Paul Adamson is an inspiring business leader and motivational speaker. In today’s episode of the Salesman Podcast, Paul answers the question of why prospects buy from us and what we can do to become more human in front of them.
Featured on this episode:
Resources:
- PaulAdamson.org
- FREE VIDEO TRAINING: The Cycle of success
- BOOK: Man’s Search For Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust
- BOOK: Awaken The Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Life
- BOOK: Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement
Transcript
Paul Adamson:
Well, I really believe that selling is nothing more than just a transfer of emotion.
Will Barron:
Hello, Sales Nation. I’m Will Barron, host of the Salesman Podcast. And welcome to today’s episode. Today’s show we have Paul Adamson. He is an entrepreneur and a keynote speaker. And he joins me on today’s show to show why people only buy from others that they know like, and trust what’s going on in their brains, the psychology behind it all, and how we can all tie it together and improve our sales skills. You’ll find out more about Paul over at pauladamson.com. And with that all said, let’s jump in to today’s show. Hey Paul, and welcome to the Salesman Podcast.
Paul Adamson:
Hey. Listen. It’s great to be here, Will. And I’m really excited, now, about the time we’re going to spend together.
Why Do People Buy From Us? · [01:00]
Will Barron:
I’m excited to have you on, mate. I feel the energy and there’s so much stuff that we could talk about today, from the [sailing 00:00:56] side of things to the selling side of things. So I’m going to tee you up with probably the most open question that I’ve ever asked anybody on the whole of the show. And that is, why do people buy from us, Paul? Whether you want to nail that down to one or two things, or whether you want to just go totally open-end of it, why do people buy from us?
“I really believe that selling is nothing more than just a transfer of emotion.” – Paul Adamson · [01:21]
Paul Adamson:
Great question. Well, I really believe that selling is nothing more than just a transfer of emotion. Now, what do I mean by that? I mean this, is that, that emotion, which you are transferring is nothing more than the feeling of certainty that we’re going to be making the right decision. Now, where does that come from? Well, I really believe it comes from ourselves. And that’s where selling should start. It starts with you, it starts with how you set yourself up in the morning. It starts with your energy. And something that’s really interesting, and something I want to talk about, is what I’d call engagement. Engagement is so, so important, but I’ll come onto that in a second.
Paul Adamson:
I’m a big believer that learning never stops. So I’m always looking for better ways to do things, better ways to build relationships with clients, better ways to market yourself, better ways to interact with people, all of those things, and better ways to add more value when I’m training sales teams. And something that’s come up recently, and something that is quite an open-ended subject, but I think is really, really important to delve into it, it’s the subject of engagement. And what do I mean by that? I mean, what’s your energy levels like inside? When was the last time that you really measured your internal energy?
Paul Adamson:
Think about this. If I was here on this show now and I was just like, “Hey, how’s it going? Want to buy from me?” Or it’s like, “Hey guys, now listen, listen up, now. I’ve got some incredible tools and strategies that could really make the difference in your life.” Who do you want to do business with, this guy or, “Yeah, just listen up now because…”
How to Increase Your Energy Levels and Show Up as Your Authentic Self · [02:58]
Will Barron:
Let me jump in. Let me ask you about this because this is something that I personally struggle with. And in my background in medical device sales, you don’t necessarily want to run into a theatre operating room, kind of like hands in the air, more… and this is obviously a stereotype, but more of the stereotypical American car dealer, kind of over excited salesperson. And I said this to you before we started recording, Paul. You have a very authentic energy. When we were chatting, before I hit Record, you, kind of… You’re full, you’ve got a big grin on your face and you’re just getting me excited and the energy’s transferring over. But I don’t feel like you are putting it on. I feel like that is just you. So how do we get in this energetic state? Because I agree. This is huge. And it’s something that I have not, hundred percent, nailed. If I look at some of the podcasts I record, sometimes I’m super excited and it comes across, and the guest gets excited, and then sometimes I’m very British and polite and maybe it depends on the context of the conversation, as well. But I feel like I could add a little bit more energy to it. So how do we increase our energy levels and how do we make it authentic as well? Because that clearly adds trust and certainty to the conversation.
