Shifting Sales Success: Overcoming Ego and Embracing a Customer-Centric Mindset with Corey Berrier
May 03, 2024
Corey Berrier
Ever found yourself wondering why, despite your best efforts, your sales numbers aren't hitting the mark? Join me, Corey Berrier, on a journey to dismantle the ego's grip on sales strategies, unraveling how a shift from self-importance to customer focus can revolutionize your results. We're going beyond the pitch to peel back the layers of what truly makes a difference in building customer relationships and driving success. From personal tales to the contrasting approaches of Sarah's customer-centric success and Eddie's cautionary ego-driven downturn, you'll uncover actionable insights that transform the way you connect with clients.
Experience the transformation that comes when we replace 'I' with 'you' in the sales conversation. Through a candid exploration of the pitfalls of a self-centered mindset, we'll discover together how empathy, active listening, and a genuine desire to serve can lead to not only increased sales but also the creation of lasting business alliances. This episode isn't just about improving your work life; it's about fostering a sales culture that celebrates and prioritizes client satisfaction. Get ready to leave behind self-serving habits and embrace a service-oriented path to success with your guide, Corey Berrier, leading the way.
Ever found yourself wondering why, despite your best efforts, your sales numbers aren't hitting the mark? Join me, Corey Berrier, on a journey to dismantle the ego's grip on sales strategies, unraveling how a shift from self-importance to customer focus can revolutionize your results. We're going beyond the pitch to peel back the layers of what truly makes a difference in building customer relationships and driving success. From personal tales to the contrasting approaches of Sarah's customer-centric success and Eddie's cautionary ego-driven downturn, you'll uncover actionable insights that transform the way you connect with clients.
Experience the transformation that comes when we replace 'I' with 'you' in the sales conversation. Through a candid exploration of the pitfalls of a self-centered mindset, we'll discover together how empathy, active listening, and a genuine desire to serve can lead to not only increased sales but also the creation of lasting business alliances. This episode isn't just about improving your work life; it's about fostering a sales culture that celebrates and prioritizes client satisfaction. Get ready to leave behind self-serving habits and embrace a service-oriented path to success with your guide, Corey Berrier, leading the way.
Welcome to the Successful Life Podcast. I'm your host, corey Barrier. Today we're going to talk about the cost of ego. We're going to unpack why selfishness in sales is not going to be your friend. Your ego is not your amigo. So let's dive into what is oftentimes overlooked with salespeople and the impacts of having a self-centered, negative mindset, behavior inside of a home or inside any sales position really. So what we're going to talk about today is how these traits, these negative traits, can detract from your success.
Speaker 1:
Because, look, nobody really enjoys talking to an egomaniac, enjoys talking to an egomaniac, and lots of times I think, people don't even realize when their ego is getting in the way, when their own selfish needs and wants take over the conversation. And you know, I've talked about this at infinitum. If your goal is to win every deal, I mean, of course that's the goal, but you don't. The goal is not to win every deal at the cost of the relationship, at the cost of looking like an egomaniac. Because today, look, there's a massive cost attached to how you show up, the energy you bring into the call. If you're a technician, if you're a comfort advisor, field supervisor in the HVAC world, you got to keep these things in check and lots of times we step into a home and we think we've got to perform for the homeowner. But I would argue that if you just show up like yourself, if you just show up with a genuine curiosity to serve that customer, you're going to get a better result. So you know what do I mean by you know self-centered negativity, self-centered traits. Well, what I mean is you're only thinking about yourself. You're only thinking about either Look, I'll break it down for you you could be thinking about how this, you know, if this sale goes through, how it affects you, what you're going to buy, how you're going to buy your next car, your next house, your next, whatever you could be using. You know ego could also step in, as I need to get to my next call. So I want to hurry through this call because the next one is going to be a better call. Maybe you do get called out and of course we all get called out on calls that are not as productive as other calls. That's just the name of the game. You're not always going to get the absolute best calls on every single call. You're going to have some knuckleheads that you have to deal with. You're going to have people that are also ego driven.
