Do What’s Right for the Customer, and Create Your Path to Success
Knowing your strengths is important, but when it comes to long-term success, do good by your customer, for years of success.
George Penyak and Mike Cochrane are both from Restaurant Technologies, a company in the foodservice industry that provides oil management solutions to both commercial kitchens and non-commercial organizations. George Penyak was the #1 Sales Executive for 3 years in a row, before moving into his current role as Regional Sales Manager for the Southern Atlantic Coast, where he lead his team to the #1 position in his very first year. Mike Cochrane handles direct Sales of Foodservice Facilities in virtually the entire states of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee, and was awarded the Rookie of the Year award in his first year at the company. Tune in, as George and Mike share tips and strategies for becoming a top-tier salesperson by knowing your strengths and playing to them, but also by doing what’s right for the customer to ensure your years of success.
Tweetable Quotes:
“You always want to engage the prospect through an area of strength.” – Mike Cochrane Tweet this
“Read up on what your customers are reading!” – George Penyak Tweet this
“I value time as gold.” – George Penyak Tweet this
“It’s okay to disconnect, feel comfortable with that, and just go execute.” – George Penyak Tweet this
“It’s too small of a world. So, I always want to try to do what’s right for the customer.” – Mike Cochrane Tweet this
“Experience is a function of expectation.” – Scott Ingram Tweet this
“When the company wins, we all win.” – George Penyak Tweet this
“It’s incredible how close you can get, through just being vulnerable.” – George Penyak Tweet this
“Just [know] your market like the back of your hand, where your key customers are, and where your key prospects are.” – George Penyak Tweet this
Key Takeaways:
[:25] Scott introduces his two guests for this episode — George Penyak and Mike Cochrane of Restaurant Technologies.
[1:01] Scott gives a shout out to the team at Podfly.net!
[1:25] Scott believes one of the reasons George and Mike are the best, is because of their preparation.
[1:42] Mike and George share the three things that have allowed them to get to the top of their game. Mike says — A keen sense of self-awareness, a natural curiosity, having a good understanding of the probability of closing a sale. George says — confidence, passion, a competitive drive.
[16:28] Scott thanks his sponsor, Nudge!
[17:20] How does Mike tune his ability to identify deals that he can close, and what does he do about the ones he knows he can’t?
[20:40] What does George’s planning look like, to develop his confidence in knowing he’s going to be #1?
[25:50] Mike and George share more keys to success — do what’s right for the customer, always leave doors open, create a win-win for you and the customer, through greater clarity.
[31:55] Scott observes that a lot of the most successful salespeople benefit from networks and referrals that come from being in the same industry or company over a period of time.
[33:05] Mike’s last tip for success — know exactly what you’re going to be doing tomorrow.
[35:15] Is Mike a morning person or a night owl? It’s important to know yourself to figure out when you’re most productive!
[37:25] What is George’s role now? How did he get to having the #1 team?
[43:35] Mike talks a little about his background, and how he got started in sales.
[48:30] Is there anything Mike would have done differently, coming into sales, to lay an even better foundation for success?
[50:00] What would George have done differently in his career path?
[58:18] George quantifies his results and successes in his Sales Executive and Regional Sales Manager roles.
[1:02:35] Creating a safe environment for his team to express themselves truthfully, has allowed George to coach his team better.
[1:03:45] Mike puts his results from his first year at Restaurant Technologies into perspective. What was it like being a part of George’s team? What was George’s impact on him?
[1:11:14] How does Mike set up his day, starting from the night before, when he plans for the day ahead?
[1:14:15] Mike spends a lot of time driving, when he goes out to meet prospects, due to the large area he covers.
[1:14:55] What does Mike do with all the time he spends driving?
[1:16:09] Scott has built a list of sales-focused podcasts — find it at top1sales.wpengine.com/sales-podcasts!
[1:16:40] Are there any apps or tools that Mike uses, and gets a lot of value out of, throughout the day?
[1:18:00] Is George a morning person or a night owl?
[1:21:03] What are some other tools that George uses to manage his team?
[1:25:36] Scott has a bonus for you! Craig Rosenberg, the Funnelholic, is hosting the 2nd Annual TOPO Summit in San Francisco on April 12-13, and Scott will be there too! Find out more at top1sales.wpengine.com/topo! Scott’s giving away a ticket to the event on February 24, at the Sales Success Community — be sure to check it out!
[1:26:25] What was George’s thought process during the transition from his individual contributor role, to a management role? How does he feel now?
[1:32:07] George challenges you to know your strengths and weaknesses, find a mentor, look at the upside of everything, and execute.
[1:34:43] Mike challenges you to increase your self-awareness, and restructure what you’re doing, to approach your customers and prospects from an area of strength.
[1:36:30] George leaves us with some words of wisdom — If you don’t believe in the product or service you’re selling, find something else. NOW.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Top1.fm
Nudge
George Penyak on LinkedIn
Mike Cochrane on LinkedIn
Restaurant Technologies
Podfly
Brian Burns – The Brutal Truth About Selling Podcast
Scott’s List of Sales Podcasts
SignNow
CamCard
Expensify
CamScanner
Craig Rosenberg – The Funnelholic
2nd Annual TOPO Summit