How My Coaching Client Got Referrals From A Rejection | Donald C. Kelly - 1989

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show notes

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In a niche industry, you don’t win by doing what everyone else is doing. Like David facing Goliath, you have to stand out by bringing something different to the table. My guest, Brian Uzcategui, Vice President of Sales for The Kinetic Co., is here to share how he is winning in the tissue industry and the concepts you can apply to your own work.Selling in a Niche IndustrySelling in a niche industry is not easy. You only have so many competitors and only so many customers, which means every interaction matters. Your reputation travels fast, and you cannot afford to burn bridges.In industries like Brian’s, everyone knows each other. Prices are not the differentiator. Relationships are. If you are not building trust and adding value, you will not last long.Relationships Are EverythingWhen your market is small, your network becomes your greatest asset. Brian shared that success comes from treating every customer like they matter because they do.This is a people game. You are not just selling a product. You are building long-term partnerships. One bad interaction can cost you more than just one deal.Do Not Wing ItPreparation is what separates average sellers from top performers.In this industry, you may only get a few opportunities each year to meet with a customer.When you show up, you need to be ready. Know their history, understand their needs, and come in with clear value.You are not getting extra time. You have to make your time count.Bring Something New Every TimeOne of the most powerful concepts Brian shared is simple. Always bring something new.It could be a small training, a new idea, or a way to make your customer’s job easier. When you consistently add value, your customers look forward to seeing you.You become more than a salesperson. You become a resource.“Be the leader people want to serve. A service mindset goes a long way.” - Brian UzcateguiResourcesConnect with Brian Uzcategui on LinkedIn.Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content. Sponsorship OffersThis episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.CreditsAs one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Many sellers ask the same question: how can I increase my close rate? Often the challenge is not the product or the prospect but hesitation at the moment when it is time to ask for the business. I’m sharing a few ideas that can help you confidently ask for the close and move deals forward faster.Stop Waiting Too LongOne common mistake is waiting too long to ask for the close. Sellers may say something like “let me know what you think” instead of clearly asking if it makes sense to move forward.A more effective approach is to be direct. For example, you might ask whether the prospect prefers to start implementation next Monday or Tuesday. When you have already completed a strong discovery and demonstrated a clear solution, this type of question feels natural and keeps momentum moving forward.Make Sure the Buyer Sees the SolutionAnother issue occurs when the seller tries to close before the buyer fully agrees that the solution solves their problem. Even the best demo will not matter if the buyer does not clearly see how it addresses their specific challenge.Before presenting a proposal, confirm that the prospect believes the solution will solve their problem. When both sides are aligned, the closing conversation becomes much easier.Keep the Close NaturalClosing should not feel like a dramatic event. When you clearly understand the problem and present a solution the buyer believes in, the next step becomes a simple and natural conversation.“When the buyer sees the problem clearly and believes in the solution, the next step becomes easy.” — Donald C. KellyResourcesKeep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content. Sponsorship OffersThis episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.CreditsAs one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Most sellers think their outreach struggles come from poor timing or weak messaging. In reality, the bigger issue is that many outreach attempts focus on surface level problems instead of the real challenge prospects are facing. A few small changes can make your outreach far more relevant and much more likely to get a response.Stop Selling the Surface ProblemA common example is when sellers lead with a generic benefit like saving time or increasing revenue. Those things sound good, but almost every competitor is saying the exact same thing.The real opportunity is identifying the deeper issue that is actually causing frustration for your prospect. For example, an HR leader may not simply want a better hiring tool. Their real challenge could be finding quality candidates who truly fit their organization.When your outreach taps into that deeper problem, your message immediately becomes more relevant and harder to ignore.How to Find the Real ProblemThe key is doing the research before you send the message. One simple way to start is by using tools like ChatGPT to understand the common challenges your ideal customers face.You can also learn a lot by speaking with existing clients and asking what their biggest frustrations are. Often the first answer reveals the true problem that needs solving.Why This Changes Your ResultsWhen your outreach focuses on the real problem instead of a generic pitch, everything becomes more effective.Your subject lines become more intriguing. Your emails feel more relevant. And prospects are much more likely to respond because the message speaks directly to what they are dealing with right now.In the end, better outreach starts with one simple shift. Focus less on your solution and more on the real problem your prospect is trying to solve.“If the problem you’re presenting isn’t strong enough, your message will get ignored.” — Donald C. KellyResourcesKeep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content. Sponsorship OffersThis episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.CreditsAs one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