“If you focus on the great things, you’ll feel great. It’s as simple as that. What’s wrong is always there. You can always focus on that, but that’s not going to make you feel great. So focus on what’s right.” – Paul Adamson · [04:34]
Paul Adamson:
Yeah, absolutely. Great question. So what I would say you is, think about this. A power plant doesn’t have energy. It generates it. And it’s the same with us as human beings. I really believe this. Now what generates our internal energy is our psychology, nothing more than that. And you can do all the studies of all the different success psychology. But really boils down to the three things that Tony Robbins teaches which, of course, focus, focus on the great things. Focus on the great things. You’ll feel great. It’s as simple as that. What’s wrong is always there. You can always focus on that, but that’s not going to make you are great. So focus on what’s right. Second thing. What’s your internal dialogue, which is your language. Meaning that’s the little voice in your head that tells you stuff.
Paul Adamson:
And we’ve all got two of them. We’ve all got what I would call the coach, which the coach is the person that’ll be like, “Come on, Paul. You can do this. No problem. Yeah. Just keep going. You’ll be fine.” And then we’ve got the critic. And the critic is the guy’s like, “Hey, did anybody see? You just copped up there? You know, duh.” And you’ve both got these two voices.
Paul Adamson:
Now, what I would say is, it’s really good, Will. You’ve brought up the difference between obviously the American kind of sales guys and also over here in Europe. In America, it’s a different cultural conditioning. Isn’t it? It’s all like, “Yeah man, you failed. Great! You’re on the road to success.” Yeah? Whereas, over here in Europe, it’s like, “Okay, just be very cool. And you can’t possibly don’t shout about being successful,” whatever you do, and all don’t do all that.
“If you want to sell more, if you want to do better, if you want to get better results, it boils down to, number one, your energy.” – Paul Adamson · [06:10]
Paul Adamson:
And, of course, that’s important because we can be passionate, and we can be passionate in a really certain state, without being overly passionate. So I could go like, “American, oh my God, buy my stuff, da, da, da,” or I could be really certain now and say, “You want to think about this medical device because it could change the life of your patients.” So you feel the difference there? And that’s just because I’ve learned to manage my state, nothing more than that because I know this for one fact, is that, if you want to sell more, if you want to do better, if you want to get better results, it boils down to a few things. But number one is your energy. Think about this. We all buy from people that we like. And think about it. I’m sure you’ve bought something in the past where you don’t even like the product or service, but you’ve bought it because you really like the guy and you want to support him.
“Our emotions are nothing more than a muscle. And if you think about it, if I want to build my bicep down in the gym, I’ve got to consistently lift weights. It’s the same with our emotions. So, therefore, I really believe in what I would call emotional fitness, meaning this, get emotionally fit, get to the point where outside influence doesn’t affect your internal energy, your state, or your charisma.” – Paul Adamson · [06:48]
Paul Adamson:
So, I’m all about being real. I’m really about less techniques and more being you, being real, being your authentic self. And why do I say that? I say that because I really believe this. Our emotions are nothing more than a muscle. And if you think about it, if I want to build my bicep down in the gym, I’ve got to consistently lift the weights. I’ve got to and grow them. And, of course, if I put the weight down on a consistent basis, my muscle will slowly waste away. It’s the same with our emotions. Exactly the same. So, therefore, I really believe in what I would call emotional fitness, meaning this, get emotionally fit. Get to the point where outside influence doesn’t affect your internal energy, your state, or your charisma. And that’s really important, especially in today’s world. And why do I say that? Because once you take back control inside, you become the real you.
Paul Adamson:
And think about it. All of us now have got a muscle, an emotional muscle, that’s so well-developed that actually very few people can get through it. And I call that our bullshit detector filter muscle. Think about it. Online, on Facebook, how many people are marketing you? “Hey, click this link. Get this free thing,” and, “I’m going to meet you a millionaire overnight.” Bullshit. There’s very few people. I’ve been close to these super wealthy people. And I’ll tell you a one thing about them. They’ve all put blood, sweat, and tears into build a business. There’s no other way. It comes from hard work and making a difference. So for us, as great sales people, for us to break through that bullshit filter, we’ve got to be real. We’ve got to be authentic. We’ve got to be transparent. And we’ve got to be honest. And that comes from a place of serving somebody. What do I mean by that?
How to Effortlessly Improve Your Levels of Authenticity · [09:02]
Will Barron:
Let me stop you there. There’s so much to go out, Paul. I don’t want to gloss over any of this. And you’ve said a couple of things, mate, that I really want to go back over. And then we can carry on. The first thing is you mentioned that you don’t use, or you avoid perhaps using techniques rather than getting your state in a manageable place and using what Tony Robbins talks about, focus, the coach versus the critic, and that kind of thing. I want to touch on this first. And then I want to come onto the value that you, and the audience, and I can add by being this, like having energy and being authentic because I think that is something that’s missed. I don’t think it is just something that you have to do. I think it’s something that it literally adds value to the prospect because they like dealing.
