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The N3-5M Question: Qualify Budget on Your First Call · Closing Sales in Nigeria - Sales For The Nigerian Business Person: The Sales and Marketing Blueprint

0:00
Hello and welcome. My name is Tavishima Agidi.
0:04
I solve sales and marketing challenges and I'm making
0:07
today's recording at home. It's evening time, everybody's
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here, wifey and kids, so expect to hear noise in the background.
0:13
Now, the goal of this podcast is business education.
0:15
So please spread the word so that friends and family members
0:19
in Nigeria and abroad can benefit from the questions that
0:22
we tackle. They can do that by subscribing
0:24
on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, or any player of their choice.
0:29
And if you'd love to connect with me, then you can call SMS
0:31
or WhatsApp me on 08064662140. Today on the podcast is going to
0:38
be another diary session for Rudolph, LC and chill.
0:43
I think this is one of the meetings that we had maybe like,
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I think like last week. Sorry.
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Let me check my notes. That's what we've been up to.
0:53
OK, So the meeting that we had basically.
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OK, yeah. So we're crafting or trying to
0:57
come up with scripts for outreach.
1:02
OK. It's not really outreach per SE
1:05
anyway. We say outreach, we're talking
1:07
about sales. We just mean when you are
1:10
reaching out to people. So outreach is you going out.
1:14
It's not the same as inbound as far you're chilling in the
1:17
office or you're just hanging on your phone and then, you know,
1:20
somebody's trying to slide into your DM or somebody's trying to
1:22
send you an e-mail. Now, the company that they work
1:26
for, that's my client. They work for my client company.
1:30
They're part of the sales team. So the company ran some ads on
1:34
Facebook, some advertisements on Facebook, Facebook.
1:39
And let's see. OK, So what we did last week was
1:44
we're supposed to come up with scripts for how we're going to
1:47
address those people, how we're going to deal with those people
1:50
who come in from the advertising campaign.
1:53
Now, some of you are going to say scripts, like scripts how?
1:56
Like, I prefer to be free. I prefer to be, you know, my
2:00
authentic self and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
2:02
And, OK, maybe in any of any other area of your life.
2:07
Yeah. But The thing is when it comes
2:10
to business, not just pure BS, in fact, for most areas of your
2:13
life, whether you like it or not, you are already scripted.
2:17
You are scripted. Everything that you do or
2:21
everything that you like that you like is a everything you do
2:26
is a learned response. So it's scripted.
2:29
That's the reason why your wife can't say if I do this, you know
2:32
my guy will be react this way. And that's the reason why your
2:35
boyfriend can't say if I do this, my babe will.
2:38
You know, because you are scripted, you really have some
2:41
predetermined responses. So we all know how you're going
2:43
to behave. Your kids know that your mom
2:46
knows that your dad knows that everybody.
2:48
So forget it, you're already scripted.
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Just get on board. The only thing is just that in
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other areas of your life, you are unconsciously scripted.
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When it comes to sales and business development, we want to
2:58
make sure that we are deliberately and proactively
3:02
coming up with the right script that serves our own needs,
3:05
serves our own ends, and also serves the ends of the customers
3:08
as well. So let's just be deliberate
3:10
about this thing. I stop talking about yours
3:12
authentic self as in which kind of authentic self?
3:16
So, and if you're not convinced because some people who say no,
3:21
if you're scripted, you sound like a robot and blah, blah,
3:23
blah. This is one thing that I tell
3:25
people that look, OK, what do you like on Netflix?
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They will tell me the know of the show and I say, look, do you
3:29
know nothing was scripted? Some people get the point, some
3:33
other people try to argue, but whatever it is that you enjoy on
3:37
Netflix, you enjoy on DSTV, you enjoy on, I don't know, pick
3:44
your kind of entertainment. The thing is scripted.
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There's an outline that was supposed to follow.
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The thing is just that when you're watching a Hollywood
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movie, The actor knows how to internalise the script and make
3:59
the script their own and give it unique delivery.
4:03
So it comes across as compelling.
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That's the reason why for those of us who, you know, like in
4:09
secondary school back in the day, you, you learn Shakespeare
4:12
and all those things. So you do Shakespeare, Midsummer
4:15
Night's Dream and all that. You act it as students, you
4:19
know, and it comes off, you know, it's totally rubbish.
4:21
The problem is not the script, the problem is with the acting
4:24
ability of the students and whether we were able to
4:26
internalise it or not. Then you grow up and then you
4:29
now hear that desert Washington is acting in mids of a nice
4:32
dream and like there's a Washington like how?
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And then the movie came out and, you know, truly was there's a
4:39
Washington that first was funny watching desert Washington, a
4:44
black guy talking about, oh, here, wherefore out down to this
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that, you know, at first it sounded funny.
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But The thing is, the performance it was it was it was
4:56
believable. So I think it was made someone
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like a dream Abby, I can't remember.
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Anyway, if you have access to Google Now, just Google it.
