How to create a new sales operating system

The Justin Michael Method (JMM?) as a new operating system for top funnel selling combines a neuroscience-backed approach, mindset development and selling applications using modern tools like ChatGPT and generative AI.

The underlying JMM? has been proven over the last few years by coaching over 1,000 sales reps and advising more than 200 tech companies. The result from the codification has been split into two volumes with Sales Superpowers as the first book published in October 2023.

This book tells the story of an ordinary sales rep who started in the tech sales sector at the age of 21 climbing slowly towards Salesforce and LinkedIn where he developed his own method and became the role model described in Tony J. Hughes ’s book COMBO Prospecting. While prospecting for an ambitious project, an AI model of Justin’s brain has been created for further learning.

From there Justin conducted 20,000 hours of cold calls and sent more than 5 million emails to finetune his method to revolutionise the opening part of sales conversations. Earlier he introduced the concept of the Technology Quotient (TQ) in addition to IQ and EQ in Tech-Powered Sales, also co-authored with Tony J Hughes, which predicted the advent of ChatGPT three years in advance.

Sales Superpowers describes the death and rebirth of outbound selling across four parts. He starts with describing the genesis of his method before illustrating it in part two in the middle of being (identity), doing (prospecting) and thinking (mindset). From coaching and growing in part three the strategy and tactics form the practical part of the JMM? in part four.

Here Justin reveals his experience with cold email copywriting, sequence mastery and Social Selling via chat using the 4th frame approach based on conversational “chat and grow rich” with empathy and casual content. This part represents the practical approach of the book sales reps can put into action right away – not just those in corporate roles, also small business professionals and solopreneurs.

This book includes many useful quotes in a “wakeup call” quality which can stand by themselves even outside of the context. Here are some of my favourites: “Flipping the script, breaking the pattern, and reworking communication, from prospecting, through to closing, is the only way to be heard.” “In the crucible of those first nano-moments of an opening call lies the blueprint of an entire 7-figure deal.” and “Making your customers heroes so they get promoted is a faster driver of making sales than just about anything you can read in a sales book.” In addition to that, Justin quotes the feedback on his method by chosen sales professionals who gained breakthrough results which speak for themselves.

I observed many sales professionals who have been using the JMM? principles for a while and saw their growth. The below mentioned Luke Shalom is an example I know in person. Basically hundreds of sellers gained an unfair advantage by applying the techniques from the codices shared in the book. Most of them knew how to close deals in their experience, Justin cracked their main challenge of opening opportunities in the outbound motion.

This is much more than a regular sales book. With the heuristic approach focusing on mental shortcuts treating outbound as an operating system, Sales Superpowers deserves a place like known sales methods from SPIN Selling to The Challenger Sale. Splitting the whole systematic approach into two volumes, I’m looking for version 2.0 of the Justin Michael Method as the next book soon.

The future business book author will recognise the power of using an empiric approach of countless testing and helping hundreds of clients applying the principles before creating a certification and documenting the method as a book. Upcoming writers can learn from the publication process around Sales Superpowers: Codifying his method over years, Justin shared the script with many sales professionals to ensure his breakthrough work hits the target audience as a truly tested masterpiece.

I also like the “GPT lab” marked additions from the technical editor Greg Meyer to allow a practical deep dive into the AI world – as many readers want to apply what they learned. Quoting Sales Superpowers again: “In a world where generative AI is changing the face of sales and marketing, sales reps need a new way to stand out.”

Q&A with Justin Michael

1. What was the deciding moment to write this book?

After five years out in the market, the Justin Michael Method – albeit open-sourced – was copied by hundreds of trainers, usually without attribution. Like Eddie Van Halen putting out Van Halen One and the guitar solo “Eruption,” I have single-handedly changed how outbound prospecting will be done for the next 100 years with the methods and tactics in this book. Take sending Venn Diagrams or building clusters, hyper-frequent touches in sequences. These methods are like two-handed tapping for the guitar.

Don’t believe me? Read it. This book is planting a flag in the sand for everything I’ve invented with prospecting in the last 20 years but also examines the mindset to optimize any comp plan, double income, and pipeline rapidly, regardless of managerial support, tech stack investments, or the right product-market fit. Anyone can take this book, apply its ideas, and, within 30-90 days, vastly improve their sales ability, skills, and financial condition. Hundreds of JMM? practitioners have done this, and thousands leveraging the open-source Codex guides of the JMM?. Now, neuroscience is explained behind all of it.