Will Barron:
And I read this in medical device sales. The surgeons would buy for me because they liked having me in the theatre with them rather than the competition. If the products were exactly the same, they would rather just have me hanging around and then going out for beers with them later on, than the other people that I was competing with. And it’s kind of an intangible thing. And clearly, if you can wrap it up into your sales skillset, or if you just become an interesting person that people like hanging around, you’re going to sell more product. You’re going to be more successful in your sales career. So we’ll come on that in a second.
Will Barron:
Without using techniques, how do we go about improving our levels of energy and authenticity, from a real practical level? For someone listening to the show right now, what can they do, either in the car as they’re listening to this perhaps, or when they get home, or when they’re coming back from the next sales meeting, what can they do to implement some of this?
Paul Adamson:
Okay. Great question. So number one, feed your mind good stuff. The biggest conditioning device we have right now in our world is the media, whether it be newspapers, whether it be the news, whether it be your Facebook feed. Consciously take control of what you’re feeding your mind, because this is something… With a company, back in Ireland, in 2009, when the place was melting down, I worked with a pharmaceutical company that made skin creams and all this type of. But they were in real trouble at that point. And actually they turned the whole thing around, based on one line. And I couldn’t believe it. So I ran a sales training programme with them. But there’s a strong element of personal development and leadership that runs through it all. But then, three years after, when they tripled the size of the business, they’re opening up new bases, they’re not in New York, China, they’re all over the place, I said, “Come on, Pat. Tell me. Tell me. What was the moment that shifted it all? Because I know that change happens in a moment. It happens when you make a new decision and you connect it in your brain, that goes, “Aha.” You know, that point of breakthrough.
Paul Adamson:
And they said, “I know exactly what it was.” I was like, “What?” And he goes, “We all decided we wouldn’t let a journalist decide our day.” And I was like, “Wow,” because I suddenly realised that, if you think about it, a newspaper is nothing more than a business. So actually that front headline on that newspaper, if that’s painting doom and gloom, and everything’s going to go wrong, “Europe’s breaking apart, Trump’s in America. Oh, that’s it. The world is over.” And you’re putting that into your mind, meaning you’re reading it and engaging with it, then, of course, that’s going to have an effect on you.
Paul Adamson:
Now it might not consciously have an effect on you, meaning you’re not aware of it. And you think, “Oh, yeah. Well, we’re not going to buy into that.” But it absolutely will. If we take energy on a scale of zero to 10, and before you walk into your office in the morning, if you’ve read a newspaper, that’s telling you that business is going to get really hard, the economy is going to shrink, and, by the way, banks aren’t lending, and you are going in that day and you’ve got to arrange new finance for your business, you’ve got to make some sales, whatever it may be, if you walk in at a level eight, straight away, you’re 20% down on your energy.
Paul Adamson:
Now this is something that’s so important. So feeding your mind, well, is definitely number one. Choose what to put in there. Now the facts of the fact that you’re listening to this podcast or watching us here, that’s great because it means you’re feeding your mind with really good information. But look where else? Online, books, et cetera, just feed your mind with really powerful stuff.
Paul Shares the Satisfaction He Gets Being Off Grid Out at Sea · [13:00]
Will Barron:
Let me… I keep interrupting you but just saying, you just going to have to come back on and do multiple episodes to get through all of this. But let me ask you here. So we’ve not really touched on this. But you have captained yachts around the world, been all kinds of crazy stuff at sea. It’s really awesome. When you are out at sea, I’m assuming you’ve got some kind of access to internet, news, and that kind of thing. But is there a difference between your psychology and the people on the crew, on the boat with you, when you’re away and perhaps you don’t have access to Facebook and all this content being constantly thrown at you? Is it a different kind of experience that you have versus being at home when your iPhone’s constantly going off and bleeping at you?
Paul Adamson:
That is a brilliant question. And leads me on to this. One of the biggest questions I got on the round-the-world trip, which would pull up to, I don’t know, to Tahiti, Bora Bora, Fiji, wherever the hell we were, paradise. And when I mean paradise, I mean paradise. Just make that picture in your head, which is beautiful blue, turquoise, sea, golden sand, palm trees. Yeah, we’re anchored on this incredibly beautiful yacht. And the first question was, “Is the internet working?” I was like, “Oh my God, look around. Look around where we are.”
