Join us on The Guy Who Knows A Guy Podcast as Michael Whitehouse sits down with Jeff West, a renowned author and sales expert with decades of experience transforming the sales landscape. Dive into Jeff’s journey of authoring award-winning business parables and uncover the insights that have made him a pivotal figure in sales and entrepreneurship.
Transcript
Welcome back to the Guy Who Knows A Guy podcast.
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:These are bonus episodes that
did not fit into Season 6, which
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:was a countdown to JV Connect.
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:We hit JV Connect and we still had some
great interviews to share with you.
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:But don't worry, you
haven't missed JV Connect.
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:It's a quarterly event.
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:You can learn more about it by sticking
around to the end of this episode.
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:We'll tell you all about it.
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:But right now, check out this next
awesome interview with one of the awesome
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:people that the Guy Who Knows A Guy knows
and is going to introduce to you now.
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:Jeff West: Welcome
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:Michael Whitehouse: to the
guy who knows a guy podcast.
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:I'm your host, Michael Whitehouse,
the guy who knows a guy.
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:And our guest today is Jeff West.
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:Let me tell you about Jeff.
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:After over 30 years in sales, sales,
leadership, and entrepreneurship.
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:Jeff West is now a best selling
and award winning author,
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:speaker, and leadership coach.
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:His books, the unexpected tour
guide and said the lady with the
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:blue hair coauthored with direct
sales legend, Lisa M Wilbur, who I.
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:Thought I had her on my show, but
maybe I had her on a different show.
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:I don't know.
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:We were talking about that beforehand,
but I definitely have met her.
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:Definitely know her.
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:She's awesome.
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:Anyway, those books have earned
recognition from the Axiom Business Book
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:Awards, the National Indie Excellence
Awards, and the American Book Fest Awards.
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:His latest book, Streetwise to Sales
Wise Become Objection Proof and Beat
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:the Sales Blues, co authored with Bob
Berg, who you may remember from earlier
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:this season, and is earning praise
from business leaders around the U.
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:S.
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:He has been a guest on numerous sales
leadership shows and is a member of
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:the GoGiver Success Alliance created
by Bob Berg and Kathy Tagenow.
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:Jeff West: Welcome to the show, Jeff.
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:My honor.
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:Thank you so much for
having me on board, Michael.
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:Awesome.
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:Michael Whitehouse: Yes.
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:So, so we were talking earlier, cause
you, you you talk about becoming objection
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:proof and creating fusion points.
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:And when I was going through the notes you
sent me, I said, okay, objection proof.
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:If I can.
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:I don't know what that is exactly,
but I can guess what that means.
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:And you talk about the science
of how people make decisions.
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:Important.
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:Can kind of figure out what that means.
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:And then fusion points.
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:What's that mean?
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:So tell us, let's start with there.
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:What, tell us about a fusion points
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:Jeff West: and what that means.
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:You know, Fusion Points is actually a
branding that I did, Michael, that grew
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:out of my question that I had when I was
leading a team of about 400 salespeople.
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:And that was, I could get
two people in the same room.
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:Their resumes looked similar,
their leadership skills looked
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:right, everything about them told
me they'll both be very successful
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:out there in the field of sales.
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:And then I would put them out there
and one would decide to stick it
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:out and be great, and the other
would make the decision to quit.
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:And it puzzled me why that happened.
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:So I began to study the science
of how people make decisions.
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:And long story short, I ran
across the works of a Dr.
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:Antonio Damasio, who was a professor
of neuroscience at USC and an associate
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:professor at the Salk Institute.
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:Long story short, the entire
process is built around the
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:idea that people make decisions.
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:only when they can connect
logic and emotion together.
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:No one makes a purely logical decision.
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:No one makes a purely emotional decision.
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:It's that combination that happens.
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:And if it's a negative emotion
in our brain, two things happen.
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:Number one, it sends a
somatic marker into our chest.
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:We start feeling funny.
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:We have a physiological
response that we don't like.
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:We don't want to go forward.
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:So whatever logically we were
trying to do at the time, the
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:decision is to get away from it.
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:On the other hand, The use of positive
emotional responses between our ears
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:when that touches our chest and creates
a physical, physical sensation for us,
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:that is a sensation that people love.
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:And so when you combine that with a
logic that you're trying to accomplish
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:at the time, it creates tenacity.
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:It creates so many good things.
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:So I basically, I define a fusion
point is that moment in time.
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:It's a unique point where logic and
positive emotion merge and ignite,
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:and it creates acceleration, it
creates commitment, it creates energy,
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:and it moves the process forward.
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:And what I do is I teach salespeople
how to do that in a sales process,
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:but I teach entrepreneurs and small
business owners how to create that
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:in their market and with their team.
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:Michael Whitehouse: Yeah,
that's, that's powerful.
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:And so it would not only be to make
prospects move forward with the
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:process, but to your team and yourself.
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:move forward with the business and, and I
imagine this would also probably help with
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:some of the, the morning routine stuff,
the getting from sleeping to working and.
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:Absolutely.
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:You know, bouncing back from a challenging
situation, those, those sorts of things.
