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How to Turn Rejection into Opportunity: Winning Sales Strategies from Ironman Finisher Rich Greene
Episode 34 • 4th August 2024 • Business Superfans Podcast • Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)
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Episode 34  Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)

How to Turn Rejection into Opportunity: Winning Sales Strategies from Ironman Finisher Rich Greene

Hey there Superfans Superstars, Freddy D here! In this episode of the Business Superfans podcast, I had an inspiring chat with Richard Greene , who shared his incredible transformation journey. At 50, facing health issues, he decided to overhaul his lifestyle, leading him to conquer multiple Ironman races. Rich emphasized the importance of having a coach and a resilient mindset. We also delved into how his Ironman experiences shaped his approach to sales, highlighting the power of persistence, empathy, and building genuine relationships. Rich’s story is a testament to overcoming challenges and creating superfans in both life and business. Tune in for some serious motivation!

Discover more with our detailed show notes and exclusive content by visiting: https://bit.ly/3LRiUGF

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Mentioned in this episode:

Business Superfans Accelerator

Attention business owners, are you looking to transform your employees, customers, and business allies relationships and elevate your brand to new heights? Join the Business Superfans Accelerator today. Led by me, Freddie D, this dynamic mentorship program empowers you to turn your stakeholders into passionate superfans. The ultimate brand advocates who actively promote your business. Imagine a community of dedicated supporters promoting your products or services, not just through word of mouth, but as proud champions of your brand. With exclusive access to monthly Q& A sessions, brainstorming opportunities, and valuable resources like online courses, playbooks, and much more. This program is designed to provide you with the tools you need for sustainable, profitable growth. Don't wait. Every moment you delay allows your competition to get ahead. Sign up now at bizsuperfans. community and start unleashing the potential of your superfans today. Your brand's transformation awaits. Let's make business growth your reality.

Business Superfans Accelerator



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Transcripts

Freddy D:

Dr.

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:

Richard Green is a seven time

Ironman triathlete, performance

3

:

expert, and business coach.

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:

His Ironman sales success formula has

been featured on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox.

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:

His client list includes

Microsoft, Whole Foods, and Amazon.

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:

Target, JPMorgan Chase, CVS,

Coors, the Mayo Clinic, and Coca

7

:

Cola, among many, many others.

8

:

He has more than 30 years experience

as a successful sales professional

9

:

across a variety of industries,

helping his clients sell well over a

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:

hundred million dollars in business.

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:

Rich discovered that the Ironman

athletes have a unique way of thinking

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:

about success and that their mindset

is so powerful that it enables

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them to face extreme challenges and

succeed where most people would fail.

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:

Dr.

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:

Green has distilled the Ironman mindset

into an elite executive training

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:

program called the Iron Code that

can make your success unstoppable.

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:

Most importantly, he has found

his mission of helping ordinary

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:

people do extraordinary things.

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Good morning, Rich.

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Welcome to the Business Superfans podcast.

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How are you this morning?

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Rich Greene: I'm great, Frederick.

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Good morning to you as well.

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Thanks for for having me on the podcast.

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Freddy D: So tell me a little bit

about your story and how you arrived

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to where you are today doing Ironmans

and talking about mastering sales and

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all those kinds of really cool things.

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Rich Greene: All right.

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Where shall we start?

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Maybe we'll start at you

just mentioned Iron Man.

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Maybe we'll start there.

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Freddy D: Okay.

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Rich Greene: So it all started

with me and this was actually a

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transformational point in my life.

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It all started for me at 50 years of age.

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Hadn't been feeling well for a

long time and on my birthday,

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actually my 50th birthday, I just

decided to go into the doctor.

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Because I was getting dizzy

and at this particular point in

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time, I was 50 pounds heavier.

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Blood pressure was, I knew it was high,

I just didn't know how high it was.

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I hadn't taken care of myself.

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So I went to the doctor and

didn't have an appointment.

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I waited for almost an

hour in that waiting room.

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When I got called in and I went into

the examination room, it was cold.

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I could smell antiseptic in the

room and I thought to myself, this

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is a place where people go to die.

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How bad I was feeling.

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So anyway, the doctor comes in

and he takes my vitals and he

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has a concerned look on his face.

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He left the room a few minutes

later, came back with a nurse and

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they were pushing this big machine.

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It was an EKG machine,

heart monitor, just for me.

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Freddy D: Wow.

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Rich Greene: Frederick, I knew that

wasn't normal because typically they just.

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Write you a prescription and

send you on your way, right?

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Yeah we got hooked up he read my vitals,

and I could tell he had a concerned look

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on his face, and I said, Doc, what is it?

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What is it?

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Never mind, I know.

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I'm gonna have a heart attack, aren't I?

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He said no, Rich, you're not

gonna have a heart attack.

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But if you don't change your ways

You're probably gonna have a stroke.

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I'll tell you what, I

got dizzy all over again.

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I had been standing up and

I sat down in the chair.

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And the first thing in my mind,

Frederick, was my two daughters

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were 12 and 14 at the time.

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I thought I might not get to see

them grow up and I knew at that

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point in time that was a change,

that was a change in my life, and I

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needed to make some dramatic changes.

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That particular afternoon I went

home, after the doctor's office, and

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I went to the health food store, and

I bought two bags of fresh fruits and

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vegetables and all kinds of stuff.

