Peter McKay’s Post

Read this if you've ever been frustrated with sales... There’s a point in the sales journey where everything finally starts to click. I call it the "Clicking Point"  Back in 2020 I was frustrated… I spent nights and weekends studying the books and courses. I went through 100’s of bad and good sales calls. I practiced all the scripts and went through call reviews daily. But I wasn’t where I wanted to be in my sales game. Then one day I had a “perfect call” - Asked all the questions - Didn’t miss a beat on the pitch - Worked through all objections like a savage When I collected payment and hung up the phone, I felt FIRE rush through my veins. All the dots connected at that moment. It was like Neo seeing the Matrix. All the hours of hard work started to bear fruit. It was not an overnight success. It was a breakthrough experience that set forth the biggest wave of momentum at the time. Doubled my monthly commissions in 3 months. Went from closing 20-25% to 40-50%. Sales went from being exhausting to being exhilarating. I share all of this with you because I was on the borderline of quitting. The quitting point and the clicking point are right next to each other. And if I had quit before that one call I would’ve never made the money, impacted lives, and would be back sitting in an office job miserable again. At the end of the day what’s important to understand is that your potential takes time to incubate… And once that time period’s complete you’ll unlock that next version of yourself at record speed. Give yourself that time my friend. You’re right there.

Some of you aren’t expecting adversity and it’s costing you. Personal Anecdote (TLDR at da bottum): One of my sales managers was leading the sales training for a room of around 200 full commission sales people. This guy was hands down the best salesman I’ve ever met and the rest of the room probably shared a similar sentiment. Someone brought up a question along the lines of “our product is great, but I just get so much pushback on the initial contact. It kills my mood, rhythm, and my momentum” He responded with “If your job was to go door to door and hand a briefcase full of cash to someone… with the ONLY rule being that they could NOT ask ANY questions…. You would have an infinitely more difficult time completing this task. Think about it. Someone knocks on your door, they are a total stranger, uninvited, and caught you completely unexpected. Then you whip out a briefcase full of cash. At first, it looks like nothing but positivity, success, and the solution to every problem you could think of. But then they take a second and the hesitation creeps in. Where did this come from? Where did this person come from? Why me? Why so much? What problems could come with this? Most importantly, WHATS THE CATCH!” —- People will NATURALLY have questions, concerns, and preconceived notions. It is YOUR job to address these concerns. It is YOUR job to understand how you might come off to people. Whether you are interviewing for jobs and not being invited for the second round. Or maybe you’re not even being picked up for the first call back. YOU need to be aware of your own first impressions, blind spots, and “red flags”. Don’t shy away from the confrontation, but EXPECT them, so that you can be prepared for that counter. Expect pushback and you will set yourself up for the best results. TLDR: Everyone has red flags. Not everyone prepares to address them.

Thought of The Day (01/30): Nothing loses you credibility in a sales call or business transaction more than falling back on, “Sorry, I’m new…” Sure, it will excuse a mistake or help someone understand where you are but most people don’t want to be your first sale or the one you cost your teeth on. How to address? Don’t say that. If you make a mistake own it (Veterans make them too), apologize and move on. If you don’t know the answer say, “I don’t know the answer. But I will get it for you ASAP.” If you run into something you don’t know or find yourself getting into the weeds pause and say, “You know what, I want to get another set of eyes on this.” Regroup and use your resources. A lot of times people think “I’m new” will get them a sympathy sale or special consideration and it won’t. Nobody wants to risk a limited budget or their kid’s college on someone who doesn’t know the business but they will deal with people who use their resources and own their mistakes. So, lose the language and don’t be “new” tomorrow - Be worthy of the person you are speaking to and, like the old saying, “Act like you’ve been there.” NOTE: Don’t lie about your tenure either which is way worse and if it comes up and you have to say, “I just started at this company,” lean into your overall career experience or why you joined and move away from the focus being on your length of employment. #sales #salesadvice #newsalesperson

