𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣. “Maybe I’m the problem.” I hear some version of that line quite often. Usually from someone good. Someone who has sold well before, somewhere else. A few weeks or months into a new role, the numbers aren’t coming, and they’ve started to wonder if they’re not as good as they thought they were. So we look at it together. Not their calls and performance first (which they are expecting). No, first, the role itself. The company, the lead quality and flow, the pre-call experience outside their control, the culture, the expectations and the type of prospect who books most of the calls. I usually have many questions. Questions like how many other reps on the team are currently producing? Producing numbers that match what they were told was normal before accepting the role - and that would count as a real success for the sales pro. The answer is often a handful. Sometimes, nobody at all. What do a normal month’s lead flow and performance look like for someone 30, 60, 90 days in - and how does that compare to what other new reps are getting right now? Often nobody ever told them. Did they hear recent calls from the current top performers before starting? Often not, or maybe one or two old ones. Is there a working call structure, or is everyone figuring it out live? Figuring it out live is great for an expert but poor for someone newer to the work. What kind of buyer are they speaking to all day? Sometimes not the kind they’re built for or want to work with (this is especially the case with higher-level pros). Who do they actually report to, and what feedback has come from them - are things normal or abnormal right now? They assumed the person who hired them would be their contact and keep them informed but that’s often not the case. So many questions… Yet none of those questions got asked before they said yes to the new role. Every one of them got answered after, if at all. That’s the pattern. The questions you don’t ask before you accept a role become the answers you pay for once you’re in it.

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨. I stopped writing and posting content regularly 8 months ago. Before that, I shared my thoughts - first on Facebook, later on Substack and LinkedIn. I did this daily for five years. It worked. It forced me to unpack my thoughts and put them into written words, which gave me a clearer relationship with them - and far better use of them on calls. It brought great people into my world. Every client I’ve taken on in my coaching business came from those posts or from referrals. I’ve never run a paid ad. It worked for my students too. Many of them built visibility, a network and credibility through their own posts, and went on to land much better selling roles. Yet I stopped. Why? Because I no longer wanted to do it. I was more drawn to other things than to daily writing. And that reason - wanting something, or no longer wanting it - is something I talk about all the time with the sales pros I coach. The stage where decisions switch from primarily a “need” or “feeling they should” (obligation) to a “want”. It’s a big switch. Early on, or when we’re operating from lack or scarcity, it’s mostly need. Sometimes obligation. “I need to do this...” “I really should do that...” I’ve been there. When I started posting five years ago, I needed things. I needed to sharpen my thinking, my conviction in my positions and how I communicated. I needed visibility, because I still felt unknown in the remote selling world. I needed new relationships that could lead to better opportunities. Later, as I moved into coaching, I needed credibility. I needed my first paying students. I needed to share their wins to find the next ones. These needs led to great outcomes. Five years on, my situation has changed. I’m fortunate to now make decisions in my sales work and my coaching work based on want. What I want to do. What I’m drawn to. Who I want to help and be around. What I will allow, and what I won’t.

Just went live - www.michaeldunlevy.com - for more information about my approach / the work I do with students / why I do what I do etc.

Quick update guys I'm currently working on a lot of new content for the paid group. I'll be making some of that available here for free very soon. News to come! Michael

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 "𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴" 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 "𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲" 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. By design too. "Hiding" of things like: - that this is even a sales call / interaction for starters (hello "evaluation / "strategy session" / "XYZ" call etc) and from this all the below stem: - that we are even salespeople - that we will structure this questions-based style (over just unloading free info onto them) and that those question we will dig for pain / twist the knife there as appropriate - that there will be a discussion about making real change - that we will ask for decisions and then action - ideally buying our stuff! - on this call - that we won't roll over and just "accept" any excuses or push back they may throw our way (especially when they're trying not to decide or act on buying our stuff and now) *** we also hide the price point to the end with this approach too until after they've "seen the value"! All of this then leads to "hope": - I hope they don't know / think - pre call - that this is a sales call or notice too much when it becomes one - I hope they are at a stage in their journey where they are ready, willing and able to discuss solutions to said problems - I hope they're in a position where they can and are willing to decide now and on this call - I hope they have the resources and willingness to actually invest in our help at the price point we require Doesn't all the above just feel ineffective and weak? Ineffective and weak as it's dishonest and misleading (and we wonder why we as salespeople are not trusted!). Ineffective and weak as it shows a fear - from our end - to be honest and upfront with them (and ourselves). Ineffective and weak as it assumes the prospect is not - or can't already be - problem aware / solution ready when there are always many out there in that state (or close to that) and that is who we should be targeting. Ineffective and weak as it plays defense over offence (defense being "I hope they don't notice or mind when I push my sales-related agenda" vs offence being "you have the problem, we may the solution and our help isn't for free so let's explore your situation and our potential help openly and see where we land!).