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You know, just Google Denzel Washington and Google
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Shakespeare movie and then you you will see it.
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So the script is the same as in when we were secondary school
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boys trying to add that thing. The script was exactly the same
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thing that Denzel Washington was doing.
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The difference was just that for we secondary school boys, we had
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not internalized the script, we had not mastered the script.
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We didn't know how to make it our own and we didn't know how
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to give it smooth, seamless delivery.
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That is the reason why you guys will see Desert Washington.
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And you say correct guy. And then you look at our
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secondary school boys and you say no, no, no, no, no, we come.
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So the problem is not with the script, the problem is with the
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performer. The problem is with the sales
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professional. The problem is with the whoever.
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We need to make sure that we know the script, we can
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internalise it, we can make it our own so that when I'm talking
6:02
to sales people, I say, look, this is how me, I would say that
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kind of thing. But you just focus on the
6:07
principle, focus on the main point.
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Now deliver it in your own way. There was a lady that I was
6:13
talking to in the skin care space and you know, we had the
6:18
conversation and at some point I had to tell her like, look, you
6:21
know, based on your vibe and based on your environment, there
6:24
are some people that you have to shoot this thing in EBO.
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I was just like, Are you sure? I say yes, no, like it happens
6:32
all the time. As a wedding photographer, there
6:34
were certain clients that we'll be dealing with and then my
6:37
second schedule will come in, You know, your my boy vibes and
6:40
next thing they're doing batting, batting like me.
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I didn't mind that they're doing in batting, batting for me.
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The main thing was, you know, can we close this thing and
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let's get paid. So the script doesn't even have
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to be in English. It can't be in Houser, it can't
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be in Igbo, it can't be in Yoruba, it can't be epic.
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It can't be thief, it can't be in Donnie.
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It can't be any language. But you will have to make the
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script your own. So don't listen to this podcast
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and say ah, script, script, script.
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No, I want to be free. Look anyway, for those of you
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who want to keep freestyling, your sales continue and then in
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two or three years, tell me how freestyling is working out for
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you. Just sit down, learn the
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principles, come up with a framework or come up with a
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script or come up with an outline or come up with a
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something that is going to guide the conversation.
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Follow the thing. You will notice that some things
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work. Keep it there.
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You will notice that some things are crap or you're not
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comfortable saying some things. Delete those things and that is
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how you will improve. I get more effective over time
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and that is how your conversions will increase.
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Conversion just means when you're talking to somebody, how
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many people you're able to get to take that next step.
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So like in this case, they ran Facebook ads.
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Conversion just means you ran Facebook ads.
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Let's say 1,000,000 people saw it, 800,000 people clicked.
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That is a conversion of the 800,000.
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I clicked and gave details. I gave permission for you to
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call. You call or 800,000.
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Then from the 800,000, maybe I put it now, maybe 800,000, maybe
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200,000 say issued and proposal, let's say the rest people, they
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block you or maybe the ghost or something.
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Not 200,000. That's a conversion.
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So every single time that somebody takes the next step,
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that is a conversion. And we are not going to improve
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our conversions unless we have a script, unless we have an
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outline, unless we have a framework, unless we have a
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guide for how we're supposed to carry out these conversations.
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And we keep tweaking this guide. So please don't come and say I
8:55
don't want to be scripted. I want to be my authentic self.
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If you want to be your authentic self, stop listening to this
9:00
podcast right now. Stop.
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It's not for you. Now, for the rest of you who are
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OK with a script, with an outline, with a guide, with a
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framework, with a compass, with a prompt, with a whatever it is
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you want to call it, just call the name.
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That makes it easier for you. You have to come up with the
9:24
script. Now there are general scripts or
9:29
general frameworks or general outlines that people have in
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your head all the time that help with business.
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Like when I tell people about greeting, intention, question,
9:38
proposal, close. That's just a general framework
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that works with, you know, any scenario as when I meet you
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one-on-one, I'll greet you relevant greeting.
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From there I'll step my intention or I will get you to
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state your own intention because you can't just be faffing about
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and talking. Anyhow, we need to get straight
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down to the point. Why am I chasing you or why are
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you chasing me? After that, there will be
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questions because I'll need to know some more.
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It is from knowing some more, I'll be able to give a proposal
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to say, OK, based on what we've been yawning, I think this is
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the next step. That's my proposal and then
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closes me getting you to take action.
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OK, if you agree with me, that is the next step, then how far?
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When is the next meeting or when I go to transfer the deposit or
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this is what I will do to take things to the next level or you
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this is what you should do to take things to the next level.
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So that's a simple framework. Now, because people are
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responding to an Instagram advertisement, we now have to
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come up with a script that is tailored to that.
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And my goal in coming through this exercise basically was I
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wanted these people that Cheryl, Elsie and Cheryl to be able to
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go straight into qualification and discovery.
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Qualification and discovery is the part of the sales
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relationship or the business relationship where you're having
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conversations with people, you're trying to figure out
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who's this person, what do they want?
