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111: The Year I was the MOST Miserable (And the Year I Sold the Most)
38 Plays5 years ago
There's a lot of times as solar salesmen where we just get burnt out. It comes with the job of knocking doors really. The main reason you don't feel like you're progressing in your selling is simply because you don't know these core things to scale your success. If you want to get up to 100 installs in a year, earning the Golden Door award at D2DCon, then you need to understand the reason you're out there knocking doors. You can't improve as a sales rep for your company after all if you don't know why you need to scale your abilities. One of the best ways I've found to do just that is by using planners, I recommend
Grant Cardone's 10X planner
You need to align yourself though regarldess with people who can push you to reach your full potential. Surround yourself then with a team that gives you the resources and drive to do just that. I'm always willing to help and excited to do so. I've got a special FREE presntation waiting for you then at webclass.solarpreneurs.com
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to the Solarpreneur Podcast, where we teach you to take your solar business to the next level.
00:00:08
Speaker
My name is Taylor Armstrong.
Taylor Armstrong's Journey to Success
00:00:10
Speaker
I went from $50 in my bank account and struggling for groceries to closing 150 deals in a year and cracking the code on why cells reps fail.
00:00:19
Speaker
I teach you how to avoid the mistakes I made and bring in the top solar dogs of the industry to let you in on the secrets of generating more leads, falling up like a pro, and closing more deals.
Defining a Solarpreneur
00:00:31
Speaker
What is a solarpreneur you might ask?
00:00:33
Speaker
A solarpreneur is a new breed of solar pro that is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve mastery and you are about to become one.
00:00:42
Speaker
What's going on, solopreneurs?
Relaunching the Podcast
00:00:44
Speaker
Taylor Armstrong here, your host, and I am excited to be back because if you listened to the previous episode, you know that this is our relaunch of the podcast.
00:00:56
Speaker
We're making a few changes, revamping some things, and excited to be back here.
00:01:02
Speaker
And go listen to the previous episode if you didn't hear about a few of the changes we were making.
00:01:09
Speaker
But basically, we're going to have shorter episodes.
00:01:12
Speaker
We're going to have more quality.
00:01:14
Speaker
We're going to have more implementable strategies so you can get out there and take instant action.
00:01:19
Speaker
Because if you're anything like me, you listen to probably end this podcast.
00:01:24
Speaker
But how much are you actually implementing?
00:01:28
Speaker
I'll be honest, I'm in the gym half the time when I'm listening to podcasts, I'm driving in the car, so a lot of times I'm not taking in everything that I should.
00:01:38
Speaker
So I personally like the short form content better, the actionable strategies that I can go out and do right away.
00:01:46
Speaker
That's what we're going to focus on.
00:01:48
Speaker
So today we are starting out, I guess you'd say kind of the new season, the new fresh start with something that has helped me a ton.
Taylor's Year of Transformation
00:01:58
Speaker
But the title of this episode is the year I was the most miserable and the one I made the most money.
00:02:04
Speaker
Hopefully it gets a few people to listen, if anything else.
00:02:09
Speaker
But I have to say, I have, well, as if you've been listening for a while, hopefully you celebrated with me a while back.
00:02:18
Speaker
I think it was, what, maybe six months or so ago now.
00:02:22
Speaker
But I actually got the Golden Door Award, which if any of you follow the Door-to-Door podcast, Sam Taggart, and those cool cats over there.
00:02:31
Speaker
It's his conference, his kind of award that he created.
00:02:34
Speaker
In solar, it is anyone that has over 100 installs gets the Golden Door Award, which I think is a pretty cool accomplishment, but it doesn't mean anything, honestly, because I want to go further.
00:02:45
Speaker
I want to help other people have that feeling.
00:02:47
Speaker
I know it's a great accomplishment.
00:02:49
Speaker
I mean, yeah, I felt like...
00:02:51
Speaker
It's like when you get that, it's like I finally made it.
00:02:55
Speaker
I'm one of these top dogs now.
00:02:57
Speaker
You see all these people having tons of success and getting that award.