Paul Adamson:
I’ll tell you what it does is that there’s two worlds now. And we have our in-the-moment world, which is what’s real. And then we have online world. And you think about it. And I’m a big believer in this. Technology is now conditioning us, meaning it’s the other way around. And I found this so many times, to say to people, “If I came around your house, first thing in the morning, human beings, we all know we are creatures of habit, of the patterns.” So I’d say, “I know what time you get off. So your alarm clock, it goes off. So what do you do? Do you hit snooze first? Do you hit snooze three times or do you get straight up? Do you then, after that, do you then go to the shower? Do you go to the loo first, or do you go to loo in the shower? Or maybe you brush your teeth first? Which ever it may be. And then is it coffee or is it tea?” And it wouldn’t take very long to work out what the patterns were.
Paul Adamson:
But the thing is most of us now, and the generation that we’re in well, is that people pick up these things. Yeah, they pick up these things. First thing in the morning, they check the fricking email or they check their Facebook feed, or… And you know, I’ve done this too, by the way. I’m no different from any of you. I’ve absolutely done this too. And one of the biggest, most powerful things I’ve found recently, in the last six months, is to take email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, everything has come off this phone. Why? Because I found it is the biggest distraction. And it takes me out of the moment. And that’s all we’ve ever got is being in the moment. And this is something that I really passionately believe about. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be in touch. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t feed your mind or have an online space. What it means is, rather than me being at the mercy of somebody else’s message, which is somebody else’s agenda, it’s not mine, that’s the way that I found to go, “Hey, when I get up in the morning, what am I grateful for?”
Paul Adamson:
Now, I’ve got a little 13-month-year-old son. So I would love to say to you that I get up and I sit there, “Hum. Life’s amazing.” That just doesn’t happen. He has conditioned me. His name is Charlie. And he has loads of energy. If you think I’ve got loads of energy, you want to meet my son. The point is, is that when I go down to his cart and he’s up at half five in the morning, “Da-da, da-da. [inaudible 00:16:25]?” Yeah. I just appreciate being with Charlie. Yeah. I appreciate being in the moment. That interaction, as opposed to sitting there or being at the mercy of my phone.
Paul Adamson:
Number two, that I’ll do in the morning, is I’ll work out and I’ll work out. And that work out… Listen you know… I then hand Charlie to Audrey and I either go down to my local gym, they’ll train me, or I go for a walk, whatever it may be. But I work out, I do something to strengthen my body. That’s really important. Now I’m not as athletically fit as I would like to be yet. But I’ve put that as part of my morning ritual. Why? Because, when it gets really tough in the gym, like to the point where you cannot push it any more weight, that sets me up for the day, when I’m trying to make a sale and I’m getting nowhere, or things aren’t happening as quick as I want to do, that doesn’t affect me because whatever happens in the gym. Now-
Practical Tips For The Perfect Morning Routine · [17:24]
Will Barron:
And do you consciously tie this in, whether you use the example of making a cold call? Because that’s the cliché thing that sales people are either really good at, or they’re really nervous about. Do you consciously tie that together of, you’ve got the phone in front of you and you’re expecting a call, you’ve got to negotiate, whatever it is, do you tie that together, as in, “I’ve been around the world, I’ve done all this, I’ve captained boats have seen all these people, amazing relationships with [Eddie Jordan 00:17:51], pieces of like genuine celebrities, the people… And I’m sure you do this well before you spend time with them. But people who are like, really aspired to just spend any time with-
Paul Adamson:
Yes.
Will Barron:
Do you look at the phone and go, “Oh, this is going to be easy”? Do you tie it all together consciously, like that?
Paul Adamson:
Yeah, I do, because I realise that, you know what? It’s never as bad as we think it’s going to be. That is number one. If we’re talking about cold calling, I don’t think that any call, now, could be cold, meaning, well, for example, this is the first time that you and I have met kind of physically. But what I will do is, whoever I’m going to phone, I’ll go and look at their digital footprint online. I’ll check out their LinkedIn profile. If there’s any YouTube videos, I’ll go and watch them because. Like when you and I spoke for the first time, whatever it was half an hour ago, I felt like I already knew you.
Paul Adamson:
I felt like, because I could hear the intonation in your voice, I could see your tonality, all of those things. And so, these days, it’s so much easier. So if you do that, what’s amazing is that when the other person picks up the phone, you feel like you already know them. And, personally, I find that that just dissolves any call reluctance, which is inside of me. And I think that there’s no excuse not to do that. It’s to do your preparation and do your research. But the truth is it’s never as bad as we think it’s going to be.
