Ep5 Saying No to Meetings Could Be Your Secret Weapon

00;00;00;01 - 00;00;19;04
Jason Croft
Welcome to episode number five of Sales Assassins. So often when we go to record or we're just having a conversation anyway, half the time we're like, oh, we should have been recording. So we've started doing that a little, little more of making sure that we're recording as we're talking about some of these concepts in sales Assassins and Growing business.

00;00;19;04 - 00;00;48;28
Jason Croft
And today was definitely one of those. We just kind of jumped right into this idea of guarding your time and how critical that is at any level. And then certainly as you move up in, you know, how you price your services and who you're going after in terms of clients. It becomes more and more critical. But there's a level of allowing this in and guarding your time.

00;00;49;03 - 00;01;08;01
Jason Croft
That doesn't happen enough at the beginning stages that I think, you know, a lot of us feel like, oh, we've got to take a meeting with anyone or go to this social thing and this networking thing, whether online or in person, and you just you say yes. And of course, in the beginning you say yes more than then.

00;01;08;02 - 00;01;35;12
Jason Croft
No. But we really bring home this idea of it's okay to say no in the beginning, even when you're starting out, because those folks who do need you, whether in your personal life or those potential clients, it's important you get to them and you devote your time and energy to those folks. So we're jumping right into this episode, and in mid conversation with this, I wanted to give you a little heads up.

00;01;35;13 - 00;01;43;00
Jason Croft
Let's jump in. Welcome to Sales Assassins, the podcast that unveils the lost art of word of mouth marketing.

00;01;43;00 - 00;01;43;04
Joe Blackburn
For.

00;01;43;04 - 00;02;09;22
Jason Croft
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.

00;02;09;25 - 00;02;47;26
Joe Blackburn
What's one thing you have to understand is that as you move up in affluence, word of mouth is more powerful, and it's really your only avenue as you move down in affluence or newer to the business or whatever it is. A lot of these different techniques work, meaning ads and social media and all of it's more appealing and more inviting to the younger and less profitable demographic, as opposed to someone who's, you know, if I'm making two, three, 4 or $5 million or $10 million in my business, pretty much everything that I consume is brought to me by someone else.

00;02;47;28 - 00;03;25;05
Joe Blackburn
So what we're going through in trying to get assassins, you know, leveled to where we're bringing and onboarding multiple new clients. It's more like we have to use a more direct approach than what I would use if I were doing pillars and the, the kind of interesting thing about them, especially like being here new and meeting new people, there is that wide gap of like people that are just getting started in business and doing really well, and then people that are doing multi-millions and are more ideal for like inner circle or immersion.

00;03;25;07 - 00;03;50;23
Joe Blackburn
And I have to like almost guard access because I can't give access to everyone that I would normally do in a in a pillar situation. Meaning like I have to use my reach across the platform, my leveraged output here, and then save my and guard my time on getting to know and and you know, going to lunches, going to social events, doing all these other things that I teach.

00;03;50;26 - 00;04;14;09
Joe Blackburn
I have to keep that I have to have maintain a higher level of access there to people that are going to be able to do the things that we offer for our I don't know, they call it high ticket. I don't like that name. I say our just our higher level. You know, products or services. So it's it's and so I get because I'm meeting so many new people.

00;04;14;11 - 00;04;37;01
Joe Blackburn
It's like it's an equilibrium of access right now and I and I, I'm you know, I'm having to kind of Heisman a little bit some of the people here and not be a total ass. And but I'm also letting them like you have to guard your time. So that's been an interesting, you know, like an interesting dynamic just in the last 2 to 3 weeks.

00;04;37;01 - 00;04;57;18
Joe Blackburn
And I've met, you know, on both ends of that spectrum. But I think that's the other thing you have to understand. If you're going to go out, execute word of mouth, you want to do the most for the person that can pay you the most and spend your most time there, and you can get more leverage at that lower entry point.

00;04;57;20 - 00;05;17;03
Joe Blackburn
However, you still if if you really want to, you know, get high level clients or more affluent or however you want to describe these people, that's where you got to focus the time and have the ability to say, you know, I'm not I'm not going to go to this party. I'm not going to do this thing. I'm not going to go to this huge event where it's not my ideal.

00;05;17;03 - 00;05;40;01
Joe Blackburn
So and I'm part, part of learning this is what to say yes to what to say no to who to give access to and who not to without. You know, totally brushing off what I would consider, you know, the next generation, but also you can help them understand that I mean, they if you're always available, if you can do everything for everyone, then what is your value scale?

