106: Success Unfiltered with The Pitch Queen, Michelle Weinstein

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Michelle Wienstein. Michelle is “the Pitch Queen.” Michelle is a sales superstar and has done everything from advising CEO’s at billion dollar companies to landing contracts with companies like Costco and pitching her way on to Shark Tank. She is also the host of the Success Unfiltered Podcast and the Saturday morning Facebook Live show Coffee is for Closers.

Michelle’s mission is to help entrepreneurs sell high-value services to their clients without feeling pushy or desperate and to show them how to have empowered sales conversations and skyrocket their top-line revenue.

What I like about Michelle is that she has been through it all. She has been on top of the world in business only to have it all come crashing down on her, but then fought her way back. The lessons she has learned on her journey are priceless and what she can teach you about how to sell yourself and your business will help you grow your business and earn more money.

www.successunfiltered.com

www.thepitchqueen.com

www.sellwithoutsleaze.com

Out of college, Michelle was a financial analyst. She followed the mantra of go to school, get a secure job, and plan for retirement. After a few years, she couldn’t take it. She left and went into sales at Nordstroms. It was there she learned a lot of skills.

She got thinking what she could do with her analyst background and sales, so she got into the real estate and mortgage businesses. She was working a lot and started to have an unhealthy lifestyle – and she was a health enthusiast. She hated to cook, but wanted to find a way to eat healthier. She came up with an idea for healthy prepared meals to sell. She started Fitzee Foods.

She had initial success. She raised over million dollars for the business. She got into Costco and the Vitamin shop and even got to pitch the idea on Shark Tank, but ultimately had to close the business down in 2017.

As she says, “It was a really expensive MBA program…”

The lessons learned with Fitzee were really the stepping stone to becoming the “Pitch Queen.”

What were the most important things you learned going through the experience with Fitzee? Why didn’t it survive? And How did you claw your way back?

• She’s still paying things back over a year later
• One lesson she learned was that although she had a passion for health, she wasn’t a chef, and didn’t have the real experience needed.
• You should have an expertise in the product or service you are selling
• You have to interview your investors as much as they are interviewing you. Interview at least 3 companies that they have invested in. Michelle made the mistake of taking investment money from the wrong group.
• Make sure every single investor is an “accredited investor.”
• Remember, you are getting “married” to those investing in you.

How important is timing?

• It is very important
• Fitzee came before the “boxed meal” craze and was early on the trend
• capitalization is very important – you have to be well-capitalized to whether the storms and get through the startup phase to really make it. If you are underfunded, it makes it even harder.
• Some businesses are more capital intensive to get going than others – you must understand this

At the 24 min mark, Michelle shares why learning to sell is so important for success…

• No matter who you are, you are having sales conversations all of the time.
• Sales is really about how you are helping people
• Sales is the foundation of your business. The first number on your P&L is sales (income)
• Selling does not have to be stressful. We make it stressful.
• The core of sales is building a great relationship and focusing on building a great relationship with your prospect makes it easier to ask them to buy – not “sell” them.

Michelle’s 5 Step PITCH Queen System (www.sellwithoutsleaze.com)

• Problem solve: Figure out what your client’s problem is and make sure to help them solve it in your pitch.
• It’s not about you: It is about what is important to them
• Talk less: Use the 80/20 rule. They talk 80% of the time, you talk 20% of the time.
• Cues: Buying signals. Look for the cues (verbal, non-verbal) that they want to buy
• Hit the ask the button: Ask them for the business

At the 37-min mark, Michelle talks about what it means to be “professionally annoying” and gives examples.

How did you pitch your way on to Shark Tank?

You have to be professionally annoying.

It is a better place to pitch for a product based business or tech business.

Michelle reached out to every producer and followed almost 2 times per week.

They send people home all the time if you are not on point for your pitch at all times – you have to be on your game.

Know which Shark you are pitching to because one of them will be the best fit for your pitch and solution.

Shark Tank is the Olympics for entrepreneurs

 

Best Quote: “When you are always showing up, you become “professionally annoying” and get business”

 

Misfit 3:

1. If you stay in the game, success is inevitable.
2. Embrace the selling process with confidence. It’s the only way you are really going to help people.
3. Live every single day with passion and be true to your “why.”