What separates the best from the rest...and what the best sales people & baseball players have in common.. Ep 73

In this discussion, the host emphasizes the importance of consistency over novelty in sales and business, drawing parallels with sports to illustrate the point. He argues that the best salespeople and baseball players aren't necessarily equipped with unique skills or secrets, but rather they excel through routine and repetition, which leads to consistent performance. The host cites the success of McDonald's as an example of consistency's value in business, stressing that dependability is highly prized by both customers and employers. He also touches on the importance of recognizing patterns and moving from conscious competence to unconscious competence through practice, thereby becoming consistently great at a skill. The host concludes by encouraging sales managers to focus on consistent execution rather than searching for new tactics or strategies.

• The speaker reflects on the key lesson that the best salespeople and baseball players share common traits.
• The misconception that top performers have secret techniques is debunked.
• Consistency and routine are highlighted as the factors that separate the best from the rest.
• The speaker uses the metaphor of a basketball player's foul shot to illustrate the importance of a consistent approach.
• The conversation shifts to how this concept applies to successful businesses, using McDonald's as an example.

"And so it makes you really introspective. And I don't think that I know anything that's fundamentally different than most people."

The speaker is expressing humility and introspection, acknowledging that his success is not due to secret knowledge but rather to something more universally accessible.

"It's just that they consistently do really well. And so they have these routines that they get themselves in so that they can get consistent."

This quote emphasizes the importance of consistency and routine in achieving top performance, suggesting that these are the key differentiators.

"Just like when you're approaching the plate, every single conversation, your setup should be the same because you want to have the perfect swing, right?"

The speaker compares the consistent setup in sales to a baseball player's approach to the plate, reinforcing the idea that a uniform approach is crucial for success.

"What is one of the most successful businesses out there? That's been brick and mortar, right? McDonald's."

By mentioning McDonald's, the speaker is about to draw a parallel between the consistency in individual performance and the consistency found in successful business models.

• The speaker challenges the belief that top salespeople possess secret techniques.
• The idea that specific words or questions can dramatically increase sales is refuted.
• The speaker's personal experience with sales and recognition from peers is used to provide context.

"And the further up we've gone, and it's weird when I've always considered myself a student of sales, to then have people know Russell Brunson, who's considered a very good salesperson, to say, like, this is his words, that I was the best salesperson he'd ever seen, and that a whole bunch of other nice things."

The speaker shares a personal anecdote about being praised by a well-known salesperson, which serves to frame his authority on the subject of sales.

"I used to think for a long time, was that the best salespeople knew something that I didn't know or had some secret technique that I wasn't aware of."

This quote reveals the speaker's past belief in the existence of secret sales techniques, which he has since come to reject in favor of the value of consistency.

• The speaker begins to transition the discussion from individual performance to business practices.
• The concept of consistency is about to be linked to the success of brick-and-mortar businesses.

"Now, how does that concept apply to running your business? Right. What is one of the most successful businesses out there? That's been brick and mortar, right? McDonald's."

The speaker is setting the stage to explain how the principles of consistency and routine that apply to individuals in sales and sports also apply to running a successful business, with McDonald's as the case in point.

• Consistency is highly valued in the marketplace, both by customers and within businesses.
• Dependability is a key trait for employees; being able to consistently perform well is more valuable than fluctuating performance.
• A consistent performer becomes a cornerstone of a business, providing a reliable foundation to build upon.
• Inconsistency requires more attention from business owners, which can detract value from the business.

"Being consistent is one of the most highly valued things in the marketplace, both from your customers to you and then also from you to your employees."

This quote emphasizes the importance of consistency in business, suggesting that it is a trait that is highly prized by both customers and employers.

"That's what you call someone who is dependable, right? That becomes a rock in your business."

The speaker is defining dependability as a form of consistency that is essential for a stable business, likening dependable employees to a "rock" or cornerstone.

"No one likes the Primadonna that's hot for a week and then cold for a week, and then hot for a week and then cold for a week."

The speaker contrasts consistency with erratic performance, suggesting that inconsistency is undesirable and likening it to a "Primadonna" who demands too much attention.

• The growth of the podcast is attributed to word of mouth, and listener reviews are a critical part of this.
• The hosts encourage listeners to rate and review the show as a form of support.
• The act of reviewing is presented as a simple, quick task that can be done while listening to the podcast.

"The only way that podcast grows is through word of mouth, and this is you joining hands with me and helping as many entrepreneurs as we possibly can."

This quote explains the significance of listener engagement and reviews in growing the podcast's audience, emphasizing the collaborative effort between the host and listeners.

"It would mean the absolute world to me if you guys would go ahead and do that."

The speaker expresses a personal appeal to the listeners, indicating the value they place on audience reviews.

• Conviction is developed through repetition and practice.
• Speaking with conviction is desirable and can be achieved by working through self-doubt.
• The analogy of improving at squatting through practice is used to illustrate the process of gaining conviction.

