Sales Coaching: Breaking Down a Discovery Call 💼

All right, I'm gonna do like two separate variations of this at the same time and see if there's things that we can point out.

It's gonna be a little unique, right?

but that way we can see it in real time.

All right, let's look at the openings and then we'll look through the discoveries from man.

Virginia.

This meeting is being recorded not too far from me.

I'm in Raleigh, North Carolina.

North Carolina.

Okay.

Yeah.

Not that man.

Well, it's good to meet you.

My name is Josh.

I'm a lead advisor here at above the Par.

I work really close with Mark and our coaches.

So the purpose of this call is like what Mar said is just to see if we're a good fit.

As, long as we're checking off each other's boxes, man, I can help get you started.

At the end of this call you say Mar.

Are you talking about, the gentleman who was, giving the presentation?

Was it Shamar?

Yeah, his full name is Tamar.

We just, we call him Mark.

Gotcha.

Okay.

Yeah, awesome, man.

But what, yeah, what's got you motivated, to start your own Amazon FBA business?

43 seconds.

Let's see.

bless.

Where are you calling from?

Georgia Grayson.

Georgia.

Gotcha.

I'm Raleigh, North Carolina.

This meeting is being recorded there.

Was good to meet you.

My name is Josh.

I'm, one of the lead advisors here at above the Par.

I, work really close with Mar and our coaches.

So the purpose of this call, man, is really just to make sure that we're a good fit for each other, makes sense to work together.

So I really want to learn more about you, hear your story, you know, what do you have going on right now then?

What are you hoping to accomplish by working with us?

You know, what's your goal with your Amazon FBA business?

And then as long as we can bridge that gap and it's making sense, I'll help get you started at the end of the call.

Is that cool?

Yes.

Awesome, man.

So, yeah, what was a little less buy in from his side?

Same energy on your.

I feel like you were a little more like not like standoff, like kind of like feeling his energy, but overall, pretty similar.

never really was into.

And like, if you even look at like this versus this, see a drastic difference.

Amazon.

so, I'm a little bit newbie at that.

I really haven't had a lot of interest in it.

I wasn't just too sure of it there.

I know there's a lot of competition, a lot of things going on.

But I wanted to hear what he had to say to understand better what is in the realm.

I know a lot of things have changed in Facebook, I'm sorry, in Amazon as of late.

but I'm open to some opportunities.

So I'm just trying to see what the right partnership should be between the various different E commerce opportunities that are out there.

Okay.

Kind of like Solution Aware almost.

You know, it's like he kind of knows what he wants.

Like, let's listen to what he says again.

Had, a lot of interest in it.

wasn't just too sure of it there.

I know there's a lot of competition, a lot of things going on, but I wanted to hear what he had to say to understand better what is in the realm.

I know a lot of things have changed in Face.

I'm sorry, in Amazon as of late.

but I'm, I'm open to some opportunities.

So I'm just trying to see what the right partnership should be between the various different E Commerce, maybe even product Aware.

A little higher than Solution Aware.

He's just like, I'm trying to figure out which one the best one is.

Seems like he knows about it.

So opportunities that are out there.

Let's see what the other guy's at.

Can you wanna start your own Amazon FBA business?

Just financial freedom.

I have a sick wife, so I'm just trying to generate some more income to problem, Aware, help keep her here as long as possible and also have financial freedom.

I hear you, man.

I'm sorry to hear about that.

About your wife.

How long have you been dealing with that?

Three years.

So have you, have you been, like, on the hunt, like, looking for that thing that's going to get you financially free for, for three years or something?

Probably the last year.

Okay, I got you.

So tell me more about, like, what, what's life look like for you right now?

Like, I guess, how, how close are you to actually being financially free?

So I don't mind that you went down that route, but when he says last year, okay, why is there more urgency this year?

Go back to the other one.

Okay.

What's got you open to other opportunities?

Well, I've been open for, for quite a while.

I've had, stores on my own, but I'm open to some opportunities.

