you just go back and change a bunch of stuff [in your tech stack], rather than learning how to overcome the objection… You change the external factors as to why you’re not selling, rather than addressing the internal factors: which is that you don’t know how to sell.”

Join us for the second part of our two-part series with Brian Gillette (again, no relation). In this episode we discuss why it’s so hard for MSP’s to sell their services in a highly competitive market that is often competing at the lowest price possible… To everyone’s detriment.

Brian and I are both former salespeople turned MSP Coaches, and holy-moly do we have a lot in common. In this two part episode, we talk about the state of the industry, why people buy and sell stuff, and just exactly what are our options for a “close” that “feels good.”

Everyone is in sales, you might as well join The Club: https://club.reclaimingsales.com/join

“You know I had a lot of confidence in you when you started here. That confidence has been dashed. I don’t actually believe in you. I don’t think you know how to do this. But your sales manager seems to think that you can so I’m gonna let you keep trying.” —Company COO

Brian knew that this was in his blood, but he’d succeed one month and fail the next. No consistency. Turns out there was something on the inside that was not at peace with the outside. How do you get over that kind of self sabotage?

Brian and I are both former salespeople turned MSP Coaches, and holy-moly do we have a lot in common. In this two part episode, we talk about the state of the industry, why people buy and sell stuff, and just exactly what are our options for a “close” that “feels good.”

Everyone is in sales, you might as well join The Club: https://club.reclaimingsales.com/join

Douglas Cole has been working at LinkedIn since 2019. He sold enterprise software, and eventually ended up leading a team of salespeople. We talked about his new book The Sales MBA, and one of my favorite topics of achieving Plausible Objectivity.

Who I am: My career spans consulting, education, and sales. Three interests are at the heart of this journey. I like big picture thinking and analysis. That’s the consultant in me. I like distilling first principles to help others improve. That’s the educator in me. I like driving growth and rallying around a common purpose. That’s the sales leader in me. In essence, I enjoy teasing out hidden sources of meaning in our personal and professional lives.

Find me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sholtodouglas/

Join the Book Club! https://club.reclaimingsales.com/join

I started this podcast over a year and a half ago, and it has been an amazing journey so far. Listen to this update episode to get an idea of what’s coming next, and where you might be able to get more!

https://club.reclaimingsales.com

Find me at: http://linkedin.com/in/rwgillette/

Matthew Cahill is the President & Principal Consultant at The Percipio Company. He’s one of my favorite people, and one of the few people who sells bias advice that cultivates belonging. In this episode, we’ll cover the 5 most common biases that salespeople fail to recognize and compensate for. Most insidiously, they serve us well up until the moment they fail us… then they fail us completely.

Who I am: A white, cisgender, middle-aged father of two that’s looking to disrupt systemic biases of all types. I do what I can with what I’ve got where I am. I’m a perfectly fractured human and constantly seeking to explore hidden biases that may be holding me back.

Find me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjcahill/

Join the Book Club! https://club.reclaimingsales.com/join

Ray Kim is the Director of IT Strategy, and one of the owners of Simplified IT Consulting. He started his career with what I imagine is one of the hardest sales jobs in the world: selling Encyclopedias door to door, commission only, in the Mid-West at the height (and humidity) of summer.

Who I am: Born and raised in LA, I’ve been a lifelong computer geek thanks to my dad buying me a computer instead of the dirt bike I wanted when I was a kid. I graduated from San Diego State with a Finance degree but ended up in IT a few years after graduating. I became one of the 3 founders of Simplified IT Consulting six years ago, taking on my first real entrepreneurship adventure in my mid-40s and learning everything the hard way. My other great passions are motorcycles and international travel, and baking the occasional pan of mean cinnamon rolls.

Find me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raykiminla/

Don’t forget to check out the Book Club! https://club.reclaimingsales.com/join

In a perfect world, every prospect that becomes a client is a perfect client. But since we don’t live in that perfect world, sometimes we end up bringing in clients that aren’t perfect. Listen in as Sean and I discuss that tension.

Who I am: My name My worldview is that relationships are the most important thing in life. To build relationships, my key core values are integrity and service. Within this context, I am driven to build a successful business that dramatically improves the lives of my employees, customers and partners. Outside of work my passion is teaching and competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Find me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seantkline/

Join the Book Club! https://club.reclaimingsales.com/join

If you’re anything like me, you’re getting a bit tired of influencers and gurus. I’ve sort of lost my appetite for self proclaimed experts who may or may not be successful, but can’t seem to find any humility. That’s why I loved my conversation with Duncan Bruce, an understated success who’s been in sales long enough that if he wasn’t good he’d be unemployed. Enjoy a refreshing, down to earth interview to start off your year.

Who I am: I’m a hard-working, fun-loving person who loves spending time outside with my kids. I have an insatiable curiosity about how the world works and try to learn something new every day. Coolest job I ever had? Aviation ground services for American Airlines in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

What I sell: I sell consulting services to MSPs and SMBs.

Find me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theduncanbruce/

Ask around in any industry, and you’ll find someone who claims they have the toughest sale. I think what I do is hard, but certainly not selling mortgages in the middle of the 2008 financial crisis. For those stories, you’ll have to talk to Arjun…

Who I am: Am from NV originally, and been in CA for 17 years. I have been in mortgage banking and consulting for 20 years, spending most of the recent years building an online brand and presence to reach more people. Am a martial artist, a co-head coach for Team USA (TaeKwon-Do) and love my #1 job as a father to my 2 year old daughter.

Find me here: https://www.instagram.com/arjunmortgage/