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:Jeff West: Yeah, absolutely.
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:You know, and when it comes to
building a business or growing a sales
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:career, your success, your future
isn't determined by the economy.
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:It's not determined by
the political landscape.
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:It's not even determined
by your competition.
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:It's determined by how one simple
question is answered by your
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:prospects in the market, by your
sales team by the, your support
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:staff, the people that work for you.
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:It's how they answer one simple question.
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:And it's when it comes to
their relationship with you.
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:Will they persist or will they quit?
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:If you learn how to work within the
science of how we're naturally built
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:anyway, what it does is it equips
you to have some influence over those
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:decisions that they want to stay with
you and move forward in the process.
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:Yep.
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:Michael Whitehouse: Yep.
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:Very powerful.
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:So we were talking earlier because the
theme of the show is around networking.
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:And of course you're part of the,
the go getter success Alliance.
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:So tell me a bit about you know, what,
what that's done for you and you know,
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:how networking has helped you build
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:Jeff West: your business.
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:Well, that's a great question.
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:You know, when I guess it was,
I can remember exactly, it was
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:in January of the year:
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:A sales mentor of mine, I was in
the insurance industry at that time.
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:I was in North Texas and I was a
district manager for the insurance
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:carrier that I was working with.
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:Still self employed, but
had, had overrides involved.
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:And a sales mentor of mine gave me
two books and it changed my world.
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:One was John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws
of Leadership, a great leadership book.
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:But the second one.
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:Was a book I had never
heard of by an author.
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:I had no clue who he was.
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:And it was endless referrals by
Bob Burke and reading those 2 books
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:and applying what I learned from
those, even though they didn't
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:necessarily apply to my industry.
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:I adapted them to my industry
that made all the difference.
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:And it's my career went from being an
average district manager that would would.
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:Make my numbers one
time, miss them one time.
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:And I wasn't in danger of getting
fired, but I wasn't a superstar either.
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:But two years after I implemented what I
learned at Endless Referrals, which was
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:basically built around the idea of what
proper networking is, I, at that time,
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:two years later, I was a regional manager.
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:Two years after that,
I was a state manager.
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:And I was a state manager the last
10 years of my career in insurance
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:till I decided to start writing and
speaking and doing this for a living.
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:But to me, networking is
all about focusing on.
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:How you can provide value to the other
people in the network and how you can make
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:those connections, you know and when I
was reading in those referrals, one of the
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:things that I saw in that book that just
jumped out at me and I have implemented
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:it in everything I've done since then,
is asking the person that you're working
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:with at the time, what do I need to
know when I'm out there in the field?
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:What do I need to know to it to make
sure if someone I run into is a good
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:referral for me to send your way?
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:And you think about the magic
in the networking process.
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:If everyone is focused last like that
and you start making those connections.
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:Everybody wins.
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:And Bob was talking about doing it
in networking events and all that
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:in the book and in other places
too, but that was the primary focus.
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:Talking about don't give your
cards out and say, or have an
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:elevator pitch or whatever ready.
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:It was talking about really working
on making the connections for
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:people and providing that value.
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:So how it directly applied
and helped my career take off.
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:I began to develop a network, a
referral network of my existing clients.
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:I, at that time I probably had
200 different clients that were
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:employers and I was involved in
their employee benefit program.
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:I went in and I asked I told one of the
owners, it was a place in downtown Dallas,
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:Texas on the 23rd floor of a building.
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:And I don't like heights all that much
either, but I had a meeting with a.
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:Owner of the, of a mortgage company, it
was one of my clients and I had called
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:him ahead of time saying, I want to pick
your brain about a couple of things.
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:And he said, sure.
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:So we got there.
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:And the first thing I did, I sat down with
him and I said, you know, the first thing
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:I want to do before I ask you what I'm
going to ask you is tell you, thank you.
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:He said, for what?
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:And I said, I feed my family by providing,
getting involved in employee benefits
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:and providing the services that we offer.
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:And I am, that's how I, that's
how everything in my life outside
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:of work works effectively.
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:And I just want to thank you
because you're a part of that.
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:And I appreciate that.
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:Of course it was true.
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:And of course he
appreciated the compliment.
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:And I said, but I want
to ask you a question.
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:And he said, what?
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:And I said, I am out there in
the marketplace all the time.
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:I'm contacting new companies.
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:I've got existing clients.
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:I need to ask you a question.
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:What do I need to be
looking for out there?
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:What questions do I need to be asking
people to know if they would be a
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:good referral for me to send your way?
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:I want to return the
favor and help you too.
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:And I'll tell you what he did, Michael.
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:I'll never forget this.
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:I actually wrote the scene into my first
book, The Unexpected Tour Guide, but
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:he said, He took off his glasses and
he laid them on his table and he said,
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:I'm going to answer that question, but
I have to tell you something first.
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:And I said, what?
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:And he said, I've been
in business 30 years.
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:I've had a lot of salespeople
ask me for referrals.
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:This is the first time ever a
salesperson has ever asked me how
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:they could refer business to me.
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:Thank you.
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:And of course, the discussion
just got even better.
