Ryan Stewman

Hey, what’s up man? I’m excited to be here.

Ryan Stewman

I call the surface selling like you all don’t get kidding around, and you just joke around into it huh! It’s like, “Hi, how are you doing? How do you make money?”

Ryan Stewman

I believe that sales starts at your advertisements or your marketing if you’re a marketer.

Ryan Stewman

The difference between marketing and advertisements is advertisement is something that you pay to be exposed in front of them. Marketing is like materials, websites, and stuff like that.

I believe whether you call it marketing or advertisements, the sales or to close the deal starts right there because that’s the beginning point of building that interest or desire which someone may or may not have towards your product.

Ryan Stewman

A lot of people look at a sale is one big thing. And this is why most people fail to make sales. I believe them with my experience. I guess that’s an opinion but more importantly than an opinion is experience.

A lot of people fail to close the deal because they treat it as if it’s one sell. So, they think, “I talked to a guy and ultimately that magic gremlins doing whatever behind the scenes in between the phones, communication device and boom! I got his money. That’s a sale.”

That’s a sale and that person was able to close the deal, but that’s not what’s happening. You see that person was sold several times but only one of those sale counts towards a commission check so track with me here.

Ryan Stewman

• The first sale was to get you look at my advertisements.
• The second sale was to get you to read the thing.
• The third sale was to get you to do whatever it is that I asked you to do on the ad because for you coaches, you shouldn’t be running ads unless they have calls to action direct response marketing type of ads.
• The fourth sale was to get them to do whatever happens when they click the link which is generally gives me your information. Like “Tell me about yourself? How can I contact you?” or whatever the case.
• The fifth sale is to get them to communicate. You got their information. Now you got to communicate with them whether through email, phone call, text message, Facebook or whatever the case maybe.
• The sixth sale is to have that sales conversation with them.
• And then the seventh sale would be them giving you their money in exchange for you delivering whatever it is that you deliver.

If you haven’t made each one of those sales along the way, you can’t close the deal. You can’t close the last sale at seventh sale on this case.

You can’t get there and close that seventh sale if you haven’t closed each of those individual sales along the way.

A lot of salespeople in general skip like say step 3 and 5 and then wonder why they can’t close the deal  at step seven.

Ryan Stewman

I think a lot of people are skippy. One of the parts they skip along the way is step 6. You don’t take the time to uncover what makes your prospect want you for like better free.

Like in my business, one of the most powerful phrases that we use for our sales team is “What made you decide to reach out?”

As simple as it may sound is that there’s a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes in there when you’re trying to close the deal. One of the things that are hard to get humans to do is make decisions. Because decisions come with consequences, most people do stupid things from bad decisions resulting into bad consequences.

Ryan Stewman

People are scared of making decisions because when you decide something there’s intent behind that decision as well.

Let’s give you a weird example here. If you accidentally hit somebody with your car coz they ran out in front of you and they died, that sucks But you’re not going to jail. But if you drove up on the sidewalk because you’re mad that somebody shot you the burden, and you run over them and that was your intention to hurt them. then you’ll probably do a life sentence.

Ryan Stewman

People are taught to be scared of intent because intentions come with consequences, be they good or bad, most of the time, bad for most people. It is what it is.

Ryan Stewman

Yeah, the thing is what made you decide to reach out. Getting a human to make a decision is a hard thing to do. But you have to make the right ones to close the deal.

Ryan Stewman

Any admits to that question “What made you decide to reach out?” admits that you’ve already made the decision which I’m involved. That’s like a huge overcoming step right on the gate.

Ryan Stewman

It is. It’s like a Gary Halbert type of question. It’s the most powerful one that I know of in sales.

Because of that question, you’ve already got people to make a decision which in the back of their mind has subconsciously drawn them closer to you.

Ryan Stewman

The next step after that is we talk them through. We have to figure out what’s their problem by asking “What made you decide to reach out?” They’re going to give me some BS answer 9 times out of 10 like some lukewarm, “Oh, life’s great over here, just trying to do better” type of answer.

Most people will accept that answer. That’s like the surface objection. I call this surface selling like you mentioned in the beginning.

Ryan Stewman

It’s like you think of an iceberg. There’s this small part of the iceberg that is above the surface which is the part you actually see. And then there’s this huge massive ice structure that goes down how many miles into the ocean – the body of ice that’s underneath there.