00;05;40;01 - 00;06;07;20
Joe Blackburn
There isn't. There isn't one. And we you know, like when I was in financial services, there were different tiers of clients where there were direct clients, there were the affluent, and then there were the ultra high net worth and that I had. I still have that framework in my mind. So it just that works really well. And it doesn't matter if you're an advisor, an agent or real estate guy, whatever it is, the faster you can level up in that circle, you'll increase your revenue.

00;06;07;22 - 00;06;28;11
Joe Blackburn
And it's exponential because it's the same amount of time here at, you know, and it is it is here. So it's kind of the same paradigm. And if you can deliver I mean, you see companies do this all the time. They deliver in mass down here, and they use more direct methods and leverage here than they do it.

00;06;28;12 - 00;06;51;04
Joe Blackburn
As it goes up. It gets so much more personalized. So that's something that I'm, I'm really in like it's like I'm reintroduced into that paradigm. I, you know, when I was before I moved, I had already gone through that cycle. I done all my networking and everything and, and I'd build up to where, you know, the people I did a lot of business talk to, spent time with were there.

00;06;51;04 - 00;07;14;01
Joe Blackburn
But now everybody's new at first sight. And I, you know, it makes me sound like kind of a jerk. But what I'm saying is I'm I'm trying to figure out how to allocate it. In addition to what we're doing in both in both of our platforms. And it's it's actually pretty interesting to me. I mean, I'm on an island where there's 4000 realtors or thousand.

00;07;14;03 - 00;07;49;04
Joe Blackburn
Good. So, you know, I mean, who where is that? I don't know, it's like almost like yet, you know, we're unfortunately our unfortunately we're status whores not have a better worker. You know, we like we understand status. We get it like we get the status hierarchy in our societies. And whatever I does probably get banned or some for political incorrectness, but we still we still here do it and I I'm yeah I'm figuring that out in the new in a new place and it's it's actually it's interesting to me and there's I'm meeting great people.

00;07;49;04 - 00;08;11;24
Joe Blackburn
I mean they're all it's just how you allocate time becomes a big factor in how you can you know, make more profit faster. And again, I'm not just like run around trying to sell stuff to everyone, but it's also getting to know, like and trust that same thing we talk about. How do I get, you know, that bridge built in a brand new place.

00;08;11;24 - 00;08;25;23
Joe Blackburn
And it's been very interesting to me. And of course we're balancing school and all these other, you know, four kids here, one one off college, so I don't have to spend as much time there. But just it's been very fascinating to me. And.

00;08;25;25 - 00;08;50;25
Jason Croft
I and I think this can be applied to just going into a new space online. Right. Like guarding your time. This doesn't apply once you get to a level. And oh, I have a seven figure business here and I'm trying to do this small thing. I think it's a fascinating like you're talking about relearning because you're in a new location and there is this chasm of different client types.

00;08;50;28 - 00;09;24;26
Jason Croft
But I love that we're talking about it because it's it's so important, even if you are day one as a coach, walk in to online networking things to guard your time, to know, number one, who your ideal client is. At least a good idea to start with and guard your time against those who or. And we can talk about nuance, and we do when it comes to, you know, some people are they're not your ideal client, but they you know, they're going to know other people.

00;09;24;26 - 00;09;46;02
Jason Croft
They're good connectors. We can take all those into factors. But I think especially newer folks, they get into this. Oh, well, I've, you know, I'm in this networking group or I'm doing this or I have to have a, you know, oh, they want a coffee meeting. Okay. Well it's okay to say no thanks. You know, it's it's right.

00;09;46;04 - 00;09;58;23
Jason Croft
You can find your way to do that. We all have different comfort levels. I'm fine with. No thank you. So. So people want to want to, you know, nuance that. But this idea of guarding your time is critical.

00;09;58;25 - 00;10;18;24
Joe Blackburn
Yeah. And there's ways there's ways to do it not. And my schedule like yours and everybody else's, is pretty full. A lot of times I'll just say I believe I'm booked or I know I have something that at that time or that day, if something changes, I'll let you know, because I for the most part, I am scheduled throughout the week and especially nights and weekends.

00;10;18;26 - 00;10;39;01
Joe Blackburn
I mean, they're it's not like we're sitting around, you know, binge on Netflix. I mean, I'm running people around, we're going places on Saturday and Sunday. And so when I get asked it's, it's it's not, you know, un or dishonest to say I have something. And if something changes, I'll let you know. And then I can look at it and say, okay, I have to weigh the opportunity.

00;10;39;01 - 00;10;57;24
Joe Blackburn
And again, in the beginning, you don't want to be run around saying no to everyone. I'm not saying that, but just keep in mind the precedence you set. What y'all say yes to, because that's an expectation that you're going to either have to break or if you set the line you know, are bar high in the beginning, it's easier.