When is it time to call it quits? Sometimes things just don't work out and you need to find a way to extricate yourself from the situation? The beginning of every new work environment is like a new "relationship'; there is a "honeymoon" period after you've been hired, a "prove yourself" period after you should be ramped up, a "resilience" period when things are going so well and a "disentanglement" period after you've (or they've) realized that you're not a good fit. So how do you end this relationship? Normally I try to end the engagement gracefully. No matter what. Yes, I've left money on the table. For example, I had a client that was paying a monthly performance fee based on earned incremental revenue. I served my 90 days notice because it was time for us to move separately and during this notice period one of our team members closed a MONSTER Enterprise deal. I was due to get a small piece of this transaction based on our agreement when the new customer started paying the client. But the production of this customer's initial and subsequent products was taking so long that we couldn't bill for the services. How much did I get paid? Almost nothing because my term was up before any material revenues came in. Was I mad? Nope a deal's a deal. And you know what? That client came back to me a few months ago asking if our team could help them with some other work. So by leaving money on the table and being an honorable person I maintained by sanity and kept a relationship that I'd otherwise not have been able to maintain. Because I remember what Jim Rohn used to say "People remember more about how you left than how you started, so leave a lasting impression when you leave". So the next time you need to "leave" somewhere, remember that how you leave counts as much as when you leave. #sales #salesleadership #onemorecall

We are all one email, call, or message away from our day, week, month or even year to be flipped in a positive way or negative way. It's that simple. It's that quick. It's that real. Entrepreneurship, sales, marketing—every niche can experience these abrupt shifts. I read somewhere recently that landed, even top talent and high performers can be cut, denied, let go, burned, or put in a fight-or-flight situation despite hitting all targets and milestones. Sometimes, it’s simply because decisions are made beyond our control: a company shift, a lost client, a market trend, or a niche demand drying up. A decision was made by a company you don't own. A client decided to end the retainer or relationship. A role got added to a layoff group by a flip of a coin. A certain industry is cutting because the market decided as a whole to cut. Many times when adversity hits, we internalize it as it's our fault. Yet often, it’s not about what we did or didn’t do neither was it our fault. Losing a title, a business, a major client, or a job—especially one you’ve built from the ground up—doesn’t erase your capabilities, achievements, or value. Your expertise, the goals you’ve reached, and the revenue you’ve generated remain intact. You may lose a position or a title, but not your essence or worth. But what really unsettles us is the uncertainty of the future, the immediate reality of loss, the fear of perception or judgment among our peers, and the need for affirmation and validation of our value. We naturally crave financial stability, recognition, and the opportunity to do what we love and be compensated for it. These are universal desires, deeply human at their core. Facing constant rejection from job interviews, failed investor pitches, unfruitful cold outreach, or sales calls that don’t convert can be disheartening. What I'm trying to say in this mind dump of observations and reflrections is that we need to withhold judgment and refrain from prescribing how others should act or feel during tough times. Can we truly understand someone’s journey without walking in their shoes or experiencing their unique challenges? Let’s consider the privilege that allows some to share positive updates despite negative circumstances, a luxury not everyone has. And not mention those who never say anything and navigate in silence though the outer perception is sunny and bright. In an instant, everything can change. And we can "prescribe" all we want about "proper protocol and procedure" but truth is we're emotionally-charged humans with essential needs and when that foundation is ruptured, all is fair game. For those navigating this Sunday waiting for a callback or email confirmation, I hope you get it. I hope that client or project comes through. I hope that funding is approved. I hope your content converts and attracts that partnership or collaboration you've been seeking. Just remember, your circumstance is not your identity. Be kind to yourself! 🫶🏾