Most of people see the tip and they just accept that BS answer to what made you decide to reach out as if it’s true. But, often times that is a trial close from the prospect to see:

Ryan Stewman

1. How you’re paying attention.
2. How much you believed them. Coz if they’re telling you some BS story, we’re always trying to gauge our meter of how much we believe of the bullshit story that they’re telling you.

And so, most people, in selling and trying to close the deal, you might say, “Oh, what made you decide to reach out?” “Oh, I think I want to lose some weight”. “Okay cool.” But that’s not what made them decide to reach out.

What made him decide to reach out was that his wife called him fat for the fifth time this month jokingly and he’s sick of that shit like something happened.

Ryan Stewman

Yes, that’s what’s below the surface and that’s what exactly what you’re looking for. You’re going to leave you some sort of hint in that opening “What made you decide to reach out?” rebuttal. That’s going to give you some sort of hint, but it’s rarely.

Even in my business with the alpha people that I deal with, it’s rare that they will come out the gate and tell you their honest reason for reaching out.

Ryan Stewman

But most people accept it that way and that’s how they fail at sales.

It’s your job as a salesperson to be a fact finder that uncovers the real problem. You can’t provide your product or service as a solution if you don’t know what the real problem is.

Ryan Stewman

You can’t take anybody’s money if they’re not certain that you’re going to provide that solution that they expect if you don’t know what their problem is and the solutions and outcomes they are looking for.

Ryan Stewman

Yeah absolutely, empathy is huge in sales. Empathy and bonding are absolutely huge factors. You’re going to be able to bond like, “Oh, this person understands”. But then also, “Oh, they can get me and they can help me”.

Ryan Stewman

A good salesperson will naturally want to bond with the prospect. They’ll naturally want to find some commonality.

Ryan Stewman

My sales conversation goes like this.

Either I’ll call somebody up or they’ll call me up, or whatever. Then I schedule sales calls. They know that it is a sales call that they’re buying something when they get on the phone with me. We already agreed to that if we get on the phone.

Ryan Stewman

Before I’ll ask them the magic question “What made you decide to reach out?”; I’ll say: “Hey, what part of the country are you from?” They’ll say whatever, and I’ll say, “Awesome! You know what I’ve got a client, or a friend, or a family member, or have been there or have done a business there,” or something relatable to them geographically.

If I have a client that’s been in there, I say, “Oh that’s cool man, I have a client that’s got similar results you’re looking for in that same area.” And then, show them that what they’re wanting is a possibility. Maybe it’s not the same exact outcome they want, but somewhere along the way, someone on their geographical area has gotten the results they wanted from me. That’s a factor to being able to close the deal.

Ryan Stewman

That starts the bonding like “Hey, I’m empathetic towards your location,” and everything else but that says like same thing that you just say “Well, he gets me”.

There are 3 things that we humans identify ourselves on. In that bonding phase, those first 30 seconds on a phone call especially if it is an inbound phone call or one you have an appointment for. You can bet that people rely on where they live. That’s the determining factor of who you are. Next is what your name is and what your job is.

When you meet somebody at a cocktail party, the questions they ask is “Oh hey man, what’s your name? Oh cool! Where you from? What do you do for a living?” That’s like the natural progression of questions that we ask them.

Ryan Stewman

Take a cue from this one. It’s one of the most successful ways to close the deal.

I believe that it’s my job to ask them those 3 questions within the first 30 seconds. I already know most of them if I’m on the phone with them and we have an appointment. I know their name. I may not know where they’re from, and I might have an idea of what they do for a living.

Ryan Stewman

That’s how I bond with them on the first 30 seconds of the phone call like, “Oh cool, you’re Luis from Seattle! Awesome, man! I’ve got a client over there from Seattle, and we did 3 deals together last month. It’s a great market over there.”

It just starts that bonding process like “Oh well, this dude has already experience in this area. Great!” They kind let their guard down a little bit. “Hey, by the way what makes you decide to reach out?”

Ryan Stewman

Oh yeah, social proof; you nailed it. That’s it man! That’s one of the undeniably laws of influence. That’s just letting know that somebody else just like them, in situations just like theirs got similar results to what they’re looking for.

Ryan Stewman

You can do that and oftentimes at the end they don’t even ask you for references and stuff because you’ve already given them a reference and told them upfront about somebody in their area. So that’s like already out in the way. It’s just one last objection that you need to deal with.

Ryan Stewman

My sales team generally doesn’t get paid until their 4^th and 5^th phone call with somebody or follow up. Whether it would be an email or phone call, it doesn’t matter but my sales team, it takes a while even them they want to work with me, like me and have respect for me and everything else. It still takes tremendous follow up just because people are busy.

