Valuetainment - 233： Tom Hopkins #1 Secret & Mistake in Sales

00:00:00.000 30 seconds, one time for the underdog, ignition sequence start, let me see you put em up, reach

00:00:09.240 the sky, turn the stars up above, cause it's one time for the underdog, one time for the

00:00:16.220 underdog.

00:00:17.300 I'm Patrick Bader, your host of Value Team, and today we're going to talk about sales

00:00:20.700 and not just sales, we'll be talking to an author of a book called How to Master the

00:00:25.360 Art of Selling, which I believe every single salesperson around the world needs to read

00:00:29.460 this book.

00:00:29.840 I read this book back in 1999, and it completely changed the way I viewed sales.

00:00:34.420 We're going to talk to the author, Tom Hopkins, on the number one secret and mistake in sales.

00:00:40.200 The master sales trainer, the Michael Jordan Tiger Woods of sales, Mr. Tom Hopkins.

00:00:45.860 Tom, thank you for joining us today.

00:00:47.960 Patrick, it's a thrill, and I love hearing all that you've done, and I have a chance to share

00:00:53.640 some concepts on being an entrepreneur and fulfilling your potential.

00:00:58.000 So, I think this is excellent, what you're asking us to share with these folks.

00:01:03.500 Oh, I am looking forward, and by the way, I was telling Tom, I met you 12 years ago when

00:01:08.100 I came to your house.

00:01:09.120 Right.

00:01:09.360 And, you know, you were living in somewhere in Arizona, Scottsdale, and I was going through

00:01:14.640 your house.

00:01:15.220 We went to his, I think it was your bedroom or somewhere.

00:01:18.480 He had a painting of him wrestling a lion.

00:01:22.740 He had him by the neck.

00:01:24.940 And I said, you know, one day, I'm going to have an artwork like that with me wrestling

00:01:28.800 a lion.

00:01:29.300 And the idea came from Mr. Tom Hopkins.

00:01:33.340 Is that pleasant?

00:01:33.720 I love art.

00:01:34.460 Art is a hobby.

00:01:35.240 Yeah, I do as well.

00:01:36.080 And so this one piece is kind of special.

00:01:38.500 We had an artist do as a kind of a talking point, something to have fun with.

00:01:43.220 Sure, sure.

00:01:44.240 So, let's get right into it.

00:01:45.520 So, let's get right into it.

00:01:46.320 If you don't know Tom Hopkins, Tom Hopkins wrote the number one sales book out there called

00:01:50.960 How to Master the Art of Selling.

00:01:53.380 And I read the book back in 1999 when I was first working at Valley Total Fitness as a

00:01:58.360 new salesman there.

00:01:59.240 And I read the book.

00:02:00.060 It changed my life on how I looked at sales.

00:02:02.360 So, if you're an entrepreneur, you're in business, you're trying to get a promotion, whatever you're

00:02:05.460 trying to do, sales is a part of your business.

00:02:08.500 You've got to learn how sales works.

00:02:09.860 Tom has spoken to 5 million people.

00:02:13.600 5 million people have attended his seminar over the years to learn sales.

00:02:18.200 So, we're not talking somebody that, you know, just talks about sales every once in a

00:02:22.640 while.

00:02:22.860 He is the master of sales.

00:02:24.760 And he is known, his claim of fame, when he was 24 years old.

00:02:28.980 Tom, I've got to say this.

00:02:30.280 24 years old.

00:02:31.600 He sold 365 homes in one year.

00:02:35.640 A record that still stands, 365 homes in one year.

00:02:39.540 Right here in our neck of the woods, Chatsworth and Simi Valley.

00:02:43.840 Simi Valley.

00:02:44.520 Yeah, Simi Valley.

00:02:45.400 And Tom, I asked a personal question from Tom.

00:02:49.360 I said, Tom, let me ask you, who were you in high school?

00:02:51.000 Right.

00:02:51.500 And he didn't want to say that first.

00:02:53.320 I said, who were you in high school?

00:02:54.440 He says, well, you know, I was the captain of the football team, quarterback, four years.

00:02:59.120 You said, which high school?

00:03:00.980 Alamany High.

00:03:01.860 Alamany High.

