Blood, Sweat, and Extra Blood

Out there wherever you take heed to podcasts: Apple | Spotify | Web site

Transcript

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

John Felts: I used to be a rustic music track 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 she or he 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 the whole lot he needed to win.

John Felts: I went by way of entire 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 very good 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 track all wrapped up in a single. Misplaced my spouse, misplaced my job. And I used to be out in search of 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 recognize what? You’re not the best particular person for this job. And I don’t wish to waste anybody’s time.” And I used to be type of determined, so I wanted a job. So I mentioned,” Effectively, I’ve bought this different half. I’ve been promoting lengthy distance and web circuits as a dealer. If I might work with you to promote that to your clients, that may be nice. I don’t should be an worker or something like that.” And she or he mentioned,” Wait a minute, you’re a salesman? I believed 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 may promote web circuits. So that you’re a salesman.” And I mentioned,” No, I’m actually not.” And she or he 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 she or he 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 in your first gross sales job?

John Felts: You recognize 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 kind of film, or that it existed as a result of heck, I didn’t do this kind of factor.

Sam Balter: And the way outdated are you when all of this is happening?

John Felts: Gosh, I’m 34, 35. On the time, bought a three- year- outdated and a six- year- outdated. I bought 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 very good 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 considering 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, instructing IT and safety and VoIP. I needed to do no matter I might.

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 an area blood financial institution. It was an organization referred to as Blood Supply on the time. They’ve since merged with another person. Had no thought how massive they had been, however I used to be acquainted with them as a result of I’ve all the time donated blood, ever since highschool. So the corporate that I’m working for, has achieved some work on an current 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. 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 should do the improve and there’s most likely 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 most likely about quantity 5 on the listing. And we’re all vying for it. So I bought launched and I used to be having quite a lot 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 curious about having us bid on this?” And so they mentioned,” Certain, ship your particular person out, otherwise you come out.” And she or he mentioned,”You recognize 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.” And so they 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 dwell.” And so they mentioned,” Oh, properly, in the event you’re ever down right here and also you wish to donate, we’ve one on the headquarters. And it’s a lot greater. You may all the time get in. You may 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?” Certain 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 could as properly. Sadly, I took the assembly after donating. That was a lesson discovered. You get a bit bit lightheaded after blood donation. So I’m unsure 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 quite a lot of competitors. So I began donating each couple of weeks, so long as they’d let me. There’s limits to how usually you may donate. So I did the whole lot I might to get in there as usually as doable. I went by way of entire blood. I went by way of plasma. I even did platelet donation. All apart from one time that I donated, I bought in with the IT division and bought most likely 9 or 10 totally different conferences. There was a number of 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 vegetation, broke all of the potted vegetation. Awoke to some individuals waving over me, saying,” Whoo, are you okay? Are you okay?” They did hear about it they usually thought it was humorous. And I didn’t assume 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 mentioned,” What’s going on?” And she or he seemed and you could possibly see within the little tube that my blood was not the best shade. It was extra of orange than a pink.

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

John Felts: Sure, a bit bit. There have been issues happening, positively 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 typically. And I don’t promote that approach. I by no means have, I by no means will. However I did know that that was happening.

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 happening, are the conversations getting higher? Is the method shifting alongside?

John Felts: Completely. The connection bought 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 as if you’re the underdog on this story. They’re like,” Okay, we’ll provide you with a shot.” Is there a degree the place you turn to changing 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 after 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 provide you with a proposal. And within the meantime, they’re hiring us to repair different issues which have been happening. 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 an enormous deal for me.

Sam Balter: How a lot are we speaking?

John Felts: Half one million.

Sam Balter: Oh, rattling. Was it huge, 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} huge 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 all the time all the way down to the wire. For me, I by no means rejoice till there’s ink on the paper. However yeah, it was an enormous aid. I used to be happy with myself, for certain, that I might lastly say I offered one thing this huge.

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

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 in the event you lose this one, you may get the subsequent 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 Acquire. It was produced by me, Sam Balter, and edited by Xavier Leon. If in case you have a fairly 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.