So I'm just trying to see what the right partnership should be between the various different E commerce opportunities that are out there.

I know you close this one, but it's like, right, Opportunity.

Right.

So it's like, okay, how are you gauging what the right opportunity is?

Right.

Like that's it.

You want to understand belief, to then dictate identity, to then dictate action.

Okay.

What's got you open to other opportunities?

Well, I've been open for.

For quite a while.

I've had, stores on my own.

just trying to understand the marketplace a little bit better now.

the stores that I had didn't do so well.

Of course, they were all not brick and mortar, but, general e commerce on your own, nothing a part of Amazon, nothing a part of Facebook or any of the other ones.

so that's just one of the income.

Income streams that I'm looking to do.

Okay.

What keyed me in on this one was more so the wholesaling.

so I was just interested in the aspect of understanding that, but again, just understanding that that is becoming a more competitive market.

And some of the changes that have occurred with.

With Amazon as a recent, had me a little bit concerned, but just wanted to understand a little bit better.

Jumping in.

Okay, I got you.

So, like, you have e commerce experience?

Sounds like yes.

Are those still something you're pursuing, or did you put a pause on those?

Put a pause on those?

for the last.

I guess.

I guess last six, seven months, I haven't done anything with any of my stuff.

I'm focused on getting one one back on.

On the ground.

But, why?

Yeah, what made you pause?

time.

I'm retired military.

I have another job, but I'm trying to move away from that job.

It's just that that is a very demanding part of my.

My week.

so, case in point, I got.

I'm flying out, traveling here for the next two weeks here this evening.

so it just takes a lot of my time.

So what is it that you do?

I'm in networking, and it, So now we're getting a little sporadic.

Right.

Because then he's like, when he's talking about the opportunities and he goes back and he mentions, what do you say?

I want to take exact words.

general e commerce on your own.

Nothing a part of Amazon, nothing a part of Facebook or any of the other ones.

so that's just one of the income.

Income streams that I'm looking to do.

Okay.

What keyed me in on this one was more so the wholesaling.

so I was just interested in the aspect of understanding that, but again, just understanding that that is becoming A more competitive market and some of the changes that have occurred with, with Amazon as of recent, had me a little bit concerned but just wanted to understand a little bit better jumping in.

Okay, talk to me about that.

You're interested but concerned.

Like explain that to me.

I got you.

So like networking and it it just this.

Yeah, it just takes a lot of my time so I'm trying to find ways of getting out of that.

I don't want to keep bouncing.

I want to finish this discovery and then bounce back together and just to see environment and more something that another stream that I can, I gonna say put on automation but another stream that I can include into my arsenal that kind of allows me a little bit more time freedom.

gotcha.

Well you mentioned ex military so I just want to say I appreciate your service man.

thank you.

Appreciate that.

Yeah, for sure.

And, and so with the job, networking, it, networking, it just has you, you're like spending so much time with that that you don't feel like you can actually spend time where you want.

Like what do you mean?

You want to buy back?

yeah, yeah.

I mean I, I do 10, I, I do easily 10 hour days.

I get up 6:00 clock in the morning, easily do 10 hour days.

and that's just a follow up failover from my military days.

That's how I just operated.

like how many days a week?

usually four to five days.

It's not, I mean I try to limit myself at four days just to get my Fridays off but it's just the way that I've just been conditioned to, to operate.

So with that I'm trying to find more, more avenues and of course I got family and stuff like that.

So my weekends are, are taking it with family things and just decompressing.

But at the same time I'm looking for more streams of income that, that can allow us the more time freedom that we're doing.

Okay, I hear you.

Yeah, I mean like with the time that you do get with your family, are you guys able to you know, actually enjoy and do the things that you want to do or is it mostly just kind of hanging out at home watching movies?

Most of it.

Most of it's hanging out at home.