00:03:01
Speaker
It's like, wow, maybe I am one of these top dogs now.
00:03:05
Speaker
All these guys that I always saw just crushing it, dominating door to door.
00:03:08
Speaker
I guess I'm one of these guys, right?
00:03:10
Speaker
That's the feeling.
00:03:12
Speaker
But honestly, when I first started out, the feeling was...
00:03:16
Speaker
opposite.
00:03:17
Speaker
I mean, it's like, I started out in the summer of 2016.
00:03:21
Speaker
My first few months, you probably heard my story, but had little to no success, was struggling for money, couldn't afford groceries.
00:03:30
Speaker
In that feeling, it's like, man, I'm going to quit this.
00:03:35
Speaker
Why am I even trying this?
00:03:37
Speaker
I should just go back to pest control, even though I only made like
00:03:40
Speaker
I don't know, eight or nine grand for the summer of pest control.
00:03:43
Speaker
Not that impressive.
00:03:44
Speaker
Or maybe I should be working at McDonald's.
00:03:46
Speaker
Maybe I should just go back to donating plasma, which was my main source of income in my college days.
00:03:53
Speaker
So that's kind of the feelings you have.
00:03:55
Speaker
So that's what I want to share is how to have more of the feelings that you finally made it, that you're one of the top dogs, you're one of the greatest, you're one of the goats of solar, because that's where we want to take people.
00:04:07
Speaker
And that's what this podcast is all about.
00:04:09
Speaker
It's helping you take it to that level and achieve that success that you've always been dreaming of.
00:04:15
Speaker
So let's hop into it.
00:04:16
Speaker
I'm going to share three strategies today.
00:04:18
Speaker
They're going to help you get towards that and have the selling year you want to have.
Understanding Personal Motivations
00:04:25
Speaker
So number one is knowing why are you even out there?
00:04:28
Speaker
Why are you out grinding the pavement, hitting the doors, whatever lingo you want to throw in the parentheses?
00:04:34
Speaker
Why are you pushing hard?
00:04:36
Speaker
Why are you trying to have success?
00:04:39
Speaker
So quick story, when I first started out in the solar industry, I remember going to a training with, I guess he was kind of the regional manager at the time.
00:04:50
Speaker
His name was Dan Cranford.
00:04:53
Speaker
Shout out to Dan if you're listening to this.
00:04:56
Speaker
But he shared a training with us, and the training was super good.
00:05:00
Speaker
We were talking about goals and achievement, and he had us write down our goals and kind of one of those trainings.
00:05:09
Speaker
But the funny thing was the whole time he was talking about, you just got to have the white power.
00:05:16
Speaker
You got to have the white power.
00:05:18
Speaker
And I kept hearing white power.
00:05:19
Speaker
I'm like, man, are these guys like KKK?
00:05:22
Speaker
What's going on here?
00:05:23
Speaker
And then we got done with the training.
00:05:25
Speaker
And I'm like, man, what is this guy's deal?
00:05:27
Speaker
Is he like a racist or what?
00:05:29
Speaker
Why does he talk about white power all the time?
00:05:32
Speaker
And then everyone's like, no, Taylor, he's saying why power, not white power, why power?
00:05:38
Speaker
I'm like, okay, that makes so much more sense.
00:05:41
Speaker
Why power?
00:05:41
Speaker
That's why we're talking about the goals.
00:05:43
Speaker
That's why he's going off on having his ride out why we want to be here and what we want to achieve.
00:05:49
Speaker
So if you're doing a training, make sure, especially in these times, make sure it's clear you're saying why power, not white power.
00:05:56
Speaker
Okay.
00:05:58
Speaker
But that training stuck with me and he taught us a lot of stuff that day that I still apply to this day.
00:06:06
Speaker
But that is you just need to have a super clear why.
00:06:09
Speaker
Why are you doing the things you're doing?
00:06:11
Speaker
Why are you out there grinding?
00:06:14
Speaker
It's the first tip on that is when you write out your why, when you write out your goal, have it be three layers deep.