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What do they need? What is the problem?
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What's the best that you know, we can, we can give them that's
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qualification and discovery. Some people call it need
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analysis. All join is all the same.
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I'm in front of somebody or trying to do some business and
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I'm trying to, I'm trying to analyse their need.
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What is it that this person needs?
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How does their own need to blend with my own need?
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Oh, their own need is different from my own need.
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There's no blend. OK, we'll kill the relationship.
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There's no need for me to be talking to you because I can't
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help you. You can't help me.
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But if it's like, OK, this is their need.
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This is my own need. OK, the small connection.
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I might be able to get one or two things.
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Them too. They should be able to get one
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or two things. Then we make a proposal.
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We'll see how we can make it work.
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So what they call the qualification and discovery or
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you call it need analysis, you know, it's up to you.
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I'm not too big on terms. Anyone that makes it easy for
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you to digest is all good. But for now, let's just say need
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analysis. It sounds less technical.
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So I wanted the team, Cheryl, Rudolph and Elsie to now be able
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to take a qualification framework or a need analysis
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framework and then blend it into their script.
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Because the problem with lots of us is we are having sales
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conversations, but we don't have any framework for how we are
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going to try and discover who are we talking to, what is their
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problem? What do they need?
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Can we satisfy this need? That's what the qualification
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framework is about. Or we can call it need analysis
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framework. And the one I wanted to
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introduce to them is called BANT.
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BANT is BANT, it's an acronym and each word in the acronym
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stands for something. B stands for budget, A stands
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for authority, N stands for need, T stands for timeline.
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Again I repeat band, budget, authority, need, and timeline.
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I am not saying this is the best qualification framework or need
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analysis framework. I'm just recommending it to them
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because based on the company, based on my vibe with them, it
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looks like this is 1 qualification framework that
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they will be able to remember and remember what I keep saying
13:36
on the podcast. Easy to remember means easy to
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do. If it is hard to remember, you
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will not do it. So whatever frameworks you're
13:43
you're picking, always pick the one that you know you can
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remember. Because even if I'm sleeping and
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you walk out to me and give me slap, why you say tell me
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qualification, framework, what is bad?
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I will stand up and I'll repeat it immediately because it's easy
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to remember anywhere. You catch me anytime.
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So that's the reason why I'm telling them, because I suspect
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that it will be easy for them to remember.
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And also the same thing for them.
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They're sleeping and I walk into the room and I give them slap.
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What is qualification of framework?
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Tell me what is bad. They'll be able to recite it for
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me. So that's the idea.
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By the way, I'm not that violent.
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Don't worry. If you meet me in person, I'm
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not going to slap you, except if you, you know, like if you
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misbehave and disrespect me then.
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But anyway, let's move on. So bad budget authority, need
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timeline. Now what that means is when
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we're talking to someone, this is a business conversation.
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We need to be able to try and figure out what is their budget.
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If your product is 1.5 M and you're talking to somebody,
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their budget is 750K. You need to know that early
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because there is no meeting of minds there.
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You cannot take a 750K person and make them to double their
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budget. It's not possible.
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If your product is 1.5, the person has one M, OK, there's
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room. You can come down to 1.3.
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You might get them to move up. If your budget is 1.5 the person
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is thinking or three M is A is a realistic budget, then you know
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Congrats for you. It means you'll be able to get
15:16
the person to buy 2 items. But we need to know from the
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beginning, from as early as possible, what is our money
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expectation. That is just what B budget
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stands for in banks. What am I feeling when it comes
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to money? What are you feeling when it
15:33
comes to money? Because there are sometimes that
15:35
you're talking to some people and people are coming from a
15:37
different angle. You're coming from Mercury, them
15:40
they're coming from Venus. There is no sale there.
15:44
You continue to dance around. Let me think about it.
15:47
You know, the truth of matter is you're a 1.5 person.
15:50
The person is thinking 750K. There is no, let me think about
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it, there is no nothing. It can't be done.
16:00
Well anyway. If the person really needs and
16:02
it's an emergency, they'll find the money because like with
16:04
medical things, I mean, that's how it happens.
16:05
Now, if you go there and the doctor says it's 5 million, what
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will you do? Will you let your loved one die?
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You'll come up with the money. But we need to know monetary
16:15
expectations. Then next thing is authority.
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Authority just means who makes the decision because unless you
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know who is making the decision in this context, you're not
16:25
going to know who to pull into the conversation.
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And an old example I've given on this podcast is when I was on a
16:32
certain forum, this was online and I was talking about
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authority and decision making and things like that.
16:38
And one lawyer, she signified, I say, yes, sister, let's hear
16:41
from you. She say, bro, this thing you're
16:43
saying, I agree 100%. It has happened to me.
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I say that's happened to you. What happened?
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He said this, what happened? He said I was talking to my
16:50
clients and it was for conveyance of land and
16:56
everything was good. We had agreed on everything.
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Everything was, you know, like we were flowing.
17:02
We're friends. We agreed on everything.