00;10;57;29 - 00;11;18;01
Joe Blackburn
And, you know, we have this conversation. Assassins are we're talking about increasing revenue, making more money and kind of the, the the best place to start in that really is okay. If pillars where the first thing is pay me ideally is, like you said like define that like is it think of think of where you spend your time.

00;11;18;01 - 00;11;35;00
Joe Blackburn
I'd say the word matriculate. I got when I was at an assessment at Merrill I said matriculate. And I said, you know, I said if it's a college, I think that's bullshit. But think of where you matriculate in your community. And if you're spending your time around people that aren't your ideal payers like you, that's where you make the change.

00;11;35;03 - 00;11;58;16
Joe Blackburn
And, you know, I think that's, you know, again, there's we have people that are making thousands and people are making millions. So it's pretty wide in our in what we deliver on. But if, if you can go and make that ideal higher, faster, that's how you'll increase your revenue faster. It's it's the it's the way to like reset that okay.

00;11;58;17 - 00;12;29;06
Joe Blackburn
Here's what I ideally need for a pillar to pay us. And as soon as I can start raising that ideal number and raising my floor where I won't go below, I'll increase my revenue faster. There. That's that's kind of the first lever of getting more better use of time. It's a leverage of output, because if you're delivering service, whether it's CPA, real estate advisory, and I don't care what it is, the mechanics are all about the same.

00;12;29;08 - 00;12;50;07
Joe Blackburn
You know, you may have some special cases or whatever that are, but in reality, your time allocation, it's all about the same. So if I can put a bigger number in my time allocation for what I'm doing, I can go faster. And that it's scary to some people, I think. I think they, you know, they call it I've heard it online called imposter syndrome or something like that.

00;12;50;10 - 00;13;10;28
Joe Blackburn
The reality is, if you're if you're a licensed professional, like let's just say you've got an insurance license, a real estate license, that, investor securities license, you're about 99% ahead of the universe that's not licensed. Like, you still just, you know, take a step back and think, okay, does this person have they gone through what I've gone through?

00;13;10;28 - 00;13;37;10
Joe Blackburn
They know now, you may not have the experience and that may be accurate. However, the mechanics of your business can be executed. And if you take time and go through those and do it meticulously, you know, dot the I's cross the t's, make sure you're delivering on your I call it hygiene. You can deliver for pretty much anyone because the mechanics in business are about all the same given your profession.

00;13;37;10 - 00;14;02;10
Joe Blackburn
So it's more about up here. How do I get bigger faster? You know, I you know, I know I'm rambling, but when we started offering $100,000 immersion, I didn't think anybody was gonna say yes. I just didn't like I am like, no one's gonna do this. And to my to my pleasant surprise, they said yes. Now we had to fill that.

00;14;02;10 - 00;14;06;27
Joe Blackburn
But anyway, I just like, just the limits are generally here.

00;14;07;00 - 00;14;41;10
Jason Croft
Yeah. And I think that's that's so common across like you said, industry, you know, type of business who you are. It's it's way more about standing in that confidence. Hey I know what I'm doing. I'm and I think that's the thing too. If you can get to I believe in me. I believe that I'll do whatever it takes for this client, even if I don't know yet what that's going to be.

00;14;41;13 - 00;15;06;09
Jason Croft
If you can get to that wow. Then whatever vehicle you're you're doing that with, that's that's whatever. And that's a big piece of that mind game that you're talking about is standing in that. And maybe that's maybe that's a relief for some folks to think, oh yeah, okay. I, I'm, I've got my values, I've got my it looks like I'm going to.

00;15;06;11 - 00;15;35;03
Jason Croft
Okay. I can stand in that. I don't have the experience yet, but I know I'll do whatever it takes. And that's, that's a again, you talk about being ahead of 99% of people, you know, just to stand in that cockpit. It's, you know, and this in that pricing so much of the time too is it's another marketing channel, right, that you're priced in a way that is, oh, I need to pay attention to this person.

00;15;35;05 - 00;15;45;11
Jason Croft
You know, if they're oh I can't afford them right now, but wow, they're going to be on my radar or, you know, rather than just in that sea of everybody else.

00;15;45;14 - 00;15;59;04
Joe Blackburn
Well, I, I mean, again, going back to status, I think I saw it online or something. They had two bottles of wine and they price one this and one that's the exact same wine. Which one? You think everybody won in a bottle was the best. It was the one that cost me. So it doesn't mean to go out and gouge your clients.