You probably thought following up on a deal would be easy, but many sellers struggle with it. I’m sharing a simple way to make the process easier and stop assuming that no response means something negative.The Data Behind Effective Follow-UpLet me share a few statistics that might change the way you think about follow-up.About 85 percent of sales require five or more follow-ups, yet 44 percent of sales reps stop after just one follow-up. On top of that, only 2 percent of sales happen during the very first contact.What does this mean for you? It means persistence matters. If you are giving up after the first attempt, you could be walking away from deals that simply needed a few more conversations.Why Many Reps Avoid Following UpNow the question becomes why do so many sellers avoid following up in the first place?In many cases it comes down to psychology. Some sellers worry about being annoying. Others fear rejection. Sometimes pride gets in the way and we think the buyer should be the one reaching back out to us.Another issue is the lack of a system. When you do not have a clear follow-up process, it becomes easy to forget to reconnect with prospects or to rely on hope instead of a plan.What Strong Follow-Up Looks LikeWhen you do follow up, avoid sending messages that simply say “just checking in.” That approach does not add value.Instead, focus on sharing something useful. You might provide a helpful insight, remind them about the next step you discussed, or share information that supports the conversation.I also recommend planning the next follow-up before you end a meeting. When the next step is already scheduled, it becomes much easier to keep the deal moving forward.“No response isn’t a no. It’s often an invitation for professionalism.” — Donald C. KellyResourcesKeep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content. Sponsorship OffersThis episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.CreditsAs one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

During a deal, you might spend weeks speaking with one person only to realize the real decision makers were never involved. So how do you get your champion to bring the stakeholders into the conversation? I’m bringing back an old concept that can help prevent this situation from happening again.When Your Champion Won’t Bring Others Into the DealDuring a deal, you might spend weeks speaking with one person only to realize the real decision makers were never involved. It can feel frustrating, especially when you know that IT, finance, or leadership will eventually need to approve the purchase.So how do you get your champion to include the stakeholders who actually sign off on the deal?One approach is to start thinking about the buying process earlier and making sure the right people are involved from the beginning.Start With MultithreadingOne of the best sales strategies is multithreading. This simply means building relationships with multiple people inside an account instead of relying on a single contact.When selling a solution, there are often several people who influence the decision. There may be an end user who will work with the product daily, a manager who oversees the team, and an executive who approves the final purchase.Mapping out these roles early can help prevent deals from stalling later. I like using LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify these stakeholders and make it easier to start conversations with them.Identify the InfluencersNot everyone involved in a deal holds a formal decision making title, and that’s something I want you to keep in mind. I’ll give you a quick example. My wife once worked closely with the executive team at a company. Whenever the CEO was considering working with a vendor, he would often ask her opinion about the people he had interacted with. If a vendor was respectful and easy to work with, she would share that. But if someone treated her poorly because they didn’t think she had any influence, that feedback made its way back to leadership as well.The lesson here is simple. Everyone inside an organization can influence a deal in some way.Have an Honest Conversation With Your ChampionIf your champion continues to avoid bringing others into the process, it may be time to address it directly.Try sharing your concern. Let them know that in most successful projects there are several people involved, including technical teams and leadership. Then ask if there is a reason those stakeholders have not been included yet.Often the answer is straightforward. The champion may be busy, unsure how to involve others, or simply gathering more information before expanding the conversation.“Preemptively build those relationships so you don’t get stuck relying on one person to close the deal.” - Donald KellyResourcesKeep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content. Sponsorship OffersThis episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.CreditsAs one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