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I'd never gone to the health food

store before, so I didn't really

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know what I was doing, I was just

looking at what I thought was good.

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If there's one thing I did know, and

one of the things, first things I did

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was I threw away all the junk, the

Doritos, the Ho Hos, the Red Bulls, and

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I don't know if any of you out there,

listening have any of that stuff in

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your house, but it's not good for you.

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Yeah, I even threw away my kid's Pop

Tarts because I didn't want to be tempted.

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So I embarked on, a new diet and

then along the way, I realized

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I never moved a muscle my entire

adult life, my entire adult life,

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and I figured I needed to exercise.

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So one of the things I

started doing was swimming.

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I was in high school 40 years ago.

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At that point, I was a swimmer

and I thought, I'll get

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some exercise and I'll swim.

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Frederick, that lasted about two weeks.

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Cause I got bored just back and

forth in the pool, looking at

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that black line on the bottom.

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So I did some Googling cause I'm

a type A, I figured I needed to

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get a, an event in front of me.

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And I found this 12 and a half mile

swim around the island of Key West.

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And I thought, that's what I'll do.

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This is ridiculous, cause I

couldn't swim eight laps in the

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pool without getting out of breath.

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12 and a half miles, wasn't long before

I figured I needed to get a coach.

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So I got a coach to

help me with this swim.

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She said to me, Rich, it's

not all about swimming.

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It's about endurance.

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Do you ride a bike?

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I said, no, coach, I haven't

ridden a bike since I was 16.

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Why would I ride a bike?

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I drive a car, and she said, I think

you should get a bike and ride.

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So, I started riding a bike.

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Got a bike, started riding a bike,

and started riding a lot, and about

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six weeks later, she says, do you run?

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And I said, hey, coach, I got a bad back.

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I got one leg that's half an

inch shorter than the other.

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No, I don't run at all.

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She said, I think that's even more

the reason why you shouldn't run.

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Go figure this out, Frederick.

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I start running.

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And before I know it, here I am.

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I'm swimming.

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I'm biking.

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I'm running.

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I'm accidentally training for a triathlon.

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Got tricked into that whole thing, and

she told, one day she said, Hey, the guys

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are doing this Olympic distance triathlon.

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Do you want to give it a try?

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So I I said, yes, obviously.

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And I did it.

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It was the hardest thing I have ever done.

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I got so excited that I

crossed that finish line.

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Here I am just, or 50 years

old and I thought, hmm, what

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about the hardest one is?

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So I did some more Googling

and I found the Iron Man.

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For those of you who don't know,

and Frederick, I know you and

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I know each other for a while.

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That Iron Man is, it's a long day.

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Freddy D: Yeah, very long.

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Rich Greene: It's crazy.

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It's a 2.

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4 mile swim and then when you're done with

that, you do 112 mile bike ride and then

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when you're done with that, you put your

running shoes on and you run a marathon.

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So I've come, up close to

up to 17 hours doing a race.

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So it's a very long day.

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So here I am today.

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I've taken care of my blood pressure.

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It was 209 over 107.

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And normal is 120 over 80.

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It's normal now.

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I lost that 50 pounds weight.

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I've done eight Ironman.

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The last one I did was

the world championships.

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I did that at 60 years of age.

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Freddy D: That's amazing.

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That's it's amazing.

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Rich Greene: Considering that

I never moved a muscle at all.

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Freddy D: The key thing that you,

that helped you got to coach.

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Most people don't understand the benefit

of a coach, but a coach is a game changer.

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You look at sports teams, they've got

coaches, executives, they have a coach..

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You look at movie stars,

they've got acting coaches.

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You look at musicians,

they've got coaches with that.

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So everybody that is ultra

successful has got a coach.

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Rich Greene: You are so right.

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It wasn't until later in

life that I learned that.

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Because a lot of us think that we're

smart, and we want to try to do things

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ourselves, and we think that we're

very capable, but you know what?

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If you want to do something you've

never done before, and you want to

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get there fast, and you want to ensure

your success, Frederick, you're right.

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You gotta get a coach.

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Freddy D: You can't talk to yourself.

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Talking to yourself

doesn't resolve anything.

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Okay, what do you think?

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What do you think you should do?

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I don't know.

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I think we should try to do this.

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You go around in circles versus getting

a completely different perspective which

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changes your mindset and you go, huh.

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I never thought of that.

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I never looked at it that way

and that's the difference.

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That's the important part.

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As well as the encouragement.

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Hey, we all need to be encouraged.

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We all need to be,

appreciated and recognized.

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So you got someone that's going

to say, Hey, Rich, you just did,

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two mile swim . That's amazing.

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Those kinds of things.

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Rich Greene: One of the things that either

fit into this conversation or not, but

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one of the things I developed was the

four leadership styles of the Iron Man.

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And along that lines, one of the

leadership styles is the fan.

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We all need fans, all the athletes,

because what do you do when you're out

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there on that course and you just feel

like you want to quit or you want to die,

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and you've got the fans cheering you on.

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So there can be fans out

on the course in sports.

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There can be fans in your family,

for those, family members that are

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supporting whatever you're doing.

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There can be fans in business.

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So anybody who thinks that they're

not a leader, The fan is a really good

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leadership style, supporting others that

you work with by helping them and the

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company get to where they want to get to.

