Before getting into this email…

I put together a full course on how I fix lead quality for my clients. Want to check it out? Click here for the details.

2024 has been the first year where I’ve spent a significant amount of time “being sold to” (rather than being the one doing the selling).

This has given me a few interesting realizations:

When I was a sales rep, I always felt weird about doing tons of follow ups.

Although I was always great about managing my pipeline and staying on top of every single deal I had cookin…

I also felt like I was being pushy and annoying by constantly being in someone's inbox and calling them everyday.

Nowadays when I’m being sold to…

I actually have a lot more respect for a business owner or a closer who stays on top of me throughout the deal cycle.

If someone is trying to get me to cut a check…

I expect them to have a certain degree of empathy surrounding the fact that I have a lot of things on my plate at any given moment (and proactively handing them a large amount of money is probably not very high on my list of priorities). 

In addition to this (this may just be a “me” thing)...

My thought process surrounding follow ups is:

“If they can’t manage their own sales pipeline, then this company clearly doesn’t run a tight ship. Most companies prioritize client acquisition above everything else. If they can’t do client acquisition right, how can I trust them to do a good job performing the service they’re trying to sell me…which is realistically lower on their priority list?”

When someone is trying to sell me something and they’re really “on it”...

They operate with a sense of urgency and aggression…

They’re trying to push the ball forward and make the deal happen…

I don’t find that annoying - I respect that.

A lot of people today have such a big problem with being disliked by other people.

But anyone who has spent a lot of time in sales and done a significant amount of deals understands that it’s MUCH more important to be respected by a prospect than to be liked by them.

Being well-liked “helps”

But being respected by the prospect is what really drives the deal across the finish line.

Back when I worked in loan sales, I routinely closed deals with people who straight up HATED me.

I’d hop on a call and pitch a loan to them, I’d give it to them straight that this was the best deal they could get…

They’d cuss me out over the phone, call me a “piece of loanshark” and say “There’s no way in hell I’m taking this deal - you and your company can go fuck yourselves.”

Then they’d go do some research, talk to a few more people, and realize…

I was right - this WAS the best deal they could get.

I had delivered them the shitty news that they didn’t want to hear and they respected that.

A few days later contracts are signed (happened to me so many times).

Whether you’re a business owner or a salesperson…

Don’t be afraid to operate with a bit of aggression and a sense of urgency.

And also to do this overly.

People who operate at a high level respect this (it’s mainly broke idiots who have a problem with it).

My two cents for you this morning - happy friday.

• Damon