Smart Business Growth with Nicky & Ness

4 Ways to Keep the Sales Hustle Healthy

• Nicky & Ness • Season 2 • Episode 30

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In this episode, Nicky and Ness delve into the challenges of maintaining a healthy hustle in the world of sales. With burnout rates soaring and the market becoming increasingly competitive, it's essential for sales professionals to find sustainable strategies for success. They discuss the impact of longer lead times, tighter budgets, and increased competition on sales teams and explore four key strategies to help sales professionals thrive.

Episode Highlights:

  • Challenges: Longer lead times, tighter budgets, increased competition.
  • Sales and Marketing: Align efforts for better results.
  • Active Sales: Proactive outreach and qualification.
  • Beyond Email: Diversify outreach methods.
  • Sales Archetypes: Understand team strengths for better performance.
  • Actionable Steps: Qualify clients, and understand team strengths.

Overall, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable strategies for sales professionals looking to maintain a healthy hustle and achieve long-term success.

Read our article on the four sales archetypes - https://businesstogether.com.au/the-specialist-vs-the-influencer-who-wins-in-sales/
Listen to our previous Sales & Marketing episode Achieve 38% higher conversion rates with sales and marketing synergy

Learn more about Nicky and Ness https://businesstogether.com.au

Buy a copy of Healthy Hustle: The New Blueprint to Thrive in Business & Life www.healthyhustle.com.au

Follow us on socials
Instagram - @b2businesstogether
Facebook - @B2BusinessTogether

Connect on LinkedIn
Nicky LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectwithnicky/
Ness LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessamedling/

Give us a call
Nicky Miklos-Woodley 0403 191 404
Vanessa (Ness) Medling 0400 226 875

Or send us an email hello@businesstogether.com.au

Music by Jules Miklos-Woodley

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Smart Business Growth Podcast with Nikki and. Ness.

Speaker 2:

We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of country, the Turrbal and Bunurong people of Brisbane and Melbourne respectively, where Nikki and I both work and live both work and live.

Speaker 1:

Healthy hustle is where it's at and today we're going to break healthy hustle down into the filter of sales in business. I'll tell you what is not healthy hustle 67% of business development and salespeople being close to burnout 67% and this is due to long hours, huge workload, this need, this feeling of having to always be on. This studies from our book. We also found some other research that showed 54% of salespeople believe that sales is harder this year than it was last year. So when we look at this concept of healthy hustle and salespeople, I mean that would be broadened as well.

Speaker 1:

I'm sure the stats are similar for leadership and all sorts of people, but today, looking specifically at sales, absolutely there's this feeling of constantly chasing, always need to be on, always need to be available, and there's some key challenges in the market at the moment that are really feeding into that. So, Ness, what are some of the challenges? Because I know we're going to talk today about the four ways to keep the sales hustle healthy. We've got four great tips to share with everybody. But why? Why is it so challenging and hard right now? You?

Speaker 2:

know it's interesting, nikki, this is now I missed the anniversary, but probably a month ago it was nine years in business, right, and I think about pre-COVID times, post-covid times it's all the different, various situations we've been through. But from my personal experience, from my peers and from what I hear clients talk about, is that right now there are much longer lead times into converting sales. So I think there's a few reasons for that out there. One is what we notice is budgets are tighter. So it's not that money has gone, but it's that people are having to really carefully consider where they spend that budget, and I think that within that, the process then becomes there are more hoops to jump through because there are more decision makers.

Speaker 2:

When budgets get tight, more people need to get involved in determining whether we're going to spend that money or not, and I think with that comes you know the frustration perhaps that it used to feel a lot easier back in the day and now it just feels harder. I also think that there's been such a lift up in AI in spammy stuff. You only have to be on LinkedIn for a day and you get something spammy in your inbox, right. There's less trust out there. Part of the reason I think people take longer is because they need to be able to build trust with somebody before they're ready to work with them and engage with them. So I think there's a few little factors going on in relation to this sense of I used to feel like really confident about myself, but if I get knockbacks now more often than what I have in the past, it probably you start to, as a salesperson, potentially think is there something wrong with me and the way that I do sales? I don't know, does that resonate with you?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I think the motivation can drop and also sales can be quite high energy and you know it can be really hard to sustain that. I also think about the amount of spam phone calls we get. I mean, people just don't I don't really even answer my phone anymore and I think, oh, maybe I should, because I am running a business and we put our phone up. So if you do ring us I will answer but I'm quite hesitant to answer. This is how this is the reality. Absolutely. That trust factor is huge. It's harder for salespeople to build that rapport. It takes longer to build that rapport.

