It’s the middle of a 2018 autumn afternoon, and Chris just got back to his East Village apartment from an Orange Theory Fitness class in Astor Place. He’s getting ready to meet up with some friends at Bleecker Street Bar for the Penn State game. After the game, Chris expects that he will most likely close out the evening at “The Red Lion” for late night singalongs to Petty, Hootie, and Bruce.
Sounds like a typical Saturday for a young professional bachelor in New York City, right? For some it may be. But for Chris, these days doubled as critical training workshops in sales and prospecting. The trial and error, the success stories, and the constant rejection provided more education than any Masters Level Course ever could.
Although I never experienced life as a young bachelor in the big city, Chris has kept me well informed of the principles that he learned amidst the bright lights and fuzzy nights while living at 12th and 1st. So as I settle into my new sales role at Vanguard, I’ve begun to apply his lessons. And believe it or not, they actually work. You can apply these rules to networking, sales and relationship building. So Godspeed everybody… you’re about to learn how to act more like Chris.
The first sales lesson that I learned from Chris was the importance of knowing who you are, what you’re looking for, and how to play to your strengths. Chris identified a specific segment of the female population within New York City that loved Orange Theory Fitness, College Football Saturdays, and 90s music singalongs. It also happened to be the one sub-species left on the planet that was still somehow attracted to the air guitar. He specialized in that market. He was aware that he would strike out every time at a nightclub like “1 OAK,” and he claimed that he wasn’t enough of a stud to wait for 8s and 9s to swipe right on the dating apps. So he continued to put himself in a casual atmosphere where he could talk or jam out with fun and normal people just like him, and just by doing that he had a differentiated value proposition.
So in your office, while most people are trying to be good at everything, there’s that one guy that’s great at their thing. Strive to be that guy. Play to your strengths.
The second lesson I learned was to always be prospecting. Chris could’ve attended a gym with a bunch of meat heads if he really wanted a great workout, but instead he got a membership to Orange Theory and Soul Cycle. While other guys were busy getting jacked, Chris was prospecting. Chris has watched every Penn State game since we graduated, but I doubt he can name more than 3 players on the current roster. While other guys were busy debating whether McSorley had what it takes to get us to the College Football Playoff, Chris was prospecting. Chris loves 90s soft rock not because of the music itself, but because of the demographic who sings along to it. While other guys were busy complaining about the music selection, Chris was prospecting.
So in your office, while most people are checking their email or talking about “Game of Thrones,” there’s that one guy making calls. Strive to be that guy. Always be prospecting.
The third lesson from Chris was to focus on the client. Once he stopped worrying about what line he would say next, or what gimmick he would use to grab the girl’s attention, he did much better. He learned that listening is smoother than talking. He learned that being interested inherently makes you interesting. He learned in order to win over a girl, he must win over and influence their entire buying network (friends). He realized that it’s more valuable to learn her favorite happy hour spot than share his favorite happy hour spot. Why? Because when he follows up to ask her out, he’ll most likely meet her where she wants to go.
So in your office, while most people are talking about what they want to sell, there’s that one guy that’s listening to what the customer wants to buy. Strive to be that guy. Focus on the client.
The fourth lesson I learned was quality results are driven by executing the game plan. When the Penn State game is in the 4th quarter, or the band is playing “Africa” by Toto as the final song of the night, Chris must stay disciplined and properly close the initial interaction. While a long Saturday like this can lead to a tendency to overstay your welcome, the law of diminishing returns often kicks in, and nothing good can come from sticking around. He’s made the connection, collected contact information, generated aligned interests, and now it’s time to cut himself off and define next steps. The following day, he will send a message thanking them for their time, adding something witty based on what they discussed the night before, and asking for a second meeting at a relevant venue for their mutual interests. His game plan conveys confidence and command, and creates momentum in the buying cycle.
So in your office, while most people are just brainstorming ideas, there’s that one guy executing a game plan. Strive to be that guy. Execute the game plan.
Finally, Chris taught me to just keep swinging. Chris has been laughed at, roasted, and rejected more than any of our friends. Yes, some of it is self-inflicted…ok, most of it is self-inflicted. But a lot of it is driven by the guy’s relentless and shameless persistence to get back in the batter’s box and just keep swinging. It’s the beauty of Orange Theory offering classes every day, Penn State playing a 13 game schedule, and 90s music never getting old. There will be more opportunities tomorrow. Each “No” means “Not yet” and is a step closer to “Yes.” He can keep going back…rinse…repeat…refine…and swing again. His relentless persistence is the one principle of prospecting that has driven his sustainable success more than any others.
So in your office, while most people prefer to complain from the side line, there’s that one guy getting his butt kicked in the arena. Strive to be that guy. Dust yourself off and just keep swinging.
As Chris now finds himself in a serious relationship, he has transitioned from Sales Executive to Relationship Manager. The NYC Saturdays full of prospecting are behind him, but the principles and his classic air guitar will remain with him forever. These principles have driven his success at Salesforce, and have led to the great friendships and relationships in his life today.
He plays to his strengths and is always looking for new opportunities to add value to everyone’s experience. We can always count on him to follow up and plan the next event, and when that event is done, he’ll keep swinging and plan another.
So as I start my new role in sales, or you look to succeed in your own professional or social life, consider these principles. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we could all be a little more like Chris.
The Janiec Reflection 