What's up? I'm Rachel Spiewak and this is Rock Your Tribe Radio where community, fun, social media and business collide. I firmly believe that parties are the answer to all of life's problems. Seriously. Building a community, bringing people together for a common purpose and serving them, that's your mission as a business owner. Let's make it happen. It's time to rock your tribe.
(00:28): Welcome the show. I need you to do something. This is interactive right now. Go get a post-it note and a pen or a pencil hit the pause button if you need to, but make sure you come back and hit play. Okay. Got the post-it and the pen or pencil. Now, write this down on the post-it. The money is in the relationships. The money is in the relationships and then write a little dash and put my name there. So you remember who said it, Rachel Spewak that's Rachel with an x-ray now stick that post-it where you can see it every day. I promise this is going to make sense. After you listened to this episode, I'm about to introduce to you one of my favorite people in the whole wide world. Somebody I'm completely impressed with that. I'm lucky enough to call my friend Hannah Walker, business development, executive turned sales coach.
(01:22): I think of her as my fractional sales director, this lady, she was an engineer at Siemens, shout out to women in stem who transitioned to sales and owned it. Spoiler alert. She's closed, multi-million even a billion dollar deal billion with a B, B as in bad-ass. And you know what? We're on the same page about building community from solo printers to mega corporations. The best easiest, most enjoyable way to get to the sale is by building community by creating relationships, but actually caring about people. The proof is in the numbers. Hannah's going to give us the cold, hard numerical facts about deals she's closed and about conversion rates. Yes, community is quantifiably. Good for business. We're about to talk nerdy to you. Are you ready? Here we go. So you're sitting here, like in an iron maiden shirt, just showing whatever you have had some very powerful roles and big companies doing sales being flown or around the world like Dubai. Hello. Can we get the sales flex now, please?
(02:31): So, yeah, so I started life as a mechanical engineer, and then I worked for Siemens, which you may have heard of. I don't know, they're just a little engineering company. And I worked as a bid manager, which is basically the person that does all the hard work and sales and then the sales ones that comes in and swoops and takes all the glory. And I worked for them for years. We'll just go with years rather than a specific number, working on contracts from anything from a couple of thousand bucks to I work in pounds. So I'm going to, I'll probably flex even more now by saying my biggest contract that I worked on was three-quarters of a billion pounds. So that's like over a billion dollars. And then I went and moved to a smaller company, but we're still working with multi-million pound contracts. I looked after clients in Australia and New Zealand and Singapore and Dubai. I'm not going to lie. It was kind of nice being flown around the world to see all of these amazing countries and work with some amazing people, solving some client issues and making a ton of cash on the side. Really? So it was yeah, it was really good. I'm not going to lie. It was there. It's been a fun ride to this point. So
(03:55): A billion dollar deal is something that you have closed in your sales experience. Yes. I hope everybody caught that. It's one of the best things that I've had in my career is that for me, money doesn't scare me because when you're dealing with contracts that are basically like the GDP of a country, you kind of just ignore the number. It's not the number is just that it's part and parcel of it. I mean, we were talking about like building power stations and like support contracts. We're not talking kind of like a coaching contract for somebody like we're talking, literally keeping the lights on in a, in a country kind of level. But what that's allowed me to kind of do is really remove that issue that a lot of people have when it comes to sales, because everyone thinks of sales as, oh, I'm taking money from people. I'm, you know, I'm, I'm taking their money off of them, but you're not, you're giving them something. They're not just handing you money or you're selling them something that they want. And fundamentally these people wouldn't, you know, they wouldn't be doing these things if they didn't want to buy from you. So it really helps. And it helps me then now with my clients kind of be like, stop focusing on the money. Like it's like stop making it a big deal. It's just a number. Get on with it, put it out there, get on with it and let's move forward sort of thing. So, yeah, it's fun. I love that.
(05:30): And I'm, I'm so impressed with you. And part of what I love about working with you is, you know, you've put together a billion dollar deal. And at the same time, your philosophy of sales is completely aligned with my philosophy of community based business. You can put yourself in that arena, that billion dollar deal arena via community-based business. So that's what I really wanted to talk to you about.