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:And he told me what to look for.
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:I had already kind of planned
a couple of things in my head.
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:And so I said, well,
hang on just a second.
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:And I picked up my cell phone and
I called a client that I felt like
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:would be a good referral for him.
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:And I got him on the phone and I said,
Hey, I just want to ask you a question.
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:I've got another client who does,
who owns a mortgage company.
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:He's starting to do some things
with employers and their employees.
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:I think.
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:He would be somebody you should talk to.
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:I think somebody that, that it's
a good connection there for you.
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:Would you mind if I gave him
your contact information?
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:Person said, no, that'd be perfectly fine.
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:And I said, I'll tell you, I know
the guy I've known him for a while.
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:I like him and I trust him.
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:And I think you guys will get along well.
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:And I said, he said, great.
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:So I hung up the phone and I did
that in front of the person that
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:I was given the referral to.
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:And so that worked out long
story short, he and I keep saying
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:long story short too many times.
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:If I were writing, I would edit,
I would edit that out, but he and
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:I developed a referral network.
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:We would have lunches where he would
have, we'd have it at his place and
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:his business and we'd invite some of
his clients, some of my clients, and we
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:just began to take it off from there.
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:And I also began to teach that in my team.
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:And it wasn't just that I did it and
I was great at it, it was also I was
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:pretty darn good at equipping the others
around me to know how to do that too.
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:So that's why when it really took off.
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:So that's how networking for
me made all the difference.
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:Wow.
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:Yeah.
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:That's
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:Michael Whitehouse: it.
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:What I love about that is there's nothing
new to me in the basic principle that
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:asks people how you can help them.
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:But the way you did very intentionally
with your clients, because we often
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:think about this with our network
or the people are meeting in.
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:In networking, but to actually
ask your client explicitly,
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:you know, how can I refer?
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:And even the, if you can, if you
can make a referral, that's great.
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:And even if you can't, maybe they
say something and you're like
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:I've never met anyone like that.
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:That's yeah.
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:Yeah.
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:Well, well really I'm looking
for a, you know, a one legged
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:midget who's into basketball.
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:Oh, that's interesting.
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:I'll keep an eye out for the, you
know, you don't have one, but just
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:the fact that you asked, right.
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:Cause that's, if I, you know, in, in
networking events, I find to the extent
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:that I, I catch people flat footed.
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:I asked them like, so
who are you here to meet?
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:Who's your, if you can beat
anyone in the County, who
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:would you like to connect with?
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:Oh, I don't know.
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:I'm just looking to get out
there and see who's there.
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:Like, really, you do
have a business, right?
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:Like, do you know your customers really?
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:But, but yeah, they're so not used to
that because they're used to everyone
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:coming up and being like, hi, I'm Michael.
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:I do this.
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:And you know, so and so hires
me over this and whatever.
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:But that idea of deepening the
relationship with your client for that.
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:And.
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:That's such a better way than saying, who
else do you know who I should talk to?
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:Because like who else do I know
for you to get a sales pitch to?
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:I don't know.
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:Versus how can I help you?
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:Right.
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:How can I refer to you?
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:You don't even have to
ask him for referrals.
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:He's going to most people, once you've
introduced them to one or two people,
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:they're going to be like, okay, I
really need to refer you to someone
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:now, just so I can feel better.
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:Like you're giving me so much.
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:I, you haven't even asked for anything.
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:I got to give something in return.
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:So that, that's a really powerful concept.
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:I
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:Jeff West: love it.
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:Well, you know, the, an interesting thing
too, and you touched on it there is when
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:someone's asking for referrals in any
context to, to just ask doesn't work
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:very well, but if you get specific and
you ask deeper questions that does the
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:same process here, when you ask someone.
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:What do I need to be asking people?
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:What do I need to be looking for
out there to know if they're a
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:good referral that's in your way?
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:It gets them thinking deeper.
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:And so it works well.
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:And it actually creates a fusion point,
like I described earlier, because what I
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:did at that point is I created a hugely
positive emotional response in my client.
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:And I had a, I had a positive
emotional response with him
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:anyway, but, but I created that.
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:And then I combined it with a logic of
getting, helping him do more business.
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:And when I did that, it
created a fusion points.
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:And until I got promoted and moved away,
we, we, we stayed in contact pretty well.
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:Yeah, that's,
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:Michael Whitehouse: that's
hugely powerful concept.
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:And, and I love that idea of that.
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:You're creating the, and then the
other, and you mentioned specific.
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:And one of the things that's
important about specific is.
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:You know, if it'd be an eye, which
is where I, I started networking,
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:I find B and I is often the
training wheels of networking.
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:Like everyone started there
and then they sort of build up.
312
:And, and often it'd be, I, the, the,
the, the ass are not very specific.
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:They're like, Oh, anyone with a spine?
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:I'm a chiropractor.
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:Yeah.
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:I'm like, okay, yes.
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:Everyone has a spine.
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:No, I'm not going to refer anyone.
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:Cause that's not them.
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:But if somebody, every once in
a while, someone gets really
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:specific and excessively specific.
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:And.
