Are You Winning New Clients, or Are You Still "Practicing?"
You’ll never be able to handle an objection, think about that question, or solve that complex problem in a sales meeting if you don’t practice. But you’ll never be successful if the only time you practice is in front of your prospect. So are you a practicing salesperson, or a successful one?
Practice is the Passkey
When I started in MSP sales, I knew nothing. I literally had never had any training in sales, and no real experience. Three years later I had sold $1.2 million in recurring revenue. There are lots of reasons for my success, but very little of that success was talent. Of course talent matters, but high-producing salespeople are built, not born. This is more important in the MSP world than perhaps any other industry.
While I received an incredible amount of training, mentorship, and opportunity… The most important part of my professional development was practice. Drilling, role-play, whatever you personally call it. I had the opportunity to practice the things I was learning in a high-pressure, low-risk environment. This was my personal passkey, the secret combination of factors that made me a top performer. Our team of five people spent at least once a week sparring. I’d get the chance to test tactics against those who knew all the same tricks.
I was practicing with them, which meant I was never practicing on a prospect.
By the time I had a real opportunity in front of me, I was ready.
We sell in a world where prospects don’t have the ability to tell a good MSP from a bad one. We all look and sound the same (to them). And if we all look and sound the same, they might as well choose the cheapest. The data tells us it’s not the best company that wins: it’s the best sales person. Buyers report time and time again that it’s the most competent sales person who gets the client.
Limit Errors and Memory Leaks
A plane that leaves SFO for JFK will need to make hundreds of thousands of course corrections to arrive in the right place. Software needs to be patched and maintained to continue operating properly. A sales person needs to regularly sharpen their skills and correct bad habits, or they become ineffective and fail to hit their goals.
I created the MSP Dojo because practice continues to be the most important and effective part of developing a sales person. It’s the one thing everyone needs. It doesn’t matter if the owner does the selling, or if they have sales people on staff. It doesn’t matter how many opportunities they get, their annual revenue, or whether opportunities come from referrals or marketing. The best sales person in the room will always be the one that has the most practice.
The end result is that you’ll close more new clients, generate more new opportunities, and have much better success hiring and training new sales people.
Apply now to be a founding member of the MSP Dojo, and make sure that you’re at your selling best for every prospect.
Study. Drill. Clarify.
The MSP Dojo has three parts to its weekly rhythm.
Study
Every week, you’ll receive an email outlining a specific part of the sales process to work on. The email will set up the drill, and provide just enough information to prepare for the exercise in a few days. Topics include everything from standard selling tactics, to objective handling, negotiation, referral farming, and every other part of the sales process.
Drill
The Drill is a 90 minute zoom meeting broken up into two sections. First is the demonstration with experts and volunteers practicing the scenario from the Study email. Second is a series of breakout rooms. This gives everyone the chance to see some good (and bad) examples, then the chance to try their own ideas in a low-risk environment.
Clarify
Finally you have as-needed access to a window of open “office hours” where you can drop in to ask any questions you have about the drill, or sales in general. This is a great time to bring up objections you’ve stumbled through recently, or subjects you might want to see featured in an upcoming drill.
I see that you still have questions…
Why is it called the "Dojo?"
Almost every martial art has some form of “Kata.” A Kata is a series of movements practiced over and over until it becomes habit, second nature. Only after the movement becomes habit, can the practitioner focus on the fight, and not just the movement.
It works the same way in sales. Practicing the tactics is what makes them habit. Then, you’re no longer focusing on what to say when, or which question to ask. For instance, handling objections becomes more about understanding and helping the person in front of you, instead of trying to win the client. You can focusing on mutual benefit instead of just “overcoming objections.”
This is how we can become excellent sales people who are proud of what we do, instead of desperate sales people with “commission breath” that lose, and lose painfully.
How much does this cost?
For those that join as Founding members, the price will always be $500 per month I’m asking for a 3 month commitment at the beginning, then it continues month-to-month.
Exactly how much TIME is this going to take?
The absolute bare minimum is that you show up once a week for the minimum drill, only bout 45 minutes. The learning component should only take about 20 minutes per week, and the open office hours you come too if you want (or have a specific question). If you skip a week here and there and won’t be a big deal either. We all get busy.
But it’s just like any other gym; you don’t get the value if you don’t show up and put in the work.
Is this for MSP owners or Salespeople?
Every MSP needs to have a black belt in sales. The best salesperson is the one that wins, not the best company. The Dojo is meant for whoever is responsible for consistently bringing in new client revenue.
New Client MRR is the only thing that truly grows an MSP. It’s the hardest part of the job. The difference between a “pretty good” and “great” salesperson is exponential; people who are a little better at sales win a lot more business.
What if I don't want to participate in the drills?
That would make you normal. No one wants to do that. It’s the “eating your vegetables” of the sales process. Drilling, role play, practice, sparring…. whatever you call it. It’s never fun.
It is however the best (and probably only) way to get really good. If you never practice outside of selling to a potential client, that means you are practicing ON your potential clients. That is expensive and inefficient.
If I can't make it to a drill, can I watch the video?
No, not a chance. If you miss a day at the gym, can you watch it on YouTube later?
The learning happens in the room, working with others. Mike Tyson famously quotes, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Plus, sparring with others is vulnerable, and no one wants to have a permanent record of that.
Just drilling forever? Is there anything else coming?
Oh boy, yes. There is more coming. Over the next year I’ll be developing courses and running webinars that fill-out the Sales and Marketing plan. This includes, at a minimum:
- How to build a referral network that generates 100+ referrals a year.
- How to reliably get referrals from your existing clients.
- Developing “sales nuggets” that grasp your prospects attention, and make them call you back.
Can I still hire you (Robert) for traditional sales coaching?
Yes, but space is limited. Please schedule a time to see if I might be a fit for your company.
The Dojo is not meant to replace traditional sales coaching and consulting. Someone should be holding you accountable to setting goals and developing a plan, but if you don’t feel you need a coach that’s ok. For the seasoned salesperson (owner or employee), practicing might be all the help they need.
Just remember that the more successful a person is, the more coaches they tend to have. Does a coach make you more successful, or just keep you that way? The answer is probably yes.