Ep16 Inside the Sales Assassins Success Formula

Joe Blackburn  0:00  
A lot of people let people go like they let them go. Do they let them get away? Do not leave an engagement meeting, whatever it is, without the next step and a deadline. If you're really a professional, your time is real valuable. So the more you can stress that, the faster you'll get results, and most of them have taken off with that.

Jason Croft  0:23  
Welcome to sales assassins, the podcast that unveils the lost art of word of mouth marketing for professionals just like you, we cover everything from building relationships and nurturing connections to overcoming the challenges of modern marketing. You'll learn how to stand out in a crowded market, charge confidently for your services and create an army of people recommending you without hesitation. Now let's dive in and make you deadly effective at sales. Jill Blackburn, what's up? Those assassins? It's time to talk success of New

Joe Blackburn  1:01  
Year, one of my favorites. That's right,

Jason Croft  1:05  
I know you were missing it before we got on the call that you kind of did this yearly wrap up, people who are in sales, assassins, the group they, I mean, they've crushed us. What are those results that you've seen from folks?

Joe Blackburn  1:20  
Well, it's interesting. And we've got, again, we've got some people in insurance, in financial services, jewelry, whatever it is different, you know, businesses, so their targets are somewhat different. But what we found was, and it was everyone that was in there for at least 10 months, so kind of mid, you know, first quarter last year, everybody doubled their bogey. So now some people want to double bogey in golf, and they think that's good, if they're, you know, if they can play two over on every hole. But in this case, what they were targeting, everybody at least doubled. We had one person 6x their production. So that was a and she is a superstar, and there is no doubt about it. Everybody recognizes it. So that was huge. I didn't expect those results. To be frank, I knew that everyone was doing really well, but, and when we got the, you know, I I messaged everyone in school, or talk to them, or even ask them in the call year over year, because I wanted to know, and it was minimum of a double. So now some people started at a lower number, and the double was, you know, not as it's not astronomical in revenue, but like I say, people lie. Numbers don't. The numbers say double. So every single person that put the time in showed up to the calls, did the things we asked, pretty consistently doubled. So that was a huge year for assassins. I'm thrilled about it, and more importantly, they're thrilled about it. And if someone put them in there, they're really thrilled about it, because we have 100% renewal for this year. So that was, that was a big, a big deal to us. And you know, I'll give the podcast some credit, because they all watch it. It's one of the thing, you know, it's one of those. So, you know, perfect.

Jason Croft  3:08  
The podcast is the number 100% reason for that got it. I think it's understood. So besides just being in the Joe Blackburn orbit that these guys get to, get to do. What do you attribute that that shift you for all of them? Because, like you said, it doesn't matter if it was a low number to dub like they're all doing more than they would have just kind of floating around on their own. What do you attribute that success

Joe Blackburn  3:41  
to, I think the main thing was the consistency of showing up, because we hot seat in Assassins. So meaning, what's your biggest issue? What have you done? And what do you need to do? And then get feedback. Now they don't make every single call, and we record them, of course. So if you want to go and watch the Fathom of them, but if especially the people that were real consistent, you just saw big, you know, big numbers, big growth. So that was the first thing, because the synergy of the group right now is really good. You know, we've got people that never met in person, that contact each other outside of our assassins, and, you know, they're holding each other accountable in that way. They're sharing ideas. Of course, I say, Could you put that in Assassins so we could all benefit? But they're not great listeners. Yet, we're working on it, but it was that consistency, week over week, showing up, talking about what you're doing, getting feedback, going out, and executing it. And every month we do a challenge where it could be, how many names Did you source? How many contacts? I mean, just every month we have something where they come in and feed it on a daily basis, and participation is about what I would expect, about 65% are consistent there. So that's, by the way, in the info world, or whatever. That's out of the work, out of this world. I mean. Me. So we keep them moving with momentum there. They're all sharing their wins. They're getting to know each other. There's something in the water in Assassins, because I think we have three babies that are due in the next. I don't know. So just beware that that's that was a pretty common win in the last month or so. So kudos to those families, but really the consistency and the accountability and what's really cool about it, we have some really great people in there that they'll call out someone if they're missing or if they're not showing up. I mean, it's one of those things where it's like, now you've got a group of people watching what you're doing and listening to you. So it just gives you another level of, I've got to show up. I mean, I would just say about you got to show up. And it's, it's interesting. You if I could do like, one of those cool time videos where you see something like a caterpillar metamorphosis. A lot of them, especially in the beginning, their confidence was not there, and now it's like, they're, you know, they're leading the charge in the calls, sharing ideas. So you just see the transformation, and it's really based on how confident they are and what they're doing, and they're challenging each other to do bigger things. So, you know, we profess goals, and you know, someone will pipe in and be like, that's not enough. Let's go, you know, get six. I mean, it's just, it's not rocket science, but you've got other people involved in your performance, and they're paying attention if you're if you're actually contributing. So I think that's been a really big success, you know. And we've gotten away from where I'm doing a lot of the talking, kind of like here, I don't get to talk very much.

