By Chris Hondl, Nexstar Network Sales Coach Before I got into sales, I was a teacher. I taught for five years at the elementary level. My wife was also a teacher. At the time, we were newly married, with no kids, and looking ahead to how we were going to afford kids, buy a house Read more
NEXSTAR Network
By Chris Hondl, Nexstar Network Sales Coach
Before I got into sales, I was a teacher. I taught for five years at the elementary level. My wife was also a teacher. At the time, we were newly married, with no kids, and looking ahead to how we were going to afford kids, buy a house, and put together all the other pieces that come along with the American Dream.
Unfortunately, our two little teacher paychecks didn’t add up to making that happen. So, I took a stab at getting a second job. I had seen advertisements for the Minnesota School of Bartending and I decided to enroll, with hopes of teaching by day and bartending on nights and weekends. I went through the program and achieved the lifetime certification, which proved I had mastered how to make more than 100 of the most popular cocktails and knew about all the top brand-name liquors.
That was almost two decades ago, and I have yet to make a single drink as an official and employed bartender. In fact, if you were to ask me for any of those 100+ drinks I am “certified” to make, the only one I think I would be able to make you would be one of the simplest: a rum and coke.
You see, I never adopted my newfound bartending skills into practice. I learned the skills, but I never used what I learned afterward.
We see the same thing in our own businesses, don’t we? We send an employee to a session, and they gain all of these new skills and ideas, and then what? They come back to work. And if we don’t actively apply what your employees learned in the field, it’s eventually as if the session never happened. What a waste of time and money!
Recently, I asked the 40+ previous attendees of the Sales Objection Bootcamp about the effectiveness of the bootcamp.
The results I got back from the attendees, four months after the session occurred, generally fall into three buckets:
- We haven’t done a thing with the information we learned at the Sales Objection Bootcamp since we left, and we’re seeing the same results we were getting before the training.
- We realized we have some process issues to fix before we continue with what we learned in the Sales Objection Bootcamp.
- We are following the plan we learned and seeing amazing results!
These answers aren’t in the least bit surprising. It’s just like me and my experience with bartending school. Had I attended the school and then immediately gone out and begun bartending, the skills I had learned at school would have become second nature and helped me realize my goal of making money as a bartender. But since I never practiced what I learned, I ended up in the same place I was in before I attended bartending school: with no results, not retaining what I had learned, and not making money as a bartender.
Participating in the bootcamp is only half of the journey. Putting what you learn into practice is the other, more important half.
There are a lot of sales-focused training courses out there for our industry. Take time to identify the right one for you and your team. For example, the Sales Objection Bootcamp we’ve developed here at Nexstar is an intensive three-day session where your dedicated sales coach comes to your location and works with your team to master their presentations and objections such as: Price, Spouse, Shopping Around and many more.
Want proof that it all works? Here’s feedback from a member who is following the plan and currently seeing incredible results:
Nathan Andreas, owner of , attended Sales Objection Bootcamp with his sales team. Since returning home and practicing what they learned, their closing rate has gone well above their budgeted goal, with one salesperson averaging 69% closing on tech leads and 55% closing on marketed leads. Nathan says the take-aways that have been key to their success are:
- Buying into having a strong sales process before presentation
- Maximizing skills-practice
- Clarifying the objection
- Digging deeper to uncover the real objection
- Using a trial close prior to asking for the sale
- Riding along with his team
So! Are you ready to dramatically increase your sales in FY25? It will take commitment and follow-through. Otherwise, would you prefer to keep getting the same results you’ve always gotten?
Chris Hondl serves as one of two Sales Coaches at Nexstar Network and has more than 15 years of experience in coaching, training, and sales. If you are a Nexstar member and are prepared to implement what you’ve learned in the Sales Objection Bootcamp, contact your Sales Coach for an assist. If you’re not a Nexstar member, but you’re curious to learn more, click here.
The partnership introduces Reins’ innovative stock and equity solutions to home service business leaders Reins, a pioneering technology firm dedicated to empowering small and mid-sized businesses through modern equity solutions, joined Nexstar Network as a Strategic Partner to offer its creative employee retention solutions to Nexstar’s membership throughout the United States. “Nexstar curates the most Read more
The partnership introduces Reins’ innovative stock and equity solutions to home service business leaders
Reins, a pioneering technology firm dedicated to empowering small and mid-sized businesses through modern equity solutions, joined Nexstar Network as a Strategic Partner to offer its creative employee retention solutions to Nexstar’s membership throughout the United States.
