Ian Altman discusses strategies for expanding existing accounts without appearing pushy. He criticizes common sales tactics like offering capabilities briefings, which customers often find unappealing. Altman introduces the concept of the "client vision pyramid," which categorizes client needs into effective, enhanced, and engaged levels. He advises salespeople to highlight unique services they offer to their best clients and to take responsibility for not discussing these before. This approach can lead to more effective sales, larger deal sizes, and stronger client relationships. Altman also mentions research indicating that many clients believe their current vendor can provide additional services but are unaware of them.

Biggest Mistakes

• Ian Altman introduces the topic of expanding existing accounts without pushing, a common challenge faced by many organizations.
• He criticizes typical sales approaches that sound pushy and unappealing to customers, such as offering briefings on new capabilities or produc
• Ian emphasizes the need for a better approach that piques the customer's interest by highlighting unique value propositions.
• He introduces the concept of "Access displacement disorder," where salespeople mistakenly believe the world revolves around them.

Best Practices

• Ian Altman suggests framing the conversation around the client's problems and how the salesperson's additional services can solve them.
• He recommends not fishing for business but rather offering to discuss additional services if they are relevant to the client's needs.
• Ian highlights the importance of showing up as someone who solves problems, not just someone trying to sell.
• He shares research indicating that many clients believe their existing vendor can deliver additional services but are unaware of them.

Ian Altman discusses the difference between real and wishful sales forecasts on the Same Side Selling podcast. He emphasizes that salespeople are optimistic by nature and often provide unrealistic forecasts, especially when deals are forecasted to close at the end of the month, which frequently get pushed to the next month. Altman advises sales managers to ask more probing questions to uncover the true status of deals, such as understanding the client's motivations and alternatives. By focusing on meaningful questions, managers can identify real deals faster and improve sales accuracy.

Biggest Mistakes

• Ian elaborates on the issue of salespeople providing optimistic forecasts, often citing vague dates like the end of the month, which are more hopeful than realistic.
• He points out that salespeople may delay providing specific dates to maximize the time available to close a deal, which can lead to unrealistic expectations.
• Ian advises sales managers to question the rationale behind forecasted dates, especially if they are the last day of the month, to uncover whether the date is truly constrained by the client's schedule or merely a hopeful estimate.
• He suggests that managers should probe deeper into the reasons behind the client's decision-making process to understand their motivations and alternatives, which can help in distinguishing between real and wishful forecasts.

Best Practices

• Ian recommends asking more meaningful questions during sales meetings to uncover the true status and likelihood of deals, such as what would happen if the client did not choose the salesperson's company, and why the client might choose an alternative.
• He emphasizes the importance of understanding the client's motivations and the significance of specific dates, as this can provide insights into the client's decision-making process and the likelihood of closing the deal.
• Ian advises sales managers to encourage their teams to think from the client's perspective, focusing on what the client needs to believe in order to make a decision, rather than just relying on optimistic forecasts.
• He suggests that by consistently asking these types of questions, salespeople will be better prepared and more likely to identify and pursue real deals, leading to faster and more successful outcomes.

Ian Altman discusses the pros and cons of using AI in sales. He emphasizes that AI should be used as a tool to assist, not replace human efforts. Poor use includes AI-generated emails sent without editing, which often fail to engage customers. Effective use includes leveraging AI for drafting and summarizing tasks, such as using Otter.ai for meeting transcriptions and show notes. Altman advises against using AI for outreach or intake, citing examples of AI mishandling scheduling. He concludes that AI, when used intelligently, can enhance engagement, efficiency, and client connection, ultimately improving sales outcomes.

Biggest Mistakes

• Ian discusses common mistakes people make when using AI to create emails or letters for prospects.
• He explains that while AI can draft messages, they often fail to resonate with the customer's perspective.
• Ian shares an example of an AI-generated email that passed the "smell test" but would not have been effective.
• He emphasizes the need to put oneself in the customer's shoes to ensure the message is genuinely engaging.

Best Practices

• Ian shares how his team uses Otter.ai to record and summarize meetings, saving time on transcription and note-taking.
• He explains that Otter.ai's AI tool generates show notes with minimal editing required, enhancing efficiency.
• Ian mentions that AI tools like Otter.ai can help in analyzing speech and summarizing conversations accurately.
• He discusses the potential of AI to improve over time, such as using it for role-playing to better engage with customers.

Ian Altman introduces the connection between high-performing sales professionals and role play. Top performers practice role playing for at least one hour per week, with some dedicating 90 minutes to two hours weekly. Ian explains that regular practice leads to better productivity and performance in sales interactions. He highlights common excuses people give for not embracing role play, such as being better in person with clients. Ian argues that people who feel they perform better in person are kidding themselves and need to embrace role play for improvement. He stresses the importance of getting feedback during role play to avoid making costly mistakes in real client interactions. Ian suggests role-playing different scenarios to prepare for various client situations, reducing pressure and improving confidence. He addresses complaints about repetitive role-playing by introducing the concept of secret cards to add variety and realism. Ian compares the practice habits of top performers in various fields, such as athletes and musicians, to sales professionals. He argues that consistent practice leads to better performance and results in sales. Ian shares success stories from members of his Same Side Selling Academy who practice role play weekly and achieve record results. He encourages listeners to adopt a weekly role-playing routine to see similar improvements in their sales performance.

Biggest Mistakes

• Believing that you perform better in real situations than in role-play.
• Not practicing and making costly mistakes with real clients.
• Always role-playing with the same person, leading to repetitive scenarios.
• Providing unhelpful feedback, either overly positive or overly critical.
• Not practicing regularly or consistently.

Best Practices

• Practice role-playing for at least one hour per week, with top performers doing 90 minutes to two hours weekly.
• Use a “secret card” system to introduce variety in role-playing scenarios.
• Implement a structured feedback system after each role-play session.
• Focus on one key improvement area at a time during feedback.
• Role-play consistently every week throughout the year.

Ian Altman and Tamsen Webster discuss her new book, "Say What They Can't Unhear," which focuses on creating messages that stick and lead to sustained action. Tamsen emphasizes the importance of aligning sales messaging with existing client beliefs and leveraging their desire to be seen as smart, capable, and good. She introduces nine persuasion proverbs, such as "Change isn't just an action, it's a reaction" and "Identity is the greatest influencer," to help salespeople build long-term buy-in. They also discuss the pitfalls of challenging deeply held beliefs and the value of validating clients' initial choices to ensure lasting commitment.

Biggest Mistakes

• Going straight to what we think will be remarkable or sticky without ensuring relevance.
• Focusing on quick action rather than long-term, sustained changes in thinking or behavior.
• Jumping to the solution without understanding why the problem is important to the client.
• Trying to change deeply held beliefs instead of finding stronger, aligned beliefs.
• Making clients feel bad about their past decisions or current vendors.

Best Practices

• Use clients' existing beliefs in your favor rather than challenging them.
• Focus on long-term, sustained changes in thinking or behavior rather than quick action.
• Give clients all the pieces of the story they need to tell themselves why your solution makes sense.
• Articulate your approach in a way that feels universally true to the client.
• Leverage the client's experience and what they know to be true to explain why your product works.

Ian Altman shares strategies for optimizing trade show experiences. He emphasizes setting objectives, identifying key attendees, and tailoring booth design and messaging to address attendees' problems. Altman advises against collecting numerous business cards and instead, engaging in meaningful conversations that address the attendees' needs. By prioritizing the attendees' problems, organizations can achieve better results from trade shows.

Action Items

• Update booth design and messaging to focus on top problems solved
• Reach out in advance to known attendees to discuss trends
• Schedule follow-up calls with interested prospects to qualify for fit
• Analyze leads captured to prioritize the subset of folks for in-depth discussions

Next steps

• Set up a time to meet with interested attendees after the trade show.
• Schedule a call the week after the trade show with attendees who expressed interest.
• No specific individuals were assigned responsibility for follow-ups.

Outline

• Focus on specific objectives and goals for trade shows to ensure the best results.
• Engage prospects with industry trends and initiatives to build meaningful connections.
• Focus booth design and messaging on problems solved, not products offered.
• Ask attendees what inspired them to stop by, then tailor the demo to their needs.
• Ian Altman: Focus on solving problems, not selling products.
• Identify ideal clients, gauge interest, and schedule follow-up.
• Avoid demos and ask open-ended questions to understand problems.