"To be resilient you must be willing to experience pain and discomfort."
Mark Bangs Tweet
Meet Mark Bangs, a sales consultant and marketing agency owner with 15 years of experience in tech SME, startup, and corporate environments. Refined Growth was born out of the observation that sales and marketing are common business bottlenecks, holding back growth in three key areas:
Lead Generation – Marketing efforts are often arbitrary and lacking direction, and sales teams are frequently guilty of not doing enough prospecting activities.
Lead Management – Many businesses lack a defined sales process, and sales professionals overemphasize relationship building which neglects asking prospective clients the right questions to identify and solve their problems.
Lead Conversion – Lack of sales systems, poor discovery, and low confidence all result in leads not converting, deal forecasts extending endlessly into the future, and win rates being unsustainably low.
Refined Growth combines traditional agency services with sales consultancy to help organizations diagnose these problems and devise a solution that is aligned with their broader business objectives. Poor business planning results in missed quotas and a toxic work culture that employees from all areas of the business often take home to their families. Their vision is of a world where SMEs replace their myopic view of business with a forward-thinking mindset of collaboration, and community.
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Table of Contents
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Mark Bangs: Like most people, I didn’t choose sales, I fell into it.
In my early 20’s I had just returned from traveling in Canada, where an opportunity to be the singer and guitarist in a band had fallen flat on its face. I returned to England penniless, jobless, and without any formal education or practical skills. A small father-and-son business around the corner was hiring telemarketers. It was nearby and convenient so I went for it. The job was about as entry-level as it gets so I pretty much walked in and got the offer within half an hour.
It was brutal.
My confidence was very low at the time and I remember my hands and voice trembling when I made the first few cold calls. Fortunately, I’ve always been pretty tenacious so I pushed through. It didn’t get easier but I gradually came to accept the constant rejection and sheer volume of activity required to make any progress. My scariest moment was actually when I set the record for the biggest sale at the time, a whopping £1,600 credit card payment from a cold call!
I quickly became the top performer and began supervising others, helping the business grow from 2 people to 40+. The business was never going to offer long-term career prospects, but it was a true baptism of fire that gave my young, lazy, unmotivated self a possible way forward.
Was there somebody in your life that inspired you to take that specific journey with your business?
Mark Bangs: My wife continues to be my biggest motivator.
In most of the businesses I’ve worked with, I’ve taken ownership far beyond the remit of my formal job role. In the right context, this can be a recipe for career progression, but in dysfunctional businesses, it can be seen as undermining the leadership or having unrealistic expectations of an organization that is unwilling to innovate.
This has caused me a great deal of stress at times because, as corny as it sounds, I give a sh*t!
My wife has always been there as a sounding board and support whenever times were tough. She has witnessed my evolution and, all too often, seen some of my best contributions be dismissed off-hand. She encouraged me to start Refined Growth so that I can put my money where my mouth is and really start affecting positive change for organizations. She believes in me, which always serves as a reminder to keep going; to keep pushing forward.
What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Mark Bangs: Entrepreneurs and small business owners are afraid to sell. We’re told as children that we shouldn’t speak to strangers and we shouldn’t ask people how much they earn, what their house costs, etc. but being able to approach new people and have difficult money conversations are essential for most businesses.
Unfortunately, we’re programmed from a young age for just the opposite!
When we think of ‘salesman’ we envision the stereotypical shiny-suit-wearing arrogant used car salesman, using high-pressure sales tactics and manipulating you into buying something you don’t need or even want. No one wants to be that guy, so we’re deathly afraid of coming across as ‘salesy’. Combine this with the aforementioned fear of strangers and it’s no wonder we’re terrified of picking up the phone and calling a prospective client! What is the solution to this?
- Alter your mindset.
Remember that the stranger you’re so afraid to speak to probably received the same programming from their parents. More importantly, if you have a genuine solution to a problem that they may not even be aware they have, you hold all the cards. You have the power because you have something they need. Fundamentally, they need you far more than you need them. Don’t be arrogant, but consider adopting a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude. It is very empowering in business and in life.
- Employ a system.
Whether you’re selling software, sandwiches, or services, you need a system or process for taking people from Stranger to Prospect to Customer, and hopefully to Promoter. If I asked you right now to talk me through the steps of your sales process? Could you do it? Clearly define who your customers are, where to find them, what their problems are, and how you solve their problems. Then write down each step of how you take them from “cold” to “sold”.Once you have this system in place, it is simply a matter of guiding people through each step.
This will remove the guesswork from much of your business and will give you far greater confidence in sales scenarios, and that confidence will rub off on your clients.
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Mark Bangs: I’m not sure I can clearly define resilience but what I would say is this:
To be resilient you must be willing to experience pain and discomfort. In fact, I think you need to lean into pain and discomfort. I was very much into bodybuilding through my 20’s and I still workout 4 or 5 times per week. There are always days when you don’t want to go to the gym or train in whatever way you choose. Perhaps you had a stressful day at work, you’ve got a headache, or you had an argument with your spouse.