How To Overcome the Fear of Cold Calling · [19:20]
Will Barron:
I’ve never heard anyone turn it… This is really fascinating to me. I’ve never heard anyone turn… And this might just be a testament to your psychology and the work that you’ve put into the mindset side of things. But, whenever we talk about social selling and getting in front of the prospect before we make that first call, it’s always about getting them to know us. Whereas you just reframe that whole thing of, if you feel like you know them, then you shouldn’t be nervous about calling them. And I just wanted to go back over that because that’s something new to me.
Paul Adamson:
Yeah, that’s right. Why? Because communication is a two-way thing. It’s a two-way… That’s the breakthrough. Why should that… Just think about it. Just for two people to… And we can use match and mirroring, pacing, and leaving and all of those things, and all those things are very real and very useful in their place. But if we’re coming from a state of, we already know you, you already feel like a friend, we’re going to turn up as a different person. And hopefully that’s your authentic you. And you know, if we go into fear, consciously or unconsciously, we become a different person. And I really believe that the most powerful you is your authentic you. And that’s why I’ll go online. I’ll go check people out, so I get to know you as opposed to the other way around.
“Business, selling, leadership, marketing, is all about people and trust. And the faster that we can build genuine trust and look after other people and actually come from a place of serving prospects instead of trying to sell, selling becomes easy.” – Paul Adamson · [20:45]
Paul Adamson:
It’s great that you can get to know me, of course. All it means is that whole initial bit of, what’s the weather like, finding that common ground, doing your match mirror and then check pace [inaudible 00:20:41], all that stuff fits in later. Because I think ultimately it boils down to this, business, selling, leadership, marketing, whatever you want to call about it. Business is about people and it’s about trust. And the faster that we can build trust, like genuine trust and look after other people and actually come from the place inside that actually I’m speaking to because I’m really serving you, not because, in my head, I’m thinking, “I’ve got to close this deal so I hit my target.” I’m actually thinking about, “Okay, is this absolutely right for you?” And when you come from that place, selling becomes easy. It’s not a push. It’s more of a pull and it just becomes easy and natural and it flows.
Paul Adamson:
And I think comes from great preparation and just exactly as you’re saying, there. It’s interesting. And I’ve only just put that link in just you’re saying [inaudible 00:21:37] processing, which is why I’m all up and now. You’re so right. Communication, it’s a two-way thing. So get online, watch the videos, and you can meet somebody so well online prior to speaking to them, for sure. You know?
The Power of Having a Strong Reputable Online Presence in Sales · [21:57]
Will Barron:
And how has this changed sales? And how is this going to change sales moving forward? Because clearly we’re, even though… How old are you? You should be-
Paul Adamson:
[29 00:22:03].
Will Barron:
So I’m 29. So we’re in this kind of like bubble of growing up with the internet, pretty much.
Paul Adamson:
Sure.
Will Barron:
But we’re still clearly very at the very beginning of all this. And there’s going to be VR meetings in the next decade. There’s going to be all kinds of crazy stuff that’s going on. But how is this going to change moving forward, do you think? Do you think it’s going to become easier to spend real time with real people that you’re doing business with? Or do you think that we’re just going to be bombarded with so much spam and, as you alluded to before, so much automated marketing, that it’s going to dilute the experience and make it, that there’s going to have to be another huge shift in another 10 years in sales?
Paul Adamson:
Well, what I would say is this. If you are authentic, if you are honest, if you are coming from the right place, you rise above what I call the sea of sameness, which means that your voice becomes heard. And I think that there’s a real place, now, for what I would call old school, old school sales, old school business. And what do I mean by that? I mean this. Get in front of somebody. So many people now hide behind email, “Oh, I’ve sent them an email. I’ve done this.” No, get in the car, drive two hours and meet them. Meet them face-to-face. Give them time, because you think about it, the ultimate currency that any human being, all of us, have on the planet is our time. It’s the only resource that is [inaudible 00:23:31]. It’s the only thing. Money comes and goes. It flows. We lose it. We make it. We do all that. That’s fine. But time is constantly on the way out. So I really believe the most valuable resource that you could give to anybody is your time and your full attention and your presence.
Paul Adamson:
Now, you might be sitting there, going, “Well, Paul, I have to make 50 cold calls a day. I have to do this. I have to do that. I’ve got a thousand clients. How on earth? I can’t go meet them all. What I would say is, “Remember the Pareto principle, which is what? That 80% of your business comes from 20% of your clients.