Speaker 1:
And I would tell you, you know, if you think about when someone thinks they know more than you, when they come across as they know more than you, and then you as the professional or in this situation I would say, the amateur you buck up, your chest swells up because you know they're wrong and you're the one that's going to tell them how it's been done or how it's going to be done, or about the equipment, or fill in the blank. So, if you think about, you know the way you react to people, the way you react to your husband, you react to people the way you react to your husband, your wife, your customers, your kids. People can feel that sense of energy, whether it's negative or whether it's positive. And so, look, if you want to show up differently than everybody else, you got to check your ego at the door, because sometimes you can't win the fight. Sometimes people believe they know more than you about the thing that you're talking about, the thing that you know the most about, and sometimes you just got to let them talk and rant and rave and act like they do know more. But you got to keep composure, you got to stay focused and at the end of the day, you can diffuse that egomaniac customer that thinks they know more than you, just by pacing your tonality, by smiling and by listening. And I know sometimes it is really hard when you've got a jerk that you're dealing with, and we all have them. We all have people that are not fun customers to deal with. And guess what? It doesn't have anything to do with you, it doesn't have anything to do with what you know. They're probably upset because they're realizing they've got to replace their whole HVAC system and that's going to cost them, you know, 10, 15, 20 grand and they're not real happy about that. Nobody wakes up in the morning and says I think I'm going to go shop for HVAC unit today. It just doesn't happen that way. They wake up, it's hot as hell in their house, they're upset, their wife's upset, their kid's screaming.
Speaker 1:
There's a lot of factors to why they're treating you the way they are. It's not personal, it's 100%. They are projecting out their own insecurities, their own fears, their own junk, whatever that is they're dealing with, onto you. Is it fair? 100%, not fair. Is it life? It% not fair. Is it life? It is, it is life, and sometimes you just gotta recognize that maybe they're in a place that is uncomfortable in their life. Maybe they just found out that they're losing their job. Maybe they just found out they've got stage four brain cancer. We don't know, we just don't know. But we want to treat each customer as if they've got stage four brain cancer, because you wouldn't be an egomaniac to a customer if they told you they were just diagnosed with stage four brain cancer. I hope you wouldn't, and so. But if you treat everybody with that empathetic, generous, kind mindset, with that willingness to listen, you're going to get a better result.
Speaker 1:
So look, let's talk about the consequences of bringing your ego into the conversation, because there are consequences. The consequences are you're probably not going to win, and that's just the reality of it. The consequences are you're probably not going to close that deal. And if the main goal to go going into that home is to close that customer and serve them and get their air conditioner working, you're not going to be able to do that. If you bring your ego into the door, it's just not going to happen.
Speaker 1:
Now, confidence is very different than ego. I talk about confidence in the very first chapter of my book because I believe that confidence is the most important thing that you need when you're having conversations with a potential customer or client. And you know, confidence gives confidence, breeds trust. Ego does not breed trust. In fact, it is a negative. It's a negative energy and people pick up on that whether you realize it or not. And so the consequences of not checking that ego at the door is you're not going to win that deal, you're not going to be able to serve that customer and ultimately that's the goal. Right, the goal is to make sure that that customer is happy with their experience with you and that you maintain a good relationship with them. But you can't do that if you're an egomaniac. You just can't.
Speaker 1:
And you know I talk about a lot about mirroring people's tone. You wouldn't want to mirror someone's tone in this scenario, right, you wouldn't want to If they're hateful and they're yelling at you. You got to take a step back and really just remember I didn't cause this problem. I can't control it, I can't fix it. I mean, I can fix it, but I didn't cause this.
Speaker 1:
It's not my fault as the salesperson that your AC went out, and likely they're feeling like they've neglected things and they probably have right. They probably don't have a maintenance plan. Some people do, obviously, but you know, when you think about it you don't think about your AC until you don't have it, and that is. It's a hard pill to swallow when that happens. Or if your water heater goes out, you don't think about that because the water comes on when you turn the sink on in the shower. But when it doesn't come on and you've got a mess to clean up, that's no good right. It doesn't set that customer up for a successful day. I mean, they didn't expect this problem and likely they've never had to call somebody like you out anyway. And contractors in the trades have a bad name because there's a lot of people out there that don't do business the right way and it hurts the rest of the industry.
Speaker 1:
And so here's what I want you to think about you just want to shift your mindset to a servant mindset. Really, look if you develop awareness of these situations, if you can step back before you get to the home and you think to yourself, because lots of times what I hear is people automatically want to judge a book by its cover, and you can't do that if you want to be successful because you don't know how much money they've got in their bank account. So if you go in and you think to yourself, this job is not going to close, they don't have any money, it's going to be a wreck, it's going to be a jack leg call, it's likely going to be that. But you can shift that mindset to I'm here to serve the customer. I'm here to make them aware of what their options are, to replace their system or repair it, whichever and help them make the best choice for themselves. And if you do that, selfishness and self-centeredness is not going to come into the picture, because you're there to make sure you're serving the customer. And so one of the things you know developing awareness of your empathy.
