Slow Down and Focus on the Customer – Matt Easton | Easton University

Transcription:

Jim Fitzpatrick:
So Matt, thank you so much for taking the time out of your schedule to join us.

Matt Easton:
Thanks for having me, Jim. It’s an honor and a privilege.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Great, great. So one thing that you know is social media, for sure. I mean, you’ve conquered that and you’ve done such an incredible job. I know it’s something near and dear to your heart for salespeople and business owners alike to get out there and get yourself in front of masses of people, because that’s where the money lies.

Matt Easton:
Correct, absolutely.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Talk to us about today, with social media being so popular out there and there’s being so much access to so much information, how do salespeople and business owners, separate themselves out there from some of the clutter and some of the competitions, so to speak that’s out there?

Matt Easton:
Yeah, that’s a terrific question because sales has completely changed. In the past, my job as your sales professional was to provide you with information. You already have that today. It’s right there on your phone. If you talk about it, you’re going to get served up ads. I got an ad the other night for a dog bed because I brought it up with my wife. Suddenly somebody out there-

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Somebody, somewhere, that’s right.

Matt Easton:
… In the cloud was listening. So our job has changed. It’s no longer about just to provide the information, it’s really in this world of information overload, Jim, it’s about helping them make a decision. And that’s a big difference. In the past, I would just give you information. You were limited to where you could get information. So it’d be easy for you to make a decision. Now today, you’re overloaded with information.

Matt Easton:
You almost have too much. A lot of it misinformation. So you almost need somebody to come in like a therapist and help you make that decision. And if the audience can just focus on that. Instead of spending all of their time, talking about features, benefits, bells, whistles. What’s most important to you. Why is that? When do you need the product? What makes that date important? If they can learn about your life and then help you focus on making a decision and for the really great ones out there, they should be caring most about I want to help this person make the right decision. And even if that’s not with me, I’m going to do my job. That’s where it really comes to play in social is if I can be ethical, if I can help you make a decision and I can be like a therapist. And on those few occasions when it’s not a fit with me, you are going to go into social and treat me right.

Matt Easton:
What we don’t want to do is just sit there and pound customers with features, benefits, and all kinds of data. Our job now is to give them enough information to make a decision. Keyword being enough.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Enough. Right, right. Yeah. Because you can overload them with information. So much so that you actually hinder making the deals. Now they’re like, whoa, now there’s so many things to think about here when in reality they didn’t need all of those things to think about.

Matt Easton:
Absolutely right. And I would say with our students at Easton University, one of the biggest things that they come to us with in day one is how do I handle I need to think about it? I can help them with that. But the easiest way is to avoid that altogether and not give them too much to think about and realize most of the time they’re already coming to us overloaded with too many things to think about.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah. There’s no question about it. And especially you throw social media in the mix and now they’re getting information from everywhere. In addition to going on Google and other sites to say, let me get all the information I need on this product or service. Which to your point, I think you’re right, a lot of people do have that feature and benefit already in. That’s why they’re calling you. That’s why they’re standing in front of you.

Matt Easton:
Yes. And it’s little, small tweaks. It’s amazing some of the smallest things can make the biggest difference. For example, if you’re calling me and I’m answering the phone I don’t want to say, “How can I help you?” It’s old school and it doesn’t do us any good. But if I just say, “What can I get you information on?” Now you’re going to tell me the areas that you need information on. Another great question that nobody asks, what research have you done on us? If you’ve got to run a marathon. How long’s a marathon. I don’t know, 20 miles?

Jim Fitzpatrick:
26 miles.

Matt Easton:
26 miles, okay. You can tell I’m not a runner. And you have a choice of going against all these professional athletes and running the whole 26 miles or just stepping across the finish line. Which would you rather have?

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Step across the finish line, done.

Matt Easton:
The way to get there is what research have you done on us? You’ll find some people will say, “Hey, my friend, Jim. You worked with him. I want what he bought.” Perfect. Does it make sense for me to send the paperwork over to you? You can start at the finish line? But if I don’t ask simple questions like that. This is where a lot of us don’t understand the psychology and the stress of being a consumer, especially on high ticket sales. You will answer whatever question I ask you. So if I start with what’s your budget, you’re going to answer that. If I start with, what research have you done on us? I know exactly what I want. I’ve been here four times. You worked with my brother-in-law. You’re going to tell me where I need to start.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
And so we need to have the sales people, and managers, and business owners slow down. Slow down and find out what’s the motivation. Why is that customer even calling you, clicking, or calling, or coming into your showroom?That’s first and foremost. Why are they there? Why are they in the market at this time?

Matt Easton:
Absolutely right. The key is to slow down and focus on that customer. And all of my students, and the majority of your people, wouldn’t be tuning into you if they weren’t good, ethical, want to do better, want to help people, people. But that being said, we can want to help people and do it in the wrong way. So we need to slow down and let that person do the talking. Even though we know so much and we know we want to help them. Imagine if you went to the doctor and you got a problem with your knee. And as soon as you walked in the doctor went, “Hey, I went to John’s Hopkins, we’ve got this, and by the way, we’ve got a new 4K scanner,” and talked all about all this stuff. You’re not going to want to work with that doctor. I don’t care if they were first in their class. But if the other doctor was, “Tell me about what’s going on with your knee, Jim.”

Jim Fitzpatrick:
How’d you get it?