Paul Adamson:
So what I’m saying is get in front of the 20%. Really look after them. Really build a proper relationship with them. But I hate the word, client, because I don’t have any clients. I have friends. And I mean that. They’re genuine friends. I’m looking for a lifelong friendship, as opposed to a sale, as opposed to a fast buck, as opposed to, “Great. I’ll just close you because I’ll make my target.” I’m looking for friends for life. And I find that in the 20%.
“As the mass of the population moves over to automated and digital and all of that, the people that are going to stand out are the people that will make the effort to go meet somebody.” – Paul Adamson · [25:16]
Paul Adamson:
The rest of the 80% yes, you can do your emails. Yes, you can automate. You can do all that kind of stuff too. But find that 20% and ultimately make the biggest difference and really serve them. And, if you do that, what happens is, you invoke the power of really strong referrals. So I’m very lucky in the fact that all my inbound leads, 95% of them are referrals. And that’s because I build really good friendships with people. And I look after them. I, kind of, seek to add value, real value wherever I can. And I think that’s how sales will change because, as the mass of the population moves over to automated and digital and all of that, the people that are going to stand out are the people that will make the effort to go meet somebody. And that’s where you’ll find the big deals. That’s where you’ll find the guy that you initially might dismiss, but ultimately is a huge influencer. Because it’s true. I mean, like when I’m thinking I’m just running through all my friends now, as part of my network, and there’s four of them that have supplied me huge amounts of work over the last 5, 6, 7 years, massive amounts, whenever I feel I need a new client, I just go speak to one and take them out for dinner.
Paul Adamson:
And they’re like, “How you going?” I’m going, “Great, and actually, I’ve got this business over here.” You go in there and sort that out. And so I’m a big believer in that and I think that’s how sales will shift well.
Will Barron:
We’re totally on the same wave length with this, Paul, because we talk about it all the time, on the show, that the common methodology, right now in 2016, going into 2017, is to just send out as many semi kind of automated emails as what you can. You’re using software to just spamming bits of names or bits of data. And I feel that is what marketing does best, and is the opposite of what sales should be doing. It’s the opposite of what you can do as an individual. And, of course, it depends on your role. It depends on what your sales manager wants you to do. And there’s other constraints in all of this. Or, if you can get in front of people, clearly, that’s the best way to communicate. And it’s the best way… And I’m going to say this, very consciously. It’s the best way for you to add value to another person by being present and being there with them.
The Value Your Prospects Could Gain From In-Person Meetings · [27:09]
Will Barron:
I know you’ve wrapped up this show perfectly for me here, Paul, because I want to ask you now. We talked about from our perspective, serving the audience, serving the person that we’re trying to give value to. And I hate that word, value, but we all tend to use it in the industry. From the prospect’s or the customer’s perspective, what value are they getting from you being present with them, from you being certain with them, from you giving them energy? What do they get out of it? And we’ll wrap up the show with this.
Paul Adamson:
What they get out of it is somebody who’s really genuine, somebody who’s authentic, somebody that’s not taken them for a ride, somebody that is looking after them like they would be looking after their own mother, or their brother, or their sister, or their son, or their daughter, or their wife, or whoever it may be. I really believe that, if you become that type of sales guy or girl, you’ll get the results. You’ll find the way. You’ll smash your target.
Paul Adamson:
When you really… And I know what you mean about the word, add value, because it’s so overused. And this is what happens with words, is that the more we use them, they lose their emotional charge. B ut I really believe that if you’re there from a genuine place to serve them, it becomes easy. And the value that they get is a trusted friend, an advisor, because that’s… And I’m very lucky, and I’m very privileged to have that now.
Paul Adamson:
But when I look back on it, it’s really… So, for example, these guys and girls I’m talking will phone me, when they have an issue, and ask my opinion on something. “Paul, could you come in and sort this out? Would you be able to do that? Or who would you go to?” So I’ve become like their confidant. But when I look back on it now, how have I managed to build that? Really simple. Just being in the moment, being present, and being a fricking human being, sitting behind a fricking iPhone or an Android, or whatever it may be, but not sitting behind any automation.
Paul Adamson:
Automated marketing is great. But just this whole spam, spam, “Buy my stuff, buy my stuff, buy my stuff,” that’s just push, push, push. Much, much better to get pulled, to the point that people come to you going, “Hey, Will, I’m really interested in putting this training in place. Who would you recommend?” And then you’d be able to recommend the right people. That’s how business works and that’s old school. That’s where… And it’s still… If you look at some of the world’s biggest companies, that’s how they run right at the top. You might not think it, but that’s how they run right at the top. It’s a small world and they all look after each other.