I mean my wife is busy as well.

we're getting back to getting ready to open up our, our back to operating our own child care business but she's a director at a, at her own facility right now.

so that's the Reason for the decreasement because it's more so of just getting time to do the things that we want to do.

The other thing is, make adequate money, but the money doesn't last as long as.

Right.

So it's not a fact of, of multiple six figures, but it's more so of having the time to be able to use those.

That, that money and those resources to do a lot more of the things I want to do.

So again, adding more streams of income that'll allow us more time freedom.

Yeah, like.

Well, let's say we're the right fit and we get you the support that you need.

We help you make the extra income that you're looking to make.

Like what, what would you like to do with your time that you currently can't do?

well, our interest is more aligned in travel, and doing things of that nature.

So that would be.

I have other, other entrepreneurial endeavors that I'd like to get into.

I mean this will just be a stepping stone, but this will just be one feeder to the pot as I keep mentioning.

just adding okay.

More to the pot to do other things with as you guys, you guys know.

Okay, well what makes you feel like this is the, the best route to feed into the other things that you want to do?

Like I don't know.

So again, I sat through his I sat through his his webinar.

just some of the things that was interesting to me.

Like again, I never was really into the Amazon just because I knew it was a, very competitive market.

But I, I didn't.

Hearing about the wholesaling was a little bit new for me and dealing with that.

so that's one of the reasons why I kind of was interested in it.

and I'm a numbers guy so I like looking at numbers.

So that kind of interested.

Intrigued me as well.

Don't like a lot of time doing ads and some of those other things that go along with that.

But just, just trying to see if this is something that I would like to put into the arsenal or not.

Okay, how are you gauging that?

Right.

Belief.

Belief.

Always believe.

Gotcha.

How long have you been wanting to buy your time back?

How long has that been to go for you?

For quite a long time.

So I, I've been working on.

Hit a, A soft spot.

Jesus.

Laugh.

I mean like it almost sounded sarcastic, but it's genuine ba for, for many years.

I haven't finished it.

I stopped my MBA to go get back into my.

I've always done cyber, networking in my military day, so just got into that.

So I've always been in the environment.

I've done mlm.

I've done a multitude of different, different things to get into the marketplace.

I just haven't really set, set my time to align with my goals of what I wanted to do.

It that makes, makes sense.

It's easy to get started on a bunch of different endeavors but you generally don't put your time and effort into it.

So it's more so of that I really haven't dedicated a lot of time to doing a lot of different things.

Okay, how come?

Great question.

I would probably have to say time management mostly.

It's easier for me to do the things that I know how to do than jump into something that I haven't really figured out.

In this case dealing, dealing with more so of the online stuff, and now adding in all the AI and all the other things that you can do.

I just haven't had a chance to really dig into it.

So it's easier for me to maintain the stuff that I'm, I'm comfortable and familiar with.

rather than jumping into something that's going to take me a long time for me to learn.

like I've done a couple of different courses, tried a couple different things, but I just didn't have the time to do the extensive learning.

you're spending a lot of money on, on, on I guess jumping into their system and a lot of times just don't have time to make the best advantage of their systems.

So do you feel like now you, you do have the time that you're willing to make this on this time around or what?

What's going to make Amazon FBA any different from all the other?

Good question.

Yes bro.

Yes, I got to get familiar.

That's exactly it.

I don't know enough about this environment to be honest with you.

Like I mentioned, trying to find the right partner is kind of a, A key thing for me.

Walking into a program that is easy to at least get started, at least make the minimum roi, back something that, that I can get into and grow from.

it seemed that way initially but again I'm not too familiar with this.

When I did some additional research, like I said, I understand that it's a, the markets are slim.

I mean the, the return backs are slim.

You got to pay attention to the numbers and stuff like that.

So it's more so of just trying to understand this, this environment a little bit better.

So to see if this is a good fit for me or not.

Now are you gauging.

So how long have you didn't earlier when I asked you how long you've been wanting to.

Don't.

Yeah, exactly.

How are you gauging if this is a good fit for you or not?