Speaker 1:
Empathy is not sympathy, let's get that clear. So sympathy is oh, I feel sorry for you, that's not what we're talking about. Empathy is I can understand because I've been in your shoes. We've got customers every single day that deal with the same thing that you're dealing with, and I know it's tough and so label that when you get there right. Here's the easiest way to get someone on your side. Seems like you're having a tough day. We all know they're having a tough day because their air conditioners broke and it's 90 degrees outside, it is a pretty safe bet they're having a tough day. And if they're not having a tough day, they'll tell you and then you pivot.
Speaker 1:
So look, some things. That here's some ways that I've helped develop my awareness for customers and customer interactions. You're going to think this is crazy, but I'll go to the flea market. I don't need to buy anything at the flea market, but I go to the flea market because it gives me practice. I go into a grocery store.
Speaker 1:
I use an empathetic framework when I'm talking to people that maybe are not having a great day. Talk into people that maybe are not having a great day, and it sets you up for a conversation that's not just one-sided, which is not egocentric. So, look, if you want to get better at talking to people, you got to talk to more people. The more hands you shake, the more money you make. It's just that simple. Always look at interactions, no matter where you're at, as an opportunity to get better, as an opportunity to get better, as an opportunity to practice. I mean, look, you don't want to practice these things necessarily on your customers. If that's your only choice, great, but that would mean that you didn't leave your house Anytime you're in a grocery store, anytime you're in a gas station, use these same empathetic frameworks to interact with those people. So I'll tell you a quick story.
Speaker 1:
I was working with a company a little over a year ago and the salesperson I won't call him by name, but let's call him Eddie for the sake of the conversation. And Eddie was known for his ability to go in and close. He was known for his ability to have the knowledge, more knowledge than most people. He had a strong sales record. He was crushing it. And the issue with Eddie was Eddie was all about Eddie. If he got, you know, if he got, look, eddie would just make it about him.
Speaker 1:
And the problem with that is Eddie would go in the house and make it about him how smart he was, how long he's been doing this, his sales records, his ability to be successful and to achieve levels of success within the organization, past achievements, et cetera, et cetera. And that doesn't benefit the client. People don't care about how many sales you've made. They don't care that you're the number one sales guy in the organization. They don't care how technologically advanced you are. Don't get me wrong, there are some customers that do care about that, but likely most of them do not. And if you carry that frame of mind into the conversation, you're going to put a lot of people off.
Speaker 1:
And so you know, during the conversation he would just talk about himself and how great he was and ultimately didn't really even acknowledge the customer's concerns. He wasn't actively listening, and by brute force. Yeah, you can still close deals that way. You know, alec Ball would always be closing, but at the end of the day, it's not the most successful way to close sales. This has just been my experience and with the companies that I've worked with. So you know. So he didn't close this deal right.
Speaker 1:
The person came in after him, which is not uncommon. He should have closed it, but he didn't. And the girl came in after him. She listened, she empathized with the customer, she focused on the needs for the customer and you know, unlike the girl we'll call her Sarah she expressed appreciation for the opportunity when she got there. She was grateful. They called her company out. She was happy to be there.
Speaker 1:
Now I have to ask you how often do you show up at a home happy and grateful to be there? Not happy and grateful you're about to make a sale, but happy and grateful that you have an opportunity that you didn't have an hour ago. Because, look there's I talk about this sometimes. There's no past, there's no present. It's right now. Right, doesn't matter what you've done in the past. Hero to zero. We've all heard it. One month you do great hero, then May 1st hits zero, right, there's no, the past is the past. The past doesn't matter, the future doesn't matter, the future doesn't matter. The future is always now.
Speaker 1:
And so Sarah discussed the client's needs, found out what they wanted, understood their pain points and didn't talk about herself, because it's not about Sarah and it's not about Eddie and it's not about Eddie. But Eddie made it about himself and turned the customer off. And so she linked together the benefits of, she linked together the benefits of what the system she was selling to the pain points of the customer. And I bet you can guess who won that deal. Because at that point, folks, it's not about price. It's not about price, it's not about any of that. It's about making the customer feel like they are a human being, making that customer feel like you're selfless, you're gracious to be there, you're thankful to be there, you appreciate the opportunity. And lots of times we go in because we think, oh, we just need to go in and close the deal. But I would argue that that's just not the best way to look at it. And ultimately, the goal is to close the deal, but it's just not the best way to go into that conversation.