Last year, I was fired from a company. No notice or explanation given. My boss threw a meeting on my calendar (which I thought I "missed" or didn't see) After hopping on the call frantically, and without any heads up, my boss said: "Rich, today's your last day" I wasn't really sure why. After all, I was doubling the entire sales departments output metrics and getting better results, more meetings, etc. After I got off the call, it led to several months of self-doubt. Where should I go? Why'd I get fired again? Was I doing the right thing? Should I start my own thing? Am I delusional in thinking I'm working hard? Should I change to something "less intense" outside of sales? And after a year of refocusing my mind, doubling down on things that matter, and shifting my perspective while pursuing sales in my own business, something funny happened... A friend casually mentioned the company went under and had to lay off half of their already small staff before getting bailed out. After several months "redirecting," all I could do was laugh. I really couldn't believe it. Multiple lessons hit me all at once. The main lesson learned? Don't doubt yourself when facing adversity. p.s. mini lesson learned... It's not always about you (or me). Sometimes people and companies are going through a hard time and something happening to you can be a results solely because of them.

One of my favorite things to say is, "I've got some bad news." Here's how I use it for everything, not just sales... Say it's Friday and you want to go home early. If you walk into your sales manager's office and ask, Hey boss, I'm sorry to bother you, but can I go home early today, I need to (fill in the blank). Most managers get crumpy and act like you asked to borrow $1,000. So I'd say, "Hey boss, you got a second, I got some bad news." And then let him stew on that for a few painful seconds. In his mind, he goes worst case, "Did you lose a big deal? Are you quitting? So when I ask to leave early he's like, "Oh, that's it. No problem Andrew." The request is the same but in one version he's annoyed and in the other he's happy. In sales, if the prospect asks me to improve my price, I always come back with "Bad News" My bad news strategy reframes the conversation to my advantage. If you've ever gone back to a prospect all excited and said, "Good news, management approved a 10% price reduction." and they are still pissed, Then you know what I'm talking about. Here's the lesson: Your good news is never good enough. And your bad news is never as bad as they think.

Once upon a time, I was hired out of 10,000 applicants for a sales job. I performed well and performed early in the role. I ramped fast and started closing deals. I built good relationships and received positive feedback from leadership. And I still got let go 3 months later. Along with a big % of the sales floor. Haven't spoken about it before because timing is everything and there is so much nuance required. But I'm talking about it now for one simple reason: I know there are people who will be in this situation in the future. Or are in that situation right now. And I hope sharing my experience will help. Here is how I handled it: 1) I called my friends and processed what happened 2) I hired Dan Goodman 3) I made LI posts announcing I was open to work & started applying 4) I asked Andrew Shapiro for some interview advice 5) I successfully advocated for myself on the way out the door & didn’t sign my separation agreement prematurely (again, thanks to Dan Goodman) 6) I interviewed like a mad man. I was kind but ruthless in asking tough questions during those interviews. 7) Was fortunate enough to get a few offers fairly quickly, and I happily accepted my new role 1 month after getting let go. If anybody finds themselves in a similar situation, my advice would be to give yourself time to process what just happened. Acknowledge the loss and celebrate the hidden win (bad news early is good news). Get outside. Plot your next moves. Remember you are more than your job while remembering this: sometimes you can do all the right things (Repvue & Glassdoor check, talk to reps, etc.) and you still get burned. Advocate for yourself on the way out and start looking for the next thing that has your name on it.

Just had a great lunch catch-up with an old friend. He knew I was originally planning to pursue a career in real estate and asked why I shifted to selling tech. Cheesy as it sounds, SaaS sales wasn't an intentional choice I made; it kind've found me. On the contrary, I have always been intentional about achieving outcomes I'm passionate about, like personal and professional growth. Selling SaaS platforms that deliver these outcomes to people aligns more with who I am than selling buildings (no shade to my RE homies). For those just starting their career journey, ask yourself: "what outcomes do I truly care about achieving?" Once you have an answer, search for a role that will help you deliver said outcomes to yourself and others. From there, trust that your path will reveal itself.