Sales 101: Mike Barron Breaks Down the Basics
Picture this. A man from San Diego, California, born to a sixteen-year-old mother, goes from gang banging to Pitbull breeding. Then reroutes his life and becomes a Forbes Listed Entrepreneur and two-time recipient of the Click Funnel 2 Comma Club Award. How is that possible?
It's simple. He had a strategy—acquiring knowledge and executing it.
This story of perseverance and tenacity belongs to entrepreneur Mike Barron, the guest of episode #287 of the Social Proof Podcast. Mike sat down with our host, David Shands, and shared his unshakeable confidence, how he created success, and his impenetrable sales tactics.
Like most successful entrepreneurs, his path is not a straight one. His journey is compelling and provides social proof of how he made it.
Humble Beginnings
Born in 1984 and raised by his single mother in San Diego, California, Mike had one goal as a teenager becoming a gang banger. Back then that was the only reality he knew. Feeling the call of the streets, he answered. After a couple of run-ins with the law, he realized quickly that there was no future for him in the streets.
Born with an innate drive and ambition, Mike knew there was a calling in his life to become more. So, he went from the streets to corporate America. A chance employment at Washington Mutual bank, who did not require background checks for employment, he found himself hired there as a loan officer. His time at the bank was short-lived because, again, Mike’s life was intended for a greater purpose.
One act of kindness changed the trajectory of his life. He gave his girlfriend a gift, a blue-nose pit bull puppy. While shopping for the puppy, he noticed how expensive the puppies were and his money-making wheels began turning. Mike had been one of those kids who sold candy at school, so as an adult, he had a heightened awareness of profitable business opportunities. Importantly, he knew when to seize them. He purchased two pit bulls, a male and female, and began breeding puppies and sold them for 15K.
His innovation didn’t stop there. He developed a website to sell the puppies using Black Hat SEO techniques, which now are unethical. However, back then, when the internet was open ground, he moved strategically. He used the keywords “Pit Bull Puppies for Sale,” in black text on a black background homepage on the website. It was unseen with the naked eye, yet it drove thousands of hits to his website. Mike had birthed his first independent stream of income.
By twenty-one, he was making six figures. However, a move to a town outside of San Diego made him a stranger in the neighborhood, causing him to be profiled. He drew unfavorable attention from local law enforcement constantly. On one random visit from the local sheriff, two of his dogs were fighting. He was arrested and accused of dog fighting, although it was something he never did. This event stopped his business, his dogs were seized and they locked him up.
Development on a Deeper Level
Mike’s prison release made him a different person—he was broken. At twenty-six, having tasted the freedom of entrepreneurship and experienced the sting of losing it, he returned to San Diego with a new mindset. Mike understood that his reality would have to be built, so he began a YouTube channel where he discovered the motivational teachings of ET, The Hip-Hop Preacher, and Grant Cardone. Mike believes that life is never over for someone, they just need new information. So, Mike began educating himself and built his legacy brick by brick, sacrifice after sacrifice.
He moved back to San Diego and found a job at a local for-profit college as a career advisor. He channeled the same energy he used when breeding dogs to meet and surpass the sales metrics of his department. Soon, his life took another unexpected turn, and the school he was working for lost accreditation forcing him to take the biggest risk of his life. He reached out to one of his heroes, Grant Cardone, for advice. After one phone call, he got more than he expected—an invitation to move to Miami, Florida, to work on himself and his career. His wife, an enormous support in his life, agreed with his decision and they downsized. She and their daughter moved in with family friends, anticipating that her husband would send for them when things got better.
Unfortunately, that move to Miami never came.
Although Mike was learning so much from the real estate mogul, Cardone, and his team, it was not a good fit for him. Admittedly, he found himself in unfamiliar territory and was uninspired. He returned to San Diego with all the information he learned from Grant and his team, playing constantly in his mind. The lead him to begin another business venture, developing and creating websites. This digital marketing agency grossed 50K, and he kept going. He went deeper into his education and development.
“There is no magic wand. The secret to success is knowing the right information and operating strategically” - Mike Barron
Becoming “The Closer”
The success of his agency awakened a fire within him. He fell in love with sales. Mike became hungry for knowledge and consumed all the information he could. Inspired by the Dan Henry mastermind class, he began doing sales closings live and taping content. Fueled by his passion for sales, his goal was to help other business owners. He didn’t stop there. He divided his efforts for maximum gains. The digital ad agency was the “done-for-you” part of his brand, and he created a “done-by-you” product, a course. He taught clients in health and wellness industries, primarily at gyms, how to find revenue success with Facebook ads, and gained 150 clients in a year.
Reeling from his success, Mike felt like he could do more. His goals were being met, and the money was coming in, but he still wanted more. He discovered Shaqir “Shaq” Hussyin, founder of the Wealth Academy and a 30 million dollar earner. After speaking to one of the Wealth Academy appointment setters, Mike reached out to Shaq with a request. It was not for advice. He wanted to know how he could be of service to Shaq.
Strategically, Mike suggested giving Shaq's team a free coaching session to help them close more business. Also, he wanted eight one-on-one sessions and would pay Shaq 25K. He did the sales close training with Shaq’s staff and blew them away. Subsequently, they achieved higher closing percentages.
Mike experienced fulfillment on a higher level. He helped the team, and the one-on-one coach sessions with Shaq were wildly beneficial. They were the catalyst for Mike, moving to the next level financially and mentally. Shaq gave Mike brand information that changed the trajectory of his career.
Shaq advised Mike to drop his Facebook Ad agency and create a course on the highly profitable skill of digital marketing closing. Mike took all the footage from past posts and the live closing videos and repurposed the content to make a course. In August 2020, Mike Barron's Closing Academy was born. In one month, he made a million dollars in sales.
Along his journey, Mike had created a new goal, to become a member of the “Two Comma Club Award”. This award was an accolade given to any entrepreneur who, through the website ClickFunnels, grew their business to the 7-figure (or “two comma”) mark. After receiving the coaching and support he needed from Shaq, a three-time Two Comma Club award recipient, Mike not only surpassed his goal but presently has four awards.
How to Close with Success
Mike shared with the Social Proof Podcast community a few of his sales close tactics that his clients pay 25K to 50K for. Take notes—when used properly, this will positively affect your numbers.
Start by asking your client what are their wants and needs? Specifically, what the problem are they trying to solve? Mike finds that sometimes salespeople miss this mark when selling. They force their products and services on the client unnecessarily without getting to the basic information.
Next, how can you serve the client?
Mike has found that putting service first, before the need to make the sale, yields the biggest result. Do this by taking these steps.
Listen. Ask probing questions to help clarify their need and to determine their “ruin,” specifically, what is holding them back from reaching their goals?
After being clear on what the client wants, guide them toward the sale. Based on the information that you got before, help them by guiding them toward the sale. Mike has learned that sales is an agreement and there should be clarity. After all, a confused mind always says no.
Lean into the sale as needed. Mike finds that there are three types of buyers. Determining which type you are dealing with will let you know how to lean into the sale instead of applying pressure.
Buyers: The Three Different Types
Coffin Buyer: This buyer has a genuine need and want. Even when the salesperson presents opportunities to help them solve their problems and business needs, they still won't buy.
The Fearful Buyer: This person has intense fears of committing to the sale. Mike urges the salesperson to address the buyer's fears properly by providing solutions one by one to close the sale.
The “Need More Info”: This person is on the verge of committing and just needs you to explain all of their concerns and issues in real time. Do this and then close the sale.
Mike definitely dropped some bars in this episode, but this is only a portion! Capture more of his award-winning conversion and closing tactics from the man himself by catching the full episode below!
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