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Freddy D: That's why I wrote the

book Creating Business Superfans.

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It's all about transforming

your employees, your customers,

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your business allies, your

suppliers, the whole ecosystem.

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You get them to being your champions,

using the sports term or, like I

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called, them business superfans is

basically brand advocates on steroids

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.

Rich Greene: Yes, absolutely.

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Yeah and I love your approach, and I love

the Superfans, and I have to tell you.

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That thing that we just talked

about here, the fan, that leadership

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style, that's just one little piece.

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And I know you talk

about this all the time.

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There's just so much more to it,

but I didn't know that I had at

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this point, I'd already had, almost

25 years of sales experience.

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And so I was just slugging away out

there and the things I learned doing

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the Ironman allowed me to create all

sorts of processes around mindset.

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Because what do you do

when you run into a hurdle?

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Or something that won't allow

you to move forward, and maybe

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you have to change direction?

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Or you lose a sail!

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Do you tuck your tail between

your legs and saunter off?

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Or do you figure out how to move

forward and make a success out of it?

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Freddy D: That's an excellent way

to transition into the business

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part of the conversation here,

because we talked about, how you

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transform yourself personally and

changed your whole outlook on things.

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Let's talk about some of the successes

and things you've done in sales and

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what you've, just like you mentioned,

what you learned from training for

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the Ironman for triathlon type.

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Events, applying it into business and

more importantly, the sales aspect of

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things and creating superfans out of

customers, whether you win or lose, which

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is, we'll talk more about the second part.

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Rich Greene: Yeah.

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Okay.

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Yeah.

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What is winning and losing?

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We'll talk about that.

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Definitely.

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I'm a big believer in process.

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I love processes or formulas or recipes,

something that you can follow, right?

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That somebody has already put together

that has achieved success with, and

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you can either follow it to the letter,

or you can follow it and maybe modify

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it a little bit for your situation.

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But a process that you can take step

by step to go where you want to go.

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And of course, in sales, we

all want to get that yes.

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But and along the way, especially when

you're getting started out, there's a

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lot of, no's and it can be demoralizing,

and a lot of people just quit.

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You know what?

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I've read an interesting statistic,

Frederick about goal setting.

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This was two studies that were done.

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One was done by the University

of Scranton, and the other

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was done by LinkedIn.

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And the University of Scranton

did a study and they found that

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92 percent of the people who set a

goal, 92 percent don't achieve it.

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Freddy D: Wow.

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Rich Greene: 92%.

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That's huge.

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LinkedIn was 89%, so really high.

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I believe, in working with lots

of people, myself in business, and

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coaching other executives in business,

that a lot of it's just mindset.

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The people get demoralized,

they don't realize there is a

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formula to help you move forward.

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And by the way, it's not all about

thinking positive thoughts, because

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that only gets you so far, right?

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You've got to have strategies, too.

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Freddy D: And you've got to take action.

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Rich Greene: You've got to take action.

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Absolutely.

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Absolutely.

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For me that winning and

losing thing is a mindset.

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If we can use the sports analogy,

because we just talked about it, sports,

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usually in professional sports there's

a winner and a loser, or there might

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be a first, second, and third place.

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And that's it.

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But if we apply that to life, and you

consider yourself a winner if you only

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get first, second, and third place, man,

there's a lot of losers in the world.

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So I think that's screwed up.

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I don't really believe that in

unless you're a professional in

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sports or something like that,

I don't really believe that's

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the right way to measure things.

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So I've created a whole new concept

of what winning is, and it's all

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centered around those two studies

that I talked about, the 92%.

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How do you not beat the 92%?

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How do you beat the 8%?

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So that's one of the things I learned

from the Ironman and having some

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setbacks, along the way, I finished

all my Ironman, but it's a long day.

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Things happen that, you just don't expect

to happen and you may have trained for

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a year and then something bad happens.

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So what are you going to

do if you train for a year?

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Quit?

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No.

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So it's the same thing in life.

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And it's the same thing in business.

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Freddy D: Yeah, absolutely.

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You, you look at the Olympics going on

in France right now and, you've seen

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athletes, like you just said, train for

years, and this is their big moment,

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they're running, and all of a sudden they

trip, and, just like that, things change

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and they get back up and they still go.

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Rich Greene: I love that.

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It just keep going, no matter what.

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I love that.

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And that's actually one of the

steps in my success processes.

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So if you like, maybe I can share with

you my four step process for winning.

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Freddy D: Yeah, please do.

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Rich Greene: I've got two that I'd

love to share with your listeners.

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One is a gift we can talk about later

on, which is my program how to win in

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sales a hundred percent of the time,

even when the prospect says, no, I'd

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like to win even when someone says no.

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And I'd love to chat a little

bit about that with you.

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Freddy D: Yeah, because we talked about

before we started recording the show,

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and a no necessarily doesn't mean a no.

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Rich Greene: Right?

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Might mean I don't know enough

about you or No, not right now.

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Or, all sorts of things.

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Freddy D: Yeah.

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Rich Greene: Why don't I talk first

about, before we go into, we'll

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talk a few things about winning

in sales, even when you get a no.

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But why don't I back up and talk to

you about how it first started, how

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I had started the mindset and then

the process and then how you can use

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that four step process in your life.