00:06:20
Speaker
So if you want to, let's say, have enough money to buy a house, why do you want to have a house?
00:06:29
Speaker
Okay, maybe it's to provide for my family, keep my kids warm.
00:06:32
Speaker
Why do you want to provide for your family?
00:06:35
Speaker
because I love them.
00:06:36
Speaker
Anyway, go deeper on that, but make it three layers deep because that's how you're really going to figure out that it's a true why.
00:06:44
Speaker
That's how you're going to get to the true motivation.
00:06:46
Speaker
And you should even do it for customers.
00:06:49
Speaker
I mean, why do they want to get solar?
00:06:52
Speaker
Have them go three layers deep.
00:06:53
Speaker
It's an episode for another day.
Tools for Success: Planners and Mentors
00:06:56
Speaker
But figure out your why power and then write them down.
00:06:59
Speaker
If you don't already get some type of planner,
00:07:03
Speaker
I've used the Grant Cardone's 10x planners.
00:07:06
Speaker
We can post some links to them, but there's a best, I think it's the best life planner.
00:07:12
Speaker
You can get it on Amazon, 20, 30 bucks, but it's another super good one I've used.
00:07:17
Speaker
And what they do is they have places that you write out your goals, your whys, and review them on a regular basis, weekly basis, and then also quarterly basis.
00:07:28
Speaker
So if you're like me and are not very good at being accountable and keeping track of those things yourself, get some type of planner that'll help you do that.
00:07:38
Speaker
That's tip number one, figure out the whys.
00:07:40
Speaker
And that's going to be what will keep you going more than anything else.
00:07:44
Speaker
And constantly review them, have them out there on the doors, use picture, use video.
00:07:49
Speaker
Because that's what's going to help you dig deep when you are out grinding, when you do want to quit.
00:07:55
Speaker
Number two is know how to improve and then know if you're making progress.
00:08:01
Speaker
When you know how to improve, that's how you're going to know you are making progress.
00:08:06
Speaker
And so this is just about having the right knowledge, having the right mentors.
00:08:10
Speaker
And story about this, I was actually this morning, I was in the gym with my brother.
00:08:15
Speaker
We go to the LA Fitness down here in San Diego.
00:08:17
Speaker
If you ever want to join us for a workout, but we were out working out this morning and I
00:08:23
Speaker
He's like, man, I haven't haven't closed the deal in a few weeks now on a little bit of a slump.
00:08:29
Speaker
And I'm thinking about maybe having people maybe having you or someone else come to my deals, close them for a little bit because I can't figure out what's going on.
00:08:38
Speaker
And so we dug a little bit deeper.
00:08:40
Speaker
I'm like, he's been closing his own deals for maybe a month or two.
00:08:45
Speaker
It's been out here for, I think, four months now.
00:08:47
Speaker
But we dug a little deeper and I'm like, well, dude, have you had a lot of quality appointments going through?
00:08:54
Speaker
And he's like, honestly, not really.
00:08:58
Speaker
I'm like, well, if you aren't having appointments go through or if you're having one leggers, it's just a wife there or not super quality appointments, then it doesn't matter who comes to your appointments.
00:09:11
Speaker
You have the best closer in the world.
00:09:13
Speaker
Could have our friend Michael O'Donnell come.
00:09:16
Speaker
but even he, if it's a crappy appointment, then it's going to be hard for anyone to close it.
00:09:22
Speaker
So the bottom line with that is figure out what you're lacking.
00:09:26
Speaker
If you don't know what it is you're trying to adjust, then you can't make improvements on it.
00:09:32
Speaker
So even before you know the how to improve, you need to figure out what needs to improve.
00:09:38
Speaker
If you don't know what needs to improve, then how are you going to figure out what the how is, how you can improve it.
00:09:46
Speaker
So that's the first key with this.
00:09:48
Speaker
Start tracking, measuring, adjusting.
00:09:50
Speaker
Do it in everything.
00:09:52
Speaker
And especially I've learned as I've learned more marketing, not just sales, is you get these guys that are tracking ads, that are tracking, you know, the Facebook pixel, the Instagram.
