Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Some of the best salespeople in the world aren't wearing blazers or running webinars. And they're not dming their friends.
[00:00:08] They're actually waiters. Like, waiters and waitresses to me are like the very best version of permission based selling. So years ago, I was at this Brazilian steakhouse.
[00:00:24] And I mean, like, decades ago, decades ago. Like, the impression this gentleman at the time young man made on. And I'm like, I'm talking decades, y'. All. It hit me as like the very best sales approach. And I talk about it regularly. As a matter of fact, I actually have this guy's picture. So if you're listening and you want to see it, check out the YouTube video so that you can see it. I asked his permission. Like, the experience was so, so incredible. And, you know, because most of us are chasing sales instead of really just settling down, observing. A lot of us are talking to the wrong people. And when you do those things, that's actually what feels pushy and honestly, super exhausting.
[00:01:17] So today I'm breaking down how to read readiness, how to qualify your prospects, and. And how to serve like a waiter. You know, attentive, confident, and unforgettable if you're new around these parts. Hello, welcome. My name is Genevieve Scori. I'm a former C suite executive of a $350 million brand. I'm also a serial entrepreneur. So I have walked both the corporate life and the entrepreneurial life. And I'm just like you, a busy mom. My kids are grown up, but when I started my business, they were little.
[00:01:56] There are so many things that I wish that I had learned sooner and eliminated that learning curve. So welcome to fix this. Grow fast. I'm your host, Genevieve Evscori.
[00:02:09] So let me take you back easily, easily.
[00:02:14] 25 years ago. 25 years ago, this is when I was eating meat. I went with my family to a Brazilian steakhouse. Now, if you haven't been to a Brazilian steakhouse, it is quite the experience.
[00:02:28] It is this large sum of money that you pay to eat all the meat that you can. It is super anti plant based, like in every way, shape, or form. But back in the day, I was a carnivore. And so we went to this restaurant. We each paid a large sum of money to go to this restaurant. And the way that it works is you go into a very dark, you know, nice, quiet setting.
[00:02:57] Everybody's sitting at their tables, and there's a lot of big tables because people do this with a group of people. And when you first Come in, you're kind of herded into the lobby. And if you ever drive by one of these places, you're going to see a line of people outside. You always see a line of people outside. These are the people that can't fit in the lobby. So while you're waiting in the lobby and you're queuing up, it's kind of like the rope drop at Disney. You're sitting there with your friends. You're like, we're gonna eat all this meat. We're so excited. And, like, they, you know, drop the rope, and then they herd you all into this. Like, it's kind of like the small world of salads. Literally, to me, it was like being on a little boat riding through the small world, you know how it's a small world, you know, and there's just layers upon layers and scene upon scene of appetizers.
[00:03:54] There are. There's every. Like, it's not just a salad bar. It is every appetizer under the face of the sun. And so they give you your plate and they tell you, go ahead and, like, load up.
[00:04:09] Keep your arms in the ride and load up. And it's a good thing people kept their arms in the ride, because you go there hungry, you might have eaten somebody's arm off if they had taken it outside of the ride. So you're like. You're putting on, like, these olive salads and these beautiful, you know, gourmet salads. And then there's. Oh, there's another salad, and there's a different kind of salad. Like, forget the vegetables. Like, I can eat those at home. So you're loading up all the things, and then they take you and your guests to your table. Now, when you're at your table, they explain to you that the way that it works is that you get a red coaster, and on the other side of the coaster is a green side.
[00:04:53] And basically, what's going to happen is when you are done eating your mound, and I mean mound of different salad options, you are then going to participate in. And it really is a lot like Disney. You're going to participate in the meat parade. Like, you're so excited because literally, it is a meat parade, which I will get to in a minute. So our waiter proceeds to tell us, hey, here's how this works.
[00:05:20] When. And it's not called a meat parade, but it looked like a meat parade. Because when the meat parade starts, what's going to happen is people are going to walk by with skewers.
[00:05:30] Skewers of different kinds of meat. And I think there was some fish.
[00:05:37] And you turn over your card based on whether you want them to cut skewer pieces off onto your plate.
[00:05:49] And so if you're hungry, it should be green. And as the, you know, the guys come around, green means serve me up, serve me up some. If it's red, it means give a girl a minute. Okay.