Will Barron:
Definitely.
Paul Adamson:
So, that’s what the customer gets.
The Ultimate Human Motivator · [29:40]
Will Barron:
And I’m really interested in your psychology and the language that you used, here, because you said what I was hoping and expecting you to say. And you said, essentially, that you become a trusted advisor, whereas, which is a positive way to frame it. And I was framing it in my head, as asked the question of, you would be also at the same point doing the same job. But I would’ve framed it as, you’re reducing risk for the person that you’re dealing with. And that’s the value that you’re giving them. So I’m just intrigued here. If you were speaking to… Or, if you were doing a talk, perhaps, or if you were hosting a podcast, would you always use the positive framing of a scenario like that to communicate that with an audience or of another individual that you wanted to mildly influence, if we can use that term, or is it good to go between positive and negative framings of things, or is it always best just stay positive?
Paul Adamson:
Well, what I would say is this, that if we rewind right back to what drives all human motivation, and I’m sure all your listeners will be fully aware of this. It’s moving away from pain towards pleasure. Pain has more impact on a person. Why? Because, ultimately, it was there for survival. You know? If this is going to be painful, keep [inaudible 00:30:46]. And the ultimate pain is death. Right?
Paul Adamson:
So, you need stick and carers. What I would say is, if you think about it, who do you call when life is breaking down around you, or your business isn’t going the way you want it to go, or you’ve got tough times? You call somebody. We all do it. I’m picturing the person I call right now. Why do I call that particular person? I call them because they change my state, because what happens is I speak to them. They’ve just got a way of saying things and I come out and I go, “Ah. It’s not that bad.” They get me to the pleasure side.
Paul Adamson:
So, that’s what I would say is that like positive is really, really important. It’s not positive thinking as in sitting in, and this is Tony Robbins’ analogy. It’s not sitting in your garden full of weeds going, “There’s no weeds in my garden, no weeds in my garden, no weeds in my garden.” There’s freaking weeds. Right? What I’m saying is let’s go find them and rip them out. So pain is really useful. Of course, it is, because opening somebody’s pain and somebody’s hurt is useful because then you heal that with your product or your service. But the most important thing… And I’ve heard some of your guests on some of the previous podcasts that I’ve listened to, have said, “And it’s so, so true.” It’s the intent behind all of this.
Paul Adamson:
What’s the intent? What are you doing all this for? Why do you get up in the morning? What’s the reason? And, if you’re working in a business, or you have a company that you don’t really believe in, what I’d say to you is get out and go and find a vision that you really truly believe in.
“When you really believe, not just in yourself, but in the product or the service or the business, or the vision of a company, then you can’t help but be in a positive frame of reference.” – Paul Adamson · [32:14]
Paul Adamson:
I know, Will, that you have watched a bit of [Simon Sinek’s 00:32:31] stuff, which is brilliant, which is all about the why’s. You don’t necessarily have to know your own why, but go and find a company that you really believe in and share that vision because, when you really believe, not just in yourself, but in the product or the service or the business, or the vision of a company, the mission, then you can’t help but be in a positive frame of reference, and can’t help that, when you go there, that you’ll be really excited.
Paul Adamson:
Think about the customer. Think of Apple, think of that as a business. How on earth can you get people in [Covent Garden 00:33:05], in the freezing cold of winter, to camp out for three or four days, just to be the first person to get their hands on a bit technology? That’s because they understand emotion. It’s because they understand about really serving and looking after a customer. Apple’s amazing. I can go in with this iPhone now. It’s well out of warranty. Someone will sit down, in an Apple store, and give me time and really be in the moment and help me with this product. That is the difference.
Paul Adamson:
So, what I would say to you is, make sure whatever vision you are buying into, whatever you’re selling, that you’re bought into it. And the most important thing is, have a really good look at your beliefs, your belief systems because, as Henry Ford said, “If you believe you can, or you can’t you’re right.” And, like I was saying to you earlier, Will, I have a gift to all of your listeners, which means, if you’ve listened to the end, you’re going to get a gift. So, listen up now.
