01 - Shine In Sales - A conversation with Ian Genius

In our first ever episode of "Show Up and Shine", we delve into the captivating world of sales, exploring the nuances of selling with confidence and authenticity. 

Carole Ann Rice discusses the secret ingredients of selling amidst a range of topics, from overcoming the discomfort of pricing and valuing one's services to adopting a mindset that shifts the focus from selling to helping. Ian shares his unique methodology, which simplifies the process of selling what you love doing, and provides practical advice on how to maintain confidence and resilience in the face of challenges.

This episode is not just about sales techniques; it's a deeper exploration of how to show up and shine in every aspect of life. It's about finding that inner spark that motivates and drives us, even on the rainiest of days. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, a seasoned business owner, or simply someone interested in personal growth, this episode offers valuable lessons on how to navigate the world of sales with grace, confidence, and a touch of brilliance.

Powered by and edited by Mike Roberts at Making Digital Real

Transcript

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Welcome to show up and shine with Carolyn rice. Uncover courage, resilience and unique stories that inspire us to show up and shine. Welcome to show up and shine. My first ever podcast series, I'm Caroline rice. I'm a life coach, author and columnist, but turned that put you off in the life coach for 22 years, a journalist for 40. And ever since I was a child, I've always been interested in how do people show up for what they do? And how do they shine when they get there come rain or shine, we've got to show up and shine whether you have your own business, or you have a job, or just who you are going out for the evening. I used to study the rich, the famous the incredible and and really wonder what motivates them, what drives them? And what is that certain USP that secret ingredient that always seems to radiate from them with drama with the land with glamour with impact? And what do they draw upon? To keep that going? How do they keep their shine going? Well, in this series, I'm going to interview various wonderful people from all walks, or professions or businesses who are going to share their secret ingredients that hopefully will inspire you something to draw upon. When the chips are down when it's a rainy day, as it is today. What can you draw upon from your treasure chest, your your your secret jewellery box of gems and jewels that you can bring out to the fore that will ensure that you razzle dazzle them. So I'm delighted this week, our first ever guest is the incredible, ingenious now. If you ever have to do selling or sales in your business, you know that initially it can be very, very uncomfortable. Saying what you do putting a price on it, owning the value of what you do, and it can feel excruciating to tell your customers or clients is this is what I charge and the temptation is to come down on the price or or justify or prove and you feel like you're overselling. But in his genius methodology, where he makes it easy to sell what you love doing. I want to set that up properly. Yeah, because those frustrations that you talked about, you know that this is before clients can use you. First they have to choose you. And unfortunately, small business owners are normally fantastic at the thing they do. But I'd say probably 90% don't enjoy selling it. Which is knacker's. It knackers up, whether they're actually ever going to take it, maybe, you know, maybe they're not confident selling themselves, maybe they're uncomfortable bringing up their price, they dread asking for money. They don't even know what they shouldn't be charging. And so I get it. I've had every single one of those frustrations, and that's why I can show people how to get past it because I've been the salesman for 25 years, that hates sales approaches. So you have to know you, I'm not gonna say you have to, I'm gonna say tell me then what kind of space do you personally get into when you have to sell that makes it easy for you and difficult for others? How have you made it easy for you to sell you every business will help them with the fantastic service they have. Right, the client has a problem. And the business has a solution. And that solution can be a product or it can be a service, and that will help the client. But then before that they've got this horrible bit called sell it. Right? Like that. So see, you've got selling it that you don't like, and helping here that you do like, but you've got to help them make the best choice, which is you before you can help them with the thing that you do, get rid of anxiety, get rid of stress, improve their website, improve their marketing, they help them there, but before you can help them with the thing you do, you've got to help them choose you in the first place. So it's not selling helping. It's helping helping, helping. So even just as an early mindset mindset shift, you've got to help them to make a better choice and people look at well I like helping people make choices. Well that's what you're doing. It's not You're not selling this horrible thing you're actually we're going to do so it straightaway. It's only a minor change. But straightaway, the game changes it's help help not selling health. Yeah, I get that. It's like I want to help you by showing you what I how I can make your life better with my products. Do you have to be confident then of yourself and your products? A stupid question, but how do you get that super confidence and at what you do, you've got to be confident, you've got to be with confident with your products. And you've got to be confident with yourself. Now, most people that are normally