Jason Croft  6:42  
I know, I apologize. You're

Joe Blackburn  6:46  
gonna get a mute button. It's probably gonna be your new toy, like, just hit it. But I it's more them holding each other accountable. I'll, you know, I'll pipe in with an idea or a challenge or something like that, but they're really the ones that are driving the growth, and I, I want to keep it that way for sure, our calls are getting longer and longer, so we're probably going to start break, you know, adding in different calls. We talked about that a couple months ago, but it's getting time to where we're going to offer another, you know, time slot, because we're growing in numbers, number one, but also complexity in what we're doing. So we've got to provide more there. But as far as the numbers go, they just, it's the consistency and the confidence of doing what we talk about. And I'm just, quite frankly, I'm freaking thrilled. I mean, that's amazing. And I'm proud. I mean, if they watch this, I'm proud. I I'm hard on them. They think I'm sometimes, mean, I'm not. I'm really proud of them, you know, like, that's a big

Jason Croft  7:43  
So, and I imagine you've just what we've seen in all all kinds of areas, from fitness to business and beyond, just the act of measuring, probably for the first time, you Know, measuring their efforts, measuring output, measuring, okay, what did that look like? How can I adjust just that alone, I imagine is a is a huge differentiator, especially their first year, right? Like you said, from the not being confident to getting into that, how does this for the folks who've been in a year or six, seven months, what is that evolution during the during the program?

Joe Blackburn  8:22  
Well, the thing I've seen just in the last week is bigger. You know, if you, if you went back and looked at what the targets were, even, whether it's size of account, dollar amount, whatever it is, they're all thinking bigger now, because they've done that. So now, okay, how do I do that and raise, you know, whether it's my ideal client, the premium on what I'm selling in the insurance world, whatever it is. Now, they're all thinking bigger. They're saying bigger things. And I always, you know, what? If you write your goals down and you're consistent, what used to be big becomes small, and what used to become, you know, small can become bigger. So, like, I didn't think I could do this, and now I can, versus, I thought that was huge, and now it's not. So it's a, it's a mindset shift on what's actually possible. And I've seen that in all of them, and we've got, I'll shout him out. His name is Jason, ironically. I mean he he's a great kid, and he's 35 so again, I like, I like to pretend I'm old and, like, sophisticated, but he's, he's probably the most prominent in when I first got to spend time with him and he got into the group. He's got great demeanor. He's, he's super, I would call him gentle. He's just a gentle soul. And now he's, like, all right, this isn't big enough. I'm gonna run. It's maybe I've tarnished him. I don't know. That's

Jason Croft  9:43  
what I was about to say. So you ruined his humanity. Well, all

Joe Blackburn  9:46  
right, he still, he still has that era. I mean, he's probably, and I haven't been in a client. I'm sure clients feel very good, and he shares empathy, and now he's just thinking on a different level. Cool, and I love that's, you know, if there was one thing that I could point to that, like, I'm like, This is why we're doing this. That's it. Because now there's no limit in his mind. And he got broke. He's now the sales manager of the business he's in so Bob and didn't just have something handed to him. He worked his ass off and got it done. He actually discovered there's a golf course by his house. Who knew drove by like every day. So Jason, when you see this, you're welcome.