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:You know, if somebody says, yeah, so, so
my the clients I'm really looking for are.
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:You know, gray haired guys named
Jeff with a Texas accent and a
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:background in the insurance industry.
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:aNd, and, you know, I want to talk
to them so I can make an offer.
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:If I was to reach out to him and be
like, Jeff, you will not believe what
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:the ask was of this BNI meeting I was at.
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:He said, gray haired guys named
Jeff with a Texas accent who
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:worked in the insurance industry.
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:You want to meet him?
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:And he'd be like, sure.
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:Yeah.
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:Like that's me.
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:Okay.
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:I don't even I'm
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:Jeff West: your guy, and I know you like
338
:Michael Whitehouse: you're
interesting, but that's you need me.
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:Awesome.
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:And so there's such power in
that because you feel special.
341
:Right.
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:Whereas be like, Hey, yeah, anyone
who needs insurance send them.
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:Oh yeah, you need insurance.
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:Right.
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:But if it's right, if it's yeah, this
week, I'm focused on people who have
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:a ordinal directions in their name.
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:Jeff, you won't believe this.
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:I would just ask for
it to be an eye group.
349
:That makes it easy.
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:Cause cause then it's, it's you.
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:It's not just, it's not just right.
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:Right.
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:Absolutely.
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:Yep.
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:So that has been being very powerful.
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:Yeah.
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:And so, so you're, you're telling about
the actually, yeah, you're telling me
358
:the story about, about Lisa Wilbur.
359
:I think that was an interesting
one too, how you ended up co
360
:authoring the book with her.
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:Cause it's funny, I, I
met her a few years ago.
362
:I think I may have, may have had
her on my Power Launch Live show.
363
:I swear I had her on one of these shows.
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:I don't know.
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:Once you get to 200 something episodes,
it all starts to blur together.
366
:But I think it was interesting when you
were sharing the story of how you ended
367
:up co authoring that book with her.
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:Said the lady with the blue hair.
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:Tell us a little bit about that.
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:Jeff West: Lisa and I were both in a
group that Bob Berg has, Bob Berg and
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:Kathy Tejanil, the Goal Giver Success
Alliance, and we were on one of the first
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:Zoom calls for that group, and it's a
mentoring community great group of people.
373
:It's, it's literally my favorite hour
every week, but the, the first meeting
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:Lisa was on there too, and people
don't know this about Lisa when you
375
:first see her, first meet her, she's
Avon's Fifth highest earner in history.
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:She's huge in direct sales and she
was only, and she had blue hair.
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:And she was a little bit self conscious
about it because even though she's
378
:been super, super successful, she just
a little bit self conscious about it.
379
:And so she felt the
need to get on the call.
380
:And so she got the screen and
she was telling the story of why
381
:she got blue hair and she had.
382
:She told the reason she had made
the decision to do that, but
383
:then she added a little thing.
384
:She said, you know, if you ever want to
stop being less judgmental, I'm gonna
385
:do this in Lisa's accent best I can.
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:If you ever want to, you ever want to stop
being less or start being less judgmental
387
:in your life, dye your hair blue.
388
:This is working for me.
389
:He says, I can be in a grocery store and
see a young lady who her skirt's a little
390
:too tight, her skirt's a little too short.
391
:And I can think, wow, skirt is
just too short and tight, said
392
:the lady with the blue hair.
393
:And so she said that I'm
listening and I'm cracking up.
394
:And I type in the chat, Hey, Lisa
said the lady with the blue hair
395
:would make an awesome book title.
396
:Cause at this point I had been
writing and speaking for a while
397
:and I had not done any coauthorships
and so long story, I said it again.
398
:I'm going to stop.
399
:I'm going to start saying short story
long, but what happened is about a
400
:year, year and a half later, I guess
it was when I decided to change
401
:my business model a little bit.
402
:And instead of just writing my own books,
go ahead and do some co authorships,
403
:kind of like what Bob Berg and John
David Mann did with The Go Giver.
404
:And I reached out to her and
we, that's what we did with
405
:The Lady with the Blue Hair.
406
:And it's, it's, that book too also
led into my co authorship with Bob.
407
:Bob and I've actually known each
other for, 20 plus years now.
408
:We met in:
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:And so when, and if there's
enough story, I'll tell you
410
:that how we met, it's hilarious.
411
:But, and just that relationship,
we've become friends over the years.
412
:He approached me about doing speaking
gigs with Aflac, which was the
413
:insurance carrier that I was with.
414
:And so I helped him as much as I could.
415
:And then, as I became a state manager, I
had him come in and speak with our group.
416
:I, I literally wrote letters of
referral to every single state office
417
:with Aflac because Bob's that great.
418
:And, so as, as the time went on and
everything Bob does, I tend to tend to
419
:jump in there and get involved with it.
420
:And so having that successful
collaboration with Lisa is kind of
421
:what led into the collaboration with
Bob on street wise to sales wise.
422
:We were.
423
:It was about fourth quarter last year, I
guess it was, and Bob was sending me an
424
:email about something he was going to do,
and he wanted to know my thoughts on it.
425
:It was a publication he was
about to do about objections.