00:10:01
Speaker
leads, the cost per acquisition, all these marketers, they're tracking everything.
00:10:05
Speaker
And the best ones, they're keeping all this data, all these spreadsheets, all these CRMs of every single
The Value of a Supportive Sales Environment
00:10:12
Speaker
little thing.
00:10:12
Speaker
And they're making adjustments, they're tweaking things.
00:10:15
Speaker
So that's something that I've really respected from all of these top marketers too, is they track, they measure, they adjust.
00:10:21
Speaker
If things aren't working, then they make the little adjustments.
00:10:25
Speaker
So it should be no different.
00:10:26
Speaker
When you're trying to improve, you need to have something to go off of.
00:10:29
Speaker
You can't just go off of, I guess, right?
00:10:34
Speaker
If you're trying to improve the quality of your appointments, like, oh, well, I'll just do this.
00:10:38
Speaker
And then you don't track it.
00:10:41
Speaker
You don't measure it.
00:10:41
Speaker
How are you going to know if it actually worked?
00:10:44
Speaker
So measure it.
00:10:46
Speaker
And then number two with that is after you measure it, then you figure out the how.
00:10:51
Speaker
So how do you know the right advice to get done?
00:10:53
Speaker
Okay, you gotta be following the right mentors.
00:10:55
Speaker
So that's what we're doing with this podcast.
00:10:58
Speaker
Get on this podcast every week.
00:11:00
Speaker
It will drop in episodes weekly, interviewing the top dudes, the top dogs.
00:11:04
Speaker
So that's the how.
00:11:05
Speaker
Okay, get a good mentor.
00:11:07
Speaker
And with that, being a good sales organization,
00:11:11
Speaker
I have talked to so many reps now where they're in with these, I guess I won't drop names here, but it's kind of network marketing type organizations or the they're trying to do these dealers with no support, but they just have the lowest red line and they get paid the most per deal.
00:11:30
Speaker
But guess what?
00:11:31
Speaker
They're not closing deals to begin with.
00:11:33
Speaker
So get with an organization.
00:11:34
Speaker
It's not about being the highest paid.
00:11:36
Speaker
Obviously, you want to be paid well, but it's more important who you're surrounded with.
00:11:42
Speaker
Are you with top producers?
00:11:44
Speaker
Are you with guys that only close one deal a month?
00:11:47
Speaker
It doesn't matter how much you're getting paid, but I'll take way less pay if I can be around the top producers.
00:11:54
Speaker
That's way more important, and that's how you're going to know the how.
00:11:57
Speaker
So just dig deep.
00:11:58
Speaker
If you're with a one-man deal right now and you're not producing the results you need to, then dig deep.
00:12:06
Speaker
Maybe you should go to...
00:12:08
Speaker
you know, a different organization with higher producers.
00:12:11
Speaker
And then also consider getting a coach.
00:12:13
Speaker
That's one thing that took my skills to a new level, which will be introducing some coaching programs, things like that.
00:12:21
Speaker
You can send me a message if you want to hear what we got going on, but that will be coming out soon.
00:12:26
Speaker
The solopreneur movement, we want to get guys coached in the best training on the planet.
Celebrating Achievements
00:12:32
Speaker
Okay, that's tip number two.
00:12:34
Speaker
First track it and then know how to improve.
00:12:37
Speaker
And the last thing I have with this is allow yourself to feel the wins.
00:12:43
Speaker
So when you're out there, that's what's going to keep you motivated too is celebrate the wins, celebrate the little things.
00:12:49
Speaker
Actually, this podcast I'm recording right now, I'll be honest, I was dragging my feet.
00:12:54
Speaker
I was like, what do I say today?
00:12:56
Speaker
People want to hear this.
00:12:57
Speaker
What do I say?
00:12:59
Speaker
And I was dragging my feet, but I decided I'm actually here at our office in our podcasting room.
00:13:04
Speaker
There is a new ice cream shop that just opened up around the corner.