17:05
The husband was abroad. It was our own land.
17:08
So we went ahead. Before the woman transferred the
17:10
money, I even started doing work on my own because I was sure
17:13
that it was a done deal. But then the woman's husband
17:16
came back from abroad and then they talk.
17:18
And then as everything scattered, he said, she said she
17:21
was not doing again and the law was confused.
17:24
It's like sister isn't on your own land and say, yes, it's my
17:28
land, but my husband say, you know, blah, blah.
17:30
And that's how the whole thing scatter.
17:32
And at first the lawyer was feeling very angry, you know,
17:35
like most people would, you know, even thinking that can't
17:38
you be a serious woman isn't on your own land.
17:40
You can't put your food down, you know.
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But the lawyer, she now said that from what she heard me say,
17:46
she now understood that you know what?
17:48
We as the business owner, we as the professional, we are, as the
17:52
salesperson, we are the ones that need to take the initiative
17:55
to make sure we tidy up all loose hands, that if something
17:58
falls through the crack is not the customer, therefore it is
18:01
we. Therefore we didn't do a good
18:02
job. She didn't bother to ask any
18:05
questions like, OK, this land is yours.
18:08
Is this the sort of thing you'd feel comfortable discussing with
18:10
your husband before we proceed? It costs you nothing to ask.
18:16
If no one tells you no small, no small piece of land, why do I
18:19
need my husband's opinion? No problem, You continue.
18:23
In fact, when she even starts sounding like this, like you're
18:25
not telling her. But Madam, I asked you, you said
18:28
it is my piece of land. Why do I need my husband's
18:30
opinion if it's the kind of situation or the kind of
18:34
cultural context, Because you know, cultures are different.
18:38
And she says, oh, thank you for reminding me.
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Actually, it is true. Let me buzz my husband and he
18:44
says, oh, I spoke to my husband. My husband is saying.
18:45
My husband is saying. You say, oh, you know what?
18:48
Let me have your husband's phone number.
18:49
Let me talk about him. Then talk, talk to him about it.
18:51
I might be able to put his mind at ease.
18:53
That's how you will now rescue the sale.
18:56
But you need to know what's up. How do people make decisions
18:59
about these sorts of things? Who do I need to be roping into
19:01
the conversation? And believe me, it happens to
19:04
everybody. That's happened to me.
19:06
The way that it happened to me was this, I started off my
19:09
wedding photography. That's happened lots of times,
19:11
but let me just stick to wedding for wedding photos now.
19:13
I started off my wedding photography in Lagos.
19:15
Now basically now in Lagos now everybody knows that when is
19:20
wedding is the girl's family full stop, anything wedding is
19:24
the girl's family. That's where we wedding vendors
19:26
will collect our money. You're the caterer, you collect
19:30
money from the girl's family, you're a photographer.
19:32
The girl's family will pay video, the girl's family will
19:36
pay wedding hall, the girl's family will pay wedding.
19:39
It belongs to the girl. That's how it happens in our
19:44
whole leg outside. I now came to Abuja with that
19:48
same mindset that if it is wedding, the girl's family will
19:51
pay. And that's how I used to follow
19:53
everybody and talk as if it's the girl's family will pay that
19:57
I'll collect money from the girl or from the girl's father or
19:59
from the girl's mother. And then there's this couple.
20:05
The boy didn't seem involved in the process.
20:07
No problem. I was talking to the bride.
20:09
So I continued talking with her. But the northern tribe, I would
20:13
say the state. So when it now came that we
20:18
decided everything, I was not time for money.
20:20
The girl said, oh, OK, you actually have to talk to she now
20:23
called her husband's name. I said what?
20:26
He said yes, that's why I clarified that Oh no, isn't it
20:30
the bride's family that takes care of photography?
20:32
And he said no, no, no, In our culture, it is the groom's
20:34
family in my mind. And I thought, hi man, I have
20:37
effort on the major scale because in the beginning when
20:41
the guy didn't seem to involve me too, I just flashed him like,
20:44
OK, I'm talking to the bride now I'm talking to the person who
20:47
who pay my bread and butter. So let me continue with her.
20:50
Is then I realized that Omar, I have messed up on a major.
20:55
And of course, guess what, by the time I called him trying to
20:59
re establish relationship, he was already talking with
21:01
somebody and they had gone far. And that's why I missed it.
21:05
So these things happen to anybody, but we need to figure
21:09
out authority. How do people make decisions
21:12
around these sorts of things? Who are the people I need to be
21:14
talking to? Who do I need to pull in?
21:16
Sometimes that's how we lose money.
21:18
They end up being like that lawyer and you start the work.
21:21
The husband will now come and scatter everything.
21:24
Or don't be like me. You're talking to the bride and
21:26
you assume it is a done deal. And that's what my mom said.
21:29
I should stop counting money in my head.
21:31
In my head, I was already counting how I was going to
21:32
spend. You know, this money will go for
21:34
this, this money will go for that, only for her to say, Oh
21:37
yeah, you have to talk to my husband for that.