426
:And I said and just as a comment in
there, that it wasn't even something
427
:he was really thinking about, but he
said, by the way, keep this because
428
:when we do our parable, this will be
something we might want to refer back to.
429
:So I replied to his email and I put
a little PS and said, by the way, If
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:you're serious, that answer is yes.
431
:And so we began talking about
he, he had this objection proof
432
:manuscript that he'd had for years.
433
:And he was thinking about
doing something with it.
434
:He never, he never published the, the
actual work and he, it was a how to book.
435
:And so when it comes to, he decided he
really would rather do it as a parable.
436
:So he approached me last year
and It kind of went from there.
437
:It's set in New Orleans, and I'll, we'll
get into more of that if you'd like.
438
:Michael Whitehouse: Yeah,
yeah, tell me about it.
439
:Actually, my next question is
going to be tell me about the book.
440
:Oh, okay, cool.
441
:Jeff West: It's called
Streetwise to Saleswise.
442
:Become objection proof
and beat the sales blues.
443
:And it's a sales parable,
or a business parable.
444
:It's what I like to write the most.
445
:I will write non fiction.
446
:And I've been technically a parable
is nonfiction, but it, but across it,
447
:it's like, it's it saddles over fiction
on one side and business on the other
448
:side, but it's set in new Orleans.
449
:It's the story about a young
salesperson who grew up on the
450
:streets of new Orleans and he lets his
mouth get ahead of him a little bit.
451
:And I won't go into too much
because I loved, I love the story.
452
:Don't you guys to read it, but it's yeah.
453
:He, he, he finds himself out of that
job and then he gets a job in sales and
454
:he had no clue he was going to do that.
455
:It wasn't something he intended.
456
:And so what we do in the story we,
we take him through his growth.
457
:From a brand new person who knows
nothing about sales all the way
458
:through a year where he's really doing
well And we weave in the fabric of
459
:new orleans when I write a parable.
460
:I'm john david man who was bob's co author
on the go giver he is my writing coach.
461
:He is someone who's been a mentor to
me a friend As a matter of fact, in the
462
:new book, he's somebody I mentioned in
the dedication because he's, he's just
463
:been that awesome for helping my craft
and I, I wasn't a slouch before, but
464
:I'm several levels better now that I've
worked with John because he's awesome,
465
:but it's like 30 something books, nine
New York Times bestsellers anyway.
466
:In the process of doing this, one
thing I learned from John is I like
467
:to write the geography of a location
almost as if it's part of a character.
468
:So in New Orleans, I've, I've got
a music background myself, so I
469
:love the music of New Orleans.
470
:I love the Food of New Orleans.
471
:So it's, it's just what been
one of the places that I'll go.
472
:And I was sitting there with my wife
and I believe it was on new Year's
473
:Eve, maybe the day before New Year's
Eve going from:
474
:And I knew the material we
were going to use in the book.
475
:We're going to use some of my sales
training, which we did, my leadership
476
:training, which we did, and the
same with Bob, some of his sales
477
:and leadership training as well.
478
:But I didn't really
have the story idea yet.
479
:And we were sitting in New Orleans mid to
late afternoon, and we're on a balcony of
480
:a restaurant, and we're just enjoying the
day, having a glass of wine, and a street
481
:performer started performing out there and
I love street performers in New Orleans.
482
:I just do.
483
:I can't help myself.
484
:I sat there and literally, Michael, the
story came to me and I knew the entire
485
:story arc with major and minor characters.
486
:From the get go now, it evolved
over the year that when I'd
487
:write a book, and that's not, I
don't turn it down in 30 days.
488
:I say here, buy this.
489
:I don't do that.
490
:I'll make it.
491
:I try to do a really great job
with it, but it, we work in
492
:the flavors of New Orleans.
493
:We work in secondary
characters that people.
494
:Have told me they can kind of fall in
love with and we do some unusual things
495
:that I did in the audible version.
496
:I actually I throw a surprise in there.
497
:I'll just leave it at that.
498
:It's a musical surprise that
I throw in for everybody,
499
:Michael Whitehouse: but nice.
500
:So, so, so audible is where
I should go listen to that.
501
:Jeff West: Yeah.
502
:I'm one of these people, I buy a book
that I like in every, in every format.
503
:I tell people, if you want the
hardback, go to Barnes and Noble,
504
:their delivery times are so fast
and it's the best for the hardback.
505
:If you want the ebook or even the audio
book, you can go to Amazon because it's
506
:immediate delivery on both of those.
507
:But I tend to have it at all because I
like having my entire library on my phone.
508
:Every book that I have,
I've got on my phone.
509
:I can be on a plane.
510
:I can read.
511
:I also, I like, I like holding
up a hard book in my hand.
512
:I'll just, I like having that
there so I can take notes, but I
513
:have so fallen in love with audio
books over the last few years.
514
:One of my favorite writers in
fiction is Michael Connolly and I'll
515
:listen to the Bosch series or the
Lincoln Lawyer series and I'll, I'll
516
:just, I can, I can do it for hours.
517
:I really can.
518
:Michael Whitehouse: Yeah.
