Episode 396: Get your hands dirty, with Stephen Woessner.
Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and the host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media.
Good Morning, Onward Nation \u2014 I\u2019m Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI and welcome to this week\u2019s solocast.
Can you believe it? In less 4 days \u2014 we will ring in 2017.
AMAZING!
My hope for you is that 2016 was your best year yet.
\u2014 AND \u2014
That 2017 will absolutely blow your accomplishments from this year out of the water in every way that matters to you. That you will be able to enjoy all of the freedom that running a successful, predictable, repeatable, and profitable business should afford you, your family, and your team.
Which if you just had a great 2016 \u2014 or maybe you didn\u2019t \u2014 making 2017 your best year ever will be a tall order.
To be successful\u2026you and your team will need a strategy coupled with a practical and tactical execution plan for you and your team to follow.
You may need an even heightened level of focus on who you should be serving.
Who are the customers and prospects in your current sales pipeline? Are they companies who you most want to serve?
Do they represent your Dream 50 clients? If not\u2026adjustments need to be made.
And once the adjustments are made \u2014 you need a system that consistently adds value to what the companies within your sales pipeline \u2014 within your Dream 50 \u2014 are trying to accomplish in 2017.
Over the next several weeks, I am going to use my weekly solocast to answer these questions and guide you along the path to creating the strategic plan you and your team need.
I will share insights, step-by-step detail, recommendations, and system execution processes in full transparency as always \u2014 all within a practical and tactical 4-part series that you and your team can immediately apply.
My hope is that the result outcome for you is that you will be able to fill your sales pipeline so you and your team have more revenue opportunities at your fingertips than ever before \u2014 and those opportunities are with the type of companies you most want to serve \u2014 your Dream 50 clients.
Over the next four weeks\u2026you and me\u2026we are going to get our hands dirty, together. We are going to get into the trenches to not only fill your pipeline \u2014 but \u2014 to demonstrate with excellence to your team members how it should be done so they can model your behavior going forward.
This level of hands-on leadership \u2014 as you push for new heights \u2014 is critically important. Because how can your team do more if you have not shown them how?
So\u2026in turn\u2026I will show you where you can dig in your business to find gold \u2014 to go an inch wide and a mile deep to strike oil \u2014 to find the data points you need to make great decisions \u2014 and all along the way \u2014 to be able to look your team members in the eye with confidence so they can see how the business is moving forward.
When you jump into the trenches with your team due to deadlines \u2014 due to a large number of orders that need to be shipped \u2014 due to some problems with key clients \u2014 whatever the reason \u2014 your actions in those moments demonstrate how important it is to create big wins for clients.
And\u2026even more importantly\u2026your actions demonstrate that you have your teammate\u2019s back \u2014 that you will not let them down \u2014 that they can count on you when the going gets tough. That they can count on you to take care of them while taking care of customers \u2014 with excellence.
This level of leadership should be one of your most vital priorities in 2017.
There is no better team building move a leader can make like stepping out of their executive office, rolling up their sleeves and riding with the sales team, making presentations to prospective customers, call customers, making deliveries, or shipping orders when there is a backlog.
To be clear \u2014 I believe in delegation \u2014 I absolutely do \u2014 it is a key ingredient to scaling a business. And here at Predictive ROI, my content marketing and lead gen agency, my leadership team and I stress delegation, we support and fund personal development for all our teammates, and each of us pushes one another whenever possible to grow and develop.
Doing all of this is a key to scaling.
But, getting my hands dirty with the practical and tactical is something I love to do \u2014 I love to solve problems \u2014 I am driven by it. I love jumping into the trenches with my team to work alongside them \u2014 to look them in the eye when we are faced with a big challenge so they can see my confidence and how much I believe in them.
It is part of the entrepreneurial DNA that I was blessed to receive my family \u2014 and \u2014 it was honed to a razors edge during my enlistment in the United States Air Force.
At the close of each day in the Air Force, I was typically covered in diesel fuel, brine, grease, battery acid, cobwebs, and dirt from crawling around the floors inside the 150 nuclear missile silos where I performed hundreds of maintenance procedures as part of a team.