00:03:02.260 We have a lot of people that went to Alamany High.

00:03:03.900 So, let's get right into it.

00:03:05.200 I got some very straightforward questions that I want the guys to get value here, everybody

00:03:10.940 that's watching.

00:03:11.960 First question.

00:03:13.200 You've trained millions of people.

00:03:15.640 You've seen all the mistakes.

00:03:16.820 You've seen all the right thing that works.

00:03:18.740 What is the number one secret to why a salesman makes it in sales?

00:03:23.180 Number one secret.

00:03:24.720 Well, the first thing is they work harder on themselves than they do on the job to become

00:03:31.060 a person that relates to more people.

00:03:33.280 If I had you in an elevator, you said, as you just said, what's the secret?

00:03:38.800 I would say develop a personality and a temperament and a way of coming across with people where

00:03:44.620 they really do like you and trust you.

00:03:47.380 And then they want to listen to you.

00:03:50.480 And when I first started practicing this, I started realizing that people want a relationship.

00:03:56.540 Selling is a very important part of life, and especially in our country of capitalism and

00:04:04.100 free enterprise.

00:04:05.560 But it's also something that you can learn, but it starts with working on yourself to be

00:04:11.960 a person that, again, people relax with, that they're comfortable with, where they feel

00:04:17.720 like I'm confident this person can help me have a better life, be more successful, achieve

00:04:23.220 my goals, and that, of course, is how I live my life today, trying to help this happen

00:04:29.380 with as many people as I'd like to hear my message.

00:04:31.620 Interesting.

00:04:32.260 So you're, you said, number one, to be good in sales, not necessarily to make a lot of

00:04:37.460 money in sales, because that's a whole different answer, but to be good in sales, it's relatability,

00:04:41.860 knowing how to relate to somebody else in different situations.

00:04:44.760 Unbelievable.

00:04:45.480 Okay.

00:04:46.240 What would you say is the number one mistake?

00:04:49.320 There's a lot of mistakes we make as salespeople.

00:04:51.260 What is the number one mistake a salesman makes?

00:04:54.680 I think the number one mistake that a salesperson makes is coming across like a stereotypical

00:05:00.520 salesperson.

00:05:01.740 The average American, in our studies, doesn't really like selling.

00:05:06.260 They don't really feel good about salespeople.

00:05:09.560 And it's a shame that's true, but of the 11 million salespeople approximately in the United

00:05:14.980 States, many of them turn people off, come across a little bit too aggressive.

00:05:20.800 They come across almost pushy, and they're talkative.

00:05:25.900 I've tried to teach people, be the opposite of what they expect, and they'll relax with

00:05:31.500 you.

00:05:32.460 Become a master questioner.

00:05:34.460 In fact, I have a little goal.

00:05:36.200 Become a master asker and a magnificent listener, and you'll do well in the field of sales, regardless

00:05:44.060 of it.

00:05:44.560 And I've had a battle, Patrick, too, that I believe everybody, in a way, is in sales.

00:05:51.340 I think if you're a parent and your kids grow up to be good adults, thanks to your example,

00:05:57.500 your questioning, your listening skills, that you did make a good sale with your children.

00:06:02.780 I think in today's world, if you stay married for your entire life, you both, husband and

00:06:08.880 wife, did some of the things I teach that are part of the art of selling. 1.00

00:06:13.160 So I hope people will open their minds to, as an entrepreneur, you're selling the people

00:06:18.240 that work for you to do a better job.

00:06:20.060 You're teaching them the art of persuasion, of convincing folks to do business with your

00:06:25.920 company, not once, but for a lifetime.

00:06:29.480 So this is, again, something I think that is so true, that everyone, in a way, is in

00:06:34.900 sales.

00:06:36.040 Very cool.

00:06:36.800 Okay, so third one.

00:06:38.660 What was your edge against your competitors?

00:06:42.340 I think my edge was I really did outwork most people.

00:06:46.760 I was fanatical on wanting to achieve, and when I quit college after 90 days, and I only

00:06:54.940 made it for three months, I was terrified.

00:06:58.060 I didn't know what I was going to do, and fortunately, after one year of construction,

00:07:02.500 carrying steel, I found the real estate business.