“Nexstar curates the most relevant products, services and partners in our industry to support our membership through our impactful Strategic Partner program,” said Julian Scadden, President and CEO of Nexstar network. “We welcome the Reins team and their innovative solutions that can help our members scale their impact, growth and success by investing in their employees in a meaningful way.”
The partnership will allow Nexstar’s more than 1,000 members access to Reins’ custom equity incentive programs, including the unique Modern Agreement for Rewards & Equity (MARE).
Reins’ personalized plans and advanced software empower small to mid-sized business owners to give employees a stake in the business through employer-like benefits or profit-sharing initiatives. MARE incentivizes key employees and paves the way for smooth succession planning. Offering a stake in the company’s success can encourage key employees to become deeply invested in the long-term growth of the company.
“Partnering with Nexstar Network is a no-brainer given their extensive 32-year track record educating contractors about best business practices,” said Chris Buttenham, co-founder of Reins. “The partnership allows us to reach more innovative small and independent businesses and work with owners who may be struggling to beat their local competition. Strengthening their employee retention rates will be crucial for their success.”
For more information about Reins and the MARE program, visit https://www.myreins.com.
For this first-time attendee, I was super impressed with this year’s Nexstar Network’s Super Meeting. The member event was well-organized, well-attended, and some really compelling keynote speakers, which included Gary Vee speaking on the importance of social media, Rocky Ozaki touched on AI, and the Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger. More than 900 members and vendor partners Read more
For this first-time attendee, I was super impressed with this year’s Nexstar Network’s Super Meeting. The member event was well-organized, well-attended, and some really compelling keynote speakers, which included Gary Vee speaking on the importance of social media, Rocky Ozaki touched on AI, and the Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The always engaging CEO Julian Scadded kicks off the Super Meeting.
More than 900 members and vendor partners attended Nexstar Network’s annual Super Meeting, held September 24–27, 2024, at the extraordinary Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Over the course of four days, the event featured dedicated spaces and times for members to meet with their business coaches, as well as multiple social and networking events. Every day the event was designed to help owners in the trades make connections, learn how to take their businesses to the next level, and harness emerging technologies in the industry.
Mother Nature can be a … well you know the rest. Hurricane Helene prevented Arnold from actually being there in person, but it didn’t stop him from giving the keynote remotely.
Mike Cottle of Cole Services – a Nexstar member in Garden Grove, CA – attended the event. He said, “My favorite part of Super Meeting is connecting with other members and finding out the latest trends. When I met with my coaches the other day, I asked, ‘What is someone doing well with in their business? And can you introduce me to them?’ AI is something that I’m a late bloomer in – I’m super excited about it, and it’s a new thing for my business.”
The trade show floor had some unique and fun events, including this Hold ‘Em table.
As he reaffirmed relationships and helped members discover new ways to grow their businesses, Nexstar President and CEO Julian Scadden said, “We’re excited about the content of this year’s meeting, which has a renewed focus on fundamentals and operational basics for organic and controlled growth. We also introduced new technology applications and frameworks to our members’ businesses this year, which provide new perspectives and action items to help them grow and increase their community impact.”
The after-events were fantastic!
The theme of the event was Built to Scale, and members were buzzing and excited to learn from notable keynote speakers. The lineup included world champion bodybuilder, actor, and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger; Rocky Ozaki, the founder and CEO of the NoW of Work; serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk; and economist Brian Beaulieu.
The Hub’s John Mesenbrink (l) with Julian Scadden (c) and Mike Prencavage Jr., owner of The Family Plumber.
Breakout sessions taught by Nexstar coaches focused on AI and other new technologies, operational marketing, creating efficiencies, and working to improve business practices. Participants at Super Meeting also attended a jam-packed, two-day Strategic Partner trade show, Strategic Partner-sponsored social activities, speed-networking events, a Women of Nexstar reception, a nonprofit fundraising fireworks and dessert party for Explore The Trades, and other networking functions. Those who attended Super Meeting 2024 left with new ideas, new solutions to business challenges, and a new dedication to reimagining their day-to-day operations. They also left with new industry friendships, forged under the Florida sun at Walt Disney World.
https://vimeo.com/1015853224 This week’s update is loaded with industry happenings. We cover the Nexstar Super Meeting, PHCC CONNECT, ServiceTitan’s Pantheon, podcasts updates with Eric Aune and a super cool “Did you Know” segment regarding T&P relief valves. Check it out Read more
This week’s update is loaded with industry happenings. We cover the Nexstar Super Meeting, PHCC CONNECT, ServiceTitan’s Pantheon, podcasts updates with Eric Aune and a super cool “Did you Know” segment regarding T&P relief valves. Check it out!