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You can even use it in your business.

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My sales one is very

specific towards sales.

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So I'm going to stay with the

Ironman thing cause that's

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where I learned it from.

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My very first Ironman, I

learned so many lessons.

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It was 108 degrees that day.

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In Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

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It was a 50 year high.

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It was completely unexpected.

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So can you imagine running a 140

mile race in 108 degree weather?

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My morning started off fine

because I'm in the water, right?

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You start that 2.

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4 mile swim.

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That's okay.

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But getting on the bike, and it hit

108 really early in the morning.

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Getting on the bike and slugging

through that is really tough, and at

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one point I found myself at Mile 81,

it was a rest station, and I'd run out

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of water, and I was getting dehydrated.

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I know because my hands were like,

they were like raptor's claws.

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They were just, seizing up on me.

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I get to that aid

station, there's no water.

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We're in the middle of an Idaho

highway, and there's no water.

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There's nothing to be found and this

is where I put my step one into place,

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which was, what are you going to do?

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You've declared yourself a winner.

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I think that's the first

thing you need to do.

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Whatever you're doing, you

need to say, I'm going to win.

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I'm going to finish.

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I'm going to achieve

my goal no matter what.

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So that's the first process

is getting that in your mind.

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And so I got to this aid station, there

was no water, but I saw a kiddie pool,

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those blue pools and your mother puts

you in one of those in the summertime.

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Freddy D: We have one

for our dogs, so yes.

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Rich Greene: Yes, dogs like them too.

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Freddy D: Yep.

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Rich Greene: At this event, they

had it filled with ice and water and

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Gatorade and all sorts of things.

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I could tell that, cause I could, I went

over to the pool and I looked at it and

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there was labels floating in the water.

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There was also grass and bugs

and some other things, and

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the water was dingy brown.

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But I needed something to

keep me going, so I did the

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unthinkable for a lot of people.

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I just kneeled down and scooped

up some water from that kiddie

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pool and I started drinking.

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So I've already declared myself a winner.

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I needed to do whatever

I need to do to win.

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So that got me going again, about after

10 minutes, I got back on the bike.

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I rode it all the way to the finish

line, to the transition where you

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get off your bike and you put your

shoes on and you run a marathon.

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Unfortunately, as I got off the

bike, I had done something to my

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back over that 112 mile bike ride.

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And I had electricity shooting down

my back, down my legs, into my feet,

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and I couldn't stand up straight.

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And I had to run a marathon.

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So this is where, yeah, this is

where the rubber meets the road.

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:

This is where you really start to

figure out, what do I need to do?

367

:

I need to reframe the sit step two

is reframe the situation, and the

368

:

situation was this, I had wanted to

finish this race in 13 and a half

369

:

hours, and it wasn't going to happen.

370

:

I had 17 hours to do it.

371

:

So I needed to reframe

the situation in my head.

372

:

It's you know what, I'm not

quitting, but I'm going to finish.

373

:

And that alone is not enough, because

then you've got to get a strategy, right?

374

:

So I looked at the time I had left,

and I realized that, I did some quick

375

:

calculation, and I realized that if I

did a fast 15 minute walk, if I could

376

:

do it, I couldn't stand up straight.

377

:

I could finish within the 17 hours.

378

:

I have to tell you, it was the

hardest 26 miles I've ever done.

379

:

I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

380

:

People were asking me, are you okay?

381

:

And I just kept saying, I'm great.

382

:

I'm good.

383

:

I'm going to finish.

384

:

This is number four.

385

:

Step number four is finish what you start.

386

:

I just kept saying to myself for the

whole 26 miles, finishers are winners.

387

:

Finishers are winners.

388

:

I'm going to finish, and I did finish.

389

:

I finished just 13

minutes shy of the cutoff.

390

:

Freddy D: Wow.

391

:

Rich Greene: If you know anything about

the Ironman, if you finish that race in 17

392

:

hours and 1 second, you're not an Ironman.

393

:

You gotta get under that 17 hour period,

394

:

Freddy D: I didn't know that.

395

:

Rich Greene: I was able to do it

with that 4 step process, and that 4

396

:

step process will work for anything

in life, any sort of a setback.

397

:

So that's one of the

things that I teach people.

398

:

It's one of the things I use all

the time because nothing ever

399

:

goes your way completely, right?

400

:

Freddy D: Life throws you lemons.

401

:

You gotta make lemonade.

402

:

Rich Greene: Absolutely.

403

:

All the time.

404

:

So that very first Ironman, that's what

all started the whole thought about

405

:

processes and mindset and winning.

406

:

Then I just started developing

more and more processes around

407

:

the things that I learned and then

teaching them to business people.

408

:

So that's the foundation of it all.

409

:

Then out of that came lots, as I

said, lots of different processes,

410

:

but the one we were, we just

mentioned, which was the, how to win

411

:

in sales 100 percent of the time.

412

:

Even when the prospect says no, and

we were talking about that and I

413

:

love, you have the exact same winning

philosophies, which I really appreciate.

414

:

With those disappointments in

life and how you move forward.

415

:

Freddy D: Yeah.

416

:

It's very important how you handle that

because, I've done sales on a global

417

:

level and you've got language barriers,

you've got cultural barriers and

418

:

everything else, you've got to adapt.

