Becoming an Agent of Change: Transforming Sales Strategies I SOS Ep. 366

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Unlock the secrets to becoming an "agent of change" in sales and setting the stage for a powerful start to 2025. Transform your approach by learning how to influence client behavior and lead them to new habits or systems through your product or service. Host Mike O'Kelly divulges how mastering the art of capturing attention and creating compelling interactions can give you an edge over the competition. Explore the P3 method to vividly illustrate the future benefits of your solution and the pitfalls of maintaining the status quo, ensuring that your prospects are thoroughly persuaded by your vision.

This episode of the Surviving Outside Sales Podcast is your guide to not just surviving but thriving in the competitive world of outside sales. We delve into the essence of salesmanship as a catalyst for change, emphasizing how your ability to present impactful scenarios can drive successful outcomes. Whether you're cold calling or handling inbound leads, the focus is on demonstrating the potential transformation you can provide. Tune in for actionable insights that extend beyond sales to personal relationships, equipping you with the skills to enhance the lives of those around you while showcasing why your role as a change agent is essential.

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If you are in outside sales and have had any of the following:

- New to Outside Sales
- New to an industry, new product, new territory - any type of change
- Experienced, but have lacked training and business development
- Seasoned but feel like you have hit your ceiling and need a reboot

If any of those descriptions sound like you or someone you know,

If you want to have a conversation about:

- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move
- Help building your business or territory

Reach out to me:

Schedule a FREE consultation

or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-o-kelly-44ba352b/
[e-mail]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Surviving Outside Sales Podcast, hosted by Mike
O'Kelley, presented by SalesBuilder Academy, the goal is to
survive and thrive all phases ofoutside sales, whether you're
getting in, dominating orgetting out.
Surviving Outside Sales now onwith the show.
Welcome to the SurvivingOutside Sales Podcast.

(00:32):
I'm your host, mike O'Kelley,still in Q4, and I'm going to be
hammering this home for therest of the quarter.
I'm going to be like a dog on asoup bone, because it's really
important.
It really is important.
It's setting yourself up for astrong start to 2025.
It's also going to set you upwith your company, with your
employer, with your bosses, thatyou are a person that can get

(00:52):
the job done and you're a personthat knows how to handle the
pressure and stress, becauseyour competition is out there
working just as hard to try toclose those deals.
And really, when it comes downto it, I want you to think about
this.
Keeping it very simple is youare an agent of change.
All right, if you're in sales,you are an agent of change.

(01:14):
Whoever you're talking to,whoever you're trying to
influence, what you're trying todo is get them to do something
they've never done before, oryou're trying to get them to
change their habits, changetheir thoughts, change their
processes and systems byutilizing your product or
service.
You're an agent of change, andso think through the lens of

(01:35):
being an agent of change.
Somebody comes to you, theyhave a problem, and you're the
person that's going to solvethat by having them do something
different than they've donebefore.
It really is as simple as that.
It doesn't necessarily meanit's going to be easy to get
them to change, convince them tochange and to have them pull
through, but it really is aseasy as that.

(01:57):
I'm sorry, it's really assimple as that.
You're an agent of change.
So whether you are cold callinga prospect, whether you have a
lead that's inbound, it doesn'tmatter.
You are there to changesomething, and in order to do so
, you've got to grab theirattention, and one of the ways

(02:19):
to grab their attention is toeither frame something that's
never been framed before or ithasn't been framed that way
before.
Get them to start talking in away that they probably have
never talked to other salespeople before, or get them to
start asking you questions andmove them with thought-provoking

(02:42):
statements, facts, questions,scenarios, stories whatever it
is testimonials.
But you have to get that personto change.
And if you can't, it'll beanother one of these.
Let me think about it.
And just so you know I'm notperfect.
There are still times where Ifeel like, after I'm done with

(03:04):
the sales call, I feel like, ohman, I could have done that
better.
You're always looking to getbetter, always, but that is
fundamentally.
What is happening is, you aretrying to become an agent of
change.
You're not pushing something onsomebody.

(03:25):
If you are, you're just wastingyour time.
What you should be focusing onis you should be focusing on the
future state, going back to theP3 method, potential state, and
you explain to them what theirpotential is going to be, while
also framing how will they be ina worse position if they don't

(03:53):
go with my product or service?
Show them the potential of two,two different scenarios, one
with and one without you.
And and folks, we do this on aday.
We do this on a daily basis.
It's our friendships, it's ourromantic interests.