00:07:06.420 And in a way, I found my niche.

00:07:08.440 And I hope everybody that's maybe viewing this program will find their niche in life.

00:07:13.640 And I call the niche finding something you love to do that is not work, but you love

00:07:20.360 it so much, you're great at it.

00:07:22.500 And then you develop the P word, which I learned this from Wayne Gretzky.

00:07:26.960 I played golf with Wayne, and as you know, he's probably one of the greatest hockey players

00:07:31.260 of all times.

00:07:32.800 And after the game, driving to the house, I said, I've got to ask you, Wayne, what do you

00:07:38.820 think the reason was, you did so well as a hockey player?

00:07:43.680 And he gave me the P word.

00:07:45.740 He said, Tom, I had a passion for all aspects of the sport.

00:07:51.020 Passion for practice, passion for winning, passion for losing.

00:07:55.280 And so that's the day I said, I'm going to try to teach people to get passionate about

00:07:59.960 what they do, not just like it, but be passionate, because I think people will agree and go along

00:08:06.920 with your way of thinking based more on your belief, your conviction, and your passion than

00:08:12.080 almost anything else.

00:08:13.820 So you would say your edge was passion?

00:08:15.760 Passion.

00:08:16.540 Okay.

00:08:16.760 I loved real estate.

00:08:19.160 I worked seven days a week, my first three days, our first three years.

00:08:23.840 A lot of people don't want to do that.

00:08:25.220 Seven days a week.

00:08:25.940 Seven days, I had three Christmas days off, which is fanatical, and I'm not saying that's

00:08:32.480 right for everyone, but I had...

00:08:34.680 That's a very consistent trait with a lot of people that make it to the highest level

00:08:39.020 of whatever they do.

00:08:39.840 And that word you just said, I don't know if you caught it, but consistency is one of the

00:08:44.940 keys to much success in your life, where you don't just have high cycles, low cycles, you're

00:08:50.920 consistent.

00:08:51.500 And, of course, I also feel that I was a follow-up specialist with people.

00:08:57.440 I kept in touch.

00:08:58.640 I built long-term relationships.

00:09:01.260 My last year of that number of sales, most of them were referred to me because I did a

00:09:07.620 good job with people.

00:09:09.960 And I think that it's a people business, regardless of what business you're in.

00:09:13.540 And I think you are all, all of us, in the people business, and the way you handle people,

00:09:19.280 the way you do business with people, will, at the end of the line, decide how successful

00:09:25.080 you've become.

00:09:25.860 Okay.

00:09:26.240 So, Tom, the last question here before we wrap up.

00:09:29.580 You know, there's a lot of people you meet that are afraid of getting into sales.

00:09:33.200 There's a lot of people you meet that are questioning and say, I don't think I could do it.

00:09:37.320 I don't think my personal mind will.

00:09:38.260 I don't think I could ever go into sales.

00:09:39.680 Do you believe anybody could make it in sales?

00:09:43.260 Well, I have had this as a challenge all of my training career, is to convince people

00:09:49.380 that I think anybody can learn the art of selling.

00:09:52.620 As long as they realize a couple points, and let me illustrate it this way, that there are

00:09:57.380 two extremes to a temperament or a personality of a person.

00:10:01.940 We'll call this person over here the interesting extrovert.

00:10:05.900 Then we'll call this person the interested introvert.

00:10:08.920 Now, if you listen to those titles, interesting versus interested, the average person that thinks

00:10:15.460 they would be great in sales, and people tell them they would, are the interesting extroverts.

00:10:22.340 They're over the bearing a little bit.

00:10:24.200 They're talkative.

00:10:25.340 They love to control conversations.

00:10:27.880 They aren't real good listeners.

00:10:30.880 They can do well in sales.

00:10:32.380 The interested introvert, who's somewhat humble, somewhat shy, a little afraid of maybe strangers,

00:10:39.220 maybe really fearful of rejection, this person can do extremely well.

00:10:45.180 And what I try to get people to do is, if you're an interesting extrovert,

00:10:49.400 try to move more towards the middle, being more like an interested introvert.

00:10:53.760 If you're an interested introvert, move a little bit towards the middle, be more like an interesting extrovert.

