Ep17 Your Sales System Is Perfectly Designed… For the Results You’re Getting

Joe Blackburn  0:00  
Your ability to earn money is the biggest thing you should invest in and spend time on and work on, and your ability to connect is your greatest asset. As far as, how can I help people?

Jason Croft  0:11  
Welcome to sales assassins, the podcast that unveils the lost art of word of mouth marketing for professionals just like you, we cover everything from building relationships and nurturing connections to overcoming the challenges of modern marketing, you'll learn how to stand out in a crowded market charge confidently for your services and create an army of people recommending you without hesitation. Now let's dive in and make you deadly effective at sales you Music. Welcome to sales, assassins. Joe, are you ready?

Joe Blackburn  0:47  
I'm ready snowless down here in the Gulf of America this week, so no longer facing my thought I got away from it. Thought I got away from it. Of course, everyone reminded me, what'd you move down there for? So anyway, yeah, CA, and sunny today. Weather's perfect. I'm ready to rock. Beautiful,

Jason Croft  1:06  
beautiful. I wanted to bring up this, this idea, and I think we'll get into it a little bit here, a little little little back and forth. So some, I think there's some tough love aspects to it in past episodes. And also maybe, maybe we see things a little different. This is good. I was listening to this, this book by Dan Heath, called upstream, good book overall. But there was this phrase he kept bringing up that I just love is essentially this idea that the system of you know, fill in the blank, whatever you've got there, is perfectly designed to get the results it's getting right, even if you didn't purposely design it right, that you have a system, and even if you hate the results for sales, my sales are up and down. They're horrible. Well, that's exactly because of the input in the system that you've got in there, and I want to bring up this for this show for sales assassins, specifically, because I think there's this feeling around, you know, word of mouth and building relationship that seems counterintuitive to Having a system for that stuff where I feel it's the opposite. You do these things in order to facilitate that human connection. You mentioned before we got on the show, that's this is sort of, this has come up a little bit, and you've got different way of thinking about systems. Well, let

Joe Blackburn  2:40  
me, let me back up first. So PILLRs™, in and of itself, is a, I call it a people system. And you're, you're right, if, if we're talking about things so technology, or maybe execution on tasks or whatever, yeah, there's a whole set of systems we can go in on that. But what you're saying and what I'm hearing, and part of the reason that we organized it the way we did was it was a way to take the randomness out of getting the introductions and how I should contact people. So by design, it's a people system. The flywheel is built on people, so the input is my interaction with these people. So when do I do it? What do I do it? How do I do it? How often do I do it? What should I say? It's that system. It's just that it's around people. And I, I have a saying, you know, like you may have heard me say it, there's a hygiene to the business where systems are essential, meaning it should be good. Our trading system should be good. Our insurance policy should pay out when we process something, it should work. And those things have their merit in sales, however, in what? And I haven't read the book, but I'm, I would say he's probably saying, whatever you're inputting, you're you're getting out. So whatever you're doing now is, is giving me the result, regardless of how you feel. So I would take that and then put it into our flywheel of all right, how do I interact with my PILLRs™? How often do I contact a prospect. I mean, you know, one of the biggest issues, and that needs to be systemized, is pull through in a prospect pipeline. You know, what do I leave that to rant like a random, get back to me when you feel like it, or, you know, talk to me next week. I mean, we the way we say it is, whatever you leave to chance will come back to you in the form of an objection or a problem. So if I'm not systemized on how I incrementally work through my pipeline, it's just random now, and for introductions, referrals, that's all randomness. So in and of itself, PILLRs™ is, how do I systemize my people interaction? And it's not automated. CRM, by the way, you know you can, you you should automate what you can. That's a great system. Those touches should be automated. However, the connection part of it, there's an art to that. But if you just leave it to chance, it's too random. That's kind of my overview of when I think systematically about how to interact with the people that I want to you. Have his clients or keep his clients,

Jason Croft  5:03  
and that's, and that's the important part of that too, is that there's, I guess, systems within system, right? Like you've got your, your overall Yeah, system, yeah, exactly. And then it's but then building through that and that automation can can happen, like you mentioned, there's a place for that on certain touches, but also that automation can just be reminders. Hey, talk to so and so, it's been two weeks right for you to then go and have that very human touch point, the art part of it and that, I think that's a beautiful back and forth that, you know, in our world today, everyone wants to make a YouTube video about how it's this is the way, but it's a little bit of everything in there. I think there's, for me, my like, my specialty on, on helping people become visible, right? For me, that's a system to facilitate getting that word of mouth, making make it, making it so the other person even wants to have a conversation with you and potentially be referral or hire you or anything. And I, I don't think this idea is talked about enough to like, put these things in place in order to have that human connection and get to that next human interaction that we want