[00:06:02] So we're all sitting at this table, we're super excited and you know, it's. And I really feel like this is something you might want to do. Fogo de chao. I'm just saying, like, dim the music, like dim the lights, turn up the music, make it a thing. But in my head that's what happened. It's like these people come out of the kitchen and they have these skewers that are like, I don't know, two feet long. And there's just meat on it. Meat, all kinds of meat. And so they come out and you're like, ooh, look. Oh yes, I want some of that. And so you turn your, your coaster over and the guy comes over and goes, madame. And he cuts off the smallest, tiniest pieces of meat. But you don't really care because you're kind of like self. I got like a lot of room in my belly and it's all you can eat. So like cut it off in tissue size plate pieces. I don't, I don't really care. But what I didn't know was that you're going to get really filled up on all those beautiful salads. So the waiter comes around and he's just kind of looking to make sure, like, are you good? Does everybody have what you need? And the guy comes around and says, oh, shrimp, yes, I want shrimp. And so you turn your card over and the guy takes and cuts off some shrimp for you. And then it's like, oh, lamb. And then you're like, oh, I'll have some lamb. And then the guy comes over and he cuts them. And then you're kind of like, okay, now I'm kind of full, so I'm going to wait a minute.
[00:07:24] So you know, like another piece of steak or another type of meat, chicken, whatever it goes by. But you're okay with that because you know they're going to circle back around at any point in time. And so we're having a good time. We're eating like, I don't know, we were probably pretty gluttonous. And we ate and we ate and we ate, we ate. It was very simple. Red, green, red, green. And during various parts of the meal, we each had different red or green parts of our coasters showing to signify, like, we're ready for more or we are not.
[00:08:00] So we have this really fantastic meal. We're super excited.
[00:08:05] The waiter comes over and he's like, okay. And we're thinking to ourselves, I couldn't eat another thing if I tried. Literally, like, those little tissue paper slices of meat really, really add up.
[00:08:23] And so he comes over and he goes, okay, well, you know, did everybody have a good time? Do we want. Cause everybody's now it's kind of red. Everybody's is red.
[00:08:32] And so we're like, okay, we're done.
[00:08:36] So he comes over and he says, hey, listen, I would love to show you the dessert menu. And we are like, we would love to just have our bill. We are so full. Who's going to roll us out of here? Like, bring over a wheelbarrow so that we can be rolled out of here. That's how full we legitimately were.
[00:08:59] And he says, and it was so funny, he said, oh, I know, I know. A lot of times people are super full when they're done eating. Now, mind you, dessert not included. Not not included.
[00:09:17] So we're also kind of like, maybe we'll save a little money here. But he says, well, I know a lot of people at the end have had such a great dinner and so much fun. What they choose to do is maybe take it home and eat it later or potentially split it. What are your thoughts about me just bringing out the tray so you can have a little looky loo? Because one thing in particular might be interesting to you and that are these little teeny tiny, like, Dixie cups worth. And they're not Dixie cups. They're very nice, beautiful cups. But like these little, teeny, tiny micro desserts. So he says, you know what? We have these little desserts, and they're meant for people who are actually already full, just to give them a little. A little taste. So, of course, what's the harm in looking?
[00:10:05] So we decide, yes, we will look.
[00:10:09] So he comes out with his tray and he tells us about the various types of dessert.
[00:10:16] And then he asks us, after he puts down the spoons, right? He assumes, yes, he puts the spoons down and he says, which ones do you all want? And of course, we had dessert, and we had really good dessert, and no one actually split their dessert. And no one took it home. Absolutely nobody.
[00:10:42] So now we're thinking, okay, this was fun. This was great. We are now super duper crazy full.
[00:10:49] And we're ready to go home. And so he comes back around and he says, okay, thank you for coming. How's dessert? And we were like, dessert was great. And he says, wonderful. How about some after dinner drinks?
[00:11:02] We were like, how about we are going to throw up if we eat another thing? Like literally if we eat another thing.
[00:11:11] And he says, and I'm not kidding, he goes, I know a lot of people, after eating and having a little dessert, often feel like they just really want to go home without an after dinner drink. But here's the thing. You don't know.
[00:11:29] The drinks actually are designed to have, I'm not kidding, a digestive enzyme in them to help aid you in the digestion of the food.
[00:11:42] Well, who could turn that down? We are like, serve us up, buddy, serve us up. Now ask me if I have ever had an after dinner drink in my life, because I haven't. I hadn't. I really, I hadn't. I didn't even know people had after dinner drinks, but I was like, okay, we're gonna have an after dinner drink. And what I didn't tell you is he came out already with the after dinner drinks. He came out with this beautiful tray and in it was like if you had poured ice into like a bundt cake form, it was kind of like that. And there were beautiful herbs and flowers in it.
[00:12:28] And inside were these like test tube versions of the after dinner drink. So it was already right there and it already had that kind of digestive enzyme look. It literally looked like the guy was doing us a favor. We were like, serve us up, buddy.
[00:12:49] So we had these after dinner drinks. Now what was so interesting to me was I couldn't for the life of me figure out in the moment how he was getting us to keep eating when we were already super full.
[00:13:09] And then it hit me. I was like, oh my gosh, this guy is the most incredible salesperson. And I will tell you, $7,000 later, it wasn't quite that much, but it felt like it. By the time we got done eating everything in the building that they had to offer, I literally realized, oh my gosh, dude, you are the world's best frickin salesperson. As a matter of fact, I told him that. I said, hey buddy, come here. You and your little apron and your little trickery. Come on over here. And I asked him if I could take his picture. And I said, listen, I just want to let you know I actually talked about selling. I'm a sales trainer and speaker, and you are by far one of the Very best salespersons I've ever seen in my life. Would it be okay if I took your picture? And so I took his picture. And I still remember that entire experience decades later.
[00:14:13] And I have to tell you, that's honestly the secret of selling. The secret of selling. Selling. And there are so many lessons here that we're going to break down, but the secret of selling is to create such a memorable connection and experience for your. Hear me when I say this, your qualified prospects, that selling feels more seamless.
[00:14:40] And what I see now that makes me just a little sad for all y' all out there trying so, so hard to make your businesses work is you're talking to the wrong people.
[00:14:53] In other words, that whole system of the red and green coasters is brilliant.
[00:15:01] And you need to use that in your sales process so that you can take the cues from your prospects whether or not they're qualified.
[00:15:13] Now, there's a lot of other steps that you can take. First, obviously we were qualified. We walked into a restaurant. When you walk into a restaurant, by default, you are a qualified customer for the restaurant. You are going in there to eat. But the same is true with selling. You can set up your sales system so that you are working with qualified prospects instead of everybody.
[00:15:45] Now, here's some of the lessons that I learned from this green and red coaster energy.
[00:15:52] The first thing is, is that you, when you have qualified, when you have qualified prospects, you stop chasing and you start observing.
[00:16:05] The biggest mistake people make is, is they're talking to the red coaster people.
[00:16:11] The red coaster people aren't ready.
[00:16:16] And we ignore green coaster people because we're distracted by the chase or maybe even by the hype.
[00:16:27] A qualified prospect is simply someone who's already exhibiting buying signals, also known as curiosity, also known as engagement, also known as openness to hearing more.
[00:16:48] Your qualified prospects are always flipping their coaster to the green side.
[00:16:56] And when you're working with qualified prospects, your job isn't chasing. Your job is actually just noticing and. And observing, which makes it so much more fun.
[00:17:08] And what you want to ask yourself are a couple key things.
[00:17:12] Is my prospect actually asking questions?
[00:17:15] Are they giving short, closed replies, or are they engaged in the conversation?
[00:17:23] Do they actually engage with my content? If I'm on social media and they're on social media, are they engaging in your content?
[00:17:32] Have they shared a problem that they want you to help them solve? In other words, are they even hungry?
[00:17:41] Those are your green coaster people.
[00:17:45] Now, lesson number two is that unqualified customers aren't bad.
[00:17:50] Listen, they're just full.
[00:17:54] They're just full. It doesn't matter how good the food is in the restaurant. If someone just ate, someone with a red coaster isn't rejecting you. I want you to hear me say this. They're not rejecting you. They're just simply not ready.
[00:18:15] And the wrong move for red coaster people is forcing them by putting meat on the plate.
[00:18:23] The right move, like this waiter, is to smile, back off a little, Back off, Betty. And then stay available for when they're ready to flip the coaster to green.
[00:18:37] And when you have a good relationship with people and you create safe sales environments, they will indeed look to you when they're ready to flip that coaster to green. And that's honestly how sustainable businesses are built.
[00:18:52] You talk to a lot of people, you observe if they're ready or not, and you respect their timing.
[00:19:00] Now, here's a pro tip.
[00:19:03] You want to create what's called a nurturing sequence. You want to create nurturing pathways for people who aren't quite ready yet. It could be emails, it could be podcasts, it could be your social media content.
[00:19:19] That's how you keep those red coaster leads warm.
[00:19:24] And that's why it's important to have a social media or a follow up strategy that you're just going to plug people into again and again and again because you can't always help whether people are hungry or not. So your objective here is to stay present without pestering.
[00:19:49] Lesson number three, it's that micro yes strategy. It's the dessert, it's the waiter and his mastery of permission based selling.
[00:20:02] Listen, we told him no. We said, we're full, we don't need or want dessert.
[00:20:10] But he offered alternative, non pushy alternatives, like, would you like to just take a look? Well, first of all, he said, I know. So he didn't try to tell us, no, you're not, or yes, you do need dessert. He literally was like, I know a lot of people feel full at this point, but you can just take a look. You can take it home for when your food settles or you could split it.
[00:20:36] In other words, what he did was he masterfully lowered the resistance and removed any guilt. He didn't manipulate us. He actually showed empathy and he created a very safe space for us to say yes or no.
[00:20:58] So you want to ask yourself, where can I offer micro yes opportunities instead of large big leaps?
[00:21:10] And a lot of people think, like, I talked to you once and then we're going to close a sale. That's very, very rarely how it works. And you're missing out on sales because you don't have a micro system set up so that people can take micro steps toward a yes. So how can you make saying yes feel more effortless and even create safety in saying no?
[00:21:37] Now lesson number four. Oh, my gosh, it's all about that digestive drink.
[00:21:44] Do you know those drinks, those drinks added probably 20% to our bill.
[00:21:50] Our, those drinks really did add up. There were eight of us, eight after dinner drinks. We all got them.
[00:21:58] It's about the value driven upsell, but it's also about the process.
[00:22:05] You see, we had already told him we were full when we said we wanted to have dessert.
[00:22:10] He just followed the sales process. He wasn't offended by a no. He was going to come out with his little herb ice cube tray thing and he was going to sell us on the value of the digestive enzymes in the after dinner drinks.
[00:22:31] Brilliant.
[00:22:33] And then lesson number five was really his service based cadence. Like, he knew when to check in, when to leave us alone. He knew how to follow up and make it feel like service.
[00:22:49] That's honestly and truly when selling gets so much fun.
[00:22:55] And so here I am decades later, I can still see this guy in my head. I can still bring myself to that experience.
[00:23:04] And when you do that, oh my gosh, you create an experience for your prospects that they are willing to tell other people about. That whole final drink thing, he mastered solving the problem, solving the additional problem in real time.
[00:23:26] Oh my gosh, we're so full.
[00:23:29] We have something for that. I loved everything about that. And being stuffed wasn't going to stop him. He was selling with integrity and I absolutely loved it.
[00:23:44] So what is your next step for people? What is the upsell that you could offer that solves the additional problem? Problem of being part of your selling? You see what most people do, y', all, is you sell people and you think like I sold them, and now I'm crossing the finish line. The truth, the truth honestly is.
[00:24:09] The truth honestly is that if you can think about what is going to be an, an additional potential problem for my prospect once they say yes to working with me, that is when you can create additional offers that feel like service.
[00:24:31] So very quickly, qualified and unqualified prospects act very, very different.
[00:24:38] There's a difference in how they engage. There's a difference in how they respond, how they communicate, and also how they will lead you through the conversation. You simply want to be looking for the red coaster or the green coaster.
[00:24:56] That night at the Brazilian Steakhouse taught me more about qualified prospects. Than any sales course I ever took.
[00:25:06] And if you're like me and you would like to know how can I get better at this? We made a checklist for you. I made a Checklist for you. 10 things I wish I Knew Sooner I about prospects, readiness and respecting their timing.
[00:25:24] This is going to save you tons and tons of time so you can grab my free checklist. 10 things I wish I Knew Sooner about prospects so you can stop chasing the wrong people and start closing with confidence. I put the link in the show description for you and if this podcast spoke to your heart and maybe felt a little bit like home, as if like oh my gosh, I could do these things, I could sell this way way this actually feels like fun. You're going to want to get my free magnificent gift. And it is magnificent. Which is a seven day trial to the Sales Confidence Lab where me and my savvy selling besties are hanging out, growing our business in a way that isn't spammy. It doesn't feel like ick. It's not toxic hype, it's just us selling the way we want to show up and helping people along the way. That link is also in the show notes and if by some chance the Confidence Lab isn't open, you can get on the waiting list so the very next time it opens, you can get in there for a free seven day trial. Thanks so much. Go out there. Sell. Don't be weird. You can do it.
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