Jason Croft  10:28  
That's awesome. That is, that is the key in all of this too, is to first even let in the fact that something's possible, that doubling is possible. And then, not only, even if you believe that, okay, but, but could I do it and then to see that and feel that? And that's the beautiful flywheel, right? Like you, you that's how you get them to those next levels too. It's not okay. You're gonna, you know, 10x tomorrow? No, you're gonna get what's in your realm. You feel it. You're gonna get pushed. You're gonna go, man, double. That's huge. Okay? And I can imagine, I just, it's just like, the world opens up

Joe Blackburn  11:13  
at that point, yeah. And it's funny, when you're making what you make, you think that's what you make. That's a lot of makes, but, and then you're like, wait a minute, I can make what, maybe what I made in a year and a month. I mean, I've, I've gone through that, and it's, it's kind of mind boggling, but it's really not rocket science. It's just, if you think about what you're targeting, if your target's bigger, I mean, and it's the same mechanics. You just raise the ceiling in that regard. And a lot of them have done that. And we've, you know, we've got the gammon in there. We've got 22 and 52 so, you know, there's, it's not like, it's all newbies, it's people that across the spectrum. You know, we had a guy double, I think he's been in the business seven years, and he doubled this year. So, I mean, that's, that's a big deal. I think he went from like 59,000 maybe not quite a double, 59,000 to 109,000 so I'm gonna call the double. It's right at but that's extra 50 grand. Last time I checked,

Jason Croft  12:20  
yeah, so that's massive, yeah. It reminds me of the the old Jim Rohn lesson, right? That he, you know, he went to his mentor complaining, like, I make this amount. It's like, Well, why do you make that amount? That's what they pay. No, that's what they pay you,

Joe Blackburn  12:37  
right? It pays a show. I would have liked a met shelf by the way. Oh yeah, he's in the 60s. That would have been an interesting dude. Oh yeah, if

Jason Croft  12:47  
you've been in this, I guess, world right for a while, you forget that those kind of concepts, oh, I can actually improve my lot in life. I can change things to a huge degree, not just, oh yeah, I can get a raise, whatever kind of mentality, but I can transform my world. You forget that those concepts aren't just rampant and just taken as as a given out there as you meet folks. So powerful to introduce that to folks, but also build an environment that nurtures that. And you know, it's like, then who are they sharing that with? Right? Well, changes the world.

Joe Blackburn  13:35  
And so what's interesting, like when you talk about sharing with or who they're with? The other thing is, I think most of them have realized it doesn't matter who's across from you, they're a person. So they may have been intimidated in meeting with someone where now it's like, you know, we're all we all suffer the same fate. I'll go through it. We all have lost something. We all love something, and we all have something that we really want, and that's every all of us. I don't care if you have 10 billion or $10 everybody has that. And we talked about that a little bit kind of mid year, like it's just that person that you're wanting to do business with, or get to know or connect with, or do pillars with, or whatever it is. There's a person you know they're they have the same plight you have. They're human. So that, I believe, opened up their mindset to, I can do bigger business with bigger people, because they're a person just like me. So that that one has stuck on my mind. That's awesome.

Jason Croft  14:35  
Yeah, I wanted to dive into that because it's great to just, well, I mean, it's phenomenal to look at those numbers and those results, but it's also important, probably, just like you share with them too, to look back and go, Okay, why? Why was that? Why do we get those results, good or bad, even in the good sometimes you just gloss over them. Okay, let's analyze that. And how do we amplify. By that?