confident with the thing they do, it's normally pretty good. It's the confidence selling themselves and not normally as clever. But if you know, if you're not confident selling yourself, is it possible they aren't confident by it? You know, you only have to think yourself if you went to a shop, and you're thinking, I'm not sure about this, but they don't seem that confident. Well, I'm not going to chuck a load of money at someone I don't believe. So it's crucial that they are. And it's, you know, but it's some people equally on their product or service. If you say is it the best solution might be? Crikey, if you think it might be, What chance have I caught, you know, I'm a potential buyer, and you don't even know you don't even believe it is. So it was, it comes back to self. And really, really honouring yourself and what you do value in yourself and what you do. So really, you have to be really primed to try and supremely confident that people want to buy you to some degree. Yeah. And again, so my background was mathematics. So there's a base, there's a base statement, you'll see where this is going in a second. So there's a base statement that says people buy on emotions, and justify with logic, not one or the other both. And the easiest way to work out is that true, is think of the last time you went to a clothes shop and you saw a coat on the rack, and you thought I love that coat. And you took it off. You turned the price ticket around which you did not love quite as much. And he went all I think I might put it back on the shelf. Right? So your love of the coat didn't change, but your love of the price, you couldn't justify it people buy on emotions and justify with logic that always the two worlds work together. So my background was maths. So my strength is logic. I'm not entirely convinced I'm even human. So I'm not sure I've got the the emotional half sorted but logics, yes. So what I do with people, if they're not confident selling themselves or their if I say to someone, I get the best solution to your client's problem. If they even pause, I'm thinking that you're not that confident, right? If they say, Well, I think I am. The fact that you've had to caveat it with I think I am already again undermines this confidence. So I'll do a series of very simple steps, logical steps that will show them whether they are or not. I'm not if they're not, that's fine. But if they are, they need to know they're. So I'll say to them, like, I'll go through a series of steps. Like, if you compared yourself with the competition, there's all sorts of elements that you compete against the competition, your price, your quantity of things, your quality, your value, your skills, your experience, your vision to take it further your mentality, how friendly how passionate, how much time, there's loads of factors, so we'll break it into components, tackle each component, okay, if you compare yours with the competition on price, how do you compete, like the best tech? In the quantity of things you give the house you give the time you give the number of pieces of paper that whatever the quantity of things is? How do you compete? Yeah, I'm not so good on that. Okay, you lose it and we go through the stages. Typically, people will end up going up just one that seven too. Right? You know, where your strengths are, you know where your weaknesses are, but your strengths are outweighing your weaknesses on a seven to two if it was a game of football, Liverpool, seven, Manchester United to the accompanying headline would say Manchester United thrash Liverpool. Now they know logically, they don't have to tell people I'm better at this and this and this, and I'm not, but they they already now believe it. They know why. If someone asked them to deconstruct why they are they know it, but they believe that I know who I am. And so I use logic, to compliment emotions to break things down. And if you say are you better than the competition, it's too hard to answer. Break it down into nine components, each one then and that that's worked absolute when people realise they go, I didn't ever know. I can see why I am now they're good. If they don't believe they're better how they're held the neck, that potential client can see it can't happen. Well, you seem to have 100% confidence in your technique. Okay, so the reason I'm doing this series is there's a famous quote, and it's 80% of success is showing up. Yeah, and yeah, but you know, as well as I do, and you can show up I do believe that show up if you say you're going to do something, show up at least do that be integrity, in integrity of yourself, follow through. But some people show up and just stand there. So we want to show up and shine. So you you show up? How what makes you shine? What do you get into what? mindset? What motivates you? What gets you up in the morning and thinks it's raining? I don't feel that, well, I've got bills coming through the door, I'm going to shine today, what do you draw upon to add your glimmer and shimmer? So I've just always had real desire, motivation drive to be the best I can be. I don't really compare myself against the competition. You know, and I'll say, and I do the same thing with my lads, I say putting out someone else's flame doesn't make yours any brighter, right? Just concentrate. And it's about how could you be better? So my motivation is, Can I do it even better? Until I've reached perfection, which does not exist? Can I do it a little bit better? And a little bit better? It's a constant strive to go yes, it's really good. There's a ceiling higher than that. What can I do, and sometimes it won't be as good, I'll make a change. And it'll actually be worse than the last change is like thinking my favourite meal is pizza. I'm going to try curry tonight. And it might be better anything. I'm