00:11:00.200 Because the ideal personality that establishes relationships and does a great job in communication

00:11:07.200 can move to the interesting extrovert or to the interested introvert.

00:11:12.340 And the ability to relate to other people and have them feel good because of the way you come across,

00:11:19.500 the way you are with them, that, to me, can be taught and learned by anyone.

00:11:25.340 And so I really feel that, yes, if you would be willing to let me be your mentor and your teacher,

00:11:31.500 I think I could teach anybody to be an effective salesperson and some of them to achieve a high degree of accomplishment.

00:11:38.700 On either side of the pendulum?

00:11:40.260 Either side.

00:11:41.080 Is that not interesting?

00:11:41.980 Okay, so Tom, to wrap it, thank you so much, by the way, for coming in today.

00:11:45.660 My pleasure.

00:11:46.260 And allowing us to do this interview with you.

00:11:49.080 We talked about the book earlier, How to Master the Art of Selling, but you have a new book out.

00:11:53.320 The new book is called When Buyers Say No.

00:11:57.020 What could you say to us about this book?

00:11:58.780 Because I really like the title, When Buyers Say No. 0.89

00:12:01.200 Well, you know what's funny, Patrick, is this darn book, it's my 18th book.

00:12:06.800 And when I wrote it, thanks to Ben Kott, who's my co-author, we came up with the concept that most people don't realize that you'll not get a yes in life of anything until you usually have some type of no. 0.51

00:12:23.960 And so really selling as an art form starts with the no.

00:12:30.500 And so I thought, we're going to go ahead and take exactly what a no means, what they're really saying behind the word no, what are they really meaning.

00:12:40.460 And then what we decided to do was take Ben Kott's fabulous Circle of Persuasion concept and took that and combined my training on questioning, on listening, on turning a no into a yes, and we combined it.

00:12:57.960 And I'm, you know, not being braggadocious, but this book so far in the first six months has outsold any book I've written in the first six months.

00:13:07.540 Really?

00:13:07.840 Yes. And I think the reason is people want to know that, hey, I want to handle the word no to turn it into yeses with my kids, with my spouse, with the people that work for me.

00:13:19.240 I think employers with their employees can really benefit from the Circle of Persuasion and the concept of when buyers say no.

00:13:29.160 I saw a Circle of Persuasion in that game. What could you tell us about that? What is Circular Persuasion?

00:13:33.420 Well, what it is basically Ben decided to take the word no, then we took and showed all the little steps that we go through in the persuasion process of gradually taking that no and through the right little questions of minor yeses, ending up getting the big yes, which is an agreement to go along with whatever you're suggesting they do.

00:13:59.140 So be it invest in a product, being the child doing what you're asking them to do, being an employee, doing a better job.

00:14:07.940 So it's really exciting to see that most people in business want to know, how do I handle the darn no and turn them into yeses? 0.61

00:14:16.400 That is the question. That is the question and the skill to learn. 0.91

00:14:20.860 When buyers say no, if you haven't read it, get a copy of it.

00:14:24.780 Tom, thanks so much for coming out. Really appreciate you.

00:14:27.620 My pleasure, Patrick. Thank you.

00:14:28.680 Where can everybody find you out there, by the way? Is there a Twitter? Is there a Facebook? Is there a website?

00:14:32.740 If they just go to TomHopkins.com and they'll have all of our products, all of our seminars.

00:14:39.500 And if they're looking for more of what we do, they can sure find us there.

00:14:43.880 Tom Hopkins, thanks for joining us.

00:14:45.980 Thanks, everybody, for listening.

00:14:47.200 And by the way, if you haven't already subscribed to Valuetainment on iTunes, please do so.

00:14:51.800 Give us a five-star. Write a review if you haven't already.

00:14:54.700 And if you have any questions for me that you may have, you can always find me on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.

00:15:00.740 Just search my name, Patrick MidDavid.

00:15:02.640 And I actually do respond back when you snap me or send me a message on Instagram.

00:15:07.640 With that being said, have a great day today. Take care, everybody. Bye-bye.

00:15:13.880 Bye-bye.

Valuetainment - December 20, 2018

233： Tom Hopkins #1 Secret & Mistake in Sales

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