Joe Blackburn  6:29  
to well. And if you, if you don't systemize the contact in some way, you'll lose a just through pure humanity. You'll lose track of time. You'll forget the last time I talked to someone. So we believe, I mean, I believe in CRM, and we use a we have a PILLRs™. You know, it's a sheets. So Google Sheets, or Excel, or whatever y'all call it. I mean, it's, it's ramp, it's not random. It's organized around, okay, when's the last time I spoke to this pillar? What do we talk about? What's the next step? What impact points did I uncover? I'm I'm looking at all those factors, and then I can pull the sheet up and just say, Okay, we've not given them the perfect gift in the last six months, or we've not asked for an introduction, or we have not invited them to a private client engagement. So I know it's like in front of me the system, the system tells me where my gaps are, and then the art form is, well, what's the next best thing, or what is the way that I connect with them? Because if, if you think about it this way, if I try to be efficient with you in my contact, it becomes meaningless. Like, how many texts do you get on your phone that are a reminder or automated like you? I don't know if this is a recent phenomenon, but I think all of us have got a sense of what's automated and chat GBT like even when I read chat GBT, I know it's chat GPT, and we use it like we autumn, you know, automate, delegate, eliminate ad, you know, ad or whatever it is, like we we utilize that. It's just when it comes to that last part of the relationship, the real connection, that's the hardest thing to systemize, because you're technically trying to make it as efficient as possible, and it's hard to be efficient with people. So I want my effectiveness to be what drives the relationship and my caring and really truly being concerned or fulfilling, or whatever it is. But if I'd leave all that to chance, it's like anything else. It's just, you know, it can come, they can go, it's random, because people get introductions and referrals all the time, but most time they're random. It's like randomly happening to them. So I really look at okay from a system standpoint, you need to have a rhythm that you go through, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, for those clients and prospects and the important people and the one that you know you see all the time, or that I hear about, especially in Assassins, and even in our own business, we are extremely judicious with is what is the next step from a meeting? You know, if you if you're going to systemize something like if I had to say, here's one thing I would do. And you know, it's been said to me a bunch of different ways. We say, don't leave anything to chance. I've heard bam, fam, which is book of meaning from a meaning. I just heard that one a couple weeks ago from our coach. We were talking about it. So, you know, by the way, you should eat your own cooking if you're coaching, maybe you should have somebody looking at your blind spots so, but it's that I'm just gonna give it the ball back to someone, let them come back to me when they feel like it. And then law diminishing intent comes into play and you start chasing them around. So from a system standpoint, as to your point, if you're getting the results you're getting in your sales system, my bet is you're just not asking people to respect your time enough. And now it's a, you know, a goat rodeo, and everybody's running around everywhere, and you're trying to track them down. Tell I mean, if you're out in the audience and you ever make comments on our podcast, that's probably happening. So the biggest thing you can do is start to compress the time and systemize. When do I get back to someone? When do I ask them to take action? When is our next appointment that you can do? And. Be very systematic with so that's come up. That's probably come now 10 times, 15 times in the last two weeks. I can't get someone to get back to me as well there. Well, it's because you didn't ask them when you had them right in front of you to book the next thing. So now, like, you know, as we were talking before shit happens in our families, my wife broke her foot. I mean, like, my old calendar is crazy. Guess what that happens to everybody? I'm not a snowflake that happens to everyone. And then it's okay. Well, what I do now? So I hope that helps on your systems thing. Not 100% sure. But yeah, it

Jason Croft  10:36  
is. It reinforces that idea. And there are a couple of places that this really shifts the energy. And I think it's, I think it's an empowering aspect. One is when you let in the fact that that first quote that I was talking about, like, whatever results you're getting, you're you've got a system around that to get those results. Well, awesome. That means I can change it. I can do something about it, if I don't like the results. But secondly, whether it's PILLRs™, whether it's another system that you're teaching, there's an energy of ownership, control, power. When you sit down with your business and decide, this is how I want to approach this, even if it's in the testing phase, and it's the first one when you start to think about each phase of your business that way. Okay, what's what would be the system around this? What would be this? And yes, of course, then you're flexible, and then you interact with humans and life and all of that. But, my goodness, when you start with that foundation of a system in place, you can keep coming back to that. Okay, let me get recenter. Let me get back to this place and then go forward. That makes all the difference. You show up differently as a service provider or business owner when you have those things in place and you're