00;15;59;04 - 00;16;19;04
Joe Blackburn
It just means charge what you're worth. Don't feel like because you haven't done a lot of it, you can't do it. I mean, it's all that barrier in your mind. And, you know, we we had this conversation I remember just yesterday cuz we had our SAS and scuttlebutt I think was a week ago, and I actually did this in an in-person meeting to prove my point.

00;16;19;06 - 00;16;36;23
Joe Blackburn
You know, everybody has kind of the same paradigm. They they have something they really want. They've lost something. And they do have something they're afraid of. And I don't care how much money your cloud or whatever you have, you have those three things in your life. You know, it used to be, you know, the the gypsies would go around and read your palm because they knew that.

00;16;36;26 - 00;16;56;23
Joe Blackburn
And they and so I did this in a meeting. I grab the guy's hand and I summary department, I said something you really want, but there's something you've lost and there's something you're deeply, deeply afraid of. And it was like people got goosebumps. And it's like, that's because that's all of us. So never think that if you're sitting across from someone, those three things aren't going on in their life.

00;16;56;23 - 00;17;11;01
Joe Blackburn
They are. So we all have the same paradigm, so you might as well just give it your best shot and try to album the lowest you can, and let that be the thing that either does or does not happen, and not worry about whether you can or cannot. That's the way I would look at.

00;17;11;04 - 00;17;36;07
Jason Croft
Yeah. Oh that's great. That's an that's such a important reminder constantly. And if you if you listen to the to the folks who are genuine in, in most even ultra successful people, if, if you get into those and hear those real conversations that if you get a chance to talk to them, the vast majority they're absolutely. And they'll tell you like, oh, yeah, I mean, it's a different set of problems.

00;17;36;07 - 00;17;52;16
Jason Croft
I have problems going on. I, you know, I'll, I'll take $1 million problems over $100 problems. Sure. But they're still there and it's and it's okay. And you were human. That's the beautiful, wonderful connecting part of all this.

00;17;52;19 - 00;17;53;27
Joe Blackburn
We all bleed is.

00;17;53;27 - 00;17;54;25
Jason Croft
What I've been told.

00;17;54;27 - 00;18;17;25
Joe Blackburn
Yeah. So it's it's just that's just been very I don't know, it's almost like a reintroduction into that paradigm. And I know people go through that. So, you know, level set it and do your best and you're better than you think you are. You're better than you think you are. Yeah. So, you know, you can build some confidence in that way.

00;18;17;27 - 00;18;42;26
Jason Croft
Yeah. For sure. I wonder too, if is there a way with what you're going through right now in these, these gaps in your offer, meaning kind of who you're you're talking to? Is there a way in the in person version? Because I know you're talking about access. Okay. Is there a way to to do more of a one to mini.

00;18;42;26 - 00;19;03;15
Jason Croft
So if you go to that party there, you know, or in your area or something, that's. Yeah, my ideal, you know, high level folks who they, they're going to get access to me. They're not there. But potential assassins are there. But maybe it's a one to many. Is there opportunity for that?

00;19;03;17 - 00;19;11;27
Joe Blackburn
I mean I I'm not going to get up on a picnic table on at the homecoming game and start, but it might great as well. Why not?

00;19;11;29 - 00;19;14;09
Jason Croft
That's what I do every weekend. What are you talking about?

00;19;14;11 - 00;19;37;00
Joe Blackburn
I'm not. I don't know if you. I don't know how much leverage you can get in that. However, if let's I think what if I'm hearing you correctly, a way to do that. And it might not be so much in social settings, but it might be in more organized type of networking where you'll see and and I, you know, I'm not above this or beyond it that much, but I am beyond it because I don't do it anymore.

00;19;37;00 - 00;20;00;10
Joe Blackburn
But, you know, if you're if you're let's say you're an assassin and it's year two and your business or year three, you're making 120 or whatever, a good place to start leveraging your time there is in and a what I would call a social organization association, something like that, where you can be seen, you can be heard, and they can see your work ethic and what you're giving.

00;20;00;12 - 00;20;23;08
Joe Blackburn
And that speaks a lot to that peer group, that you're someone that is willing to do things to help. I mean, if you're in professional services, there's a word in there. It's called service. So that's a really good leverage of your time and and what a lot of people do, and I'm guilty of it and done it. I mean, my first year in chamber, basically I ate and drank because they paid for after hours and breakfasts.

00;20;23;11 - 00;20;38;29
Joe Blackburn
I mean, that's why I want so I can look at where we can like, oh, we got after hours here, we got a morning and you know, like so that was part of my nutrition. And you can see it worked well. But you know, if you can get involved at that point in your career, I almost said journey by the way.