so glad I tried something new. Sometimes you go, actually, I think pizza, you can go back. You can go back to where your starting point is, but keep trying new things keep striving to do even better. But again, one of the things that stops people trying to constantly find a new improved and better way is they'll start off by saying something like, I can't do it. It can be done. But I can't do it. The thing is that I can't do it mentality very quickly changes to it can't be done. No, I can't run a mile in less than four minutes, it can be done. But as soon as something goes from, I can't do it. But I'll try lots of things to see how it can be done. Or I'll ask help from someone else. And soon as that transforms from I can't do it and into it can't be done. That's when people don't bother looking anymore. I think settle. They just plateau and settle and it can't be done. And if it can't be done, why bother looking for any other ways. And I completely get that one of my great heroes is Frank Sinatra, who was a perfectionist and strive for excellence. And he said once, if you think you're coasting you're actually going downhill. So don't settle don't coast, Nothing stays the same in life. Aim higher. Push yourself along. I'm completely with you. I strive for excellence, my version of excellence, I strive to make it a bit better to add spin and polish. I look back on what I do, how can I improve it? How can I make it better next time I go through it in my mind, this is what I'll do differently next time. I want to be the best I can be not by anyone else's standards. And maybe that's the kind of drive of the entrepreneur. There's a mountain here but I want to go to the one beyond it and the youngest and I'll always be another mountain that keeps us going. And no matter what the weather's doing or how we're feeling so and again, you said those What about those horrible What about when you're sick? What about when your business is failing? What about on those rainy days when stress and and again, it's like, I'm sure it's boxes have said it but it's not how many times you get knocked down. It's how many times you get back up again, everyone's allowed 510 15 minutes, half an hour an hour to go knackers that went wrong, and feel a bit irritated and sad and everything. And then you go Ding, ding, ding, and you come out again. You know, so I'm like a dog with a bone. I've gotten knocked down every single day at some point with something. You know, no one's any better than the only difference between someone who is just getting back up and going right, you're not going to beat me. And I don't mean the person it might be the problem in front of you, or the frustration or something. You're not going to beat me I'm like a dog with a bone. You're not going to beat me I'm going to I'm gonna have a little cry for a minute. I'm gonna get frustrated and I go right that's enough of that. And it might be the next morning it might be an hour later I go dry I'm coming out and I'm gonna go again and again and again. And I think it's that relentless nature you not gonna beat me is resilience bounce back ability that we all need a business. And I always when I was younger, and I used to see other people running ahead, you know, getting along better quicker than I used to think to myself, don't underestimate me. I will come back. I am Slow Burn. I'm a late starter. But I'm like that I'm like the tortoise, I will run past you on the finish line. Because I don't give up. I plod along. And sometimes I race along sometimes I'm a rocket, but sometimes I applaud some about I'm always moving forward. I think that's the key here. So you. So I also rely on having a blow dry. Make up some good gear, some perfume? What are your secret kind of kickback of I've got to get out there? I've got a shine today, what do you have you got a pair of pants. So nice shirt, some after shave some some in the office, that kind of right? Let's do this. I think I adopt two main methods. So one is the best time if I'm if I'm struggling with a problem, or there's nothing I feel I can do about it, I'll just go for a walk. You know, a decent walk, where it's long enough that I'm able to partially I might have some of this frustration running through my head. But the walks long enough that it gradually dissipates to the bank, and I'm sort of just singing a song or concentrating on something. And then suddenly, because there's two parts of me, there's the intelligent bit and the not so intelligent bit. And unfortunately, you're speaking to the knots of intelligent bit, right? But there's a clever piece of me at the back. So I'll chuck an idea to the back that clever bit, go on a walk, let it sort of work it out. And it will just spit out the answers and go, I've worked it out for you. And this is what you should be doing. So that's one way, one way of doing it and walking again, it only has to be 30 minutes, 40 minutes, but get to the point where you're distracted with something else. Let that chucking up. What about this, thank you like that. So that's one way. The other way is just they've said to people, if you walked down the street, and you told the posture and looked down issues like the paranoid, you're paranoid and looking down and insular and looking down very quickly will adopt those mannerisms. And you will start to feel paranoid and anxious. So it's like the other way, just, if you put on a brave face, and you just go, like almost fake it to make it but you think right, you know, if just go out and you know, is that again, just rather than going down, make spiral into a world that's progressively getting worse think well, okay, if that I'll just be positive. And if you keep doing it, one of two things will happen. Something might actually positive happen and go, Oh, God, it actually is working. Or just the