Speaker 1:
And you know, eddie's approach is a lot of people's approach. Sarah's approach is not a lot of people's approach. Sarah's approach is not a lot of people's approach. So who shows up differently in that scenario? 80% show up like Eddie and 20% show up like Sarah. Who's going to stand out the most? Who's going to be remembered for being the person that helped this family with their home? It's going to be Sarah, because Sarah made it about the customer, not about themselves. And the more you can do this in life, the more that you can do this with your boss, your employees, your spouse, your kids, employees, your spouse, your kids. It's not about you, it's about the other person and this is a way that you can turn your sales numbers around. Now it's getting busy. I know we're getting busy. We're getting extremely busy and that's because we have a customer-centric approach.
Speaker 1:
We don't carry our ego into the call. We approach the customer happy and grateful. We approach the customer, trying to solve their problems, not talk about ourselves. To solve their problems, not talk about ourselves. And I would suggest, if this is new to you or new information, go back and listen to this again, because this works. You know there's a thing called reciprocity. You give somebody something, they feel the need to give it back to you by you giving them your time, your patience, not rushing through the call. Active listening, reflective listening all these things are important and it builds that reciprocity because if you're genuinely there to help that customer, they're going to genuinely feel like you're not a selfish egomaniac and your success rate for your sales this summer is going to be astronomically higher than it was last summer, just by implementing this one thing it's not about you, it's about the customer. It's about the customer, it's about your employees. If you're the employee, it's about your boss.
Speaker 1:
But you got to be able to show that in a genuine way, and you can't do that if you bring your ego into the mix. And so look, this is not an easy thing to overcome, especially when you've been at the top of your game and you feel like you know you're knocking sales down left and right. You think, well, I must be doing something right, but what if you could do something right better, and you can. You can make this shift and change the trajectory of this season. And look, I know that it's real easy to get caught up in. Well, if they're not going to buy, I just need to get to my next appointment. And if you're using that as a sales tactic, okay, but don't be in a rush. Don't try to make that customer make a snap decision without giving them all the information. And the only way that you can do that is shut your mouth and listen to what they're saying, because they'll tell you A customer will tell you every single reason. You're out there, but you've got to ask and you've got to be patient. Without that, it's just going to be. It's going to fall on deaf ears. It's just going to be. It's going to fall on deaf ears.
Speaker 1:
So I do want to thank you all for listening to the show. I do want to ask you to leave us a five-star review. It really helps me. It helps the show grow, but really it also helps me to show up every week for you, because this is about you. This is not about me here beating my chest, talking to you about the things that I talk to you about. This is about me trying to give back to the industry and this is the way that I give back to the industry. We have a lot of people that listen to the show and it is nice to hear when people get something out of the show. It does make me feel pretty good.
Speaker 1:
But it's not about that. It's about you taking this information and utilizing it to become a better salesperson. Become a better salesperson and, you know, change your mindset and just check your ego at the door when you get to the home, because if you don't, it's going to show up and you're going to look like you know, you're going to look like everybody else. This has been like I said, this season's starting out strong and we're excited here at Six and Fix, and you know it's getting busy and I'm excited about that. So if you would, you know, if you see where I've posted this on show social media, if you've seen the video clips that I put out, share them. Share them with other people, share them with a technician, share them with a CSR, share them with a business owner, share them with another sales guy, because that's what this is about.
Speaker 1:
Don't be selfish and just take the information and try to implement it on your own. Help everybody. Look, we don't have a ton of people coming into the trades. We need everybody that we can get, and it starts with you. It starts with you doing your part, and so, with that being said, I appreciate you guys listening to the show. I appreciate you guys listening to the show and I appreciate you showing up here every single Friday to take in this information. I just want you to go out there and implement it. Go out there and execute it. If you need to listen to this over again, by all means listen to it over again. Look, I learn new stuff every single week and my goal is to bring new stuff to you. It may seem like sometimes this is all I talk about, because I just think it's that important. I think it's that important that you need to hear it over and over until you implement it. So, appreciate you guys. We'll see you soon.