127: Trent Halasek – Protect the Business Model

Guest: Trent Halasek

Guest Bio:

I was raised by a family of educators and have maintained my love of learning, and teaching, in my professional career. I read and consume as much information as I can to help better myself professionally and personally.

My path is a bit non-traditional for a sales leadership role. I have a degree in accounting and started my career as a Staff Accountant. Most people who end up in sales will tell you that accounting work is horrible. I take the opposite approach. What I learned with a finance background is the cornerstone for prudent financial decisions and practical solutions in my work. From the very beginning of my career, I learned what drives financial results in the industry, so when I elevated into leadership positions, I already had learned the financial side of decisions. It definitely gave me a leg up when I started moving up in my career.

Guest Links:

Akers Packaging Service Group

Connect on LinkedIn

Key Points:

Sales Leadership Philosophy:

Shares insights on continuous education and training for sales professionals. Views sales skills as learnable and emphasizes ongoing development in areas like lead generation, cold calling, and communication. Prefers hiring individuals who are willing to learn and have high energy over those with extensive industry experience aligning salespeople with the company's core values and ensuring they are focused on what the company does best.

Hiring and Developing Sales Talent:

Look for candidates with a growth mindset (willingness to learn) and high energy. Focus on helping sellers get wins in the right areas to build confidence. Prefers a hands-on coaching approach, especially for new sellers, to align them with company goals. Understands the importance of managing people differently based on their experience and career stage.

Business Model Protection:

Stresses the importance of protecting the company's business model by staying focused on core strengths. Advocates selling only boxes, not diversifying into other products, which could dilute profitability. Believes in aligning sales efforts with the company's proven value proposition, even if it means not chasing every opportunity.

Sales Wins and Strategy:

In October, all 11 local sellers exceeded previous year's sales despite industry pricing challenges. Focused on selling company assets effectively and motivating sales teams. Uses internal surveys to ensure messaging aligns across all levels of the company, from entry-level to top leadership. Ensures salespeople understand the company's offerings and target market.

Strategic Decision Making:

Encourages decision-making based on the company's business model rather than reacting to every customer request. Highlights the importance of strategic decisions (e.g., offering new products like tape) being made at the leadership level, rather than by individual salespeople.

Adapts to the needs of smaller customers and helps new sellers secure smaller accounts to build confidence, but ensures they remain focused on core products.

Customer Needs and Sales Approach:

The company focuses on providing fast, reliable service for corrugated boxes. Targets smaller to mid-sized customers who need quick delivery and personalized service, unlike large companies that can get these products from larger corporations. Uses a needs-based sales approach, focusing on solving specific customer challenges with a tailored solution. The sales cycle is guided by understanding the customer's language and aligning the company's value proposition to their needs.

Understanding Individual Strengths (Superpowers):

Emphasizes the importance of recognizing both personal and customer strengths. In the context of a salesperson or team member, it's crucial to identify their "superpower" (a unique strength or trait) and encourage them to lean into that for success. For example, the interviewer mentions using passion and energy as their own "superpower" for motivating others.

Balancing Commonality with Individuality:

Discussion about how customers often have the same general need (e.g., fast delivery of brown boxes), but the underlying reasons for that need may differ. This highlights the balance between understanding the commonalities (like needing a box) and addressing the individual needs behind that requirement.

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