Q&A
How did you initially connect?
Andrews: Dale is very easygoing and “good people.” He’s a unicorn engineer. I do a lot of work with manufacturers, so I’d get together with Dale once a quarter to strategize about who he was targeting and discuss that. We’d refer clients to each other. Once he learned more about Lushin and what we do, Dale reached out to me and said he thought it might be time to bring me in.
Messey: J.B. and I were in the same manufacturing networking group, which is how we got to know each other. It’s good because, in that networking group, they’re plugged into other companies in town who do things I can help with. I can come in and help with overflow work or help them think through a different way of thinking.
Andrews: Dale felt that if he worked with Lushin, he could reach his goal of growing much faster than if he kept doing it on his own. He knew on his own he’d be moving slower and potentially making more mistakes along the way.
Problem
When did you realize it might be time for sales training?
Messey: As people left my former company to go to other places, they’d bring me on to help on projects at their new companies. But, that source of new business started to stall out. It showed me that I couldn’t just rely only on the people I knew. That wasn’t a way to grow the business.
Andrews: Dale was confident, but his sales process was similar to that of a standard salesperson who went into each conversation just talking about features and benefits and then asked if they needed his help. He grew Messey Engineering organically from existing relationships with colleagues who knew him and his concepts. He hired us because he didn’t have those relationships anymore.
Before Lushin, Dale had never had sales training before. When he realized the sort of training we offer could help him, Dale talked to me about starting to work with us to get out of the habit of making a “features and benefits” stump speech and start showing how Messey Engineering solves problems.
Why were you interested in working with J.B.?
Messey: I needed to think about marketing and create a sales process. Most engineers don’t value these things, so it was good to start working with J.B. to learn what sales really is. He has also helped me figure out how to enter interactions with prospects completely blind, build relationships, manage conversations (and objections), and get to those pain points.
Andrews: Dale is smart. The engineer in him knew he was good at this, so he wanted coaching and training to make Messey Engineering even more effective. He didn’t have any big problems. Dale just sometimes had issues “getting the spaghetti to stick.” Sales are now in a good place, so the focus is on hiring, ramping up his team, and coaching the new hires.
How Lushin Helped
What do you value most about working with J.B.?
Messey: Getting coached by J.B. is like having a great therapist. He asks good questions that make me think. I answer them and apply the methodology to my business. His questioning spurs me on and encourages me to take more risk. I value that a lot.
How have your client interactions evolved since working with Lushin?
Messey: J.B. has helped us get more comfortable with not being the right choice for every customer. Today, if you’re a customer and come in to talk to someone at Messey Engineering, we’ll talk to you, and you’ll guide us to what’s right.
Andrews: I’ve helped him navigate different types of nuanced situations that we all face at some point during sales. Coaching is the one-on-one work where we focus on what he needs to do to scale the business, what systems he needs in place to grow, and, as required, directly cater to his needs/help identify gaps.
What’s the biggest benefit of working with Lushin?
Messey: I am risk-averse and methodical. I would say J.B. is the one who puts things in perspective for me. He’ll say stuff like, “You’re worried you’ll have to lay everyone off,” and I am, even though our projects are generally always successful. Still, I want us to do more because we do good work. I know I need to continue to hire more people and find new customers. I rely on J.B. to help push me forward.
Andrews: I feel like the idea of “what got me here won’t get me there” has had the most impact on Dale. He knows he has what it takes to be successful, but curiosity makes him want to know what is out there that he isn’t doing yet. For him, it was never about needing to make a significant change or Messey Engineering would fail. He’s just a lifelong learner and wants to keep learning to be as successful as possible.
What’s an example of a tool or strategy that’s made a significant difference in your business?
Messey: One of the best examples of how J.B. helped me was when he introduced me to the concept of personal motivators and gave me an individual motivators template. I went through it with my new hire, Ed, shortly after he was onboarded, and it got to aspects that were important to him for his job and personal life. That conversation was a catalyst. I learned that Ed was religious, and his family was very important to him. These things helped me know his character. It helped us find common aspects in our lives and led to more personal conversions and a better bond off the bat.
What advice would you give others considering working with Lushin?
Messey: Everyone at Lushin is first-rate. They’ve all been good to me. There was this one time when I had to ask Suzy a question, and I didn’t know her. I can’t remember the context, but I had a question and J.B. connected me with her. She was on vacation or something, but she still jumped on a call with me and was super helpful. The fact that she took that time to do an additional consultation with me on a specific topic meant a lot. Everyone at Lushin's flexibility and willingness to be there for you when you need them is great. you ended them is great. As a client, that’s so valuable.
Discover transformative sales training with Lushin
Don’t wait until that strong professional network you’ve always relied on to fill your sales pipeline runs dry to start prospecting like the best. Instead, follow Dale Messey’s lead and work with an expert to learn how to sell more (and sell more easily).
For over 25 years, Lushin has guided business owners toward intentional, predictable growth. Our customizable and flexible training programs and coaching can accelerate your success and help you solve the toughest sales challenges in today’s complex world.
Schedule a 30-minute call with one of our experienced sales and management consultants to see if a Lushin coach can help your business.
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