Bodybuilding taught me to just go in and get it done regardless. Sometimes showing up and going through the motions is enough because, ultimately, it is the consistency that will lead to success even if you aren’t always operating at 100% effectiveness.
This is true in many areas of life.
When times are tough, show up anyway. You don’t need to be perfect, just go through the motions, and more often than not your momentum will carry you along. Perhaps more importantly, if you can embrace pain and discomfort when times are good and things are going well in your life, you’ll be far better prepared when the storm comes and the world throws something truly challenging at you.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the competition?
Mark Bangs: We combine strategy and tactics; agency and consultancy. On one end of the market are conventional digital marketing agencies. They’re great at creative execution but can sometimes lack an understanding of the broader sales process and how it fits into a business growth strategy.
On the other end of the market are sales and management consultants. They give amazing advice and mentoring to improve your sales skills but without the fuller context of how leads are generated and managed by the business in the first place.
Refined Growth bridges this gap by providing an end-to-end solution that encompasses the entire sales cycle. We help you build a complete sales machine that takes your target market from complete strangers all the way through to being an evangelist for your brand or business. Thus, everyone in your business is empowered to be part of the growth and success of the organization.
What do you consider are your strengths when dealing with staff workers, colleagues, senior management, and customers?
Mark Bangs: Empathy and emotional intelligence.
- Empathy helps me to understand the perspective of the other person and be truly invested in their success and wellbeing.
- Emotional intelligence keeps me aware of what’s going on in my own mind, as well as how I am being perceived by others.
I believe these two factors make for more balanced and effective communication between people.
What have you learned about personal branding that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Mark Bangs: It is absolutely essential.
We are told things like ‘people buy from people’ or ‘sales is all about relationships’ and while it’s true that people buy from people they like, we fundamentally buy from people we TRUST. I was told many years ago that I am very likable. The feedback from clients was that I am a ‘legend’ and a ‘diamond geezer’, but I was warned that being liked isn’t enough if you want to be successful.
This makes me think of the Know, Like, Trust factor in marketing. When building your personal brand, you want to get yourself in front of people so that they KNOW you. Your personality and how you deliver your message will determine which people LIKE you.
But what about TRUST?
Just because I like someone doesn’t mean I trust them in a particular area. If my best friend is an accountant, I wouldn’t trust him to fix my car! So you need to build trust and build relevance and authority in your space. You do this by providing value to your audience.
Provide answers to common questions and solutions to common problems. Educate and inspire your audience without the expectation of getting anything in return. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care, and you demonstrate this by GIVING.
St Teresa of Calcutta said: “Give, but give until it hurts.” and I agree wholeheartedly with this.
How would you define “leadership”?
Mark Bangs: This is somewhat context-dependent but I believe that a good leader is a trailblazer.
They lead by example – if not qualitatively by doing the same activities as the team, then certainly quantitatively by being the hardest working person in the organization or division. A good leader identifies the strengths and weaknesses of their team and nurtures were required as a coach, mentor, and confidante.
They should not compete with their team for glory or rewards, but instead, raise them up as the next generation of leaders. Good leaders should also be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, and strive to be surrounded by people who are bigger, better, and smarter than them. This will foster an atmosphere of continual improvement and personal development.
What advice would you give to our younger readers that want to become entrepreneurs?
Mark Bangs: Build your personal brand.
Social media is so incredibly powerful, and chances are, you’re already using it for multiple hours every day. Take even 25% of that time and dedicate it to CREATING rather than CONSUMING, and you’ll be miles ahead of 99% of people. You might get no engagement at first, and it can be pretty disheartening spending an hour on a post that gets 0 Likes and 0 Comments, but keep going, find your voice, hone your skills, experiment, and you will build a truly invaluable asset. Even if you’re not building a business at the moment, a strong personal brand will blow your career prospects wide open.
Think about it:
Person A – Submits a CV/resume for a job (hasn’t posted on LinkedIn for 6 months, 143 connections, empty profile)
Person B – Posts relevant industry insights 3x a week on LinkedIn with high engagement, 4000+ connections, 7342 followers.
Who do you think is going to get the call?
What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Mark Bangs: In Tobit 12:13 of the Old Testament, the archangel Raphael says to Tobit:
“And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee.”
I take the word ‘prove’ to be in the same manner as to how dough is proved and rises before baking into bread. Our temptations, our sins, our pains, discomforts, and challenges in life – and equally importantly, how we deal with them – contribute greatly to the person we end up becoming. In my own life I have seen people rise out of great hardship and achieve great things, and I’ve also seen people use personal tragedies as a reason to justify self-abuse and wickedness towards others.
If you are struggling with something, remember there is a higher purpose for you. Even if you don’t believe in God, you still have people that love you. Even if you’re completely alone in this world, you can still be a guiding light and a beacon of hope to others. Life isn’t fair, it will test you to your core.
How you face that test is up to you.
Mike Weiss, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Mark Bangs for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Mark Bangs or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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