Joe Blackburn  15:00  
Yeah, it's when you it's funny, we had a conversation. It's similar to that. And sometimes we get the same question that comes up, because sometimes you don't need new knowledge, you need reminded. And one that I really think, if you could take something away from this, it has to do with your calendar. And a lot of people let people go like they let them go. Do they let them get away? And one thing we have really focused on is do not leave an engagement, meeting, whatever it is, without the next step and a deadline. Because, you know, we're all we were talking before this. How busy. You know, my life is, because I'm kind of a big deal. It, you know, if I, if I was told I needed to do something for someone to get their service, and my last week happened, there's no way that's happening. So you have to put in place a next step with a deadline. That seems like a little thing, but if you think about this, if you looked at your calendar and you looked at all the stuff of your text, email, everything, if every one of those was I need this by then, or please bring this. You know, with that deadline in place, how compressed would your pull through be, versus chasing everyone down all the time? And that goes back to confidence in the beginning. It's almost like, can you please meet with me at some point, or bring that back to me at your leisure? And I would tell them, like professionals are judicious with their calendars. You know, if you can meet anytime, anywhere, any place, how valuable is your time? Type of mindset, if you're really a professional, your time is real valuable. So the more you can stress that, the faster you'll get results, and most of them have taken off with that. And when we dig into in a hot seat, when there's something lingering, it's usually because that was left open. Well, I'll say, Well, what was the next step, or what? What was the takeaway? And it's like, well, they're going to get back to me. No, they're not, are they? Do people get back to people in 2025, or 2025 No, because they're they get sucked into their own back into their own vortex. So being dishes with that your calendar and your follow up without and it's a fine line you it's probably razor thin. You can't be obnoxious either. So that's one of those like bringing that confidence back into it, having the confidence to say, I need this by this time. You know, like all other professionals, like medical professionals, they're on, whose calendar are you on when you're you know, we just had an emergency room visit and an ortho visit this week, whose calendar were we on? Oh, yeah, the emergency room.

Speaker 2  17:40  
Was it right? By the way, I had to go out and

Joe Blackburn  17:44  
to get a time, and then the ortho called up. So like, if they're doing that, why wouldn't you be that way? I guarantee, if you want to raise your status, be judicious with their calendar, and don't just say this day or next week or the next two weeks. I We call it the 48 hour rule. Every 48 hours something needs to be done until that is completed, and you better own that I've and that's more huge game changer for a lot of people.

Jason Croft  18:16  
Oh, I bet any you can take that to that next level two, and give that other person something to do. I need this from you, right, right? And it sounds like that's the next level, like, oh my god, I'm wanting them to buy from me, and I'm giving them, give them a task, and actually, it'll increase that show up rate. It'll increase right? That again, back to that medical

Joe Blackburn  18:39  
every frame. You can't it may not be bringing every single thing in your file cabinet and the blood sample by next it's the next thing. It's not everything. It's the next thing. What's the next thing in your sales cycle or in your process or onboarding, or whatever it is, what's just the next thing? Because if you give me the next thing, I'm real capable of getting that done. If you give me everything I need to bring you all at once. Odds go are low. They just are. Yeah, it could

Jason Croft  19:07  
be watch this video right? Drew, make sure you've watched this before our next call. Yeah, and then you've got a reason to follow up. Hey, just remind you. Here's that link again. Here's another form of it. So it's in that commitment. Again, back to just our weird wiring. You ask them to do something, they feel more obligated, and again, it's a nice, razor thin you find the way to do it that's not obnoxious and not weird. It's in their best interest, correct. And move that ball forward. Make

Joe Blackburn  19:39  
an expectation. I can tell you, in our business, when someone doesn't get a strategic business review back to us within 48 hours, I know where it's headed. Like it's an indicator how serious are they. You know that law of diminishing intent sets in the second call or zoom or meetings over, so now the clock's ticking against you. You better get going and. That I will say when I look at a lot of the things that they're doing, getting that down and just making that the way you operate is a huge, huge game changer.

Jason Croft  20:13  
Love it all right, let's wrap it up. Okay, congrats assassins in there, kicking butt. Congrats to you for you haven't got him through that since you

Joe Blackburn  20:23  
got lots of work to do. So let's just be careful. No, that's

Jason Croft  20:27  
what I meant to say. Shape Up, assassins. That's what I meant to say. All right, all right. In a sea of endless digital noise, your ability to connect and generate authentic word of mouth is your deadliest weapon. Whether you're just starting out or you're looking to break through to the next level, the principles we discuss here are your blueprint for success. It's all about being the most trusted and valued in your network to maximize what you've learned today. Visit join sales assassins.com to see how you can become a true sales assassin in your industry, until next time, keep sharpening your skills, expanding your network, and remember in the world of sales, the true assassins strike silently but effectively by doing what nobody sees coming, building genuine connections and powerful relationships. Stay deadly, stay authentic, and we'll see you on the next episode of sales assassins.

AI VO  21:34  
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