The Sales Machine

In this episode, John Rankins sits down with Richard Harris, an industry expert with over 20 years of experience in Go-To-Market and Sales Revenue roles. Richard shares insights from his journey, spanning from selling Jolly Ranchers as a child to advising Fortune brands and startups like Zoom and Salesforce.Tune in to gain valuable insights from Richard Harris's wealth of experience and expertise in the sales industry.Don't miss this exciting episode!Episode Highlights"What people tell me is how I listen and ask thought-provoking questions... I want John to sound like John and Richard to sound like Richard." - Richard Harris"Sales is service, solving problems, and making sure people are happy... Sales is something you do for them, not to them." - John Rankins"My first foray into a real B2B world was selling classified ads... I realized I was never the best salesperson, but I loved teaching others how to sell." - Richard Harris"Nobody cares about you, your company, your product, your service. Nobody cares. So let's just get that out of the way right now. They only care about what's in it for them. Once you understand that and listen, you'll be great at sales when you're good at service." - Richard Harris"That's when I find people lose the plot. And when they sound scripted, they create doubt. And when in doubt, they're out." - John RankinsConnect with Richard HarrisWebsite: https://theharrisconsultinggroup.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harrisconsultingllc/ X: https://twitter.com/rharris415?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rharris415/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rharris415/ Connect with John RankinsWebsite: https://thesalesmachine.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficialInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial

This episode features Liz Elting, the founder of TransPerfect, shares her journey of building a billion-dollar language solutions company. She discusses the importance of identifying a gap in the market and focusing on sales and revenue to scale the business globally. This episode emphasizes the significance of providing exceptional service and anticipating client needs, while it also highlights the value of building a strong sales team and creating a culture of competition and recognition.Throughout the conversation, Liz and John emphasize the importance of dreaming big and continuously setting and achieving goals.Don't miss this exciting episode!Episode Highlights"A lot of people want this easy money, this easy billion dollar unicorn. But yeah, it's all about kind of going in there, working hard, building the team, incentivizing the team, retaining the team, but it takes time and it involves not quitting." - Liz Elting"I always tell our listeners, there's just two types of companies, the quick and the dead, especially in the entrepreneur world and startups, right? But if you wanna make the most money, you've gotta solve the biggest problem. And you identified that the problem was, there's a lot of linguists out there, but they cannot scale, right?" - John Rankins"I always say the greatest skill, and I've been doing this for 30 years, building and scaling sales teams is listening. And you were listening to the problems. You were listening to what were your clients' biggest struggles. And you took it on your own, even in an entity that wasn't going to entertain it and say, you know what? I'm gonna serve these customers at the highest level. And you solved a bigger problem." - John Rankins"And that's why I always say, don't confuse being an entrepreneur with being an inventor. You do not need to invent something entirely new to be wildly successful. And of course, that's what they did. And that's what we were trying to do. And one of the big differentiators was spoiling the client with service and quality and innovation and anticipating their needs before they knew they had them." - Liz Elting"A lot of people don't know how to push the psychological triggers of the entrepreneur or the salesperson. And if you want it to be consistent, sustainable, and scalable, you identified how to do it, right? With that sustainable commission scheme. That's what we built into the sales machine. We built in rewards, recognition, competition, compensation, so people know what to do, when to do it, how to do it. And guess what? They do it." - John RankinsConnect with Liz EltingWebsite: https://lizelting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001819285273X: https://twitter.com/LizEltingLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizelting/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizelting/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@liz.eltingConnect with John RankinsWebsite: https://thesalesmachine.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficialInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial

This episode features Swish Goswami, the CEO of Surf, a revolutionary loyalty and rewards platform.Discover how Swish collaborated with giants like Netflix and Amazon, and became a LinkedIn Top Voice with 200M+ content views.In this episode, you'll also learn the secrets behind Surf's success, its partnership with Amazon Prime Gaming, and Swish's unique approach to building connections in the digital age.Join us to unlock entrepreneurial insights, target high-level clients, and hear Swish's take on community involvement, visualizing success, and networking with influencers.Don't miss this exciting episode with Swish Goswami!Episode Highlights"We thought why not build a system where people can share their data. They know what they're sharing. They can control what they're sharing, but they're also compensated directly for the data they share. And that way we can then package that data, anonymize it, and share it directly with companies that want to understand what people are doing on the internet." - Swish Goswami"I went from helping ordinary people with opportunity and products and opportunity to becoming extraordinary with the business I was running. And now I'm helping ordinary companies become extraordinary with the software performance system. And this is where I see it's a great play for you. And I had a colleague there." - John Rankins"Because it's one thing to be real, the greatest sales skill in the world, I know, is authenticity, right? But if you're preaching to the choir, right? Or your avatar's not where you're actually making an offer, you're never going to connect." - John Rankins"I went to Salesforce, I went to HubSpot, I went to NetSuite, and I said, look, I need you to put this in a system, rewards, recognition, competition, compensation, so that people know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it, and they want to do it. And they're like, we don't do that." - John Rankins"It's been good to be able to build something that's different, that's unique. But more importantly, we're building something that likely will exist in five, six years." - Swish GoswamiConnect with Swish GoswamiWebsite: https://www.swishgoswami.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swish.goswami/ X: https://twitter.com/goswish?lang=en LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/swishgoswami Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goswish/ Connect with John RankinsWebsite: https://thesalesmachine.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficialInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial

Ready to elevate your sales training game with no-nonsense strategies? Look no further!This episode of The Sales Machine brings you John Barrows, a force recognized as a game-changing sales influencer, a Top Voice on LinkedIn, and Forbes' Top 30 Social Sales People In The World.As the CEO of JB Sales, John provides top-notch sales training for industry giants like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Salesloft. An esteemed advisor, he has collaborated directly with Jack and Suzy Welch on sales and marketing strategies for their start-up online MBA program.Tune in for a candid conversation that will reshape your approach to sales. Welcome, John Barrows!Episode Highlights"I tell people this all the time, that sales is the transfer of enthusiasm. If you do not believe in it, right? If you do not believe in what you sell, then you're a douchebag sales rep who's given us all a bad name. But if you believe in what you sell, if you genuinely believe in what you sell, and it makes the difference for the right person, not for everybody, but for the right person, then sales is just the transfer of enthusiasm." - John Barrows"You've got to sell yourself on whatever it is you're selling. And if you're not enthusiastic about what you're selling, why would anybody else be enthusiastic about what you have? If you have not yet fallen in love with your value proposition, whether it's a product or service." - John Rankins"My perception of trainers up until that point was not good because most sales trainers either failed sales professionals or professional presenters. We've all been there where we could see, we were taking training from some guy who's wearing a suit that's three sizes too big and doing a role play that would never happen in the real world. And he probably has never actually sold shit, but he's just really good at telling people what to do. And to me, if you haven't sold, I can't listen to you." - John Barrows"But let's be honest, the game has changed. People not only want to know what they're buying, but who the company they're buying for is, what do they stand for? What are their core values? What differences are they going to make? Are they long-term, sustainable, scalable? Are they won and done because you can buy and then the warranties, if they went out of business, so it really is personal." - John Rankins"Nobody cares about you, your product, your service. They care about their problems. They care about what's in it for them. They care about can you make a difference? Is it sustainable, scalable? Right?" - John Rankins"I'm not gonna sit here and babysit your shit. I'm not gonna do your job for you. I'm a trainer. I come in, I drop fire, I give you all the tools and the resources to be successful and then it's up to you to implement it." - John BarrowsConnect with John BarrowsWebsite: https://www.jbarrows.com/ X: https://twitter.com/JohnMBarrows LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jbarrowssalestraining Connect with John RankinsWebsite: https://thesalesmachine.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficialInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial

Looking for no-nonsense strategies to boost your sales game? You're in the right place!In the fast-paced world of sales, it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve with innovative approaches and profound insights. This week, we're excited to feature Jeffrey Gitomer, a renowned sales expert and best-selling author, whose unconventional and direct strategies have reshaped sales perspectives globally.Jeffrey Gitomer, the 'King of Sales', has authored 17 best-selling books, delivered engaging and insightful presentations, and is known for his humorous yet impactful speaking style. With exclusive access to the archives of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, Jeffrey has crafted 'Truthful Living: The First Writings of Napoleon Hill', a book offering foundational self-help wisdom. His unique ability to translate complex sales principles into actionable, street-smart strategies makes him an unparalleled figure in the sales industry.In this episode, Jeffrey Gitomer, alongside sales leader John Rankins, dives deep into the art of sales. They tackle the essentials of positioning yourself as an authority, the importance of perceived value in sales, and how confidence translates to certainty and successful sales outcomes. Their candid and straightforward conversation is packed with practical advice, from redefining cold calls to mastering the ultimate success formula in sales.Episode Highlights"What do you want us to achieve? You want to put me in charge. What are the things that you think we can do? Because I'm gonna come back with three different ideas that are gonna solve our problems, close that gap." - John Rankins“The challenge that you have for the salesperson is you have to put yourself out there as an expert, even an authority to be able to get the lead to come to you, not you to go make a cold call to somebody” - Jeffrey Gitomer“Everybody buys on perceived value. If I think the value is greater than the price, I'm in. If I don't think the value is greater than the price, I'm a price buyer, I'm out.” - Jeffrey Gitomer“If you do not create certainty, then you're creating doubt. And when in doubt, they're out. So you've got to transfer that confidence because confidence creates certainty and certainty creates sales.” - John Rankins“So when I say writing leads to wealth, I really mean writing needs recognition, writing leads to reputation. And there's certain things that it leads to that most people don't understand.” - Jeffrey GitomerConnect with Jeffrey GitomerWebsite: https://www.gitomer.com/ X: https://twitter.com/gitomer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreygitomer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreygitomer/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BuyGitomer Podcast: https://www.sellordiepodcast.com/ Connect with John RankinsWebsite: https://thesalesmachine.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficialInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial

Do you want to know how to grow small businesses extremely fast and effective?In this day and age, it’s all about social media! You need to establish a strong brand identity and online presence if you want to scale as quickly as possible. Our guest this week is America's number one small business expert, Melinda Emerson. She is an author, professor, and the CEO of Quintessence Group for over 25 years. She serves as an advisor to Fortune 500 companies worldwide, educating them on supporting small businesses. She is a seasoned professional adept at bridging the gap between advising large corporations and nurturing small businesses.During their conversation, Melinda delved how she transformed from a video production company to a social media powerhouse. She also explored some of the common mistakes large companies make in marketing to small businesses, and the secrets on how to grow small businesses.This is an episode you don’t want to miss, as Melinda spills all the strategies on how to grow small businesses. Episode Highlights“The bigger problem you can solve, the more money you can make.” -John Rankins“ Problems aren't something we should run from, It’s something we should run to because we can monetize those things. -John Rankins“Most people want to get rich quick, or they want to do things that are attainable today, but not sustainable tomorrow.” -John Rankins“The biggest mistake that corporations make is talking about small business owners as opposed to talking to small business owners.” -Melinda Emerson“People are so focused on new customer acquisition, that they really neglect the most valuable resource in their business, that is somebody that has already bought from them. “ -Melinda Emerson“If you don't have at least three revenue streams in your business it is going to be very difficult to scale. “ -Melinda EmersonSpecial Invitation to Melinda's One Day Event. Register on this link: https://succeedasyourownboss.com/Connect with Melinda EmersonWebsite: https://succeedasyourownboss.com/X: https://twitter.com/smallbizladyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/melinda-emerson-smallbizlady/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallbizladyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallbizlady/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thesmallbizladyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/melindaemersonPodcast: https://succeedasyourownboss.com/sbcpodcast/Book: https://succeedasyourownboss.com/book-melinda/Connect with John RankinsWebsite:https://thesalesmachine.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial

Today, if you’re not using social media for your business, you’re as good as dead.But even for businesses leveraging the power of social media, growing followers is not that easy. So what is the secret? How to grow your social media following instantly?This week, our guest is Zack Benson aka Mr. Instagram. He is the founder of Assistagram and the author of the New York Times bestseller "Reach," and has built a company with over 221 million followers. Recognized for his expertise in social media marketing, he collaborates with celebrities like Ariana Grande and Snoop Dogg, helping them build their brands. Zack also works with people worldwide to grow their social presence and scale their businesses. Throughout this interview, Zach will guide you on how to grow your social media following the right way. He discusses the importance of understanding your value proposition rather than overselling when creating content. He also explains the power of leveraging influencers through creative collaborations to gain exposure for brands.Want to know more on how to grow your social media following as quickly as possible? Don’t miss out on this strategy-filled episode!Episode Highlights“If you're not top of mind, then you're going to be forgotten. It's not what you did yesterday, or last year. It's about what are you doing today” - John Rankins“Once you're an influencer, you have that ability to market not only your own products and services, but other people's products and services.” - John Rankins“The most important thing for any business is not getting leads but it's getting that content seen” - Zach Benson“The more real, authentic and genuine that you can be with your social media content, the better. That's going to help you in the long run, make more sales and bring in more customers. - Zach Benson “The most important thing that you can do for your business is just to put content out there because with great content comes growth, it helps you stay top of mind.” - Zach BensonConnect with Zach BensonWebsite: https://www.assistagram.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-benson-368483119/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zachtbenson/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachvacay/Connect with John RankinsWebsite:https://thesalesmachine.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial

One of the most growing trends today is using other people’s money to exponentially grow a business. It’s tempting, as using business leverage can provide opportunities that is not possible otherwise. However, Joris Spanhoff advises against it. He believes excessive borrowing of money can turn a business upside down in no time, if handled poorly. Joris Spanhoff is this week’s guest. A business veteran behind Infosoft, a legendary and scalable company, and Founder of Acceltech and Power Edge, with 21 years of excellence and recently sold a thriving gaming venture. In this interview, Joris discussed how business leverage can kill business in the long run and people should be careful with leverage and debt. He also discussed the importance of building a strong company culture and choosing partners and customers wisely. Don’t miss this episode filled with hard-earned lessons in building sustainable businesses! Together, let’s uncover the myth of business leverage and how it can affect business success.Episode Highlights“You have to be really careful of borrowing, make sure you can afford it.” -Joris Spanhoff“You have to find people that see the value of not only the product or the solution you offer, but what you offer as a company as a team.” - Joris Spanhoff “There's no way you're gonna get it right the first time. There's no instant success. There's no fast success.” -Joris Spanhoff“I think leverage is a superpower. Whether you're leveraging relationships, or you're leveraging money, or investment, because otherwise, you cannot compete on a global stage.” -John Rankins“If it's all about the price all the time, they don't see your value. And it's gonna become a problem later. So you might as well handle it sooner rather than later.” - John RankinsConnect with Joris SpanhoffWebsites: https://www.poweredge.com.ph/ , https://infosoft.com.ph/, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joris-spanhoff-ab59485/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JSIIMNLInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/joris.mnl/Connect with John RankinsWebsite:https://thesalesmachine.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial

Whether you like it or not, we are now in the era of digital marketing.The game has completely transformed, and in this dynamic world, platforms like Meta, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok aren't just social sites; they're powerful stages where video content marketing reigns supreme. This surge in video accessibility has changed how we influence buyer preferences. It's all about crafting strategic, captivating content that not only boosts your brand's visibility but also significantly amplifies its influence. This week, our guest is Ken Okazaki. He is the CEO of OZ Media Global and has generatedmultiple millions of dollars, empowering organizations and individuals with the power of video content marketing through social media that allows them to not only scale their business, but build a sustainable and scalable income.Throughout the interview, Ken systematically explains how he has been effectively using testimonials, competitor analysis, objections, and metrics merged in a framework and AI in delivering attention-grabbing and engaging videos that hit the marks.Don’t miss out this episode filled with marketing strategies that have been proven and tested! Discover how you can leverage video content marketing in your business and reach unimaginable success!Episode Highlights" A lot of people worry about getting it right or getting it perfect before they do anything so it paralyzes them.” -John Rankins“ You can have the greatest product in the world, but if nobody knows about you, then they're obviously going to buy from somebody that they do know about” -John Rankins“The biggest thing that stops entrepreneurs from succeeding with video is that they're being asked to be creative in a field that they're not comfortable in.” -Ken Okazaki“Views turn to followers, followers turn to conversations, conversations turn to clients.” -Ken OkazakiConnect with Ken OkazakiWebsite: https://kenokazaki.com/X: https://twitter.com/kenokazakiLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/video-marketing-coaching/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kenokazakipage/photos/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenokazaki/?hl=enYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KenOkazakiConnect with John RankinsWebsite:https://thesalesmachine.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial

Let’s learn how the power of celebrity marketing and storytelling brings success in business.Celebrities have been wielding an extraordinary sway over the hearts and minds of millions. They play a vital role in business advertising because of the influence they are endowed with.This week, our guest is Clint Arthur. A successful entrepreneur, best-selling author, advisor, and speaker. His expertise spans the spectrum of enterprises, ranging from $1 million to $1 billion in size. As a speaker, Clint has shared the stage with some of the most famous people in the world, including Martha Stewart, Dr Oz, and 5 Presidents of the United States to name a few. Throughout the interview, Clint shared how he scaled his business and brought vast influence and credibility through celebrity marketing, speaking engagements and storytelling. He showed how he stood out among the rest of his competitors and won over multi-billion companies. Don't miss out and learn strategic celebrity marketing that could redefine your advertising approach. Tune in now and elevate your influence and profit!Episode Highlights“Sales is challenging, but when you do the right marketing and brand positioning, It's a whole different ball game.” - John Rankins “If you want to make a bigger difference in your world and in the world of your clients and prospects, you can't be the same as everybody else.You have to stand out.” - Clint Arthur“You can't always get what you want, sometimes you find you get what you need.” - Clint Arthur“The best time to invest in marketing is during the tough times when people are pulling back, when people are afraid to invest.” - Clint ArthurConnect with Clint ArthurWebsite: https://www.clintarthur.tv/X: https://twitter.com/clintarthurLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintarthur/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClintArthurInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/clintarthur.tv/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ClintArthur/videosConnect with John RankinsWebsite:https://thesalesmachine.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial