E300 | Challenging the Traditional Sales Approach The Myth of ‘People Buy People’ with the UK’s Most Hated Sales Trainer, Benjamin Dennehy
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In the 300th episode of MYFB, Dominic Monkhouse interviews the man who’s been called the UK’s Most Hated Sales Trainer, Benjamin Dennehy, to discuss the art of selling and the common misconceptions about sales. They explore the importance of self-confidence, being in control, and understanding the motivations behind prospects’ questions. Benjamin emphasises the need for salespeople to focus on having meaningful conversations and helping prospects discover their needs rather than pushing products or services. He also highlights the importance of hiring and training salespeople effectively and challenges the traditional sales approach of show up, throw up, and hope for the best. In this conversation, the UK’s Most Hated Sales Trainer shares his unconventional approach to sales and prospecting. He emphasises the importance of getting prospects emotional and focuses on the purpose of a prospecting call. He also discusses the need for consultative selling and the importance of asking probing questions. The conversation covers topics such as the future of cold calling, the myth of ‘people buy people,’ and the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship.
On today’s podcast:
- Sales is the art of conversation and enabling prospects to discover their needs.
- Good salespeople are self-confident and in control, while poor salespeople often beg and plead.
- Salespeople should focus on understanding the motivations behind prospects’ questions and avoid making assumptions.
- Hiring and training salespeople effectively is crucial for success in sales.
- The traditional approach of show up, throw up, and hope for the best is ineffective. The purpose of a prospecting call is to get the prospect emotional.
- Consultative selling requires asking probing questions and understanding the prospect’s pain points.
- Cold calling will become more challenging with the rise of AI, but there will still be a need for skilled salespeople.
- The myth that ‘people buy people’ is not entirely true; people buy people who are like them.
- Entrepreneurship requires taking risks and being willing to fail.
- Success in sales is about mastering a methodology and continuously improving.
- Salespeople should focus on critical thinking, communication, and emotional control.
- It’s important to know when to quit and when to persevere in business.
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Who is Benjamin Dennehy
He’s been called the UK’s most hated sales trainer and the GOAT of cold-calling; Benjamin Dennehy is an engaging and entertaining trainer and speaker. He will shake up your thinking about your role and function in sales with humour, insight and psychology.
Benjamin is The UK’s Most Hated Sales Trainer, but why?
Marketing of course. He made it up. There is no international body that measures hostility towards sales trainers. (should there be?)
Having said that, he does make brutal observations that many in sales recognise and accept as true. Sometimes those truths hurt. Take, why are most people in sales? Answer – not by design but by default.
Benjamin qualified as a Barrister and was called to the bar in New Zealand. Did he ever imagine he’d be in sales, let alone teaching it? Nope. Very few people wanted to be in sales as a kid (there’s always the odd exception, so bully for you!). They wanted to be astronauts, lawyers, doctors etc – so what happened, how did they end up in sales? They grew up, got a degree in Sports Psychology and realised that in the real world no-one would pay them for that knowledge. They needed a job. Who’s always hiring? That’s right, Sales. They’re young, thin, look good in a suit and can string a sentence together whilst not dribbling in the interview. That’s all you need to qualify as a sales professional. So, the fact most people are doing a role that deep down they never wanted to do explains why so many are mediocre to average, at best. That hurts, but it’s also true. This is why he’s hated!
What you’ll learn from Benjamin Dennehy
04:00 Book Recommendations and the Misconception of Sales Books
07:19 Why the UK’s Most Hated Sales Trainer is Hated
09:08 The Problem with Traditional Sales Approaches
23:19 The Art of Asking and Answering Questions in Sales
28:44 Creating Comfort and Lowering Walls in Sales Conversations
31:25 Getting Prospects Emotional: The Purpose of a Prospecting Call
33:44 Consultative Selling: Asking Probing Questions and Understanding Pain Points
35:42 The Future of Cold Calling and the Rise of AI
39:03The Myth of ‘People Buy People’
45:49 The Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship
50:40 Mastering a Methodology: Continuous Improvement in Sales
51:33 Critical Thinking, Communication, and Emotional Control in Sales
59:51 Knowing When to Quit and When to Persevere in Business