00;20;39;00 - 00;20;43;07
Joe Blackburn
And if I say journey that stop the show. But at that point here, I'll.

00;20;43;08 - 00;20;46;07
Jason Croft
Flip it out like a like curse words. But I tell.

00;20;46;07 - 00;21;13;07
Joe Blackburn
You that that's anyway, so that's a good, good time to, to do that. That will give you some leverage output. I had I'd recruited someone out of my rotary, you know, years ago, and he and he actually had a strategy and in every meet. And I caught it, and he he was well-spoken and he's, you know, he just had some presence and, you know, in rotary it the rules are you can't talk business number one.

00;21;13;10 - 00;21;35;04
Joe Blackburn
But if you pay a fine to sergeant of Arms, you can and every week he would get, he pay his dollar and he would get up. And he was younger in the business and he would get up and have some form of announcement or imitation or whatever it was. But he he was super consistent at it, you know, he and so he got well known with that.

00;21;35;04 - 00;21;55;04
Joe Blackburn
And there were what I would consider bigger hitters, influencers and, and such in there. And I recruited him because of it, because I'm like this, this kid and he's not a kid anymore. And I think he's actually a year older than me. I'll go back and check you. But at the time we were and I'm like, this dude gets up and he he's, well, well-spoken.

00;21;55;07 - 00;22;17;16
Joe Blackburn
He's got some eloquence, dresses well, he does all the little things that, you know, like we pick up on. And he just was more than anything every week, just boom. And he would get up. And I think that got a lot of business brought his way. And he was a service. I mean, again, if you were going to go out and try to get you have to give I mean, law, reciprocity is not the opinion of reciprocity.

00;22;17;16 - 00;22;38;15
Joe Blackburn
It's law. So you're going to if you're trying to, you know, build your brand on that, you have to be willing to sacrifice and give sweat equity and then money and all those other things. But he was real consistent around that. And he you would see him on the committees. He's doing, you know, the weekend stuff. I mean, all those little things added up and he's done very well.

00;22;38;17 - 00;22;55;24
Joe Blackburn
And it started with just doing that and getting I would call that to answer your question. That's a way to do it now at a social setting, it's a little more difficult just because you know what you could hold out call holding court. And you know what I'm talking about, by the way. You go somewhere and somebody's holding court.

00;22;55;24 - 00;23;10;28
Joe Blackburn
The like 5 or 6 people stand around them and they're pontificating. I'm not sure that's I don't know if that's good or bad, but, you know, you it's probably easier and easier to execute in something that has a little structure around. And that would be the route I would go there.

00;23;11;00 - 00;23;19;06
Jason Croft
Right. Rather than everyone's there for a football game. And right, you're like, this reminds me of a time that I worked with a.

00;23;19;09 - 00;23;23;13
Joe Blackburn
Client, your glass at a wedding reception, and you're not involved if I don't do.

00;23;23;13 - 00;23;53;25
Jason Croft
That. Exactly, I love that. But yeah, I think this is this is a a great, important aspect of things, especially for newer folks to understand this concept of guarding your time, using it appropriately, because your I mean, again, you've got family, close friends, you're taking time from them at some level. So if it's wasted and just, you know, spinning your wheels, you're taking time from them.

00;23;53;25 - 00;24;17;22
Jason Croft
I think that's another perspective to to have in that. Well, so I love this idea. And almost again, especially for the newer folks to give them permission. Hey, it's okay to guard your time doesn't. Yeah. There's not an ego thing. It's not I'm better than you. Not at all. You are allocating time for your business period. And that's okay.

00;24;17;24 - 00;24;19;07
Joe Blackburn
Correct.

00;24;19;09 - 00;24;38;00
Jason Croft
So yeah, I think that's a that's a fantastic point. I'm glad we I'm glad we jumped in and and and had that for, for this episode. I think we've slapped people around with this idea. Nothing. Hopefully, you know, and again, for the folks who, who have been doing it a while, I think it's fascinating to to have a reminder for them, just like you're going through right now.

00;24;38;00 - 00;24;47;05
Jason Croft
It's almost just a re a relearning like, oh yeah. Especially trying to grow these, these two different things. So I'm glad you brought that up.

00;24;47;07 - 00;24;52;12
Joe Blackburn
Awesome. Me too. I'm glad I brought it up.

00;24;52;15 - 00;24;55;09
Jason Croft
Awesome. And we'll see you all next up.

00;24;55;11 - 00;24;55;27
Joe Blackburn
Amen.

00;24;56;00 - 00;25;25;08
Jason Croft
See you. 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.

00;25;25;10 - 00;25;54;06
Jason Croft
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.

00;25;54;08 - 00;26;01;15

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