John Blake on The Seven Ways to Stop your Funnel Leaking Leads

How good are you at SIMPLIFYING AND PRIORITIZING?

This is something John Blake has had to do in many areas of his life and something he URGES his clients to do. John is a Sales Growth Strategist with over 30 years of experience in the market. He has developed his own system to help huge brands, such as Oakley, sell BIG TIME.

During this episode, he shares the seven holes that are DRAINING your lead generation strategy and how these are inflection points you can use to CONVERT those leads.

Want to get started right now? One of the most important things to do is FOLLOW UP! Did you know that 80% of sales are done AFTER the FIFTH follow-up? And there you are, too shy to contact a client more than twice!

Another big piece of advice John provides is to BRING INNOVATION. Many business owners find themselves copying what the competition is doing, instead of bringing their authenticity and CREATING THEIR OWN LANE.

Don’t be scared of applying things you might have learned in another industry to the one you are in right now. THAT’S HOW YOU INNOVATE!

You need to be DIFFERENT from the rest and make your audience understand what makes you special. Why are YOU different?

KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE is key as well! And it’s not just about knowing what product they are looking for. It’s also about identifying THE PROBLEMS the product is going to bring to them.

What does this mean?

If you are selling TVs, then they are going to need someone to install the TV. Why are you not offering that service RIGHT NOW? Bundling and establishing strategic partners with other providers is KEY to engage with customers and be able to provide as many solutions for them as possible. This should be a PRIORITY.

And something else you need to prioritize is BRINGING IN THE RIGHT PEOPLE. John explains why you SHOULDN’T HIRE the people you like or people who are just like you.

It’s all about simplifying the process and hiring for ONE CORE CAPACITY.

There are A LOT MORE tips and strategies in this episode. From recruitment tools to how to improve your proposal system when you are selling to new and existing clients.

Plus, John is very candid about his life story and he shares with us how he faced the worst situation of his life while starting a new business and raising two infants on his own.

If you are ready to LEARN and bring your sales to ANOTHER LEVEL, then hit play! I know you want to and TRUST ME, you’re not going to regret it.

Key points

• (00:00): Welcome to Barrels and Business!
• (04:29): Applying something from one industry or job to a completely different context successfully.
• (10:23): The importance of controlling the message and setting a definite difference when it comes to standing out from competitors.
• (16:26): The seven holes or mistakes that lead to the failure of a lead generation strategy.
• (23:26): Follow-up is one of the most important parts of the sales process.
• (30:48): Re-engaging people is an important leverage point that can be used to increase revenue and keep clients.
• (35:44): Finding the right pricing is all about testing different offers and being willing to change and adjust an offer accordingly.
• (41:02): Understanding the problem the client has is key to be able to identify the audience that will bring significant revenue to a business.
• (50:12): The problem with hiring people who are just like you or people you like.
• (01:01:04): Using a recruiting tool to analyze the characteristics that make your employees excel and turn them into benchmarks for any new hires.
• (01:08:46): The enormous challenges John went through raising his kids and being a business owner after his wife passed away.
• (01:13:26): The two big beliefs that helped John cope during the most difficult times of his life.
• (01:19:08): When you look for the positives even during the worst times, you slowly start finding them everywhere.
• (01:25:35): The importance of looking for someone to talk to and seeing a mental health specialist when necessary.
• (01:30:12): Being prepared and knowing what to expect when going to a new surfing spot.
• (01:32:36): Pushing out of the comfort zone to progress and continue growing.

Key takeaways & quotes

• Choosing which clients NOT to work with is as important as finding the right clients for you.
• “80% of sales are done after the fifth follow-up”
• “An offer is a product, plus bonuses, plus terms”
• Understanding the problems that come with a purchase is key to be able to offer additional products or services
• Hiring people that you like does not mean they are going to succeed or be a good fit for the position
• “You need to hire for one core competenc...