21:40
And in my mind, I was thinking what the F because myself, I
21:44
know that truly a fashion the guy because it was like trying
21:49
to pull teeth to have a conversation with him.
21:51
So I was like to help with him. I'm talking to the bride.
21:54
As long as I collect my money, I'm good.
21:57
So authority really, really, really, really important.
22:01
Then of course, need, that's what you're trying to figure out
22:03
what they need, you know, so, So what do you want?
22:07
Do you guys want candid photos? Do you guys want nice portraits?
22:11
Do you guys want this? Do you want that?
22:13
How many frames? How many books?
22:14
In this case, since it's a solar team, that's Sheryl, Elsie and
22:20
Rudolph, since what they sell is solar installations, You know,
22:24
that's the whole thing about what do you want to power?
22:26
How many TV, how many debris are where do you live?
22:31
Where Banana Island, can somebody come and do inspection?
22:34
Let's see this. Look, the slant of your roof,
22:37
you know, all those neat things. Basically, what do they need
22:40
then? Timelines.
22:41
Timelines just means when you're having a conversation with
22:44
someone, you need to be asking questions so that you can figure
22:47
out whether there's a sense of urgency and whether they are
22:49
ready to take action anytime soon.
22:52
If you've been listening to the podcast for the last week or so,
22:55
I've already said it a couple of times.
22:57
Well, let me say it for the newbies, it is not enough that
22:59
you're talking to somebody who has a budget and who has a need
23:05
and you know how they make decisions.
23:06
But The thing is, if they're not ready to make decisions yet,
23:08
then you don't have a deal on the table.
23:10
So like I keep saying as a wedding photographer, for those
23:13
of you who are listening, if you're talking to a bride and
23:16
she's paid up because she's the vice president's daughter and
23:20
she has just been proposed to and she wants it to be you, it
23:23
must be you because she likes your style.
23:25
But The thing is, the vice president's family and her
23:28
family have not yet spoken. They've not agreed on meeting
23:30
dates. They've not agreed on anything.
23:32
My guy, you don't have a deal. You don't.
23:35
What you do is you keep in touch with her.
23:38
You keep calling her, messaging her Instagram, you know,
23:41
whatever. Once in a while, go to VP's
23:43
house, go and greet the family. You know, that's called
23:45
relationship building, lead nurturing.
23:48
That's what you're engaging. Well, you can't tell yourself
23:51
that you have a deal. You have a deal when you're
23:54
talking to a bride. The bride has been proposed to,
23:58
the family have met, they have decided all the time and they
24:01
have booked wedding hall and the wedding is four months away.
24:05
There's a sense of urgency now. It is clear that everybody's
24:08
moving towards something so like back in the solar space.
24:12
The example that I gave them was the first time that I trained
24:15
them because this is my second engagement with them.
24:17
I reminded them of a client who was abroad.
24:19
Sorry, the family was abroad, the guy is here, he went to go
24:23
and visit them and the reason why he was talking was because
24:27
he wanted everything to be said before the family comes in and
24:30
the salesperson in charge, I asked her, OK, when is the
24:33
family coming back to say I don't know And look, that's not
24:35
acceptable Timelines is important if somebody drops a
24:40
hint like that, The reason why I want to do these things because
24:43
my family is coming back and I want everything to be said.
24:46
The next question is, oh, congratulations, That's, that's
24:49
quite a that's quite a big decision.
24:52
You know, family coming back for good, you know, yes.
24:54
Or how would they cope with Nigerian schools or blah, blah,
24:56
blah. You laugh.
24:57
So, oh, by the way, Sir, when is Madam coming into town?
25:00
And then you listen, if he says, OK, Madam and the kids, they're
25:05
coming in October. You now have a timeline at the
25:08
back of your head. You now know how to be
25:09
following, how to be following up on them.
25:13
You now know how to chase this matter.
25:17
So if Madame is coming October 1st, installation takes two
25:21
weeks, payment takes one week to process, and then sourcing
25:26
materials takes another week. So in other words, if Madame is
25:29
coming in October 1st, it means that what comes before October,
25:33
January, February, March, April, June, July, August, September,
25:37
October, I'll be September, August, September.
25:41
So if my name is coming October 1st, it means that by August 20
25:48
something you should be closing the deal if this deal is going
25:51
to move forward, realistically speaking.
25:55
That's just an example, by the way.
25:56
I don't know how long the installation takes and payment
25:58
processing and things like that. So this is just me freestyling.
26:02
So get a timeline, start walking backwards.
26:04
You now know how you start following up on people.
26:07
So for the wedding photographer that the family has not yet met,
26:10
they're going to meet next year. The wedding might be in two
26:12
years. You just walk backwards.
26:14
OK, this is how I'll be following this person.
26:16
If the wedding is next week timeline.
26:19
This is how I'll be following this person.
26:22
So what about the timelines are this is how you know how you're
26:24
going to be following the person.