2. How long did it take from concept to launch?

Four years in the making, 300 hours of editing and writing. Hundreds and hundreds of hours of coaching. I first released 17 Codex guides on tactical elements that challenged traditional B2B cold emailing, copywriting, visual prospecting, video drops, and visual outreach in 2020 when I turned 40. But explaining where it all came from and the mindset to pull it off as a repeat top performer and funnel builder wherever I went is what presented challenges.

3. How did you perform the research to create the practical content?

The core of this book was hundreds of coaching sessions with technology and services sales reps at all levels, from SDR to CRO, during the writing. I took copious micro-notes while holding these and injected them into the book. I also still cold call, cold email, social sell, and video/voice drop every day – 7 days a week for my own businesses. I worked with two editors in the UK to smooth the outputs and ensure the book's flow and structure worked. Ultimately, the publisher split the volume into two segments of a “new outbound operating system” to optimize for Amazon Kindle.

4. What was the biggest challenge along the process (and how did you overcome it)?

The hardest part of writing a book that codifies one’s methodology is getting in your own way. It was hard to stay concise, not bragging about accomplishments, and to nail the flow. It was hard to predict where prospecting with tech would be by 2030 and make everything in the book a time capsule that would last 100 years. I don’t mention many tech vendors, and the work on GPT prompting will stay relevant for the next 20 years.

5. What was your own reflection along the journey?

The beauty of codifying a method into a deep book is that you better deliver it and understand its value. I collected new testimonials and fleshed out new dimensions to calling, emailing, and social selling methods I’d used for the past ten years. I realized that identity and being are more important than a positive mindset and doing to earning a phenomenal living in sales. I realized I could integrate the work of spiritual masters, not just business kingpins, to give this book a flavor B2B has never seen.

6. What is the outcome in having this book available?

Sales Superpowers fundamentally challenges all the top prospecting book bestsellers and the methods that 11MM tech sales reps have used in the past. This book will disrupt B2B as we know it. No manual has ever sought to take on parallel-assisted dialling strategy, sequencer strategy introduced heuristics, Venn Selling, visual prospecting, and chat-based choreography that I know of – quantum leaping the “outbound” GTM motion forward with ChatGPT and AI by a factor of 5 years. This book is the blueprint to unleash the superhuman automation described in my first bestseller, Tech-Powered Sales.

My method is the most pivotal shift in outbound prospecting to occur in the last 20 years, maybe even 100 – ask Todd Caponi. It considers game theory, neuro-linguistic programming, behavioral psychology, relationship dynamics, mobile-responsive design, and neuroscience in a unique way that’s never been realized. The depth and sophistication of the techniques fit the explosion of AI-based prospecting technology like a glove. Better than all of this, it works. Paul Vorsmann at HubSpot hit President’s Club and became top in his region. Luke Shalom plugged in just the 4th Frame social selling model and did $175K within 9 months as a solopreneur.

7. What would you advise others about writing their book?

Dr. Benjamin Hardy echoes my thoughts. Write from intrinsic motivation, not extrinsic. Write from your heart, gut, and soul. If publishers turn you down, realize there are many options, and if you believe in the work, your expertise, and the message/mission you have, do not compromise. You’ll ultimately help more people authentically by being yourself vs. selling out. It is worth ensuring your writing is simple and universal so you don’t lose audiences. I’ve strived for clarity of communication in this work more than any other. Bring many voices in early and listen to the critical feedback you receive. This allows you to “carve the angel from the marble until you set it free,” as Michelangelo said best.

Justin Michael: “Sales Superpowers”, Jones Media Publishing 2023, ISBN 978-1-948382-68-7 (Paperback) or Kindle

More about the book and author: www.salessuperpowers.com

About the reviewer: Gunnar Habitz helps organisations navigate and simplify computing and SaaS complexities as Senior Partner Manager and held management roles with entrepreneurial and mature global brands in Australia, APAC and Europe. As a Chartered Manager at the?Institute of Managers and Leaders?(IML), he mentors the next generation of leaders. Having published a range of books like "Connect & Act - Systematic Social Selling", he is regularly reviewing good books. Find more content about leadership, networking and digital reputation on?www.gunnarhabitz.com.au.