Joe Blackburn  11:55  
not spitting your wheels thinking all the time. You're Not You know, if you systemize, if as much as you can, everything you can put into some form of progression, system, organization, whatever it is, you're not burning as much of your energy that you can use for creativity and connection, like if you reserved the majority of your energy for me, deeply connecting with someone that's, you know, that takes a lot of effort and energy, versus what should I do next, or how should I do this next? Or, you know, so even in our basics, like our one on one stuff, when we talk about a 5p day or something like that, if I just plan the night before what I'm doing today, that's a system, by the way, then I don't have to, like, show up, spend 20 minutes diliating around, getting my coffee, thinking around, thinking what I'm gonna do, you know, like I'm burnt. It's like a, you know, it's like a, a wick. I'm burning it as I go. So the more organized and systematic I have everything else, the easier it is for me to be connected and creative with the people I'm trying to impact, which is the, I mean, hell, I think everybody thought they were gonna get rich on AI this weekend. I think everybody found out in a, you know, in the heartbeat, that that may not happen. So again, brings me back to, like, work on this thing, this that your ability to earn money is the biggest thing you should invest in and spend time on and work on, and your ability to connect is your greatest asset. As far as, how can I help people? You know, it's funny we and I know I'm on tangent here, but I'm going to say we had in church on Sunday, we were talking about, you know, relationships and things, and our pastors up and he said, What if every person you interacted with said, how can I serve you today? Like that mindset now, if you just do that and be random about it like, Okay, well, let me but think, if your mindset was, I'm in a service business, I need to organize how I can get in front of as many people as humanly possible and serve all of them. And then my sales system, if I can compress that, how many people and how many lives you'd impact. So back to your point on systems. I'm all for them. I'm all for them. I really am. However, they are not your Savior. They aren't they're necessary. The hygienical at the end of the day when it's all said and done, the one two, or the combo of being highly organized around systems and being able to connect with people, that's where, you know, the Crossroads were, even in Assassins, it's that ability to organize all this stuff and execute it and still be human, because I'm not pushy, salesy, cheesy, douchey, whatever you want to call it, incompetent, obnoxious. I mean that I was reading a list someone sent to me of me, but I

Jason Croft  14:38  
was gonna say, did you say not those things? Well, it's here. It's here, so

Joe Blackburn  14:41  
I put it on my blog board to remind myself not to be that way. But you're you see what I'm saying. I just I think there. It's one of those things where there is a risk in reliance up too much upon those things, because once they're up and running, and the way that our society and technology and corporations and businesses move. About the time I get one down, I have to change it. So if I'm so reliant upon that it actually slows me down and causes me to keep reinventing the wheel. So use them in use them together. Be great at connecting. And your hygiene should be great. It's expected, by the way, should be great. And I'm sure in the book, and I'm going to check it out, because I like, you know, good books, I agree, like, whatever you're, whatever the result is, work backwards, and it'll tell you exactly what system match there. You know, I always give one. And I know rambling, but I have one really, like, poignant thing on this. And this is real. So this is with my coaching session this morning. And we had talked with our team last week. We were talking about cash coming through. So systematically, invoice goes out, and it's 30 days till due, and they're looking at cash flow, and I'm like, what if it was due upon receipt? That system that's not changing anything other than typing in your system of cash collection, so that would change your sales results and your profit results, just little and again, like that.

Jason Croft  16:05  
And that goes back to to a mindset and energy thing number one, to like, open up the blinders and get outside of a system that's like, oh, well, that's just what we do and what the industry does. Your

Joe Blackburn  16:16  
answer, we've always done it that way. Exactly that. Is there a reason? No, we just always do it that way, forever,

Jason Croft  16:24  
right? But then also, there's a mindset around, oh, I could do that. I'm allowed to do that and dictate my own terms, you know, to my clients, yeah, you are.

Joe Blackburn  16:38  
Yes, you can. It's actually your business. And I had to be curious in that instance. I'm like, is there a reason for this? No, we've just always done that. I think it was the the preset on the technology from the invoice. That's just how it came out. It just left it, which, you know, we're laughing about it. But in reality, it's always good to, you know, from an assistant standpoint, look at audit them. You know, if we're, if we're looking at our cash out on cash or cash, you know, every 3060, 90 days, or whatever it is, if we moved everything up 30 days, what would that look like? And that's a, you know, Sonics. It was market demand, saying that it was just what we've always done. So that's, I like, that aspect, especially on the mechanics, or the task oriented, or the, you know, the, I guess, the, I don't want to say that the non human side of the business, like things that can be automated. Yeah, you should audit that stuff. So, I mean, because you don't know it could be preset and you have no idea. So I again, which all leads to what you're saying, whatever system you got in place is getting you the result you're getting. So go back and play it back. Run the Peyton Manning, watch the tape and look at all the aspects.

Jason Croft  17:48  
Yep, all right, that's

Unknown Speaker  17:49  
good. Okay, I've done my job. It Up.

Jason Croft  17:53  
Go systems and don't, don't be too reliant on there we go in a sea of endless digital noise, your ability to connect and generate authentic word of mouth is your deadliest weapon, whether you're just starting out or you're looking to break through to the next level, the principles we discuss here are your blueprint for success. It's all about being the most trusted and valued in your network to maximize what you've learned today. Visit join sales assassins.com to see how you can become a true sales assassin in your industry. Until next time, keep sharpening your skills, expanding your network, and remember in the world of sales, the true assassins strike silently but effectively by doing what nobody sees coming, building genuine connections and powerful relationships. Stay deadly, stay authentic, and we'll see you on the next episode of sales assassins.

AI VO  18:56  
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