(04:14):
The goal is to present yourself,your life, your business,
whatever it is, that the personthat's with you is going to be
in a better position than ifthey're not, and that's really
comes down to.
So if somebody right now, ifthey need your product or
service.
Why do they need your productor service?

(04:35):
What does it matter to them?
How is it going to make theirlife easier, better, more
financially strong, less stress?
I can tell you, the stress as asales professional does not
even come close to 1% of that ofa business owner and I'm not
talking a small business, I'mtalking.

(04:56):
You know you employ 10 to 15people.
You know million-dollarbusiness, especially in the
retail world.
But if you've got employees andyou've got so many moving parts
, the stress level is throughthe roof and there's different
ways you can cope with thatstress.
But as a sales professional thelevel of stress is not that

(05:19):
high.
Now you might think to yourselfoh well, the stress of going
out there and hitting my numbers.
I believe, looking back on mycareer, that was the easy part.
It really was.
The hardest part was justlearning what to do.
I didn't have podcasts when Iwas out in the field, when I

(05:40):
started my career, I didn't havepodcasts.
I had a handful of people thatI could reach out to and I just
hoped and I prayed that theywere giving me the right advice.
And some of them were and someof them weren't, and a lot of it
was trial and error.
I used to use the dreadedphrases circle back, follow up,
checking in.

(06:00):
I used to use those.
That's why I tell people nowstop using it, because I
realized after a while itdoesn't work and it makes you
sound horrible.
It makes you sound likeeveryone else, and that's not
what you want to do.
And it makes you sound horrible.
It makes you sound likeeveryone else, and that's not
what you want to do.
And that's not who peopleconnect with.
They don't connect with averagesalespeople off the street.
They connect with people whothey believe are thought leaders

(06:22):
, who are trustworthy, are goingto be there for them.
When stuff hits the fan, you'renot going to run and you're
going to support them and helptheir business um survive and
thrive.
That's what people relate toand that's what people are drawn

(06:43):
to, and it starts with amindset.
You know it's the.
It's the attitude and theaptitude.
If you've got the rightattitude, you're going to go far
in sales.
But if you constantly areworried, you're wringing your
hands of who have been wildlysuccessful, who believe that

(07:06):
their product is too expensive.
There are price points andthere are markets for every
product.
You just have to be willing tolook for that market and if you

(07:26):
believe your product is tooexpensive, then find a market
where the people that are buyingit don't believe that.
It's as simple as that, becausepeople will pay.
Believe me, people will pay.
It doesn't matter what theprice tag is.
People will pay.
Now you might not get as many,but you just have to swim in the
circles, or you just have toswim in the seas where people

(07:49):
can't afford that.
It starts with change, beingcomfortable with change.
If you really enjoy just goingout there and doing the same old
thing and you expect differentresults, I have a newsflash for
you it's not going to work.

(08:09):
So, as the rest of the quartercontinues, I would highly
recommend you become comfortableand adaptable with change and
realize that is what you have tobring to your clients.

(08:30):
It's painting a picture of abetter future state, better
potential state, whilesimultaneously telling them I
will be here the entire way tomake sure you get to where you
need to go.
That is what motivates peopleto say yes.

(08:51):
Thank you so much for everybodywho's been reaching out.
Thank you for everybody who'sbeen listening.
Today's a short one, buthopefully it's impactful.
I want you to really thinkabout that, chat with some
friends about how to becomeagents of change.
You can start today.
It's very simple to just putyour foot down on the ground,
pivot and move in a differentdirection.
Like I said before, things thatare simple don't necessarily
mean they're easy.
Thank you for everybody who'sbeen listening.

(09:15):
Really do appreciate it.
If you're interested, you canreach out to me on LinkedIn or
email me at Mike atsurvivingoutsidesalescom.
If you're interested in coaching, if you're interested in some
of my programs, I'm going to belaunching new programs, starting
probably in December, butdefinitely by January 1st, and

(09:36):
if you want to get a jumpstarton that, please reach out to me.
I know dozens of people havealready.
So I'm very excited for what iscoming at the end of this year
and also the beginning of theyear.
So thank you everybody who'sbeen listening.
Share this with a friend,please download and, if you can,
please give a review on theseplatforms.
The number two or the top twoare Spotify and Apple podcasts,

(09:59):
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Thank you so much.
Have a great day and we'll seeyou next time Surviving outside
sales Cheers.