(05:57): Totally. I think people get like people forget that even these multi-million pound contracts, they're still people you're buying from people. And there is somebody who is reading that contract. There's somebody who's reading that price and making a decision. And if you don't have a relationship with those people, then you're never going to sell to them because they just look at the cold, hard facts. They look at that number, they fixate on the number or they fixate on the things that they don't like about it. Whereas if you've built that relationship, you've built that community with other people that you can work with to sort of like add in extra elements that maybe you're not as good at, or you'd need support with, then your doing what's best for your client. They can see it and they have a real person behind it. And that's so important when it comes to sales is that it's not faceless. Everything has a person in it. That's why multimillion pound companies have sales managers. They have people who flyer up. That's why I used to go on a plane and fly 10,000 miles each way for a six hour meeting or a three hour meeting or lunch or something, because it's that relationship that makes it so important and makes those deals happen.
(07:21): Well, the way we met was through my Facebook group. So you landed in my Facebook group. I met you first as a dance photographer engineer, also salesperson. So you're a, multi-faceted very interesting person. And then we quickly became friends. You bought a one-hour strategy session from me on your Facebook group. So what was going on at that time that you wanted to make your community a priority?
(07:44): I left my corporate role two years ago now and being honest, I was burnt out. I was working too many hours, too much stress in my life. And I realized that I needed to focus on me a bit more and doing what I cared about, which was helping people and doing something that I was passionate about. And I spent a year doing my dance photography and kind of felt a bit lost. There was something missing, something that I couldn't put my finger on, what it was. And then I joined a community. I joined a business network and very quickly realized this is what I was missing. I was missing helping people when it came to sales, not necessarily winning the orders, but actually showing people how easy it is and how it's not scary and how it's just part of your everyday life. And there was a training from you in that community very early on about Facebook groups.
(08:50): And I've never even thought of creating a Facebook group. I thought, oh, it's thing that I've got to do. And I can't be bothered with that because I'm a lazy engineer. I don't like having to do work unless I have to, but I sat there and I watched your training and I took 3 84 pages of notes and I laughed. And it was basically what you do now is your master class. And I was, my brain went into overdrive and I just thought, this is how I can help people. This is how I can do this. I can build a group. I can bring people together. I can have fun because I'd been in other Facebook groups, no boring as sin. I'm not going to lie. They would dull as hell. And that was the bit of corporate that I didn't like was that sometimes it was very rigid and very regimented.
(09:47): And you reminded me that no, it's fun. And actually the bits of my corporate world that I loved was the fun bits and that team work. And that comradery, even though in sales, it's so competitive and it's doggy dog. But the times that I loved it, the most was when we were working together and we were, we had that in feel and you made me realize how I could get that as a business owner, as someone who was working by myself at home and didn't really see anybody. So I booked a power hour with you. And again, I think I took about four or five pages of more notes because we didn't just go over what you like. We I'd already seen you masterclass. So we were like, right, proper, let's do this. Let's hit home. And then from that, my group is now my people that, you know, they not only do they get me every day, just asking them questions that sometimes they think are completely random, but they're not, but also they can access to me before anybody else, because they are my community. They are the people that I want to bear arms and I want to help the most. And that's why I'm then thinking even further when it comes to community and you've done what you've done, misses that you've definitely cemented the idea quite firmly in my brain. Gotcha.
(11:14): Well, Ms. Billion dollar deal, would you suggest to your clients and other business owners that they start a community to facilitate sales?
(11:24): 100% when I was at Siemens, we, part of the graduate program was for our business specifically, you would go around all the different departments in your business. And at the time you're thinking, oh, why do I need to be in procurement? They just buy stuff. Like, why do I need to be in sales? Why do I need to go in engineering and stuff? Because I was an engineer. I didn't want to do anything else what I wanted to do. But as soon as I got into sales, I realized why they made you do it. And it was because I knew everybody. I knew every single person in that business. I mean, maybe not all the field service guys and the guys in the factory, but I knew a hell of a lot more than a lot of people who work. I had been in those departments for a long time.
(12:16): And that meant when I was putting beds together and I was putting proposals for my clients together. I could walk down into the office and I could go and find someone that I knew, and I can have that conversation with them rather than just sending them an email and being like, oh, harass them by email being like, oh, reply, reply. I can actually get off my backside, walk 10 yards down the office and have a conversation with people. And that allowed me to then build teams and that community with every project so that when things went wrong, cause let's face it goes wrong. It's not always plain sailing. We were in it together and it helps so much. And then as soon as you start taking that community feel and including your customers in that field project runs so much smoother. We used to say in project management, that if you ever got to the point where you were getting the contract out and you were arguing over the contract, the relationship is dead because that has to be that community feel with internal and external people.