During my enlistment, I was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base near the Black Hills of South Dakota \u2014 the prairies were my commute to my office \u2014 and my office was 1, 2, or 3 Minuteman II ICBM nuclear missile silos each day that I served.
And I loved every second of it. Most days were like 100 percent pure adrenaline, Onward Nation.
It was absolutely awesome!
And it was in those days \u2014 where my team and I worked our guts out \u2014 where we stood fast in the face of numerous technical challenges happening concurrently, in the face of impossible timelines and pressure, and the ebb and flow of an ever changing schedule \u2014 but \u2014 when we successfully navigated it all \u2014 when we got back to our base following a 17-hour shift \u2014 and debriefed with our supervisors \u2014 we felt a major sense of accomplishment.
We did it. And we did it with excellence. There was no finer feeling after a hard day of slugging it out in the trenches then being able to look back on what we had done along the way with pride.
That what we had just done \u2014 really mattered.
So let\u2019s bring this back to the leadership lesson I want to make sure you take out of this solocast. When we were working within a missile silo\u2026one of the things we enjoyed most was when our supervisors and leadership from our squadron paid us a visit. Sometimes as a complete surprise.
Our field supervisors wanted to inspect what they expected \u2014 to watch us perform while we were knee deep in problems inside a silo. It was nerve racking to be sure \u2014 because we didn\u2019t want to make a mistake \u2014 but \u2014 sometimes, one of our supervisors \u2014 all former technicians themselves \u2014 couldn\u2019t resist the temptation to jump into what we were working on so they could get some grease on their hands \u2014 to help us save time \u2014 or to provide us with a teaching moment and mentorship to make us better for our next dispatch.
For example, one of our supervisors might jump in and operate a crane while we were replacing a brine chiller \u2014 or help drive one of our maintenance trucks if we were short handed.
What we did on a day-to-day basis was dangerous, Onward Nation. There were significant risks. We were working six feet away from a nuclear missile inside a buried silo \u2014 for 17- hours at a time. And as you might imagine, our stress levels could rise pretty quickly within the team \u2014 so we had to keep our cool through solid communication and leadership.
So, seeing the willingness of our supervisors to jump in when they didn\u2019t have to was inspiring \u2014 it was motivating \u2014 it was awesome seeing them get dirty right alongside of us \u2014 they looked us in the eyes and gave us courage that we could get the job done and get the heck home to our families \u2014 safe and sound.
You and your team, Onward Nation, may not be working inside a nuclear missile silo \u2014 but \u2014 if you, as a leader, jump in \u2014 with the heart to help and not micro-manage \u2014 to be a resource \u2014 to share your insights and experience \u2014 to be in the trenches \u2014 to look them in the eye so they know it will all be okay \u2014 your team will love you for it \u2014 and that momentum will carry you to new heights in 2017.
So that is why over the next several weeks, you and I will be in the trenches together. We will get our hands dirty \u2014 together. You and I will get tactical on the curriculum I prepared for you \u2014 the step-by-step details along with the metrics you can use to ensure your team is on-track.
January is a perfect time for you to jump in with your team \u2014 to get your hands dirty \u2014 to pull some levers and let your team see how much you care \u2014 put in the hours \u2014 to build the business \u2014 together.
They will love you for it.
The first practical and tactical lesson I am going to share with you is how to define your client avatar so you know exactly who should be inside your sales pipeline. It is impossible to answer the question of \u201cWho do we want to serve\u201d if you have not completed the exercise.
Or, if you have already completed \u2014 like my Predictive ROI team and I did a year ago \u2014 it is likely time for you to rinse and repeat the exercise just like we finished doing ourselves. And low and behold \u2014 we discovered that over the last several years \u2014 a shift had taken place.
That was exciting to see \u2014 so we pivoted \u2014 and made our sales pipeline much better as a result!
Yes, the exercise is hard work. It can be time consuming. You and your team need to challenge yourselves and not accept surface answers. But the reward is high. Because not getting your avatar right can be one of the single biggest and most expensive mistake business owners make \u2014 not knowing who to sell to \u2014 or why they choose to sell to one customer instead of another.
Before we jump in \u2014 I want to offer up a couple of warnings.
