ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.
Listen "A Love Hate Relationship With Sales Process with Andy Racic"
Episode Synopsis
While we’re on hiatus preparing for a new season of Rethink the Way You Sell, we wanted to bring you some content from Jeff you probably haven’t heard before. Jeff produced a premium podcast called Deeper Thought from 2020-2022 and you’re about to hear one of those episodes. Enjoy!
This is an enhanced version of the Deeper Thought post "I have a love-hate relationship with sales process." written by Andy Racic. It includes an interview with the author.
FULL TEXT
---
Why I love sales process:
Point #1. With a properly defined process, you don’t really have to think very much, you just have to execute. While I am a thinker and I very much value thinking, I’m also a raving fan of cognitive efficiency. Solve a problem once, properly, and never think of it again. There’s a reason why people give so much credit to Jobs’ idea of a uniform (black polo, blue jeans, sneakers). Having to make fewer decisions lends to making better critical decisions.
Point #2. If the process was given to you by your manager/company, and you follow it honestly and truly, you’re severely limiting your own liability. If you do the work, as prescribed, and the results are there, awesome, end of story. If you do the work, as prescribed, and the results aren’t there, not so great, but your ass isn’t on the line. You were doing as you were instructed to. Then it’s back to the drawing board but with the support of your manager.
Why I hate sales process:
Point #1. Mindlessly executing a task the same way over and over (and over and over) again is absolute hell for me. I go a little bit nuts doing the same thing repeatedly. While there are a number of factors motivating why I’ve moved on from each of my jobs, one of the common drivers is simply boredom. Learning how to sell something and increasing my win rate is always a good challenge and reward in and of itself. But selling that same solution week in, week out, year in year out, is a kind of a torture for someone like me.
Point #2. The current process will never be as efficient as it possibly can be. There is always room for improvement. I have many, many strong opinions, weakly held. This is not one of them. I believe this on a deeply fundamental level - as deep as cereal first, then milk; or that the toilet paper should hang over the roll, not under the roll (excepting having toddlers or cats in the house). (Feel free to disagree with me on those, but fair warning, I will think lesser of you without compelling evidence supporting your case.) There will never be a perfect process as the market is never static. Case in point - Blockbuster didn’t care to evolve their process. When they were the big dog, they had the opportunity to acquire Netflix for $50M. Netflix’s current market cap is $216B and there’s literally 1 Blockbuster store left, operating as a AirBnB. Sales processes exist to give a familiar framework to the seller, but they should never, ever be static, written in stone processes. Find ways to improve yours or watch your close rates (or margins) erode and evaporate.
/rant.
I recently listened to Adam Grant on Tim Ferris’ podcast. Adam suggested, instead of practicing what you preach, just preach what you practice. It’s a small tweak but it resonated with me. So, this is my sales process:
Be human. Establish a connection. Cultivate a dialogue. Seek to understand, deeply, what is or could be motivating my prospect to go through the hassle of making the change I offer. Align my solution with their motivations. Remove as many obstacles and challenges as possible (internally and externally) to making that change. Respond quickly. Communicate directly and simply. Expect setbacks. Have fun. Give credit to my team when I win. Take responsibility when I lose. Solicit feedback. Rinse, repeat.
That’s it. That’s my entire sales process. If I’m missing anything, or if I can cut anything out, I’m all ears.
Subscribe to Deeper Thought on Soundwise
This is an enhanced version of the Deeper Thought post "I have a love-hate relationship with sales process." written by Andy Racic. It includes an interview with the author.
FULL TEXT
---
Why I love sales process:
Point #1. With a properly defined process, you don’t really have to think very much, you just have to execute. While I am a thinker and I very much value thinking, I’m also a raving fan of cognitive efficiency. Solve a problem once, properly, and never think of it again. There’s a reason why people give so much credit to Jobs’ idea of a uniform (black polo, blue jeans, sneakers). Having to make fewer decisions lends to making better critical decisions.
Point #2. If the process was given to you by your manager/company, and you follow it honestly and truly, you’re severely limiting your own liability. If you do the work, as prescribed, and the results are there, awesome, end of story. If you do the work, as prescribed, and the results aren’t there, not so great, but your ass isn’t on the line. You were doing as you were instructed to. Then it’s back to the drawing board but with the support of your manager.
Why I hate sales process:
Point #1. Mindlessly executing a task the same way over and over (and over and over) again is absolute hell for me. I go a little bit nuts doing the same thing repeatedly. While there are a number of factors motivating why I’ve moved on from each of my jobs, one of the common drivers is simply boredom. Learning how to sell something and increasing my win rate is always a good challenge and reward in and of itself. But selling that same solution week in, week out, year in year out, is a kind of a torture for someone like me.
Point #2. The current process will never be as efficient as it possibly can be. There is always room for improvement. I have many, many strong opinions, weakly held. This is not one of them. I believe this on a deeply fundamental level - as deep as cereal first, then milk; or that the toilet paper should hang over the roll, not under the roll (excepting having toddlers or cats in the house). (Feel free to disagree with me on those, but fair warning, I will think lesser of you without compelling evidence supporting your case.) There will never be a perfect process as the market is never static. Case in point - Blockbuster didn’t care to evolve their process. When they were the big dog, they had the opportunity to acquire Netflix for $50M. Netflix’s current market cap is $216B and there’s literally 1 Blockbuster store left, operating as a AirBnB. Sales processes exist to give a familiar framework to the seller, but they should never, ever be static, written in stone processes. Find ways to improve yours or watch your close rates (or margins) erode and evaporate.
/rant.
I recently listened to Adam Grant on Tim Ferris’ podcast. Adam suggested, instead of practicing what you preach, just preach what you practice. It’s a small tweak but it resonated with me. So, this is my sales process:
Be human. Establish a connection. Cultivate a dialogue. Seek to understand, deeply, what is or could be motivating my prospect to go through the hassle of making the change I offer. Align my solution with their motivations. Remove as many obstacles and challenges as possible (internally and externally) to making that change. Respond quickly. Communicate directly and simply. Expect setbacks. Have fun. Give credit to my team when I win. Take responsibility when I lose. Solicit feedback. Rinse, repeat.
That’s it. That’s my entire sales process. If I’m missing anything, or if I can cut anything out, I’m all ears.
Subscribe to Deeper Thought on Soundwise
More episodes of the podcast Rethink The Way You Sell
Salespeople Ruin Everything with Todd Caponi
16/10/2025
Another Race to the Bottom
14/10/2025
A Real Assessment of Your Situation
09/10/2025
Hold Yourself Accountable with Mike Simmons
07/10/2025
Stop Complicating Things with Mike Simmons
18/09/2025
It's a Team Sport
16/09/2025
In God we trust