519
:Yeah.
520
:And they're, they're really well done.
521
:Yeah.
522
:Or some of them are really well done
in terms of the, the voice actors
523
:and the performances and, and just
really has a, it's funny sometimes I
524
:listen to an audio book and the, the
reader will read it in a certain way.
525
:I'm like, there's no way
that's written in the book.
526
:You know, like they'll make a sound like,
there's no way it says, ah, in the book
527
:or, you know, that sound or or, or it'll
say, you know, you know, he choked out
528
:and they actually say, you know The way
they, they say it, it's just really,
529
:it's more of a performance, just like
somebody reading you a book and it's
530
:very powerful, but, but the other, I love
the business parable format and there's
531
:not a lot of them out there, but yeah,
the go giver of course is a great one.
532
:And, and I think the great thing about
a, a business parable is it makes
533
:you want to read the whole thing.
534
:Most business books.
535
:Most people tell you they, they,
and I've heard people say, this is
536
:actually how they read them on purpose.
537
:They read the first quarter.
538
:That's kind of the main part of the book.
539
:And then the rest of this
application, they skip that part.
540
:Cause they've already got
the, the nugget of it.
541
:And then, you know, they move on.
542
:But with the business parable,
you know, you listen to the go
543
:giver, you want to get to the end.
544
:I listened to a one minute millionaire
and I was actually really surprised
545
:because oftentimes the business
parable, it's, it's a story structure.
546
:In order to give structure to what
they're teaching, but they're still,
547
:you know, teaching something unless
they want to be a millionaire and I'm
548
:like, wait, there's actually like a
story arc and tension and, and conflict
549
:among minor characters and twists.
550
:And like, this is actually a
real story that's also a pair
551
:of like, wow, this is the next
level, you know, next level stuff.
552
:So, and it sounds like that's what you're
doing with, with your book as well as
553
:streetwise sales wise that, that it's
even if you're not learning to sell.
554
:It's an interesting story about a
guy in New Orleans and, and like
555
:visiting a city and all that, which
is, is a really cool way to learn.
556
:And that's what's really going
to draw people through books.
557
:It did if, if I had a.
558
:If I had a nickel for every time I
read part of a book, I'd have a lot
559
:Jeff West: of nickels.
560
:You know, you make such a
great point there, Michael.
561
:If a book can't grab me or grab you or
grab anybody pretty darn quickly you
562
:can, you can lose interest in it and
then you want to go do something else.
563
:And one of the things that is one of
my favorite compliments I ever get
564
:when someone tells me if, especially
my, I have friends that will read
565
:my books and they're not in sales.
566
:And when they tell me the story was
so good, I couldn't put it down.
567
:I read it.
568
:Cover to cover on one sitting.
569
:That's a big deal to me.
570
:Yep But the audio book one of the things
I love about that and you'll appreciate
571
:this It's audio is a good format and
it what happens is Whether someone's
572
:an entrepreneur or just in a corporate
world and they're leading a team that the
573
:leadership lessons that are in the book
And the sales lessons in the book, it is
574
:so much like you're literally sitting side
by side with your mentor in a live selling
575
:situation or in a live conflict situation.
576
:If you're in a business and
someone is showing you, okay,
577
:this is how you'd handle this.
578
:And it's, it's, it brings
a lot of value that way.
579
:Yeah.
580
:But, and it
581
:Michael Whitehouse: makes it very, very
clear you know, what this actually means
582
:to me, because often they go through.
583
:thAt's one of the things I found in
one minute people have explained to me
584
:the concept of you can buy real estate
with No with no cash a bunch of times
585
:and people try to explain how and i'm
like, okay, I think I did you did I
586
:think you did that It's only when I
heard it told in a narrative format
587
:and they're like and then she talked to
this person and this person explained
588
:This is what our money is and then
they did like Oh, that's how it works.
589
:Okay, because you're doing it
in theory, then it is very dry.
590
:You're like, okay, wait,
hold on and go, go back.
591
:What was that thinking?
592
:But when you're listening to the
story narratively, then it gives
593
:you that framework because that's,
you know, humans are built to
594
:exchange knowledge and stories.
595
:We're not built to exchange, you know,
just dry, like, here's a list of technical
596
:terms and then apply that in this way.
597
:And then at step 14, you
will find this result.
598
:You need.
599
:You need stories to provide a
structural framework for your, your
600
:ancient human brain to understand
601
:Jeff West: it.
602
:You know, it loops right back
around to a fusion point because
603
:what happens in a parable?
604
:Or in a good narrative, even
teaching a how to book like that.
605
:It connects an emotional part of your
brain with the logical part of your brain.
606
:And just like in a fusion board where
it moves things forward, people get
607
:comfortable taking the next step.
608
:People also retain what they're trying
to learn so much better that way.
609
:Michael Whitehouse: Yeah,
it makes a lot of sense.
610
:And, and I think also, you know, if
you're coming along with the, you know,
611
:think about like with the go giver.
612
:There's the, the emotional arc of, of I
can't remember the main character's name.
613
:But the main character who's, you know.
614
:Who's struggling, huh?