26:26
But anyway, bottom line is if this is your first time you've
26:29
been hearing about qualification frameworks or need analysis
26:33
frameworks, you can see why this thing is important and you can
26:36
see why lots of business deals fail.
26:38
It's because a lot of you are just having conversation.
26:41
Be your authentic self. And This is why I say authentic
26:43
self is rubbish when it comes to business.
26:45
What is your authentic self? Your authentic self will just
26:48
continue with the conversation and you will get lost and you
26:50
will miss the key points that you're supposed to be striking
26:53
on. So when it comes to sales, I beg
26:57
your authentic self, throw it in the gutter.
27:00
Authentic self does not matter here.
27:04
Budget, money, share expectations, engage in that
27:07
conversation. Authority Who is deciding on
27:10
what hard decisions going to get made?
27:13
Engage, Ask questions on that need.
27:15
What do these people really really need?
27:17
Do I have the skills or do I have the equipment?
27:19
Do I have the team that can fulfil that?
27:21
Engage in that qualification timeline.
27:23
Are these people ready to take action?
27:25
I be These are just some curious people or their time wasters.
27:28
Engage in the conversation now. Forget your authentic self.
27:31
Authentic self has nothing to do in business.
27:35
I already have my own problems. If I'm engaging with you, you're
27:40
trying to tell me something. You're being your authentic
27:42
self. Like you think I care about your
27:43
authentic, your authentic self. I have a problem I'm trying to
27:48
to solve here. I'll throw your authentic self
27:50
in the gutter anyway, sorry, don't mind me.
27:54
Too many people just talk authenticity, authenticity,
27:56
authenticity. People just be giving you cheap
27:59
lumbar and you will be lapping it up.
28:03
And then after three or four months, you now start feeling
28:05
somewhere that I've been my authentic self, but the money is
28:08
not coming in. Is there a problem with me?
28:11
That's a problem with some of you running around saying all
28:13
this cheap stuff. You leave people feeling unsafe.
28:16
The reason why their business is not moving is because of them.
28:19
I meet so many people who feel like I see my personality.
28:22
Am I too outgoing? Am I too shy?
28:25
I mean, I'm too aggressive. Or is it my age factor?
28:27
Is it my accent? Is it my height?
28:29
And people are worrying about all kinds of irrelevant things.
28:32
The problem is you've been having unstructured
28:35
conversations. You don't have any kind of
28:37
qualification framework or need analysis framework.
28:41
You don't know what's important. You've been missing the key
28:43
things in the business. And because of that, when it
28:45
comes to proposal, you don't even know what should go into an
28:48
effective proposal. That's the problem.
28:51
The problem is not your personality.
28:52
The problem is not your complexion.
28:55
In fact, those people who worry about all this stuff, I feel
28:58
sorry for them. Like I met somebody who said
28:59
it's easy for you because you're tall.
29:01
And I'm thinking to my mind, like what really?
29:03
You think I it's easy for me to sell because I'm tall?
29:07
OK, You you're short. What's going to happen?
29:09
Doesn't mean you're going to be broke for the rest of your life.
29:12
There are tall people who are rich.
29:13
There are tall people who are poor.
29:15
There are short people who are bastardly rich and can sell
29:18
well. And there are short people who
29:20
don't know how to market. Shishi, the height is not the
29:22
problem. Anyway, what was I OK, so I gave
29:31
them some tips before we went into qualification.
29:35
First thing I told them to do is before you call, make sure you
29:39
do some data enrichment. Data enrichment just means try
29:41
to find out some information about somebody because when
29:44
somebody reacts to you online, when somebody slides into your
29:46
DM to say good morning, are you available for social and so date
29:51
or good morning on to make inquiries about solar 10 KVA.
29:58
When the person slides into your DM and you're a solar
30:01
salesperson, all you're seeing on your phone is 080ABC DXYZ.
30:06
Now the problem is it is hard humanly speaking, to have a
30:09
conversation with ABCDXYZ. But if you take that number, you
30:13
copy and paste it into Truecaller.
30:16
You run the search and then Truecaller shows Chief Chukudi
30:20
Maduka. You can see a picture is ready
30:23
forming in your head. Before it was just 080ABC DXYZ.
30:27
Now you know you're talking to Chief Chukudi Maduka.
30:31
You now copy that name. You paste it in Google.
30:33
A LinkedIn handle will come up. An Instagram handle will come
30:36
up. You will now see the guy's face.
30:38
You know, like this picture from your head.
30:41
Small makes it easy to carry the conversation.
30:44
You don't know how you'd be following the guy to talk,
30:46
whether you're saying good morning, Sir, good morning,
30:49
chief. Good morning, Bros.
30:52
OK, I hear you. Or you know, so data enrichment,
30:57
do some small research, get some extra information about this
31:00
person. And like I told my sales team,
31:03
Cheryl, Elsie Rudolph, it doesn't have to be fancy at this
31:07
level. Do one minute.
