Sales Made Simple
Profitability coach and entrepreneur Tom Birchall—aka The Profitable Maverick—delivered a high-energy, insight-packed presentation on transforming entrepreneurs' approaches to sales as part of our GRWE weekly series.. With decades of experience building businesses and training others to do the same, Tom shared a series of mindset shifts and practical hacks designed to help entrepreneurs move past discomfort with sales and embrace strategies that convert.
1. Speak Their Language: Personality-Based Sales
One of Tom's core teachings is that we all communicate through our own personality lens, but the real power comes from learning to speak to others' styles. Drawing on the "animal" personality model (Lion, Labrador, Otter, and Beaver), Tom encouraged entrepreneurs to step outside their comfort zones. Instead of just connecting with people like us, we should broaden our communication style to reach more of the market. Doing so can dramatically expand your sales reach and effectiveness.
2. The Mindset Hack: Collect Decisions, Not Just Sales
Sales is full of rejection, and that rejection often holds entrepreneurs back. Tom introduced a game-changing perspective: instead of tracking only yeses and noes, track decisions. Becoming a "decision collector" reframes the process—every yes or no is progress. It encourages persistence, minimises emotional setbacks, and allows you to analyse and improve based on activity, not just outcomes.
3. Master Before You Market: The SMS Model
Many entrepreneurs jump into marketing before their sales process is solid. Tom's solution? The "small-s, big-M, big-S" model. Start with a "small s" sales lab—a low-pressure, experimental space to test your messaging and sales approach. Once you've dialled in your language and conversion process, scale with formal marketing. This ensures that when your marketing attracts interest, your sales process is ready to convert it into revenue.
4. Find Your Hook Through Research
Tom emphasised the importance of language and connection. He shared a story about testing phrases at a home show and discovering the one sentence that made people stop and say, "We need to talk." The takeaway? Ask people what they want, listen, and then use their language to connect. Sales become significantly easier when your messaging resonates with your audience's values and pain points.
Tom Birchall's approach blends psychology, strategy, and street-smart business sense.
By understanding different personalities, reframing rejection, and prioritising language and process over premature promotion, entrepreneurs can create an authentic sales system that drives results.
Laura Dunkley, Acorn Studio Marketing moderated this event as part of the weekly GRWE (Get Ready with Entrepreneurs) sessions.
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