Ryan Stewman

When people are busy, we forget and things come up. We have to reschedule and everything else. So, you’re forced to follow-up with people and the money is in the follow up. Even if you get a hundred new leads a day, that means in 5 days you’ve got 500 to follow up with. You still aren’t getting a hundred a day.

The follow-up is huge but most people don’t follow-up. If you do, that also shows the prospect that you care a little bit more than the people who don’t. And that’s a competitive edge as well.

Follow up can’t just be, “Hey, did you buy my product yet?” Each time that you follow up, you have to earn. So that means on the first initial phone call if they don’t buy, you have to lead them with something cool that gives you permission to contact and follow up with them again.

Ryan Stewman

You can say “Hey, this is what I’d like to do. If you’re not ready to buy today that’s completely awesome. What I’d like to do is give you these two blog posts that I think would relate to the situation you’re in.”

From there, what I’ll do is lead them, take action on them, and say “I’ll follow back up with you in two weeks to see what’s the results are from that. You can imagine if you get the results for free, imagine what we can do on the paid program. Does that sound fair?”

Ryan Stewman

Hold on, hold on, hold on. Why would you write a blog post that’s not worthy and valuable? You didn’t, right? That’s exactly what I’m saying.

We know our websites back and forth because we built them. Nonetheless, they don’t know what’s there. My page has 500 different articles, pages, and everything else on it. I barely know what else in there.

Sometimes, I’m trying to find what to post to Facebook and say “Oh shit! I wrote this? This is awesome!” because I’ve been doing this for 4 years. I forgotten about certain things and I’ve even put titles up before and it turns out that I’ve already written something.

Ryan Stewman

You said you have tons of articles, then the general public would never find that stuff. So, you’re doing them a favour by cutting them the hassle of searching through your site trying to find things because they’ll never do it themselves. You just skip right to it and say “Here these three articles. If you put these into motion, you’ll see the result you’re looking for. I’ll call you back over in 2 weeks.

Ryan Stewman

Once you ask somebody “What made you decide to reach out?” they are going to give you a half-assed answer. The next thing is for you to start figuring out what the real answer is. This is the time when now you’re going to go below the surface selling. Once they answer that, it’s still going to be a surface selling until you start digging in.

For example, let’s just stick with the weight thing. Somebody says, “Why do you need to lose weight?” “Awesome! What do you need to lose weight for?” “I want to be healthier?” “Awesome! Why don’t you want to be healthier?”

Ryan Stewman

Most people will stop it at 1 or 2, and then start going into their pitch about how they can with exercise and food. Trust me, nobody wants to eat rabbit food and nobody wants to exercise. This is just something that we are all going to do just to stay in shape.

I workout 4-5 days a week, trying to eat as healthy as I can. I’m on the road a lot, things happen, you get hungry, and you munch on fast food. It’s hard. But none of us want to do that. It’s a habit that we’ve created, that creates endorphins and stuff. But if we could all sit around and eat Oreos and still have a 6 packs, we would.

For example, let’s just stick with the weight thing. Somebody says, “Why do you need to lose weight?” “Awesome! What do you need to lose weight for?” “I want to be healthier?” “Awesome! Why don’t you want to be healthier?”

Ryan Stewman

Yeah, yeah.

Ryan Stewman

See, exactly. You know that’s not real but most people will stop there and say, “Well, listen. Here’s the deal. We can work out 3 days a week for an hour.” Oh man! That sucks for a person who doesn’t want to do that. It’s not on their routine.

Ryan Stewman

But instead, if you kept digging on “Why do you want to be healthier?” “Well, you see my wife for the last couple of weeks came up with this nickname with my stomach. She’s being cute and everything else but it’s started messing with my subconscious. And so I got to do something about it.

Now, every time we have sex, I feel like I need to leave my shirt on. That’s the kind of thing that you sell. You can say “Dude, listen. Here’s what I’m going to do. I may have you looking so good. Your wife will not be able to keep her hands off you. And you’re going to look so good, she’s going to get in front of that shape too.”

“You’re going to be the power couple that you’re supposed to be in the first place that you two were in the beginning; that you’ve slipped away from. It’s going to take work and dedication but I can get you there. You’ll be the envy of your friends. You’ll be the envy of your co-workers. But here’s what you have to do to come with me.”