Paul’s Cycle of Success · [34:05]
Paul Adamson:
I’ve put together a little 25-minute training on something that I call The Cycle of Success. Now I learned this training, probably I learned this about 10 years ago, changed my life completely shifted my whole mindset. I saw dramatic results, not just in my life, but in my business, in my relationships, in everything. So I thought, “What’s the biggest piece of value that I can give to Will and all of your listeners?” And I thought, “Well, I’ll just do this little 20-minute training.” So, if you go onto [pauladamson.org/blogfor/training 00:34:34], you’ll find it there. Go there. It’s about 20 minutes of your time. I really encourage you to do it. And-
Will Barron:
I’ll tell you what I’ll do. That’s just quite a long address for anyone who’s listening, who’s on the mobile device. If you go to [salesman.red/paul 00:34:48], that will forward you to the correct place.
Paul Adamson:
Perfect. We’ll do that. Yeah. Okay, great. So yeah, beliefs really, really important, too.
Paul’s Advise to His Younger Self on How to Become Better at Selling · [35:05]
Will Barron:
Amazing stuff. Well, Paul, I’ve got one final question, mate, ask everyone that comes on the show. And that is, if you could go back in time and speak to your younger self, what would be the one piece of advice you’d give him to help him become better at selling?
Paul Adamson:
Get out your own way.
Why You Need to Start Working On Yourself · [35:30]
Will Barron:
And what do you mean by that? Because that… I agree with this. This is something I stumble upon, all the time, wherever it be, kind of taking too much onto my plate, wherever it be, because of them procrastinating on the key things I know that work. How do you implement that?
“Stretch and grow. All personal growth, every little bit of personal growth comes from feeling uncomfortable, meaning stepping out of your comfort zone.” – Paul Adamson · [35:50]
Paul Adamson:
Really simple. You’ve got to work on yourself. You know, if you are in sales… And I love speaking to sales audiences, because they’re really receptive. And, by your nature as a sales guy or girl, we have to be out there. We have to take rejection. We have to be able to push through and all of those things. But I think the most important thing is to realise that learning never stops, meaning that stretch and grow, all personal growth, every little bit of personal growth comes from feeling uncomfortable, meaning stepping out of your comfort zone. Stretch and grow. So what I mean by get out of your own way is go to work on yourself. If you can work on yourself and make yourself grow, you can add more value to the marketplace. And you’ll see better results. So, that is definitely the tall order of it, is get to work on yourself early, and believe you can do it. And learn. You know, personal development is a really big area. You need to get into that because, we’ll have to do another show on this.
Paul Adamson:
But I had a huge breakthrough about four months ago, about reading. And we won’t have time, now, to go into it, because it’s there’s a whole story. But the point is I realise that we can carry around unconscious programming and conditioning and beliefs, which go unconscious. And they become limiting and we don’t even realise it. So I think go to work on yourself would be the biggest tip.
Will Barron:
Is there any specific book? One the comes to mind for me is [Psycho Cyber Kinetics 00:36:59]. Is there any that kind of tie in what you just said, then, about limiting beliefs?
Paul Adamson:
Well, I think… I’m a massive Tony Robbins fan. So, Awaken the Giant Within and Unlimited Power. But I think a great book, as well, is Man’s Search for Meaning, [Viktor Frankl 00:37:16]. I think there’s really good lessons in that book. I mean, there’s loads. Isn’t there? Who Moved My Cheese?, great book by Spencer Johnson. One-Minute Manager’s a great book. Like there’s loads. Just feed your mind good stuff.
Paul Adamson:
Put good shit in, man. That’s the key. Put good stuff in this computer, as opposed to somebody else’s agenda, somebody that gets the… learn to interrupt your pattern and go, “Hey, listen. Wouldn’t you like to make a million pounds? Just click here and it all just happens?” Yeah, it doesn’t work like that. So feed your mind good stuff.
Will Barron:
Amazing. Paul, with that, mate, tell us where we can find out more about you. Give us your blog URL. And that will. And, then we’ll wrap up here.
Paul Adamson:
Okay, great. So you can find out more with me at [pauladamson.org/blog 00:38:01].
Will Barron:
Amazing stuff. Paul, we will certainly have you back on, mate. I really enjoy your energy. I… Page of notes in front of me, here. We’ve gone from topic. I was interrupting you, kind of like, two-thirds of the way through and going back and forth. So I think there’s so much more we can go at with all of this. I really appreciate your time and your insights. And I want to thank you for joining us on the Salesman Podcast.
Paul Adamson:
Oh, I’m thrilled to be here. And listen, yeah, let’s do it. Come on. I reckon there’s 10 podcasts here, if not more. You know? So yeah, bring it on and thank you very much. I really appreciate you inviting me on the show.