fact you keep doing it changes your mannerisms so that they're the two I tend to adopt. Brilliant. I do think trust yourself, go for a walk, the answers are within you let them come to the surface. But you said, I have a little sing along. I know you have an amazing singing voice. Well, it is a thing in networking. It's a 60 people in a networking group. There's no way in a million years everyone can remember 60 people, and they're not going to remember their pitches, right? They're not going to remember what they do. They're not going to remember the pitches that you'd have to be a BrainBox of England. So the only one thing you can really do is stand out and stay remembered. At least I remember you. Yeah. So I have a thing where if I think something's not working, and I could go backwards, I go knackers. I'm dialling it up. I'm gonna go, I could go from 10 back to eight. No, I'm gonna go to 12 Dial it like that and dial it up even more. So I I'm now going to networking and I and I sing, right since but I typically sing I do a minute I do have 10 seconds of pitch and then pattern interrupt, so often sing it where no one's expecting it. And you got all these confident he's super confident. What and you don't think I'm nervous before I do it. Every comedian known to man, every stage performer and it's legendary. They're absolutely soiling themselves before they go on stage. And they go on within a minute they're up. But the same rules apply to him. So go I'm not confident like you. Neither am I. It's again, whether you is he's just just jump jump in at the deep ends. Fake it to make it wing it. And again as you if you do enough things if anyone's ever been dragged out of an audience onto a stage and they're going oh god, oh god, oh, God. But by the end of the experience, they're actually they've desensitised. So if they were asked to go up on the stage again, they wouldn't have a problem anymore. And it's the same thing if you keep doing if I'm now not nervous about singing this song, but I was I was making errors at the beginning. Pan again, by everyone else. It just got to keep doing it. Press event. I completely agree about the Dean desensitising yourself by doing over and over. You know what I'm going to ask you to do three In the deep end, and just give us a little taster of your incredible vocal abilities. So one of the biggest frustrations for businesses is how many of their sales calls their discovery calls fizzle out. So they'll have a conversation with someone that they can help. They've got the best solution best. Sorry, I was gonna ask you to sing. Oh, no, it's going there. So, stand on your punch, like you did. Yeah. So best a person they say I'd like to use you and they take the bronze. And at worst, they say what we're going to do is have a think about it before they go to a competitor. And you feel so frustrated when clients say no, because they say they'll have a think, which takes you to the brink, only to ghost you so and so you'd love to know, how much am I losing? When clients say no, your business is your passion, but your sales are rationed. How much am I losing.com? So I created a site called How much am I losing? And I thought it needs a detail. So that's what I do. I start with a bit of a pitch. Everyone's thinking, Yes, this is a well trodden path. And then he goes, Oh, brilliant, and who wouldn't remember you? I always, when I get it, I think if they liked it great. If they enjoyed it fantastic. If they if they endured it othered as long as they go, I remember in genius. Think you know, we all want lots of clients taking lots of services for lots of money. Before that happens, they come to a discovery. Before that happens. They listen to a pitch. Before that happens. You've got to stand out and stay remembered. The worst thing you can do is someone go, who's that person that does X, Y and Zed. I don't know that is a slow death. You cannot buy something if you can't even remember who it was that did it is impossible. I think that is a fantastic way to sum up today's podcast, be memorable, stand out, do something different. Get out your comfort zone be unique. Dare to be different. You got to be because this is unless you people start at their business because this is their passion. They've worked for them man for all these years. They didn't they love this element. This is the one thing they love of all elements, it shouldn't be a job because they love it so much. And it isn't. They love it that much. And then they restrain themselves with all these shackles of I've only allowed to do this I'm only allowed to do the other. And suddenly they've almost drained all the fun out of the thing they love. Not say this is too creative or this is too off the you know, but this is the thing you love. So love every part of it. Don't restrain yourself. I agree. And I think when you when it comes from love from your heart, it's authentic. And it's an it's not selling. And it's passionate. And it's you stand out. If you're trying to read from the script, it doesn't work. If you're trying to be like somebody else. It doesn't work if you're trying to be someone you're not it doesn't matter if you speak from the heart from fuel from love. It cuts through everything and people start to listen and buy in. So thank you, big love. Show show off and shine within genius who certainly shine today. Any last words you know, I'm just so in you know, you can enjoy selling what you enjoy doing. Don't see it as selling. See it just see it as helping help them to make the best choice so that you can help them with the fantastic product or service that you offer. And when in doubt, go for a walk and say yeah, do both tasks. Thank you everybody. And thank you very much. Thank you for listening to sharp and shy with Caroline rice. We'll see you in the next episode.