At the end of every quarter, many sellers feel shaken when they look at their quotas. You’re putting in the work, yet the results still aren’t where they should be. I’m sharing a few ideas from The 12 Week Year that can help you rethink the calendar quarter and develop habits that take some of the stress out of selling.The 12 Week Year MindsetInstead of thinking about your annual quota, start treating every 12 weeks like its own year. When you see the quarter that way, your focus shifts to what needs to happen right now instead of assuming you still have plenty of time.Putting the 12 Week Year into ActionFirst, define your outcome. Set a clear goal for the next 12 weeks. For example, you might set a target of closing $300,000 in new business during that period.Next, break that outcome into the activities that lead to it. If your average deal size is $30,000 and your close rate is about 25 percent, you would need around 40 qualified opportunities to reach that goal. That might translate to about 80 discovery calls, 400 meaningful conversations, and roughly 1,200 outreach attempts.Then create a weekly scoreboard. Track the numbers that actually move deals forward. This could include outreach attempts, conversations, meetings, pipeline created, and deals that are advancing. When you track these numbers each week, it removes the guesswork and keeps you focused on the right activities.Finally, build strong daily habits. Set non-negotiable time blocks that help you hit those activity numbers. For example, dedicate at least 90 minutes each day to pipeline creation. A good reminder here is that you do not rise to your goals. You fall to your daily structure.The Role of Sales ManagersSales managers play a big part in making this system work, but it is not about micromanaging. The focus should be on managing the activities that lead to results.That means making sure reps are consistently completing the daily and weekly tasks that drive deals forward. Tools like a team leaderboard, like the one in Prospectpro.io, can make it easy to see who is on track and who needs support.Every manager should be able to answer this question: Do your reps know exactly what they need to do each week to stay on pace? When managers keep the focus on activities and check in regularly, the system becomes real, not just a plan on paper."Sales are not won in the last 14 days of the quarter. They are in the first 14 days." – Donald KellyResourcesKeep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content. Sponsorship OffersThis episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.CreditsAs one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Negative thinking can hold you back from success. I sat down with Benoy Tamang, an entrepreneur who has started and exited seven companies, to talk about mindset. How a leader or even an individual sales rep thinks can make all the difference in results.The Underdog’s AdvocateBenoy is passionate about helping startups, shaped by his own experiences with adversity, including racism his father faced in the British army. He sees startup founders as underdogs who sacrifice health, finances, and relationships to chase a dream. Now, he coaches tech CEOs with venture funding who are ready to grow. Through his work, he gets to learn, serve, and create alongside these founders.Overcoming Self-Doubt and FearSelf-doubt is a huge obstacle for sales professionals and leaders. Many people feel “less in their own mind” and carry fears like “I am not good enough” or “my future is at risk.”Benoy believes everyone is capable of creating their own future. His advice is to let go of a tight grip on control, take a loose grip, and stay in the flow.The Whole Person in SalesLeaders need to care about the whole person, not just the employee. Benoy encourages teams to get full physicals because undiagnosed health issues, whether mental or physical, can affect performance. How someone thinks about themselves follows them everywhere, including work.Modeling Vulnerability as a LeaderHolding reps accountable is important, but leaders also need to provide clarity, training, clear job descriptions, compensation transparency, and the right tools. Benoy stresses modeling vulnerability, rewarding it, and sharing mistakes. This helps create a safe environment where team members feel comfortable asking for help, even in competitive settings.“Show them how to win, not just tell them how to win.” - Benoy TamangResourcesYou can find more information about Benoy Tamang, his book, and his podcast, Fearless Founders Club, at techceocoach.com.Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content. Sponsorship OffersThis episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.CreditsAs one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.