As we move through the steps\u2026you may catch yourself saying\u2026 \u201cOh, I already know that\u2026\u201d
If you catch yourself saying that \u2013 take a moment \u2013 and instead ask yourself \u2013 \u201cBut have I mastered it?\u201d
And then take it deeper by asking yourself, \u201cCan I leverage it even greater that what I am currently doing?\u201d
This recipe represents such a significant opportunity for you and your business because only about 2 percent of the business owners listening right now will take action on the steps I share.
Onward Nation, you may nod your head in agreement when you hear this recipe \u2014 you may even take some notes \u2013 or even share this episode with a colleague.
But ultimately, your inaction will signify your acceptance of operating your business at the status quo \u2014 instead of at the level of excellence.
Please don\u2019t let this be you, Onward Nation!
Don\u2019t fall into the trap of procrastination. My hope for you is that you will take the notes \u2013 have the discussions with your team \u2014 and then put the steps into action \u2014 swiftly. That is how excellence is reached.
Let\u2019s dig in by starting with a question.
What\u2019s the number one reason people buy anything?
I will give you a hint. It has nothing to do with the features, advantages, or benefits of the product or service.
In fact \u2014 it has everything to do with just one, four-letter word.
And that word is \u201cHOPE.\u201d
The only reason we buy anything is because we HOPE that tomorrow will somehow be better than today as a result of buying the product or service we are considering.
That\u2019s it \u2014 HOPE.
So in order for you to fill your sales pipeline like never before \u2014 perhaps your goal is to 10x your pipeline in 2017 \u2014 you need to understand how to make an emotional and empathetic connection with your prospects and customers.
You do this by becoming a HOPE Dealer to your customers.
Let\u2019s take this a little bit deeper with another question.
What percentage of people make a purchase decision based solely on emotional reasons?
Would you guess 20%? 30%? Maybe even 50%?
The answer is 100%. Yes, 100%.
Now, we like to think we are such rational creatures and we only make decisions based on objective data and thoughtful analysis. But the reality is that all of our decisions \u2014 yes, 100% of them \u2014 are made for purely emotional reasons.
And if you go back to Episode 392, our amazing guest, Dave Hoffeld will share the science behind selling and the emotionality of the decision making process. He is brilliant.
And because this percentage is so high \u2014 you and your business must become HOPE DEALERS to your customers. You can do that by connecting on an emotional and empathetic level with your \u201cclient avatar\u201d.
You can do this by understanding their challenges.
You can do this by understanding their pain points.
You can do this by going beyond demographic and economic data by metaphorically \u201cLaying in their bed at night\u201d to understand what is causing them pain\u2026so you can get into the hearts and minds of your customers and prospects.
You need to understand the last thing they think about before they go to bed \u2014 and \u2014 the first thing they think about when they wake up in the morning.
Every piece of communication you send to your customer and prospect lists needs to speak directly to what we like to call your customer avatar.
You should give your avatar, him or her, or both a name. As if you were having a one-on-one conversation with them\u2026right now\u2026just you like and I are having\u2026right now.
Again, as you and your team work through the 10 specific questions I am about to share with you \u2014 don\u2019t allow surface answers \u2014 challenge yourselves to dig deep and push to find specific examples of situations that either reinforce or contradict what is currently believed to be true.
Question 1: what things are challenging our customers right now?
Be careful here \u2014 because this question does not have anything to do with challenges your customers may or may be experiencing right now in working with you. Instead, think about it from the perspective of when your client wakes up \u2014 what challenges concern them about their business and in moving their business forward.
Question 2: what are our customer\u2019s emotional fears or worries?
Again, from the perspective of them running their business \u2014 not fears or worries as it relates to their working relationship with you.
Question 3: what are their dreams and aspirations?
What would need to happen in 2017 for their company to have their best year ever?
Question 4: what are their pain points?
What are the challenges that really cause them pain \u2014 is it a distribution channel \u2014 is it a dealer network \u2014 is a supplier? What is it? Because if you can solve that problem \u2014 you will be hero in 2017.
Question 5: what are their values \u2014 and are their values the same as yours?