31:09
If you're doing more than one minute, you're just wasting your
31:11
time. One minute, Truecaller, Google,
31:15
Instagram, LinkedIn, that's all. You don't even have to click or
31:19
scroll. Just copy, paste, look the one
31:23
that is on the screen. Look, that's enough you need for
31:27
now. So that's data enrichment before
31:33
you call. Then the first part of the
31:35
script, because remember all these big, big story we're
31:38
talking about essentially is on how to put together a script.
31:41
We need an introduction for the script and the team what they
31:47
agreed on was as their script will be good morning, my name is
31:50
blah, blah blah from XYZ company.
31:53
So no problem. I left it for them, although my
31:55
own script is differential for me.
31:57
And have I introduced myself and I never introduced the company
31:59
because nobody cares about my name, nobody cares about the
32:02
company. I rather like to confirm if I'm
32:05
speaking to the right person and then I go straight into it.
32:07
So I'd rather call and say hello.
32:09
Am I speaking to Miss Yemi Watkins?
32:11
Yes, this is Yemi on the line Who is speaking?
32:15
If she ask who is speaking, no problem, then I might now say my
32:17
name. No, I'm Tavi Shimar calling from
32:19
this and that. The reason why I'm calling is
32:23
but I don't start off by saying my name is Tarishman.
32:25
This is my company, blah, blah, blah, nobody cares.
32:28
But anyway, if you want to that's not a problem.
32:30
Good morning. My name is and there's the
32:32
reason why I'm calling now the excuse me the the main thing why
32:40
I started now talking band with these people remember band
32:43
budget authority need timeline is because this the ogre of the
32:48
business who runs the solar company.
32:50
He did a very smart move when he was doing running this advert.
32:54
He put a, what's it called? He put a criteria there, a
33:03
something, a questionnaire so that when people are clicking
33:06
through the advertisements, they would click the level of budget
33:10
that they think is realistic and that is brilliant.
33:14
This is a way of pre qualifying people in sales only say pre
33:17
qualifying. We just mean we'll put some
33:19
small homework in front of the person so that people will
33:23
signal where they fall. So for those of you who sell
33:26
real estate and on the questionnaire, you ask them
33:29
where do you want the property Metama this that that what is
33:32
adequate budget? This that you know, all those
33:36
things you're putting as prequel pre qualifying so that people
33:40
who are serious, when they look at it, they say these people
33:43
only have landing Metama and Guzapi and Apple Ha, this is
33:49
beyond my budget. That kind of person will fill
33:51
the form that is pre qualifying for chasing some people away.
33:55
And in this case, the budget there started from three M.
33:58
In other words, anybody who is looking for solar solutions and
34:02
they want and they think 1.5 is that budget.
34:04
When they see that thing, they'll say 3 M don't feel
34:06
again. So that's big qualification.
34:10
So that part is good. So now I told the team, now
34:14
look, since people have already dropped what they think is a
34:18
realistic budget, in my honest opinion, this is where we should
34:21
be starting the conversation by digging in on budget.
34:26
Now that's why I started quarreling with the team because
34:28
some people think that that is too aggressive.
34:33
But I told them no, no, no. This way you can be polite about
34:37
it. You just start.
34:39
Good morning, my name is Cheryl from XYZ Company.
34:43
The reason why I'm reaching out is because you responded to our
34:46
Facebook advertisement last week so as well.
34:49
So do you remember? Oh, yes, I remember.
34:51
I clicked on that Facebook advertisement.
34:54
OK, Sir, I noticed that you indicated a budget of 3 to 5
34:58
million. Is that correct person?
35:00
So yes, I did that. And then hope you don't mind me
35:04
asking, how did you arrive at that figure?
35:05
And then you keep quiet. I hear what they have to say.
35:08
Now. Some of the people thought that
35:09
was too direct. And I understand, you know, it's
35:11
not for everybody, but The thing is you need to get feedback in
35:15
this case on their budget because based on the answer they
35:18
give you, you will now know whether you're talking to a
35:20
workout pass, somebody who is serious or somebody who has done
35:24
research on solar before, you know, So you need to find a way
35:29
of asking. So in that meeting, we've had
35:31
three meetings since then. So basically the three meetings
35:33
have been me talking to Cheryl, Elsie and Rudolph to get them
35:38
comfortable with this idea and to come up with their own style
35:41
about how to engage people on this budget, on this money
35:46
thing. Because if you do not see solar
35:52
is not cheap. For those of you who are selling
35:55
things that are not cheap, you need to be able to engage very
35:58
well and very early on the money thing or else you will spend 4
36:02
weeks talking to somebody that was a workout pass from day one.
36:07
It is not the person's fault, it is your own fault.
36:09
You should have done the homework to be able to separate
36:12
the people. Who is serious?
36:14
Who is a workout pass, Who is curious, Who is a time waster,
36:17
Who is ready to go? It is you who is supposed to do
36:20
the work. So engage early on this budget
36:23
thing, especially for those of you selling expensive things,
36:27
engage on budget early. So because I've been wrestling
36:32
with the sales team now for 2-3 days, I went to the whole drama
36:36
of how we've been coming up with individual scripts.