419

:

You've got to be able

to pivot and adjust.

420

:

I shared a story and I'll share it again.

421

:

We were doing a presentation to this

one company and I'll name the company

422

:

in a minute, and it was a division.

423

:

They liked it, but they did not have the

ability to make a purchasing decision.

424

:

It had to be done by corporate.

425

:

So flew back to the United States, and

this is for a $10 000 software sale.

426

:

Okay.

427

:

So not a lot of money, and then I

flew back as my distributor in Germany

428

:

set up an appointment at corporate.

429

:

Two flights there and back, and

a hotel and everything else.

430

:

So profit in the deal is zilch.

431

:

We do the presentation and

the software crashes in front

432

:

of all the decision makers.

433

:

We talk about situations and mindsets

and how do you handle when Murphy's

434

:

law kicked in and all is going south.

435

:

So it was lunchtime and they

had invited us to lunch.

436

:

I says, no, thank you.

437

:

We're going to take a

look at what's going on.

438

:

So fortunately the time zone worked

out to where people back here in

439

:

Scottsdale were in the office, so I

called them, and we checked it, and

440

:

we validated that there was a bug in

the software, and it was repeatable.

441

:

When they came back to lunch, I

basically, and I could read the audience,

442

:

and I said, first off, we're going

to come transparent, there's a bug

443

:

in the software, and we're going to

show it to you, and we can repeat it,

444

:

and the team's already on fixing it.

445

:

So I neutralized the issue.

446

:

Rich Greene: Yeah.

447

:

Freddy D: I realized most of the people

were glassy eyed because they didn't

448

:

understand because it was new technology.

449

:

Actually, I had come up with the

term machining intelligence because

450

:

it was for programming milling

machines, lathes, wire EDMs.

451

:

So it was basically MI

was our tagline for it.

452

:

They didn't understand it, because based

upon the geometric shapes, it would

453

:

decide the tools and the toolpath, the

program, and all the stuff automatically.

454

:

I says, we're going to start the

whole presentation over, and I

455

:

told my distributor, slow down.

456

:

They don't understand what's happening.

457

:

So let's start all this all over.

458

:

So we start a whole presentation and we

went very slow and made sure that every

459

:

step they understood this brand new

technology and people started to smile,

460

:

and people started to get engaged because

now they were starting to understand

461

:

what this tool could do is ahead of

its time, and at the end everybody

462

:

was smiling, everybody was happy.

463

:

They say we're going to buy

this system and we're going to

464

:

approve it for this location.

465

:

That company was Bosch.

466

:

Rich Greene: Wow.

467

:

Freddy D: Even though it was a 10, 000

sale and we made no money on that deal,

468

:

my distributor, was able to go to all

the suppliers and say, Hey, rich, you

469

:

want to take a look at this technology,

Bosch is utilizing it, and so you might

470

:

want to take a peek at it and sales

just exploded because we now were able

471

:

to name drop from that perspective.

472

:

Just like you said, in your Ironman, you

had setbacks, but it's how you handle

473

:

the setback that is transformative.

474

:

So same thing, I can share it

from a business perspective.

475

:

So let's go into the aspect of

how do you apply your four step

476

:

process into the sales aspect.

477

:

Rich Greene: Sure, absolutely,

and you know what, can I just

478

:

comment, that's a great story, by

the way, thanks for telling that.

479

:

There's some of the things that you

did that I think were really key at

480

:

creating that superfan that you did

where, you were honest and you were

481

:

transparent, and that is one of the keys.

482

:

Nobody likes somebody who's too

slick or feels not telling the truth

483

:

or they aren't telling the truth.

484

:

Being honest when things go

wrong because we're all human.

485

:

I think people connect

more when you're that way.

486

:

So you're honest, yeah and you already

had people working on it, fixing it.

487

:

That, that says something right there.

488

:

The other thing was you connected with

your audience because you were, you

489

:

could see that they didn't understand.

490

:

Freddy D: I was present.

491

:

I was present.

492

:

Rich Greene: Yeah, you were, yeah, you're

present, you're putting yourself in their

493

:

shoes and that's another great aspect.

494

:

Then the last thing that I really got

out of that, which I love, because first

495

:

when you said it's a 10, 000 sale and

I'm thinking you already flew over once.

496

:

That's probably eaten up in the

travel and entertainment right away.

497

:

Then you flew over again, and

it wasn't just necessarily that

498

:

it was the marketing, the name,

which is a great name, but you

499

:

actually invested in your customer.

500

:

You didn't say, you know what,

this doesn't make any sense.

501

:

I'm going to be negative when I

get through with it cash wise.

502

:

You went for it anyway,

and you helped them out.

503

:

And because of that, call it karma

or whatever you want to call it,

504

:

you got all these other deals.

505

:

So this is all mindset about not being

greedy and looking for ways to help people

506

:

and never giving up when things go wrong.

507

:

Freddy D: That's the key

right there, never giving up.

508

:

Rich Greene: Yeah, absolutely.

509

:

Let's talk about the , I lost the sale?

510

:

Freddy D: Yes.

511

:

Rich Greene: What do you do thing?

512

:

Freddy D: Yeah, because I think, you

and I have a similar approach, but

513

:

I'll let you I'll let you run with it.

514

:

Rich Greene: You and I have talked and I

know what kind of business person you are.