00:13:08
Speaker
And I'm like, okay, Taylor, if you do this, if you record these episodes today, you can go get yourself an ice cream.
00:13:15
Speaker
Okay.
00:13:16
Speaker
So, which I know I shouldn't be getting the dad body.
00:13:20
Speaker
Had a kid, so I've got to be super careful eating too much ice cream.
00:13:24
Speaker
But figure out a way to reward yourself.
00:13:27
Speaker
And maybe it's a trip you want to go on.
00:13:29
Speaker
Maybe it's, I don't know, cruise with your wife.
00:13:31
Speaker
Maybe it's just going on a weekend getaway if you get X amount of sales, if you get X amount of leads.
00:13:40
Speaker
Things like that.
00:13:42
Speaker
Figure out a way to motivate yourself and then figure out a way to reward yourself.
00:13:48
Speaker
Doing those things.
00:13:49
Speaker
My wife, she actually, my second year of solar, we did this thing that helped a lot.
00:13:57
Speaker
You married folk, girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever.
00:14:00
Speaker
if you want to implement this but what my wife did is she made a it was like a board full of these little prizes and they were uh it was just like a white board and she would tape on there these white envelopes and then um depending on how many appointments I booked that day how many leads I got she would let me open a white envelope okay I know it sounds like I'm a five-year-old or something right now
00:14:24
Speaker
getting a prize for doing my chores but literally that's what it takes sometimes in this job and maybe you maybe all you listening are have way more willpower than me maybe you can push yourself but i think this could help anyone okay have boyfriend girlfriend whatever put up something a reward system maybe it's you booked three appointments that day you could open a little reward
00:14:48
Speaker
And then it's a little surprise.
00:14:50
Speaker
So it helped me, helped me push.
00:14:51
Speaker
I wanted to see what was in that white envelope.
00:14:54
Speaker
Sometimes there's a candy bar.
00:14:55
Speaker
Sometimes they were, I don't know, like a back rub, whatever.
00:15:01
Speaker
But stuff like that, figure out ways to motivate yourself.
00:15:03
Speaker
And that is going to help you have the year you want to, the year to crush
Closing Thoughts and Future Plans
00:15:08
Speaker
it.
00:15:08
Speaker
And that is going to help you towards your golden door award as well.
00:15:13
Speaker
So that's what we got today, guys.
00:15:15
Speaker
Push yourself to go towards the positive, to go towards the dreams you want to achieve.
00:15:22
Speaker
And don't have it be like me, like those feelings of wanting to quit, like those feelings of you're the worst.
00:15:29
Speaker
If you do those things, it's going to help you.
00:15:32
Speaker
So again, we're having more shorter form episodes.
00:15:34
Speaker
So that's the tips for today.
00:15:36
Speaker
Go out there and dominate, go out there and crush it.
00:15:38
Speaker
And we will see you on the other side.
00:15:41
Speaker
Thanks so much for tuning into today's episode.
00:15:44
Speaker
I know when I got into the industry, I had almost no resources like this.
00:15:48
Speaker
So I hope this show is helping you get the success you deserve.
00:15:52
Speaker
If you found value from anything in this episode today, think about someone who can benefit so you and I can help people fulfill their potential.
00:16:00
Speaker
Zig Ziglar said if you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want.
00:16:05
Speaker
So I promise by sharing this it will help you grow and improve.
00:16:09
Speaker
The value bombs on today's show will take you one step closer to success, but it's always to the degree that you apply and execute the principles.
00:16:17
Speaker
I've spent the last few years interviewing the top solar experts and helping other reps and businesses discover their potential.
00:16:24
Speaker
If you want more help achieving your goals, then I put together an exclusive video training on three hacks that helped me close multiple deals a week while knocking less than 10 hours.
00:16:34
Speaker
And who doesn't want that?
00:16:35
Speaker
So go check it out at webclass.solarpreneurs.com.
00:16:39
Speaker
Once again, that's webclass.solarpreneurs.com to get exclusive access to the training and take your skills to the next level.