Ryan Stewman

That is a completely different conversation.I didn’t even mention exercise at that point. Who knows, we might be running mountains. We might be eating Oreos in the couch and some steroids. Who knows, I didn’t tell them. I just told them that I would solve their problems and get them back in good graces with his wife.

Ryan Stewman

Let’s stick with this example.

Have you ever rolled over the Melinite and said, “We need a 5-week program. Listen man, if we don’t get our lives together and get on the 5-week program somewhere, these things will never be the same. It’s the end of us. We need to find the 5 week program. Did either one of you have rolled over and said that to each other?

Ryan Stewman

We need to insert a result. Exactly. That’s what you’re looking for.

Like I said at the very beginning of the show here is that if your advertising is doing its job correctly, it’s attracting and repelling. It’s getting away the excuse makers, and it’s only attractive to the alphas and the top dogs.

Ryan Stewman

When someone comes into my ecosystem or funnels, whatever you want to call it, I have an idea there are only about 3 different things they want. They all want more money so that’s not like really a thing.

What they’re looking for is a way to save themselves sometimes by automating things because they cut out earning where they’re at unless they find some ways to automate. They’re just maxed out their time earning capacity or they need to find a way to scale their business through lead generation and build a team.

I know one of those two things that 9 times out of 10 are what people are looking for, and that’s their main problem. I’ll figure out the problem too along the way, but that’s the business side of it.

I know whenever I come to say “Oh! they need more time.” Why do they need more time? Is it family? Do they got a girlfriend or a boyfriend? What is the deal? And then, I start finding that real problem.

Ryan Stewman

I’ve been doing this for 5 years on the online space, and I honestly found out that the less I teach or instruct on sales calls, the more money I make. This is a great way to close the deal.

I believe this because if you have a conversation with someone, and give them an idea that they could take action on or something of that nature, it’s not that they’re necessarily going to take action on it. On the contrary, I think what happens is that they start thinking about if they see themselves being able to do that or not. Can I make a webpage? Do I have the time to do that?

Ryan Stewman

We tend to move fast in the things that we say. “You got your web hooked up on your Wufoo with your leadpages. You put your WordPress out there. Turn around and run it from your Facebook messages, to your ads. You can even throw an Instagram out on there on top of that. The next thing you’ll know is that you have a complete network and syndicate with everybody sending emails out on a regular basis.” They’re like “Dude! That sounds like so much work! Oh my God!” But, If you start teaching them that stuff, they say “Dude, I’m tired just from hearing you say those things”.

Ryan Stewman

Yeah, exactly!

Ryan Stewman

However, if you just tell them the end results because that is what they want, they will be willing to go through it.

It’s like nobody wants to go through a hell week. But what they do want to become as the Navy Seals so they can be the highest, top most elite person in our entire American military which is ultimately the most powerful military on the planet; making them some of the toughest, strongest, baddest ass people on the planet. That’s what they want. They don’t want to go through the exercises, and hell week, and BUD/S training, and all the stuff that they go through.

Ryan Stewman

Most people want accountability or customization; somebody they can talk to. We’re living in the world to just press 1 for English text support with apple. If something goes wrong with your Facebook or Instagram you’re just like SOL for a couple of weeks, and you’re kind of lost in the loop.

It’s nice for people to be able to have that accountability, customization, ability to reach out to someone. So oftentimes when they’re buying like a fitness program is they know they can get on Google and the daily burn or whatever, and go down to the gym.

The fact is that you’re there to hold them accountable and customize things that they need and they can bounce questions of you. They’re willing to pay $50 of training sessions and close the deal with you versus $50 a month for a gym membership.

Ryan Stewman

Yes. Once you’ve figured that out, you just offer him a solution to it. And then you’re going to get what we call surface objections – “Well, I can’t afford it. I need to talk to my wife”. That decision audio playing in their head like “Oh man, if you make a decision, that means you’re going to do the work”. “Oh! If you make a decision, and you don’t get your money back, your wife calls you dumb again”. That’s the track that plays in their mind.

First, you got to uncover the pain and show them the resolution to it. I’d like to tell you that 9 times out of 10, they’re like “Oh! Take all my money.” But that’s not the case.

Then, you’ve got below the surface selling, and you’ve solved that below the surface problem, now they’re going to give you a surface objection again and you going to start that process over again.

Ryan Stewman

What you do mean you don’t have the money? You have the money. You said you made $50,000.00 this month. Do you not see the value in giving a portion of your money to me? Or did you blow all your money? What’s the real story?