Speaker 1:

We know that the success in sales is in the follow-up and so if people aren't being consistent and diligent and whether it's an impact to confidence, impatience, not focusing on the right kind of areas, not focusing on the right clients, not pivoting I use the P word to what is my service offering, is it right for the market?

Speaker 1:

Not changing the service offering too much you can do that as well All these things are absolutely going to affect that sales person, the leader, and feed into this feeling of always on, always going, the huge workload, because it's also really easy to be at the whim of the prospect or the lead or the potential client. You know we still need to be able to have boundaries in place and work effectively, which is why today's episode really, really matters, because we want your sales force, your sales leaders, your sales people to not feel like they're always having to be on and close to burnout. You know, we want them to feel like, yes, perhaps the market is tougher, and it's not tougher in all areas. You know it's 54%, not 100%, of people said it's tougher, so we've also got to be aware that sometimes I'm just going to say it salespeople can be lazy and always looking for the shortcut, I mean we're humans, right, so everybody can.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, what I think is really cool about what we're talking about today. So, number one people, this is Nikki's wheelhouse, this is where she shines when it comes to sales training and sales leadership, and you know like, although I am a salesperson as well, this is where I just love to default across to you, Nick, because you have so much knowledge to share in this, and you have promised us four ways to keep sales hustle healthy. And so just wanted to say, to pick up on your point there, that even if you're in a situation at the moment where sales are coming in and it's going well for you and it's probably you know, part of the reason why you've been hustling is to get to that level you will still gain gold, and there is something you will be able to take away from this conversation.

Speaker 1:

So with that, all said let's go, that is such a good point because the hustle is either it ain't coming in, so we're going out to get it, or the hustle is it is coming in fast and I cannot keep up with that. So, regardless of what spectrum you are on, these four key strategies will help.

Speaker 2:

Amazing, let's jump into it. What's number one? Okay, let's do it.

Speaker 1:

All right. So number one is make sure that your sales and marketing are working together. Now we recorded a whole podcast episode on this. We're going to put the link in the show notes for you, but just a little reminder, top of mind. Also, by the way, you can find more detail about these strategies and effective and evergreen sales in our book. Okay, I was just showing it on the YouTube channel.

Speaker 2:

HealthyHustlecomau.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, Healthy Great, also in the show notes. So when our sales and marketing are working together, there's some stats that show that there's an increase in revenue 38% increase in conversion, 36% increase in customer retention and, in some cases, overall 200% revenue growth. Ah hello, who wouldn't want more of that? Maybe the people that are hustling too hard on the other spectrum. But here's the thing about sales and marketing working together it's making sure that you are attracting your ideal client, marketing, and you're qualifying that it's the right person to work with sales. That's one example where having ourselves and marketing work together is actually going to make it easier for your salespeople.

Speaker 1:

So, yes, the revenue, the stats are amazing. That's what we want and that means it will be much easier for your salespeople to convert. If we talk about shortening conversion time, we know that it's getting longer and longer. That's one way to do it. Make sure that your conversation to convert matches the promise that you're putting out there and even if you don't have a full-on marketing team, that you're putting out there, and even if you don't have a full-on marketing team, everything you're putting out in terms of your message, what you offer, is marketing, even if it's not an elaborate big marketing campaign. So make sure that sales and marketing talk to each other, work together. The message is streamlined across from putting marketing content out there to the conversation. That's going to be really great to help keep the hustle healthy and really support your salespeople and sales leaders.

Speaker 2:

I really love that and I remember back to that episode where we talked about the difference between, you know, having them separate and then having them together and how important it is to bring that, but you've got to be singing the same song because if you're bringing in all these leads that aren't a match, you've got to give that feedback in between. And then if you're bringing in amazing leads but you don't have great qualifying, you are probably missing out on some potential.

Speaker 1:

And it's surprising how often it is really completely siloed in businesses. So I know this is something that myself and Beck Beck Chapel we get on the soapbox around this as often as possible. Yes, amazing. Okay, so that's number one sales and marketing working together, being besties.