615
:Joe, his name is Joe.
616
:It's Joe.
617
:Okay.
618
:Yeah, I think I was thinking it was Joe.
619
:Like, it can't be Joe.
620
:That's too obvious.
621
:I remember the chairman's
Pindar, but I can't remember Joe.
622
:Right, right.
623
:But yeah, so, you know, Joe,
you, like, you feel his struggle.
624
:And then every time he learns
something, you feel that, like,
625
:hit of dopamine, like, ooh.
626
:And you're coming along with him in that.
627
:Whereas if you were just reading.
628
:The five points, you know, the five
steps of being a go giver, you wouldn't
629
:have that same pop what you like.
630
:Okay.
631
:Oh, this is interesting.
632
:Yeah, this might work.
633
:Whereas you just watch Joe get
one step closer to solving his
634
:problem and feeding his family
and and doing what he needs to do.
635
:And.
636
:yeAh, so that's I'd never thought
about that way, but but it's.
637
:It creates that association and makes
it more, you know, when you encounter
638
:that, I think I might do this.
639
:Right.
640
:You've got that, you've already
got that positive mental like,
641
:I feel good about doing this.
642
:Jeff West: You know, I don't know
what, I don't know what your age is.
643
:I'm, I'm in my early 60s and I used
to read business parables a lot.
644
:You know, it was it was like augment
Dino and things of that nature I
645
:loved the books and they kind of
seemed to die off The go getter began
646
:that journey back with it and then
who moved my cheese out of the maze.
647
:There's a lot of them but They're coming
of age again, but what's happening now
648
:with this with the audience that we have?
649
:So many of them had never
experienced the parable.
650
:So I'll get people that are
sending me messages saying,
651
:Oh my God, I love that story.
652
:I learned things.
653
:And then they're going, it's
a new experience for them.
654
:And that, that's actually very rewarding.
655
:It really is.
656
:Michael Whitehouse: Yeah.
657
:No, that's pretty great.
658
:And, and especially now in, you know,
cause everyone's written a book.
659
:So there's, you know, you could read books
every minute for the rest of your life and
660
:not begin to keep up with even the good
ones and not all of them are good ones.
661
:So the, the parables, they could, and the
thing is too, the things we're teaching
662
:I recently ran a, a summit called the
breakthrough summit, and we had all
663
:kinds of people signing up for it to
speak at it because every coach can teach
664
:us some kind of breakthrough mindset
shift, whatever it's what they all do.
665
:So it was, it was a great event.
666
:But I, I commented at one point, like
nothing that's been taught here is
667
:less than a few thousand years old.
668
:We repackage it.
669
:We change the way we say it.
670
:We have a different concept to it,
but It's all, you know, it's all in
671
:the Bible and the Quran and the you
know, Confucius taught it and Taoism
672
:teaches it and Asian Greeks taught.
673
:It's all the same.
674
:Like we're all human.
675
:The basic human truths don't change.
676
:And how you apply those
human truths don't change.
677
:It's simply, how do you teach it
and get that information across?
678
:Right.
679
:So as everyone's writing their book
about, you know, how to overcome
680
:objections, sales, mindset,
focus, motivation, whatever.
681
:It's all the same old stuff, repackaged
in different ways and maybe it's a
682
:little tweak here, a little tweak
there, but so putting it into a story
683
:is actually the oldest way of sharing
information, but also very helpful
684
:because it makes it stand out and then
give you something you can talk about.
685
:You say, Oh yeah, I remember in
this book where the character did
686
:this as opposed to, yeah, I think
this book teaches that in some way.
687
:It makes it feel more, feel more
real, feel like something you
688
:can attach more to, which is,
which is a really cool concept.
689
:So.
690
:Jeff West: Well, you know, my
background is actually in music.
691
:I have a bachelor's degree in
music education and a master's
692
:degree in music composition.
693
:And those two degrees and a 10 bill will
buy me a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
694
:And when I was doing my student
teaching, I had a great guy that
695
:I was mentored by and worked
with him for about six weeks on.
696
:learning how to be a better teacher.
697
:And he was he, one of the things that he
taught me was when you're working with
698
:a beginner, whether you're working with
someone at any level, sometimes it's
699
:not so much as you're teaching, teaching
something new, but you're having to find
700
:different ways to say the same thing
to deliver the message because sooner
701
:or later, one of those ways is going
to resonate and it's going to work.
702
:Yeah,
703
:Michael Whitehouse: so Yeah, so yeah,
I love this concept with the pair.
704
:I'm definitely gonna check out
Streetwise to Saleswise and get
705
:that on, get that on Audible.
706
:I've got a another road trip coming up,
so that's a great time to listen through.
707
:It's a 19 hour trip.
708
:It's probably the entire book
fits into a couple states.
709
:It's about a four hour, about a four hour.
710
:Yeah, so that's like the
length of North Carolina.
711
:I love it.
712
:oR, you know, Dallas to Houston, I think.
713
:So, yeah.
714
:Or, or that's a regular,
regular commuting in Texas.
715
:Jeff West: It's around the corner here.
716
:Michael Whitehouse: Yep.