Again, they hate making those decisions because decisions come with intention and consequences. So you got to do that same process you did in the beginning just to be able to present the offer and close the deal. It’s rare that there’s a laid down sale. 9 times out of 10 you’re going to go that same process, only this time uncovering the real objection.

Ryan Stewman

That seems like a hard part of the sales too is discovering that objection because most people on sales will hear “Oh! I don’t have the money.” “I’m not sure”.

Ryan Stewman

Those are surface objections because none of them are true. If you want to know how to close the deal, remember this.

Ryan Stewman

As much as I respect and love my business partners, fiancée or whatever, if I am ever going to make a decision, I don’t need any of them to tell. If it’s something that’s good, then I know it’s going to work, I don’t need anybody’s permission to spend any amount of money. If they got something they know is going to work for them, they don’t need my permission to spend any amount of money either. Those are all surface objections.

It’s nice to mention your partner, but it’s as simple as you’re making a phone call and you’ll call them back in 10 minutes not take 2 weeks to discuss it. Who has a 2-week long discussion? If you need to talk to your partner about it, she’s probably going to say no anyway. You’re looking for her to talk you out of it. That’s not what you need either.

Ryan Stewman

Again, there are surface objections. You have to figure out what the real reason is. That, there is a handy way to close the deal. Now, oftentimes the real reason is that I don’t want to do the work. They say that’s a lot of money.

It’s like in the exercise thing “Oh! You value your health though, yet that’s a lot of money. Yeah, but at the same time we know that you’re rich. We know that’s not the answer; you just made $400 yesterday at Nordstrom.”

Here’s the deal. Is it the work that you don’t want to do? Are you scared of eating lettuce instead of burgers? What’s the deal?

Ryan Stewman

Another of the strategy to close the deal is you got to dig in with those objections as well. Here’s the thing. As Americans, we get uncomfortable with objections. As soon as someone throws one up we’re like, “Okay cool! I believe you. I don’t want to get uncomfortable talking to you and trying to change your mind like I believe every word you said. Good, thank you for lying to me. Okay! We can end this conversation now before anybody gets awkward”.

What’s needs to happen is you’re going to get uncomfortable and get them uncomfortable too. Sometimes, people say “What if they don’t like me? Then they’re not going to buy from me?” Who cares?

Ryan Stewman

It seems like I have more people that probably don’t like me than those who like me. I’m okay with that. Not everybody’s that way, but learn to deal with it. That’s just part of having thick skin and being in sales. Perhaps it’s one of those all-time ways to close the deal.

The other thing is “Well, I don’t want to be pushy” why not? They need to be pushed.

Ryan Stewman

Then hire someone else to do it for you. Hire a salesman that does love it so you can still close the deal even though you dislike sales or being pushy.

But here’s the thing about being pushy.

If you know that someone needs a result, and is suffering a pain because of a lack of result and you have the power, capacity, and ability to attain that result for them, but you don’t push them into making the right decisions to solve their problem, then you’re an a**hole. That’s not a pushy person.

Ryan Stewman

You’re only a pushy that’s a bad type of a**hole if you are trying to maliciously take advantage of someone. You’re taking their money, and not solving their problem.

If they have a problem that you can solve and you know what the best for them is, you owe it to them and to persist with them.

Ryan Stewman

You do it so they make that decision. What happens is that track’s playing in their head over and over again, “Don’t do this.” “You make that decision, you’re an idiot.” “Your wife’s’ going to laugh at you.” “The guys at work are going to cut your tie again. Don’t do this.”

Ryan Stewman

You got to push them through that because once they do make that decision, and you hold them accountable while you deliver on your end, they will thank you for forever. You can change people’s lives.

I have people tell me that “Because of you Ryan, I’m now a millionaire.” Do you know what it feels like? It’s the same people I had to say uncomfortable things to. They probably would have punched me if we would have been face to face.

Ryan Stewman

Now, they’re worth a million dollars, and they can say “Hey! Thank you Ryan, for pushing me.” I say like “Hey I believed in you. I pushed you. If I didn’t believe in you, I would have just left it at the surface objection but you have what it takes. I’m an a**hole if I don’t help you get what you’re owed because you got what it takes.

Ryan Stewman

Dumping money into something that’s not working is painful. You’re there to say “Let me stop this pain for you”. Losing money is painful whether it would be at poker, internet, advertising, or whatever it is.

Ryan Stewman

Yup, that’s it.