How are you making that judgment?

Buy your time back.

Years.

It's been years.

Yeah.

So I did 30 years in the military.

So I mean when I, when I got done with the military about four or five years ago, my plan was to was actually to start going into more, finish my mba, go into more serial entrepreneurships.

Just didn't happen that, that way.

so when I exited the military, I went into cyber just because it was the area that I was more familiar with and it's just still the area that I'm, I'm more familiar with.

but now I want to start making some intentional changes.

I do have other things that I've looked at and it's just trying to see if this one is a little bit easier to jump into, to at least get a good foundation that I can build on.

get at least a return on investment.

I mean if we're gonna spend $9,000 then I'm trying to figure out what is going to, what is that going to look like from a return on investment if I jump into it say for the next 60 days.

Right.

Do I at least get that $9,000 back?

Can I at least maintain 10,000amonth or something like that?

Right.

Those are the kind of things that I'm kind of looking at.

Okay.

Yeah, you're not gonna make your 9k back in 60 days.

Like this is going to take 4, 5, 6 months minimum before you're making your money back.

Right.

If you look at the long term investment, the long term roi, you're going to be making your money back within six months and then anything after that is just straight cash in your pocket.

Right.

So 4 to 5k a month in net profit is what our clients are doing by the end of the six months.

By the end of the six months, yep.

So most of our clients make their first 4k month, month, 4 month, 5.

That obviously increases and by the end of their, the six months they're usually making about 5K.

So like you're making your 9K investment back by the end of the six months and then after anything after that is actual like you're in the green, obviously.

Right.

So and then you Times that by 12.

You know, if you do this for years on end, you continue to scale the business.

You're getting, you're getting well worth your, your investment.

Right.

You're 10xing your investment over the course of 12 to 24 months.

Right.

The thing that keeps standing out to me, Rob, is you've been wanting to stand, you know, get out of your job, buy your time back.

And the thing, and you said it like you mentioned that the things with the other, you know, Rob, you laughed or whatever his name is.

Yeah, Rob, Rob, you laughed two times.

since I've mentioned like specific things like that.

What's going on?

What's funny about that problem with other businesses that you pursue wasn't necessarily the business itself.

It was that you didn't necessarily put in the time or the energy that you needed to, to see success with it.

So what I'm wondering is just like, okay, what makes you feel like now you are willing to put the time and you are going to put the energy and you're actually going to do what it takes to see success with Amazon fba?

that is a great question.

to be honest with you, it's really going to have to depend on me putting in that time.

It's me dedicating that time, having to do it, having to get out of the habit that I've been doing.

Right, yeah, that's what you, that is a great question.

What I'm wondering is just like, okay, what makes you feel like now you are willing to put the time and you are going to put the energy and you're actually going to do what it is?

that is a great question.

It's a challenge belief, to be honest with you.

It's really going to have to depend on me putting in that time.

It's, it's, it's me dedicating that time, having to do it, having, to get out of the habit that I've been doing.

Right, right.

Yeah.

Obviously it's dependent on you.

You're looking for the why.

Yeah.

What makes you feel like this time you are going to put in the time.

Because that was true with all the other things you pursued in the past.

So what makes you feel like, hey, you know what, this time around, as long as this makes sense numbers wise, and I'm going to get the ROI and all the things, what makes you feel like you actually can and will put in the time and the energy that it takes?

Because this isn't Gonna get.

This isn't get rich quick overnight.

I know like you said, none of it is 60 days.

Like, no, you're not gonna see anything in 60 days.

I won't say anything, but nothing significant.

Right.

Like by the end of your second month, most of our platinum students are making 800 to a thousand dollars.

Right.

And net profit.

That.

Right.

So that's not enough to quit your job, right?

No, definitely not.

Not enough job.

Right.

So I guess like everything works, man.

Like, I don't know exactly what you tried.

It sounds like you tried other e commerce platforms, didn't see success with those for whatever reason.