Speaker 2:

Have you heard? Our book Healthy Hustle the new blueprint to thrive in business and life is available right now to purchase. In Healthy Hustle, we take you through real world, practical and achievable steps to move you away from unhealthy hustle to a place of happiness and living, whilst continuing to achieve incredible business results. Order your copy now at healthyhustlecomau. Okay, hit us with number two.

Speaker 1:

Okay so number two, this is well, they're all my favorite. It's like choosing children, which I would never do. So we want to move from a traditional sales process to an active sales process. What I mean by traditional is typically what I find in a lot of businesses. Is their sales process is I'm going to wait for an email to come or a phone call. I'm going to wait for the phone to ring or for an email to come. I'm going to wait for the phone to ring or for an email to come. I'm going to set a meeting, have the meeting, then email them a proposal and I'll become a proposal chaser. So they ghost you. You're constantly chasing and then you probably give up. Your confidence is hit, all of that kind of thing. What we want to do is turn that into an active sales process.

Speaker 1:

So really briefly, what that means is adding a qualifying component at the beginning. Well, first of all I said it before and I'll say it again if it ain't coming in, go out and get it. That's the other spectrum of hustle. But once you have somebody, a lead, a prospect before the meeting qualify, make sure that there's a process to actually ask a few questions. It could be a 15-minute phone call to connect with them, to ask them some key questions to make sure you're the right fit together If they are set up the meeting and in between that qualifying process and the meeting, reach out on LinkedIn and connect or send them a message to say hey, really looking forward to connecting with you and meeting with you.

Speaker 1:

Maybe there's some pre-information you can send them so that it's warming them up. Do something so that when you get that first meeting it's not a cold meeting in that you know a little bit about them, you know they're the right fit and they know a little bit about you. If you do that, you will absolutely shorten the conversion time, that rapport that we talked about. That's really challenging to build. You're already building that rapport instead of not knowing anything about each other in the first meeting.

Speaker 2:

Amazing. And is this where the BAMFAM comes in? Oh yeah, bamfam, so BAMFAM everywhere.

Speaker 1:

Bamfam means book a meeting from a meeting. A shout out to MC Carter from Practice Paradox. I learned this from him many years ago and it's one of my favorite things Book a meeting from a meeting. A shout out to MC Carter from Practice Paradox. I learned this from him many years ago and it's one of my favorite things Book a meeting from a meeting. So at all stages, you know, so that way you're in the calendar, you're in there, you're top of mind. I was also going to say, when I say qualify, think about the three most important things about your ideal client or customer, create a question out of that and there's your qualifying questions done.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, amazing, yeah, certainly everything that you're saying, I'll go. Yes, I remember learning that from you.

Speaker 1:

Yes, we have it in place, thank goodness.

Speaker 2:

Awesome, all right, so we've hit number one and number two. What's number three? To keep from having hustle hustling.

Speaker 1:

Number three to keep from having hustle, healthy, hustle Ness. I think this is one of your favorites and it's don't only rely on emails. Too many people just rely on emails. Now, this is when we're talking about establishing relationships and nurturing relationships. So when we look at leads, we look at cold, warm, hot. You know the first start cool, they don't know much about you. Then they get to know you. They're warm and hot, they're ready to buy. So we want to look at how we're building relationships from the point of view we're establishing new relationships and we're nurturing existing relationships.

Speaker 1:

So many people rely on sending emails and I know we all know it because we all have those emails in our inboxes and then that's it. They're only rolling oh, but I sent all these emails. Think about it. There's no cut through.

Speaker 1:

If you're going to do an email and I'm not saying don't do emails, but don't rely only on emails to establish connections and relationships and to nurture, Get creative. Get creative. Five touch points is what we talk about all the time. So if it's an email, do a loom in the email. Get them to see your face. Connect on LinkedIn. Do a voice note. Karen Tisdale is going to love that. We're sharing this LinkedIn expert profile. Writer, trainer. Oh my gosh, extraordinaire. Do a voice note on LinkedIn If your platform isn't LinkedIn. Send a text message. If relevant and appropriate, send a voice note on text message messenger like look at your different platforms handwritten thank you notes, handwritten notes. Get creative, don't only rely on emails, and actually there's a list of interesting and creative touch points in our book as well that you can refer to. For those of you who have a copy.