"Conviction just comes from repetition. It's time under the bar, right? You get better at squatting by squatting more."

This quote draws a parallel between physical exercise and developing conviction, suggesting that practice and experience are key to improvement in both areas.

"You have to outwork your self-doubt."

The speaker provides advice on gaining conviction, implying that overcoming self-doubt requires effort and dedication.

• Successful sales require practice and repetition, similar to training in a sport.
• Expertise in sales, as in chess, comes from recognizing patterns quickly.
• All-star salespeople start by consciously remembering what questions to ask.
• Over time, asking the right questions becomes a subconscious action.
• Pattern recognition leads to consistent performance without cold streaks.

And if you want to get good at sales, you got to do repetitions, right? And you got to get better.

This quote emphasizes the importance of practice and repetition in becoming skilled at sales.

They just recognize patterns faster. They're like, I've had this conversation before, I know what to say right here.

The speaker highlights that expert salespeople excel because they can quickly identify patterns in customer interactions, allowing them to respond effectively.

You've outworked your level of shittiness, right? So there is no shortcut to it.

Here, the speaker suggests that through hard work and repetition, salespeople can overcome their initial lack of skill.

• Consistency is crucial for high performance in sales and sports.
• The best performers are always "on" and do not have cold streaks.
• They maintain a consistent level of performance rather than relying on occasional peak games.
• Consistent performers know how to achieve their "hot streak" regularly.

The best people just know how to always be on.

This quote indicates that the most successful individuals are those who can consistently perform at a high level.

Their averages are not brought up by the one or two or three games that everyone remembers.

The speaker points out that consistent performers do not rely on a few standout moments to bolster their performance averages.

• A structured, repetitive routine can lead to wealth and success.
• Consistency in daily life can result in consistent outcomes in work.
• Controlling variables in a routine allows for fine-tuning to achieve desired results.
• The speaker shares their personal routine, underscoring the value of consistency.

Boring makes you money, boring makes you rich, boring makes you money, boring makes you money. Because boring makes you consistent.

This quote underscores the belief that a consistent, perhaps mundane, routine is the key to financial success.

We're always up by six. Sometimes we wake up earlier just because. But we're always up by six.

The speaker shares a specific element of their daily routine, waking up at the same time every day, as an example of how consistency contributes to their success.

• Improvement is achieved through consistent practice of good habits rather than acquiring new information.
• Consistency in performing good actions leads to mastery and excellence.
• The best performers in any field are those who engage in regular, repetitive training.
• Recognizing patterns quickly is crucial for moving from conscious competence to unconscious competence.

"And so if you want to get better, you don't need to get better, you need to do the good things consistently."

This quote emphasizes the importance of consistency over the pursuit of new knowledge for improvement.

"It's not an acquisition of information thing. It's how readily accessible is that same fundamental information to you."

The speaker highlights that having fundamental knowledge easily accessible and top-of-mind is more important than constantly seeking new information.

"You will get better at sales faster because you will be able to recognize patterns faster, right?"

Recognizing patterns quickly through consistent practice is key to improving sales skills, as stated by the speaker.

• Conscious competence involves being aware and focused to perform well.
• Unconscious competence is the ability to perform well without conscious thought.
• The transition from conscious to unconscious competence requires repetition and pattern recognition.
• Achieving unconscious competence leads to consistency in performance.

"And when you can recognize patterns faster, you go from conscious competence to unconscious competence."

This quote describes the progression from needing to think about each action to performing actions instinctively through pattern recognition.

"You don't even have to think about it and you're good."

The speaker is explaining that with enough practice, good performance becomes an automatic response.

• Consistent practice is the secret to becoming great in any skill.
• The outcome of consistency is the ability to reliably produce desired results.
• Mistaking natural talent for the result of consistent practice is a common misconception.
• Having a routine can help reduce the chances of inconsistent performance.

"That's what people mistake. It's like, oh, it's because he's some superstar. It's never that. It's just that you can consistently elicit the outcome that you're looking for, whatever skill it is."

This quote corrects the common misconception that excellence is due to innate talent rather than the result of consistent practice.

"And if you don't have a pre foul shot dance and if you don't have a little pre step up to the plate routine, then you're leaving your outcomes up to more chance than they should be."

The speaker suggests that having a pre-performance routine can lead to more consistent and controlled outcomes.

• The speaker encourages sharing the message with team members and sales managers.
• The goal is to apply the concept of consistency to improve sales performance.
• The message is intended to be useful for those experiencing fluctuating performance levels.

"So, anyways, I thought this might be useful for you or some of your teammates."

The speaker believes that the concept of consistency could be beneficial to the listener and their colleagues.

"Or if you have a sales manager who's hot and cold, maybe tag him in here."

This quote suggests that the advice could help sales managers who struggle with inconsistent performance.