This is key because it helps to determine if your two companies will be a good fit working together \u2014 or will you end up being at odds and fighting. Ugh. Who wants that? There is an abundance of opportunity in the market, Onward Nation \u2014 you do not need to work with companies whose values are incongruent with your own.
Question 6: who do they want to impress the most?
If you can help your clients look good in front of who they want to impress \u2014 well \u2014 they will love you forever.
Question 7: what frustrates them about our industry?
This question is indeed about you \u2014 actually \u2014 about you and your industry as a whole. And if you know the answer to this question \u2014 you can change and pivot to create distinction from your competitors \u2014 and in the process \u2014 appear to be that beacon in the night for your Dream 50 prospects.
Question 8: what do they want from our business?
Or perhaps said in a slightly different way \u2014 how can you best add value to them?
Question 9: what\u2019s the one thing \u2014 or result \u2014 that if you could guarantee \u2014 your customers would pay a premium for?
BOOM! Probably enough said there.
Question 10: finish this statement on behalf of your customers\u2026\u201cYou will gain my trust and comfort by\u2026\u201d
Once you have collected that data \u2013 you will have all you need in order to create your \u201cClient Avatar.\u201d
But, please remember, your client avatar is one person. Not an email list of 20,000 people.
One person and you should give him or her a name, a personality, you hang a photo of her on your conference room wall, and every time you write an email campaign, shoot a video, etc. you speak directly to your avatar.
Here, I will take you inside Predictive ROI to illustrate this point. Our client avatars are \u201cHarry\u201d and \u201cSally\u201d (we chose those names because When Harry Met Sally is one of my favorite movies of all time).
All of our conversations with Harry and Sally are personal \u2014 they are emotional \u2014 and they are always authentic.
Let me introduce you to Sally\u2026
- Sally runs a business-to-business professional services firm with revenue between $1 million and $20 million per year
- Sally and her team are ambitious and want to learn new things
- She knows there is more opportunity and growth \u201cout there\u201d and is frustrated she does not know how to capitalized on it, faster
- he reads lots of books but doesn\u2019t know a good idea from a bad one
- She is uncertain and afraid to fail
- She has been fooled before and does not know who to believe
- Everything sounds too good to be true
- And Sally has said to me\u2026\u201cStephen\u2026I want to trust you\u2026that you can do what you say you can do\u2026show me the evidence quickly that it is working and that you are delivering on your promises\u201d.
And Onward Nation, during more than one presentation to a prospective client, \u201cSally\u201d has said to me \u2013 \u201cMy goodness, that\u2019s me!\u201d It is magic when that happens because I know we just made a powerful, emotional connection with Sally.
But for your team to get this process right \u2014 they need you. They need your leadership \u2014 they need you to push them \u2014 they need to see the importance you give the process by jumping in and getting your hands dirty. Just like my field supervisors did for me while we were out working on the missile silos in South Dakota.
For next week\u2026I will share several research tools you can use to collect the right detail you need to find the specific companies, and the decision makers within the companies, that match your client avatar so the result outcome will be a full sales pipeline as you head into 2017.
So with that\u2026I want to thank you again for taking the time to be here with me today. It is an honor to have you here \u2014 thank you for tuning in \u2014 I am delighted you chose this episode to be what you listen to, study, and take with you on your morning run, or maybe Onward Nation has become part of your daily commute, or in some other way has become part of your morning routine.
However our daily podcast fits into your daily routine \u2014 I want you to know how much I appreciate you sharing some of your invaluable 86,400 seconds you have in your day with me and the strategies we learn and share each day from today\u2019s top business owners.
And please continue to let me know what you think of Onward Nation\u2026good or bad\u2026I always want your feedback. My direct email address is stephen@onwardnation.com \u2014 and yes \u2014 that is my actual Inbox. No fancy filters or filing system and I read and reply to every single email.
So please let me know how you think we are doing. I look forward to hearing from you.
We will be back tomorrow with an incredible interview with Daina Middleton \u2014 where she teaches how grit meets grace \u2014 and as a leader \u2014 the lessons we all need to apply in order to be more effective with our teams and customers. The conversation with Daina is powerful!
You will not want to miss it, Onward Nation!
Until then, onward with gusto!