Bootcamp. That word alone doesn’t sound good. In fact, it makes me shudder. It makes me think of someone yelling in my face, cold rain, marching in mud, and lots of body odor. But when you want something bad enough, like increasing sales and growing your business, you’ll do whatever it takes.
Hubspot’s Pipeline Generation Bootcamp was all positive. Not only was it mud and body-odor-free, but there was also no yelling.
I was stoked to get nominated for the program by one of the coolest guys in Boston, Evan Dileo. He’s our channel rep at Hubspot and he’s been instrumental in helping us along the way. But when I learned that Dan Tyre was running the show, I couldn’t wait to get started.
Selling can be tough. If you don’t have a coach or haven’t been trained to do it properly, it’s even tougher. And even after you learn it, you have to keep a steady practice and be held accountable. It’s like anything else. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Well, I forgot all that. The badass, Dan Tyre, helped reinvigorate that fire over 8 weeks of training. He’s an awesome coach, a sales machine, and one hell of a nice guy.
The classes went something like this.
Week 1 – Get Pumped Up
Focus on motivation and commitment. Seems simple enough, but when you put in writing what drives you to achieve your goals, it’s a hell of a lot stronger.
Targeting. Who are you going after? Hubspot talks a lot about the right fit. And it’s true. If you’re targeting the wrong leads, you’re bound to fail even if you close them.
Build your lead list. Do the work and take your time prospecting. Learn as much as you can about the company and the people you’re going after.
Week 2- Make Some Conversations
Connecting. You have to know what to say. But remember, you’re human and so are the people you’re talking to. So humanize it. You’re just having a conversation. Make the person you’re talking to feel comfortable.
B2H: Business to human. Your goal above all is to help. It’s not b2c or b2b. It’s b2h. You’re talking with humans. Know how you can help someone before you pick up the phone. These are warm calls. Not cold calls. There’s a distinct difference.
Positioning. Positioning statements are flexible. They’re not rigid. They’re based on your prospect’s pain points. And they’re best followed by a question to test whether they resonate or not.
Week 3 – Start Connecting
Connect calls. You have to be in the right frame of mind to make the calls. This is why practice is so important. You’re going to make mistakes. But the more you take on the phone the better you become.
The question you have to ask. “How are you doing?” Sounds simple enough, but it really matters. Be sincere about it. Actually, give a damn. And it’s worth noting that I’ve heard from other sales professionals not to ask this when calling the first time, but I can attest that this is something you should do.
Voicemail. This took me a lot of practice. Knowing what to say is important. But not stumbling, not rushing, and properly closing the message is key. I think the reason it was so hard for me is that I’m used to reading the other person’s reactions on the other end of the phone. With voicemail, you don’t get that…
Week 4 – Keep Connecting
Personality quadrants. You’re selling to different personalities. Based on looking at their LinkedIn profiles, take a good guess as to who you’re selling to. What type of buyer are they? Are they assertive, amiable, expressive, or analytic?
Email. Equally important to the phone work. You have to create a series of sequences. And know when to stop— use the beloved breakup email. It has a remarkable response rate.
Week 5 – Getting Past…
Getting past resistance. When making calls you get a lot of voicemails. A lot. But when you get the person on the phone, personalize it. Be self-effacing. Relate when you can. And if you can make them laugh, make them laugh.
Magic words. In every sales conversation, there are words that speak directly to the power of your offer and the end benefit of what you’re selling. Use these words. They’ll see the value and you’ll move the person and the conversation.
Week 6 – Positive Pressure
Persistence. It does pay off. When you can’t get a hold of someone the conventional way, try another. I was trying to get in contact with the lead through the phone, social, and email. Nothing. No opens. Nothing. Then I found a friend that was connected with him on LinkedIn and asked him for his cell number. My friend called him instead and made a personal introduction. Meeting set.
Objections. Have your rebuttal Rolodex ready. Because the objections will come. But don’t get flustered. Make a list of the standard objections beforehand and how you’ll address them. Also, collect the objections as you go along. But remember, the main reason that you’re calling is to help. That’s it. So if they don’t want your help that’s okay. On to the next one.
Weeks 7-8 – Setting the Appointment
Scheduling the next appointment. You thought that would be earlier huh? Well, what can I say? I’m a slow learner. I was so used to trying to diagnose and get all the information while on the first call. It’s better to break it up into steps so you can properly provide a solution and truly help them.
When on your connect call, don’t go into too much detail as mentioned above. Try to slow it down and set the next appointment for your exploratory call.
Exploratory calls. I had 4 during the 8 weeks. Take time to prepare properly. I must admit, I wasn’t fully equipped for some of these calls/meetings. But in week 7 I learned exactly what to do for my next calls. I won’t make this mistake again.
Big Takeaways
Okay, so I provided a week-by-week breakdown of my key takeaways, but what did I actually learn?
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- These are just conversations.
You’re talking to people as if you’re at a barbecue. Relax and do what you can to make them smile.
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- Make prospecting a habit.
You need to set time on your calendar to look for new leads as well as make your sales calls.
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- You’re just trying to help.
The people you’re calling want the help. You have to break down the barriers so they understand that you can help them.
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- You have to be persistent.
People are busy. They have hectic days. They don’t know you yet. The more you try and connect with them, the better your chances are of getting them on the phone.
In closing, if you get the opportunity to join one of the boot camps, I highly recommend it. The course is only 8 weeks and you’ll learn a hell of a lot of actionable information that you can immediately use to grow your sales pipeline. And thank you to Evan Dileo and Dan Tyre. I can’t thank you guys enough.