Matt Easton:
“How’d you get it? Does it hurt at night? Does it hurt in the morning? Just out of curiosity, does it hurt when you’re going upstairs or downstairs or both?” That’s the doctor you want to work with. I don’t care about the bits, bites, blinking lights, whatever the… I want to work with somebody that understands me. And today the one thing that our research has shown in this world where there’s so much information out there, it’s not necessarily the sales rep or the organization with the best deal that’s getting the business. It’s the one that understands the customer.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah, and cares.

Matt Easton:
And cares and can that’s easily articulate. If I can repeat back to you my understanding of your situation, whether I’m trying to sell you a vehicle, paint your house, or fix your knee. You’re probably going to go with me.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s right. And it’s a good idea to do just what you said, do that recap. To say Mr. Customer or Mr. Prospect at this time, or Mrs. Prospect, do I understand your needs correctly? And then maybe feed it right back to them.

Matt Easton:
Exactly right. And then at that point, instead of making a pitch or trying to close, I can make a recommendation. I can say, “Hey Jim, because of the fact that you told me it’s not hurting when you go up the stairs, it’s hurting when you go down the stairs. Because of the fact that you told me it’s only been hurting for a couple weeks. What I’d like to do is I’d like to recommend physical therapy to start. And then if that’s not able to fix the problem, we’ll have you come back in and we’ll talk surgery at that point.” Fair enough? When you understand and you repeat back then it’s so much easier to say because of the fact that you said blank, I’d like to recommend blank. Whatever it is. Or because of the fact that you told me, Jim, you have to have a vehicle before your daughter’s wedding, here’s what I would like to recommend. When you understand them, it’s very, very easy to close.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah, no question. So today, how have things changed in sales from your perspective? And you’re working with hundreds of different fields and students that come into Easton University. How have things changed in sales since the pandemic? Because we hear a lot of horror stories about customer service and about the fact that somebody walks into a showroom of any kind, and because there’s a shortage of merchandise right now, regardless of what you’re selling, whether it be boats or RVs or cars or suits or whatever the case might be, people point right to the price. Okay. Do you want it or do you not want it? And it seems like we’ve lost the art of sales.

Matt Easton:
I think about that almost daily. And I feel like it’s a bit of both of this. I think we’ve lost the art of sales, but I also think Jim, that the pandemic has shined a light on some bad processes out there that before customers just dealt with.

Matt Easton:
So I don’t know if we were good. I don’t think we were ever great. I don’t know if we were good before or if we’ve kind of always been the same way and we’ve changed. But what I do know is this, because of the pandemic, because of supply shortages, not having a process. Whether it’s my process, there’s a ton of people out there. Go to the bookstore, there’s thousands of books. Find a process that works for you that resonates with you and find a process that is designed around that consumer. Assume that they know everything that you know, or possibly more right about your products and have a process that’s going to help them. You’re going to do just fine. But after the pandemic, people that don’t have a process, they’re not being successful right now because to your point, the customer has less patience and then also the customer has more power than ever before. Some of my followers have more followers than me. And the last thing you want to do is upset Jim, who has 1.4 million followers.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
That’s very true.

Matt Easton:
Most of them in the metroplex where you live. That’s not a good situation.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
No, it’s not. So what do you recommend? How should sales people today look at today’s customer that either calls, or clicks, or walks in their showroom. Because now it seems to be few and far between, because it’s such a unique market right now, right?

Matt Easton:
Yeah. And here’s the hard part with that answer is it’s not as simple as just, I want to care, I want to take more time, and I want to listen. You have to listen strategically. You have to listen empathetically, you need training to do this. So find yourself a sales process, find yourself some sales training that you can lean into. Just being a good person and a caring person is not going to get it done. The stakes are too high. That customer does not have the patience for that anymore.

Matt Easton:
Here’s the other thing, just my litness test, as you’re looking at sales training, if it’s not something that you can do with your wife. If it’s not something that you could say to your husband. If it’s not something that you feel comfortable with talking to a partner or a friend. Let’s say you ask your wife to go to dinner at a specific restaurant and she says no. And you go to your sales book and say oftentimes when I hear no it typically means two things, either you’re afraid to tell me something that I’m not hearing or maybe… If you’re like, wow, that would get me slapped, that’s probably not the sales training that’s going to work for you today. Now, if you find a training program or you find a process where you can use it with your kids, you can use it with your spouse, you would feel comfortable having this dialogue with your mother, your grandmother, your grandfather. That’s the sales process that’s going to work today because the way of us acting like a salesperson at our job-

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Like a sales machine.

Matt Easton:
Correct. And taking that hat off and going home and being a normal person is over. You have-

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Today, authenticity, you hear so much about it, but it matters. It counts. Authenticity is what people are looking for in other people that they’re doing business with. Correct?

Matt Easton:
Yes. The stakes are so much higher. I’m not walking in going, “Oh man, I’ve got to buy this vehicle. I’m just going to have to deal with this salesperson,” anymore. Because I can avoid that entire aspect of the transaction altogether now. I can circumnavigate.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
You can do it right here.

Matt Easton:
Exactly right, in any industry. So what I want to do is I want to walk in just like that doctor and I want to… This person’s here to help me. So you have to not only have it in your heart to help, but you have to have a process that’s going to help you do that.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Yeah, no question about it. Matt Easton, sales trainer, consultant, founder of Easton University. For those of you that are listening to us have this discussion, he’s right. You got to have a process. You got to have the necessary training in order to win today. These are the kinds of solutions that we want to bring you to your businesses and your showrooms. So Matt, thank you so much for joining us on the show.

Matt Easton:
It’s a pleasure. Thanks for having me.

Jim Fitzpatrick:
Great.