Speaker 2:

I think that this was a big one for me, because when I was in my first business, I had this sense of I didn't want to be annoying and I felt like if I kept on reaching out to people, they would find that really annoying. And yet, on the flip of that, sometimes I just love it when a salesperson follows me up because I've got it in the back of my mind I've got to do something, I've got to ring them, but I'm busy, you know. So I really think in this environment to like a minimum of five and be creative. That is also really helpful because, like you said, a LinkedIn connection or a voice note is another touch point. So this is one that really resonated with me and I had to shift from that belief set around I don't want to be annoying. I'll send two emails. Obviously they don't want to work with me.

Speaker 1:

And even that that they don't want to work with me. So we assume too often and I love this perspective you're sharing You're a business owner, you're busy, we are busy, the decision makers for your prospects and potential clients they're really busy, and that's what I would also put on as a biggest challenge is that the people we're wanting to work with reach out to sell. They're busy. Let me tell you, we are not their priority which is exactly why they got their things Like.

Speaker 1:

If you think about what your priority is, so until like, they desperately need us, then we become a priority, and this transcends across all different types of products and services. So get in the mindset of them. And the other thing I would say is I saw your eyes lit up a little bit when you were talking about it. When we're more creative with how we're reaching out to people, it's more enjoyable. It might not be fun, it'll be fun for some, but it is more enjoyable, and then that energy comes across as well.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely Love. It All right, let's wrap this up. That energy comes across as well.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely Love it. All right, let's wrap this up. What's the fourth? The fourth one is understand your sales team's sales archetypes. So we all fall into four different behavioral styles and we can also bring that across to sales. So the four sales archetypes that we all fall into, we're usually a combination of one or two.

Speaker 1:

The initiator so they're really driven, action takers. The influencer they're the ones that are really charismatic. The entertainers, but maybe not the best at the detail and the consistency and following up. Supporter very nurturing, caring, will take care of the potential leads and clients, but maybe not as confident in reaching out to establish connections, might hide behind emails a little bit more. And the specialists, who are really technical experts. They can really simplify complex problems, but also more introvert type of energy, so it might not be as action-taking.

Speaker 1:

I actually wrote an article which we'll put the link in the show notes as well that goes into more detail about the four different sales archetypes and the reason that this matters is that when we know our and our team's natural strengths, we can help them work to their natural strengths. What time of day is best for them to do cold calling or outbounding or cold reach outs rather than cold calling what time of day is best to do the nurturing the more one-on-one conversations because different archetypes will actually lean into different strengths around all of the requirements that are needed as an effective salesperson and sales leader.

Speaker 2:

Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing those four different ways and there is, I feel like we could have a podcast on every single one of them because they like like the, your knowledge base and your skill and expertise goes very deep in each of these areas. So we've just kind of you know what's that, what's that saying? We've just touched the surface or something on this topic.

Speaker 1:

Tip of the iceberg? I'm not. Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 2:

You get it, you guys get it so, as we wrap up, nick, given all of that and there's so many different options in there and I'm sure that some people will really resonate with many of them, but some will really stand out what would be a great actionable action for our listeners to take in the next 24 hours to ensure that they're getting out of that unhealthy hustle and really keeping that sales into the healthy hustle aspect? Well, I'm going to do two. One is Because you're an overachiever, exactly Well, thank you. No, that's not good. That's not a good belief to have.

Speaker 1:

I really want people to first of all look at are you qualifying your clients? Do you have a process in your sales process that you really clearly qualify? It could be a form on the website, like I said, a 15-minute call but do you know what your qualifying questions are and how do you qualify before your salespeople are spending time with them? So that's the first thing, and the second thing I would say is do you actually know the natural strengths and ways of working of your team? Check out the article, because there'll be clues in there. When you know the natural strengths and the development opportunities and stretch areas of your team, you really can help them succeed. So one around the sales process and one around the people in your business.

Speaker 2:

Love it so, so much. Thank you, Nick. I get so excited when I see your energy around sales and I trust that our listeners and viewers have also picked up on that and learned something new today. So thanks everyone for tuning in for another week and we will see you next time. Let's go sell. Bye. Thanks for listening to today's ep. If you loved what you heard, connect with us over on LinkedIn and let's continue the conversation over there. Connect with us over on LinkedIn and let's continue the conversation over there. Did you hear you can now buy our book Healthy Hustle the New Blueprint to Thrive in Business and Life, at healthyhustlecomau. Want us to speak to your team or run a workshop on healthy hustle in your workplace? Send us an email, or go old school and give us a call to discuss. Until next time, happy listening and here's to thriving in business and life.