Shifting Sales Success: Overcoming Ego and Embracing a Customer-Centric Mindset with 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.

https://www.housecallpro.com/successfullife

https:newpathemployment.com

 https://www.audible.com/pd/9-Simple-Steps-to-Sell-More-ht-Audiobook/B0D4SJYD4Q?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow

https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Steps-Sell-More-Stereotypes-ebook/dp/B0BRNSFYG6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OSB7HX6FQMHS&keywords=corey+berrier&qid=1674232549&sprefix=%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-1

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreysalescoach/

Transcript

Cost of Ego in Sales

Speaker 1 0:01

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 0:58

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 3:41

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 6:21

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 7:44

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 8:18

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 9:22

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 9:51

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 11:06

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 12:48

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 13:41

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 14:07

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 15:29

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 16:21

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 17:26

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 18:06

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 18:53

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 .

Customer-Centric Approach in Sales

Speaker 1 19:40

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 21:11

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 22:21

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 23:45

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 25:18

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 26:03

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 27:10

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 .