36:38
But I hope you appreciate what it is that I'm saying.
36:42
Each of them has to come up with an individual script, an
36:47
individual prompt, an individual outline, an individual approach,
36:51
an individual philosophy that they feel comfortable with.
36:54
And then we write it down in bullet point format to guide us
37:00
so that every single time we're having a conversation with a
37:04
customer, the team will just be flowing.
37:07
That is how you achieve that dance on Washington status.
37:10
Dance on Washington was beautiful in Midsummer Night's
37:12
Dream because he internalized the script.
37:15
And he said, yes, Shakespeare said it like this, but because,
37:19
you know, I'm an African American, you know, I will say
37:21
it like this. I will say it like this.
37:23
He internalized it. And the reason why me and my
37:25
classmates, we messed up in Midsummer Night's Dream is
37:28
because we were just trying to cram Shakespeare and say,
37:32
wherefore our, you know, just put everything like that.
37:36
So to be like Denzel Washington also, some of you will not even
37:42
know who Denzel Washington is. He was a, some people consider
37:45
him a fine boy, like my wife thinks he's a fine boy, but he's
37:47
a much older actor, American actor, African American.
37:52
And you just Google him. You, you will see him.
37:54
I'm sure you seen, you know, some of his films.
37:57
So that's how you achieve that status.
37:58
You take the script, you internalize it, you make it your
38:01
own, you practice on it so that in the business context,
38:05
somebody calls you say, oh hello, I want to make inquiries
38:07
for 10KV. You think we'll just continue
38:11
automatic like that. So me if I'm sleeping and my
38:20
children just was so dad, dad, your phone is ringing and I take
38:22
and I say hello is a potential customer.
38:24
The way the thing will just flow smooth.
38:26
You won't know that I was snoring is because the script
38:29
isn't analyzed. I'll just pick up a conversation
38:32
will just continue just like that.
38:35
So that's what we're trying to get to.
38:37
So all you authentic self people throw your authentic self in the
38:40
gutter, right? Let's sit down, let's come up
38:45
with a framework. Let's look for the one that you
38:48
know will be sweet in your mouth and let's keep practicing it.
38:52
When you're comfortable practicing making it your own,
38:55
we can now go into the world. And funny enough, this is what I
38:57
tell people, when you go through this process, it is then your
39:00
authentic self will shine because you are now relaxed.
39:06
You're focusing on the other person, you're focusing on your
39:10
process, you're focusing on trying to pull out certain kinds
39:14
of information. It is then your authentic self
39:17
will now show. So your authentic self, people,
39:21
the way to unleash your authentic self actually is to
39:25
forget about yourself. Come up with the process, keep
39:30
your eye on the ball, focus on what we're trying to achieve
39:32
here. Your authentic self will always
39:34
show that. Some of you listening to this
39:36
podcast now, you don't like me, you will never like me.
39:43
My authentic self is shining through, but that's because I'm
39:45
focused on one thing. This is a business podcast.
39:48
I'm trying to deliver to you guys actionable intelligence so
39:53
that tomorrow, 8:00 AM, you can go and start putting certain
39:57
things into action because I'm doing that.
39:59
My authentic self is just shining through.
40:02
I can't hide it. It's shining through.
40:05
The people that will put off you will put off the people that you
40:07
will attract, it will attract. So you authentic self people,
40:12
this is how you get yourself authentic self into the business
40:15
game. Focus on the process, focus on
40:19
the framework, focus on the things, the information that
40:22
you're trying to elicit. The authentic self will just
40:24
flow naturally. So somebody who is approaching
40:27
the situation and he's thinking, BANT, what is the budget?
40:31
What is the authority structure? What are the needs?
40:34
What is the timeline, it will come through.
40:36
If you're rude, your rudeness will come through.
40:39
If you're polite, your politeness will come through.
40:42
If you're assertive, your selfiness will come through.
40:45
If you're a coward, your coward leaders will come through.
40:49
But at least you'll be on the right track.
40:52
You're getting the information that you need to be able to
40:54
close the deal effectively. OK, so it is 40 minutes.
40:57
Let me just bring it to a close. Let me look.
40:58
Let me see again, what does it we talk about?
41:02
And it basically I just did. And then I spent three days
41:04
wrestling with them to get them to commit because to be honest,
41:11
it takes a while. Some people feel like it's rude.
41:14
How will I start interrogating people?
41:16
But anyway, we'll talk about that some other day.
41:18
How we stop it from sounding like an interrogation.
41:22
I don't want this to be another 15 minute episode.
41:24
So that's it and that's all. Remember if you love to connect
41:29
then you can call SMS or WhatsApp me on 08064662140.
41:36
Thank you very much for your time and attention.
41:38
I will catch you next time. Same place in your headphones or
41:41
in your speakers.