(13:30): So within your business and also in your customer's business so that you can have conversations, you can work through problems together rather than against each other, because that's not how business works. And yeah, it's now lovely to see that that is being shared with so many other businesses and also smaller businesses now to realize that making your customers or potential customers, part of that community and giving them value and giving them access to you, increases your sales. It's so much easier to sell to someone who likes you and who knows who you are through being in that community than somebody you've never met,
(14:20): Rocking a digital community. That's the future of marketing. Do you want to get ahead of the curve? Let me show you how to use real life, community building strategies to grow your brand, your authority, and your army of marketers. Head over to rock your tribe.com to send me a message let's get this party started. So
(14:39): I said something on clubhouse that you wrote down on a post-it note. I've got it in front of me. The post-it note, can you actually read it? It says the money is in the relationship. Come on a fractional sales director, Hannah wrote down on my clubhouse quote, the money is in the relationship. So what does that mean to you? The money's in the relationship.
(15:02): One of the things I tell so many of my clients is, so you go let all her knowledge bomb for you. If you're selling to new people, people you've never, ever had any interaction with. It's only a three to 5% conversion rates. If you're selling to people who already know you and already have a relationship with you, that goes up to 50 to 60% conversion rate. So that is why relationships are so important in sales. Yeah, that may be people who have already bought from you, but in the online space, especially that community and that relationship that they get with you and that brand or authority, or that kind of loyalty that they get can be built through content through a Facebook group, through any sort of community that you're building. So that, that, that then goes from three or 5% to anywhere up to 60%. So to me, if I'm trying to close a deal, I would much rather I am for the one that's 50 or 60%, more likely than just three or five. Cause I know which one's going to be easier. So the money
(16:28): Is, does that apply? Cause we've got hands and kind of like two different buckets right now. We've got our solo preneur world very much on Facebook. And we've also heavy on LinkedIn B2B marketplace dealing with mid and large size corporations. So is that true across the board? 100%,
(16:46): Maybe even more so in the B2B world, that community is so important and keeping those people feeling like they are valued, even if they're not spending money with you. Some of the biggest deals that I've closed have been through existing relationships,
(17:04): Some story about closing a deal, you had some kind of conversation with somebody unrelated. It was something like personal, you checked in about a personal thing or a personal interest kind of thing. So
(17:15): Yeah, one of the contracts that I'm in my last job, one of the, he's a really lovely guy and I still talk to him now, even though I left that company two years ago, but the project manager, so he wasn't even the person who made the financial decision. He was an external contractor who had been brought in by this company cause he used to work there years and years and his son played rugby. And I played rugby when I was at uni. So one of the first conversations that we had, we ended up talking about rugby and I found out very that his son plays rugby every Sunday. So I would ring him or I would send them a message every Monday and just ask how his son got on playing rugby on the Sunday. And that ended up being, that was a very high figure number. I think it was kind of, it was about half a million pound. So it was, yeah, it was definitely worth a 10. I mean I say 10 minutes, sometimes it would be an hour cause we just got on. So, but it was definitely worth that check-in every week because the, the the reward was worth it, shall we say? Right? And so let's bring
(18:26): That into Facebook groups for a second because we make this very big deal out of creating these one line engagement posts, and people kind of look at it from the perspective of like vanity engagement. I want people, I want lots of comments and likes in my Facebook group on this post because the algorithm blah-blah-blah and while that's true, the real value of those one-line engagement posts is to keep those conversations warm constantly. And you're constantly learning about your community members and you should be clocking. Okay. Somebody's got some kind of anniversary somebody's business anniversary, somebody's birthday, other milestones. It's so easy to keep track of all of these milestones and then check in with your community members and maybe they won't buy from you now or ever, but they are a source of referrals. They might bring more people into your Facebook group. And then there was another conversation that pops up today about small talk.