Well, no, not whatever reason.

The main reason being you didn't, you felt like you didn't put the time and energy needed.

So I guess like we can sit here and research and do research on this and that and all that, but at the end of the day, what's going to determine if you succeed?

No matter what you pursue, whether it's Amazon, FBA or something else that you're looking at, it's the willingness to actually put in the time and energy.

So like again, my question is still like, what makes you feel like this time you are willing and ready to put in the time and energy?

no direct answer for that one.

It's, it's.

Yeah, I'm not one of those guys that has those wise.

I get it.

I understand what, why is important and stuff like that.

to me it's, it's, it's, it's, it's all about numbers.

What makes sense from a number standpoint.

learning, investments.

you mind if I give you some perspective or, you know, give me some pushback on that?

Absolutely.

You mentioned for you it's all about the numbers.

If that's true and it's all about the numbers, then I would assume that you wouldn't have started those other businesses unless you saw that the numbers were there.

Yeah, the numbers were there.

I will say that the, the, the learning curve was a little bit more steep.

some of the stuff that I needed to get into, I didn't have the, I didn't put, I didn't have or put in the adequate time to understand the platforms.

Right.

To get in there, to best utilize Spotify, to get in there and best utilize other different platforms.

of engagement.

Sometimes it became the things that other people were offering were, were either complex or there's too many, too many different things that were associated to the standpoint.

It wasn't a clear checklist.

So I'M kind of like a checklist guy.

Right.

Kind of like, go ahead.

So if that's the case, you said you saw the numbers, but it was the work to get the numbers was the kind of like the roadblock.

So in that case, they didn't have a clear process.

Okay.

All right.

So the numbers can be there, but if the process to get there aren't clear, it's still not going to work for you.

Correct.

Okay.

So with what we do, I mean, and if it makes sense, I'm going to walk you through our process and show you, like, the step by step that we provide to make sure that our clients actually succeed.

But my biggest concern, Rob, is just, like, no one is going to be willing to put in the work and the effort it actually takes to succeed in this unless their purpose is clear.

Right.

That's why.

I know.

Yeah.

And that's why I'm still kind of, like, hesitant to even show you what we do, because I'm still not certain that you have a clear purpose.

And so let me ask you this, man.

Like, when you say you want to get free from your job and buy your time back, like, how important is that for you to actually accomplish?

Is that something that actually matters, or is that something that.

All right, if I can buy my time back, great.

But if not, I'll just keep working?

It's difficult in the sense that what I do is simple.

I make good money at it, which makes the comfortability kind of hard to move from.

but it's.

It's.

It's not something I want to do in my.

In My late 50s or 60s, if that makes sense.

Yeah.

And you mentioned family, too.

Like, how old are you right now?

I'm, 54.

54.

Okay.

So within five years, you want to be able to, like, step away from that.

I'm five years past the five years that I gave myself when I retired.

Yes.

Okay.

If you continue to do and stay on the path that you're on, do you think you'd actually be able to, like, quit your job and maintain?

No, no, not.

Not.

No.

I have to.

I have to start getting into.

Into doing more into these streams.

there's.

If I continue on the path that I'm going, I'm gonna be working until I'm 65.

Okay.

Wow.

Really good.

Like, you.

You broke his belief.

Ten years.

Yeah.

Okay.

So then it all comes, like, back to that.

Like, retirement, when you actually want to retire, which, ideally.

That was five years ago.

Yeah.

So that.

And then you mentioned family.

Like wife, kids.

Do you have kids?

yeah, got five of them.

wow.

Okay.

They're all grown.

Okay.

They're all grown.

Okay.

And you mentioned travel.

Like one of your.

The reason why you want to buy your time back in the first place is so you can travel more.

Is that right?

That's.

Yeah, that's one of them.

The other one is to build other, to build other businesses too.

I mean, everything's a stepping stone to something else.

but yes, be able to do those and not being in an office, having to drive it every day.

Okay.