717
:Yeah.
718
:So it's been great having you on here.
719
:I love this, the fusion point concept
that you have linking the, the emotions.
720
:You know, the emotions to the, the
logic and, and that connection.
721
:And, oh, you were going to tell
the story about how you met Bob
722
:and you said it was a good one.
723
:So,
724
:Jeff West: well, not, not long after
my career first began to take off in
725
:great part to endless referrals, I began
to come into the sales organization
726
:training school in the, with the insurance
company I was with every month, the
727
:state manager would have me come in.
728
:I would tell them my personal story.
729
:It was motivational.
730
:And then I would finish up by telling
them a little bit about those two
731
:books, endless referrals and, and
21 irrefutable laws of leadership.
732
:I had been telling everybody about this
book so much and I was always promoting
733
:it inside my sales team everywhere.
734
:Well, I was a regional manager
for the company in Plano, Texas.
735
:And then my administrator buzzes in
one day and she says, you've got a
736
:phone call and I said, who is it?
737
:And she said, some guy named Bob Berg.
738
:And I thought, yeah, one of my
buddies is playing a joke on me
739
:right now because I'm such a big fan
of what I've learned in the book.
740
:And so I get on the phone.
741
:And as you know, Bob has this.
742
:Definite distinctive voice that we
call it positive vocal velocity.
743
:It just carries, you know.
744
:He gets on the phone.
745
:He says hi, Jeff, this is Bob Berg.
746
:And I said, sure.
747
:It is fella exact quote.
748
:And he said excuse me.
749
:I said.
750
:Is this really Bob Berg?
751
:And he said, yeah, this
is really Bob Berg.
752
:And so then I told him the story and how
much Endless Referrals had meant to me.
753
:And he was flattered.
754
:He was actually calling me to prospect
to get in to speak with Aflac.
755
:And so it was funny.
756
:That's how we met.
757
:And we just became friends.
758
:And it stayed that way.
759
:We had no
760
:Michael Whitehouse: idea who you were.
761
:You were just on his call list to get in.
762
:I was,
763
:Jeff West: I was a, I
was a cold call for him.
764
:Michael Whitehouse: Yeah.
765
:Yeah.
766
:You know, you got some personal
brain going on when that happens.
767
:Right.
768
:That's exactly correct.
769
:That that's amazing.
770
:That's fantastic.
771
:Well, I think that's a
great note to end it on.
772
:That was a great story.
773
:Love it.
774
:So people obviously people can look
up streetwise to sales wise wherever
775
:they streetwise to sales wise become
objection proof and beat the sales blues
776
:coauthored between Jeff West and Bob Berg.
777
:How else can people get in touch with
778
:Jeff West: Jeff West?
779
:Oh, thank you so much for asking that.
780
:The 1st thing I'll tell you is on street
wise to sales wise, just go to street wise
781
:to sales wise dot com and all the links to
go to all the retailers are there anyway.
782
:And you can read about the book and
see what some people are saying.
783
:They can also, if they're interested,
anyone in your audience is interested
784
:in having me work with you on.
785
:developing the kind of relationship
in your team that keeps them there
786
:or your sales process for your,
your business, go to fusionpoints.
787
:com.
788
:That's plural on fusion points.
789
:And, or if you lose track of
anything else, just go to jeffcwest.
790
:com.
791
:You'll find everything there.
792
:Michael Whitehouse: I love it.
793
:Great hierarchy of websites.
794
:Well done.
795
:Yeah, very well organized.
796
:I like it.
797
:So this has been great.
798
:It's been a lot of fun talking to you.
799
:It's funny, I was telling you at the
beginning of the show yeah, I, I, pretty
800
:much at the end of:hey, I'm done recording season 6 episodes.
801
:And then I got the reminder
about today, and I'm like, what?
802
:I have another interview on
my calendar in late January?
803
:Alright, well, what the heck, let's do it.
804
:I guess it's already here.
805
:Sure.
806
:And I'm so glad we did because
this has been a great conversation.
807
:That's why I like having a podcast.
808
:Meet cool people.
809
:So thank you.
810
:It's an honor to be here with you.
811
:Yes.
812
:Thank you so much for being on.
813
:And once again, that's
street wise to sales wise.
814
:com fusion points.
815
:com and jeffcwest.
816
:com is the, the center
point, the nexus of it all.
817
:So thank you so much, Jeff,
for being on the show.
818
:Jeff West: My pleasure, Michael.
819
:Thank you so much for having me on.
820
:Michael Whitehouse: Thank you
so much for joining us on the
821
:Guy Who Knows A Guy podcast.
822
:I'm your host, Michael Whitehouse.
823
:Be sure to join us for
the next JV Connect.
824
:Learn all about it at jv connect.
825
:com.
826
:You can also get my Five Steps to
Profitable Networking course for
827
:free right there on that site.
828
:Our goal is that in two days, you're
going to get over 100, 000 of value
829
:from the connections you made.
830
:And this applies whether you are brand
new in business or well established.
831
:So be sure to join us, jv connect.
832
:com in March, June,
September, and December.
833
:All the dates and details are
right there on the website.