515

:

You're a great, you're a great businessman

and one of the things I really appreciate.

516

:

That you do and that I think is

absolutely key to creating superfans

517

:

is to be thankful for the opportunity.

518

:

So I don't care if you got the sale or

you didn't get the sale, be thankful

519

:

that you were able to make the pitch.

520

:

You met somebody new,

you helped educate them.

521

:

Remember in sales, our

job is to get a decision.

522

:

Yes or no.

523

:

Hopefully we get the yes decision.

524

:

Freddy D: But maybe it's not a decision.

525

:

Rich Greene: Maybe it's not a decision.

526

:

That's right.

527

:

That's right.

528

:

And there's all, there's all sorts

of techniques around that whole maybe

529

:

thing, it's our job to get a decision.

530

:

And we want to get the positive decision

for ourselves and our companies, but

531

:

sometimes that's not the way it works out.

532

:

So I think the first

thing is being thankful.

533

:

You and I've talked

about this in the past.

534

:

What do you do when you lose a deal?

535

:

Do you just say screw them, they

don't know what they're talking

536

:

about and never call them again?

537

:

No, I think one of the first

things you do is you reach out

538

:

and you say, Hey, I appreciate

the opportunity that you gave me.

539

:

Of course, I'm disappointed that we're

not going to be working together, but just

540

:

because you didn't buy from me doesn't

mean that we can't stay in touch, and

541

:

I'd be happy to be a resource to you.

542

:

If you ever have any questions

about anything in the industry

543

:

or the software or whatever, feel

free to reach out anytime, and

544

:

thanks again for the opportunity.

545

:

I think that's where it starts.

546

:

Freddy D: It totally starts there

because things change and, your

547

:

product, tool, service, whatever it

is, may not have fit them at that point

548

:

in time, and it may down the road.

549

:

Or, they may run into somebody, because,

business owners talk to business

550

:

owners, and they may say, you know

what, that product that Rich had, I

551

:

think it'll work for your business.

552

:

You should give this guy a call, and

now you've got a basically a superfan

553

:

that's referring you, even though

they're not your customer, referring you

554

:

to somebody else, that's a done deal.

555

:

Rich Greene: Yeah, absolutely.

556

:

I think even if that doesn't happen, we do

things without the expectation of return.

557

:

You'd be surprised, they don't come around

in some way or another, but you should

558

:

do it without the expectation of return.

559

:

I worked in the market research

industry for three of the largest

560

:

market research companies in

the world over a 12 year period.

561

:

I kept getting hired away and

I had some success and then the

562

:

competition would hire me away.

563

:

I had some great success with

that company, and then the

564

:

competition would hire me away.

565

:

I had the exact same customers

with all three companies.

566

:

So what do you think I, I did?

567

:

Do you think I'm going to go

into the customer and say,

568

:

Hey, I got a new business card.

569

:

I'm not working with these guys anymore.

570

:

That stuff is junk that I sold you.

571

:

You need to buy this stuff.

572

:

Now, of course not.

573

:

Freddy D: There never going

to, gone just like that

574

:

.

Rich Greene: Right, gone.

575

:

So I think if you always approach

it, I'm trying to help people out.

576

:

Hopefully what I have to offer

my product or service will do it.

577

:

But if it doesn't, I'm gonna try to help

him anyway, and you're right, that's

578

:

how you get that referral, because

you're just a good dude, or dudette.

579

:

Freddy D: Yeah, you're right, because

back in the early 90s, I worked with

580

:

a manufacturing software company,

and got one account in Illinois,

581

:

worked with them for a year, they

were just a 40 man shop at the time.

582

:

It was a tool and die shop, making molds,

and they were happy with the technology.

583

:

The competitive technology, I knew

the guy and he knew me and my

584

:

joking way of saying this, we would

bow like two samurai warriors.

585

:

We would go into an account, one

of us would win, one of us would

586

:

lose, and we would come out, bow

again, and, that was the end of it.

587

:

Rich Greene: On you way.

588

:

Yeah.

589

:

Freddy D: One day I get a phone call from

this guy and he invites me for lunch.

590

:

I'm going what's up with that?

591

:

And he goes, I'm buying.

592

:

Okay.

593

:

So we got together and it turned out

he got promoted to major accounts in

594

:

the company and thought enough about

me to have me become his replacement

595

:

as a district manager for that company.

596

:

So I took over as

district manager and Okay.

597

:

Where do I go?

598

:

I go back to my other customer

and I told them the story.

599

:

They were like, wow, congratulations,

and we've looked at this product as

600

:

well, it turned out, cause it did some

things that the other product didn't do.

601

:

So they ended up buying again

from me, just like you just

602

:

said, using both products.

603

:

They did different things,

similar but different, and they

604

:

became my biggest superfan.

605

:

That account propelled me to being

one of the top sales guys in the

606

:

company , because they were my superfan.

607

:

So when I would be talking to a new

prospect, I would say contact Bob

608

:

over at such and such company, by

the way that was his real first name.

609

:

Rich Greene: Yeah.

610

:

Freddy D: He'll tell you about

the product and he'll tell you

611

:

how I work and all that stuff.

612

:

They were my reference,

they were my superfans.

613

:

The last time I visited them,

they wouldn't let me in the door.

614

:

And I says, what's up guys?