So, you know, as humans, just the way human minds are wired, we're more driven to, to make changes based on what we don't want than we are based on what we do want.

I'll give you an example.

If you're.

If my boss told me, hey, Josh, if you do XYZ, I'll give you an extra $5,000 this month versus the opposite of hey, Josh, if you don't do these things, you're getting fired at the end of this month.

I would be more driven to do those things because I don't want to get fired than I would to make the extra $5,000.

True.

Right.

So your desire to grow businesses and eventually be full on entrepreneur, have your own businesses, travel, buy your time back, that's a desired.

But that what you don't want is you don't want to be working for another 10 years.

No, absolutely not.

Right.

So you're, again, most people and not everybody, but for the majority, most of us are more driven to make changes based off what we don't want than what we actually do want.

And so I like, just picture this.

If you continue down the path that you're on and you continue to just bounce around from business to business, trying to find something that is, you know, and for lack of a better word, convenient.

Yep.

Man, that could be another.

Because that's what, that's what's happened over the past five years.

True.

So if that, if you continue down that path, man, you could be working another 10 years.

How does that sit with you?

Not very well.

I mean, granted the money would, would, would, would be there, but I know there's other avenues making that money, that amount of money, sooner rather than later.

And, and that doesn't sit well with me.

I, I definitely don't want to be working past 60, to be honest with you, not in an office environment.

What I'm doing now.

Right, right.

Something of your own.

Correct.

So I've always, I Mean, I've always been in the mindset of, of building, building and doing of my own, which is the reason why I started my initial businesses 25 years ago.

Stuff, like that.

So, yeah, it's, it's there.

I just, I'm at a point where I do need to be more serious in, in, in the stuff that I've been doing the past.

It's more.

Been more of a hobby rather than being intentional.

That makes sense.

Well, and then you said you don't have a why, but I mean, I feel like that is your why.

The fact that you don't want to be working 10 years from now.

True.

That that could be a strong enough purpose if that desire is actually meaningful.

Because, I mean, I can't tell you the amount of times I talk to someone and they're like, hey, I want to retire in five years.

And then you go deeper in the conversation and you come to find out that if they have to work another 10 years, it's not that big a deal.

It just, it sounds nice, like, it would be great if I could retire in five years.

It's just like a thing that sounds good.

But very few people actually want it bad enough that they're willing to do the work now so that they can get that out in five years from now.

Right.

So the work makes sense and it's, it's actually productive.

And I get it.

I understand, I understand getting, getting set off, the, first couple months will be slow and stuff like that.

Yeah.

But if the process makes sense, it's repeatable, something you build a foundation of.

That makes sense to me.

Now if you're adding 20, 30 different avenues or different ways of doing things.

The other thing is, like I mentioned before, partnering with somebody, partnering with the group, how engaging is the group?

Right.

Is it more so of.

You put us into a big channel and then a big funnel, and then we're all just.

You're looking to see who's actually bubbling to the top of the funnel.

Those are people that you work with.

Is it more so of you guys?

Because I know you're building, building your own businesses as well.

So, I mean, how does that process work so that you're engaging with the people that you're bringing on?

Yeah, well, we have eight coaches on our team.

Right.

Actually, no.

I guess all of our client success team is a 17, group of people.

Right.

So we have CSMs.

Does that actually get you to where you want to be.

For the right company?

It could, yeah.

Yeah.

I'M not saying it doesn't have to be any obstacle.

okay, well, I can, I can say is that for me, what I've seen a lot of people do is they put a lot, it's like, like, I do not want to do that.

If that really does matter enough for you, man, you can do the research, you can find all, you can look at the numbers, you can look at the roi, all of that, but continuing to do research, continuing hand in hand for the full six months, you book the one on one calls with them when you do.

So you're doing like the pitch.

All right.

I just wanted to see the discovery pitch is always decent with you and I'm not really concerned about that.

I know you got a deposit here, so I'm going to stop here.

I'm going to move on to the next one.