(19:19): I don't want to make small talk because it feels like it's not a substantial conversation. And what's important to realize is, you know, a conversation is a two-way street. It's not just about you. And it's not about the literal words. It's about the exchange of energy. It's about the relationship that you're building with the person. So it makes them feel good to know that you care about them, because all you did was say, how are you? And maybe they gave you a flippant, like, nah, I'm good. You know, it's not about the words, it's about the relationship. So I started to get on my soap box about that one for, for a hot second, because it just keeps coming up
(19:53): And you're right, because another little fun story. When I ran my first group program, I, without even thinking, I shed jewels and email to go out. So obviously they've got their tasks for the week on the Monday. And then we had the zoom on the Friday, but I scheduled an email on the Wednesday, just checking in just to see if they were okay. Like, how is everyone doing? And every single person messaged me individually and said, do you know how nice it was to get that email today? I know it was an automated one, but it's still you thought about it and you can. And it's so important. The other thing for the B2B world. So in my old job, I, people, anyone who's worked in sales is going to hate me when I mentioned this acronym, but most people will have a CRM, a customer relationship management tool and sales people notoriously hate them because they see them as a way of their management checking up on them and checking if you're hitting your targets.
(21:05): But for me, I loved it because I would pack it full of information about my clients. Like you say, the anniversaries, what their sons and daughters did, what their hobbies were, what sort of things like, where did they go on holiday? Those sorts of things. So the conversations that you're having with these people are real conversations. They're not forced. So I could pick up the phone because I built that relationship and be like, so are you going to send me the purchase order or not like, are we going to do this? Like, are we going to do this deal or are we just going to sit around and wait for it? And now I use that in my Facebook group and with connections in my coaching world that I try and remember as much as I can about not just my existing clients, but prospective clients, because it makes them feel wanted.
(22:03): It makes them feel valued. And I even have the comment in my last challenge of, oh my God, how do you remember all this information? Like, how do you know what everyone does? Because I care enough to look because I care enough to remember. And if I can't remember off the top of my head, I make notes. I write it down. And the power of that is huge in sales is making people feel like actual people, not just another number to hit a target or to buy some fancy sports car or something at the end of the month, it's about the relationships. And that's why I wrote it down. And that's why it's on my wall.
(22:44): The money is in the relationships. If anybody wants to work with you because you are the fractional sales director, how can they find you? What are you offering
(22:57): In the whole spirit of community and giving that I have a completely free guide on overcoming price objections. I've put together a price guide that you can download it. It's in the comments. It's also at Hannah Walker, consultancy.com forward slash or ice guide. I'm not taking on any one-to-one clients at the moment, but in the whole spirit of this community thing, I have actually just launched my wait list for my very own membership site and community. You can sign up at kind of Walker consultancy slash waitlist. So it's the same link as the other one, but with wait at the end. And basically those people people who are accepted will basically get daily access to me. I love
(23:52): That. I have to just recommend to everybody, to at least get the price guide, see what Hannah's is all about. I get access to her every day. So the debate here was, am I your coach? Are you my coach? And the truth is we just work together constantly. So if you get into Hannah's world and you want her help with your sales department, you're going to get a big dose of me. Right? And if you work with me and we're going to talk about sales and your offers and your capacity and your pricing, you're getting a big dose of Hannah because the truth is we talk all day, every day, community and sales go right together. Whether it's a small business or a very large enterprise, we're all humans, it's it all works the same way. It's all just relationships. You know, business doesn't happen in a bubble. Having a digital community just makes the whole thing so much easier.
(24:44): Yeah, totally. And it doesn't matter the size of your business, that community is so important. Like you say, if you're, if you want just one person then yeah. Having a community makes life so much less lonely. But also if you're in a big business, like I even posted about it yesterday, I've been surrounded by people in some of the biggest businesses in the world and felt completely alone because that community isn't there. So yeah. That's why I'm up in your world every day, because I genuinely think this is the way forward. Everybody should have a community. Everybody should utilize that. And that's how you make money. And it's by building that relationship and building that community.
(25:26): You heard it from Hannah Walker, fractional sales director, executive business coach who puts together billion dollar contracts. She said it community is the future of business. You know who to talk to, to build your community. Hannah Walker. You're like one of my favorite people in the world ever, are you 100%. One of my favorite people.
(25:47): Thank you. And we found each other through my Facebook group. So shout out to Facebook groups. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. Awesome. Thank you. I guess we'll leave it at that. I'll let you go. Cause you probably have a flight to get on to Dubai or something. Fancy I mean, I'm not even allowed to leave the UK at the vibrancy here I am in the lawlessness of Florida. Whereas I'm like, I can't go anywhere. Well, I, it, it's not so bad, but it's yeah.
(26:20): Thank you for being here. Hannah, everybody go get that price guide. Come see us in rock your tribe, community building for entrepreneurs. And until next time, do you want to say you rock? You say you rock you rock.
(26:40): This is the podcast factory.com.