615

:

And they go, every time you walk in

here, you cost us a hundred grand.

616

:

Yeah, but you bought the building

next door, you built the breezeway,

617

:

you bought the building on the other

side, you built the breezeway and

618

:

you're now 140, people company.

619

:

Rich Greene: Wow, from 40

620

:

Freddy D: it was always about how

I could help them achieve their

621

:

vision of where they wanted to be.

622

:

Rich Greene: You were thinking, you were

looking out for their best interest,

623

:

so they kept buying from you even

though you worked for the competition.

624

:

You know the thing that strikes me

that I hadn't ever thought about

625

:

before, Frederick, was you created

a superfan of your competition.

626

:

You got hired by your competition.

627

:

Freddy D: Correct.

628

:

Rich Greene: Because you just were

honest and forthright and you did

629

:

business in an upstanding way.

630

:

Freddy D: I'm still friends

with that guy today.

631

:

Rich Greene: That's great.

632

:

That's a cool story.

633

:

Along that lines, when they when

they don't buy from you just talked

634

:

about, the fact that they gave you

referrals, but, you can get a referral

635

:

even when they don't buy from you.

636

:

Freddy D: Correct

637

:

Rich Greene: That's one of the

steps in my in my process also.

638

:

When you get the no, what do you do?

639

:

You thank them first,

and think about this.

640

:

If most people that are nice,

they're decent people, they

641

:

don't like to tell people no.

642

:

They feel bad that they rejected you.

643

:

This is the perfect opportunity for

them to feel good about themselves.

644

:

So I would say when you're faced with

that, when someone just said no, and

645

:

you've had a good experience in dealing

with them, and you've done your best,

646

:

and you worked your hardest, now's

the time to ask them for a favor.

647

:

Freddy D: Especially if you built a

relationship with them, through that

648

:

whole process, it's even more so because,

you're right, now you got an emotional

649

:

connection and they're going yeah, he's a

good guy and unfortunately, it's not what

650

:

we're looking for at this point in time.

651

:

I know somebody or I may know

somebody who may be able to

652

:

benefit from what they're offering.

653

:

Rich Greene: So this is the time to do it.

654

:

Don't wait a day, wait a

week, don't wait a month.

655

:

Right away.

656

:

When the emotion is, the kind of that

guilty feeling that they might have is

657

:

raw and go ahead and ask and they'll

feel better, you'll feel better.

658

:

I'll tell you one of the, it just popped

into my head, but one of the things that,

659

:

when you ask for a referral, probably

get this about 80 percent of the time

660

:

to someone, they'll just automatically

respond, I don't know anybody.

661

:

I don't know if you've

ever had that before.

662

:

I just don't know anybody and

when that happens, because

663

:

they're doing it automatically.

664

:

I'll give you a little tip here.

665

:

You want to break the pattern in

their head in their brain, right?

666

:

Because that's pattern

that's been built in.

667

:

They're used to coming up with that

answer because they get it all the time.

668

:

You want to break that

pattern, so ask this question.

669

:

It's going to sound

ridiculous, but it works.

670

:

It'll work.

671

:

It'll work.

672

:

You'll just be shocked.

673

:

Okay, I understand, but if you did

know somebody, who might that be?

674

:

I just told you I don't know

anybody, and then you ask them again.

675

:

You're, it's a strange way to ask the

question, and it breaks that pattern

676

:

in their brain, and I'd say maybe

about 50 percent of the time they'll

677

:

come up with a person or a company.

678

:

It's amazing.

679

:

It's an amazing process, but

yeah, you want to strike while the

680

:

iron's hot and ask for a referral.

681

:

The other thing that you want to do

also, and I don't care if you own your

682

:

own business, and you're just a single

person or you're in a big company.

683

:

You want to tell that individual

that they're going to be getting a

684

:

survey from your marketing department.

685

:

So I help people with surveys that

ask about how you performed with them.

686

:

How was, Rich , we had

an experience with Rich.

687

:

Was he professional?

688

:

Did he help you with the situation

you're in there, those kinds of things.

689

:

And this is a great way

to get marketing material.

690

:

People saying good things about

it that you can use in marketing.

691

:

So I say, listen, my boss is

going to be looking at this.

692

:

So hopefully you'll say something nice.

693

:

Freddy D: Reviews is

the new word of mouth.

694

:

So that's a brilliant

way of getting, Reviews.

695

:

Even though you don't have that

individual, that business as a

696

:

customer, they still gave you a review

that you can show to somebody else.

697

:

Rich Greene: It works and it works

great and you'd be amazed at the things

698

:

that people will say about you when

they think they're helping you out.

699

:

So what I say is go get a survey

monkey or something like that.

700

:

Write up some leading questions,

like leading meaning, what did you

701

:

like best about working with Rich?

702

:

And then they'll think about, oh, I

liked this, and they'll write it down.

703

:

Now you've got some good stuff, that,

ideally, you're right about the reviews.

704

:

You want people to go online and

say things about you too, right?

705

:

But I think this is a good

first step because it can

706

:

be very quick and very easy.

707

:

I've got almost a 95 percent success

rate with people doing this because

708

:

it takes less than 30 seconds.

709

:

So that's another step in the process.

710

:

Freddy D: Yeah.

711

:

And again, when you're meeting

with somebody else in person,

712

:

you can show them the feedback.

713

:

Rich Greene: Yeah.

714

:

A lot of times I'll take the, what

somebody said about me and say, Hey,

715

:

listen, would you mind just taking this

and putting it on LinkedIn, doing a

716

:

review on LinkedIn for me and my company?

717

:

The LinkedIn reviews are great too.

718

:

So there's all kinds of places

you can put that review.

719

:

But I think that's a critical

thing that most people forget

720

:

about, and it's really easy to do.

721

:

Just, a few things you need to set up,

and the email doesn't come from you.

722

:

It comes from the marketing department.

723

:

There's all sorts of things

you can do to make that happen.

724

:

But that's important, and I think

the other thing that is critical,

725

:

is staying in contact with them.

726

:

Freddy D: Absolutely.

727

:

Rich Greene: You didn't get the

deal, but you want to be able

728

:

to stay in contact with them.

729

:

Please don't do, I'm just checking in,

because that's just a waste of time.

730

:

If you're going to make a contact with

somebody, be prepared when you call

731

:

them to give them something of value.

732

:

I saw this.

733

:

I think this might be

great for your business.

734

:

I just thought about you and I wanted

to, send an email or phone call.

735

:

People still answer the phone today,

and people really appreciate that.

736

:

You're not pushing yourself on them.

737

:

You're just That's the whole,

those are the things about

738

:

developing that superfan, right?

739

:

That person is the company.

740

:

There'll be that superfan.

741

:

And if they leave the company,

they'll go to another company.

742

:

Freddy D: You just hit another topic

right there, because that sale may not

743

:

have happened at that particular company.

744

:

But that individual knows who you

are, and you followed up and you

745

:

stayed in contact in a positive way.

746

:

All of a sudden they get another

opportunity, they move on to another

747

:

place and go, Oh, you know what?

748

:

That product that their

service that Rich had.

749

:

This company could use, and next thing

you know, they're reaching out to you.

750

:

Rich Greene: If you spend any amount

of time as a sales professional,

751

:

and I've got decades, right?

752

:

It comes back at you.

753

:

You'd be surprised.

754

:

People move, and this happened time and

time again, where I worked with someone

755

:

in one company, they moved to another

company, they liked our interaction.

756

:

They were a superfan of Rich.

757

:

And they called me and

I got more business.

758

:

Freddy D: Yeah.

759

:

Same thing when I was selling

manufacturing software.

760

:

Exactly the same thing.

761

:

Rich Greene: Yeah.

762

:

Yeah.

763

:

These aren't difficult concepts.

764

:

They really aren't, but they're

really powerful and really important.

765

:

I think, Nike had the right slogan.

766

:

You just got to do it.

767

:

Don't think about it.

768

:

Just do it.

769

:

Get it done.

770

:

So going back to that winning,

first, first, second, third place,

771

:

or I won the sale, I lost the sale.

772

:

If they said no and didn't buy

from me, but they gave me a review,

773

:

they gave me a referral, I got

a new friend, did I really lose?

774

:

Freddy D: You get a W.

775

:

You get a W.

776

:

Rich Greene: It's just

a different kind of W.

777

:

But it's a W.

778

:

And that's where I help people.

779

:

I know you help people as

well to get right up here.

780

:

The right mindset about doing

business with people, and with the

781

:

goal of creating a superfan for life.

782

:

Freddy D: Exactly.

783

:

Exactly.

784

:

So Rich, let's transition into the

last part here is talk about your

785

:

giveaway and how that can benefit

people and how can they find that?

786

:

Rich Greene: We talked

a little bit about it.

787

:

I've got a video that I put together.

788

:

It's about a 30 minute video that

goes through the process of how to

789

:

win in sales 100 percent of the time.

790

:

Even when the prospect says no.

791

:

And you'll get all the detailed steps.

792

:

You'll get an actual survey, a written

survey with examples that you can use

793

:

and teaching you exactly how to do that.

794

:

That survey part's a little bit tricky.

795

:

There's a few more things

that you need to do.

796

:

To make it look like it's not coming

directly from you, that it really is a

797

:

third party or a marketing department

or whoever, and if you're a solopreneur,

798

:

you are the marketing department.

799

:

So, I'd like to give that to the

listeners because I want everybody to

800

:

win, even when they're told no, and

that you can pick that up for free.

801

:

At www the 101 0 0 100%

winner, www the 100% winner.

802

:

Again, it's free.

803

:

Just stick your name and your email

in there and you'll get access to it

804

:

instantly and furthermore, if you've got

questions or you're doing it, I've got

805

:

a way that you can get in touch with me

and I'd be happy to help you through the

806

:

process, any questions that you have.

807

:

So hopefully it's a real value to your

listeners and you're winning all the time.

808

:

Freddy D: Excellent, Rich.

809

:

It's been great having you on the

Business Superfans podcast show.

810

:

We shared a lot of great nuggets here

for our audience and they can continue

811

:

the conversation in the Business

Superfans Accelerator and they can get

812

:

your information on the show notes.

813

:

And I look forward to us continuing

the conversation down the road.

814

:

Rich Greene: Absolutely.

815

:

Frederick, thanks for having

me on your show today.

816

:

I really appreciate it.

817

:

Thanks to your listeners as well.

818

:

Everybody, keep winning.

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