0:00

Imagine this. You've built a company, your vision has changed an industry, but one day you get fired from your own company. Now, 12 years later, that company is about to collapse. The board calls you back. They say, save us. This is exactly what happened to Steve Jobs in 1997 when they called him. Apple had just 90 days of cash left. Their stock had dropped to$3 and 42 cents per share, and they were teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Apple was seen as a failure because almost nobody who was buying a personal computer for their home was buying an apple. They were buying PCs, running windows from Dell and Gateway. Remember those black and white cow boxes? Microsoft had a stranglehold on the personal computer market. Apple's employees and investors were demoralized when jobs walked back through that door. He wasn't greeted with applause. The employees had doubts. This was the guy who had been kicked out of his own company a decade earlier. Many people wondered, could he really save Apple or was this just his ego bringing him back in his first meetings jobs said something that nobody expected. The products suck. People shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Some of them had worked for years in those products, and to be fair, some of them were innovative quality products, but people just weren't buying'em. Apple was cranking out product after product after product, A bunch of beige and brown boxes just like the rest of the computer industry. But Jobs wasn't here to sugarcoat things. He was here to tell the truth. And the truth was Apple had lost its way. He held up a mirror to apple's failures, the bloated product lines, the lack of vision, the lack of excitement. He told them that day, apple doesn't need more products. Apple needs better products. as a salesperson, the thing you can take away from this is brutal. Honesty builds trust. See, jobs didn't sugarcoat apple's, failures, he confronted the reality head on. Salespeople often fear being too direct, but customers respect honesty. If your product has flaws, acknowledge them and then show how you're fixing them. But how do you sell a comeback when everybody has already given up on you? See, apple wasn't just failing, it was dying. Years of poor leadership, failed products, and internal dysfunction had pushed the company to the edge. Stockholders were furious. Employees had no confidence in leadership, and customers were leaving Apple behind for cheaper, faster, better Windows, PCs. But Jobs didn't come back to save the apple of the past. He came back to build the apple of the future. And he had a three-step comeback plan. One, cut the fat jobs eliminated 70% of Apple's products. No more printers, digital cameras or niche accessories. Apple would focus on just a few core products. Two, sell the vision he needed customers, employees, and investors to believe in Apple again. And three. Make people feel again. He stopped selling specs. He sold emotion Jobs, was literally rewriting the company's DNA. He helped meetings with top executives and engineers asking one fundamental question, if we could only make one great product, what would it be? The room would go silent. See, for years, apple had been trying to do too much. But now jobs was forcing them to focus. Of course, there was pushback. Some longtime employees argued that cutting product lines would make Apple irrelevant. Others thought customers would leave, but Jobs stood firm. He said, we don't need more products. We need better products. He refused to chase the trends. He knew that Apple needed to create something so great that customers just couldn't ignore it. Behind the scenes jobs ruthlessly cut anything that wasn't exceptional. The Newton PDA Gone Apple branded printers and scanners gone over 3000 employees laid off. The result was that Apple became leaner, more focused and more aggressive jobs. Wasn't trying to please everyone. He was creating something that the right people would love, but that wasn't really enough. He needed people to believe in Apple again. he took to the stage at Mack World in 1997. He wasn't just speaking to the audience, he was selling Apple's future. He told them Apple is about passion. People who believe they can change the world are the ones who do. The audience erupted an applause. But the real test was still ahead. Now, as a salesperson, what can you learn from this? Well, first brutal honesty builds trust. See, when jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he didn't waste time trying to boost morale with empty optimism. Instead, he walked into the boardroom and called out the problem directly. The products suck. It's raw. It was uncomfortable. But it was the truth. So how does this apply to you as a salesperson or a business owner? Well, basically, customers don't want fluff. They want the truth. A salesperson who acknowledges flaws and focuses on real solutions builds instant credibility. When you're pitching. Don't be afraid to admit limitations. Instead of covering up a product weakness, bring them up yourself. Disarm the objection and give the solution before the customer brings it up. Transparency also creates trust. The second lesson is sell the vision, not the product. See, when Apple was failing. Jobs knew that selling computers wouldn't save Apple. What he had to do is sell a bigger idea the future. See, people don't buy products. They buy the transformation the product provides. They buy into the vision of a better version of themselves, the hope that their product will improve their life. What they're looking for is a happy future state. So when you're selling something, ask yourself, what does my customer want to become? And then frame your product as the path to that transformation. The Mac wasn't just another computer, it was a statement. Apple had spent years producing generic beige boxes that blended into the background jobs, wanted something that stood out, something that made people excited about technology again, and that's exactly what he delivered. The first thing that people noticed about the iMac. It was transparent and colorful. It was a complete break from the boring, boxy computers of the nineties. It was shaped like an egg. It came in bright colors, and it even had a handle on top making it the first personal computer that was really designed to be carried around, jobs insisted on making it as simple as humanly possible. It had no floppy disc drive. I mean, this was an unthinkably radical decision at that time, but jobs believed that floppy discs were obsolete, and he wanted the iMac. To be leading edge. Instead, it had USB ports. It had a built-in modem because people were starting to explore the internet and jobs wanted the iMac to be their gateway. The marketing campaign was just as bold as the product. In a world of complicated computers that required assembly and customization and a steep learning curve, the IMAX slogan was, there's no step three. Instead of overwhelming people with speed and specs, apple focused on a single message. This computer is easy to use. The launch event was a classic Steve Jobs event, dramatic pauses, simple slides, and a buildup that made the audience hang on every word when the curtain finally dropped, revealing the Bondi Blue iMac. The crowd erupted into applause. The iMac became the fastest selling computer in Apple's history at that time, selling 800,000 units in just its first five months. The sales lesson here, simplicity sells and jobs understood something that most salespeople forget. Customers don't buy features, they buy solutions. If you're selling something complex, ask yourself, how can I make this simple? If your customers have to think too much, you're losing them. See, the iMac wasn't the fastest computer. It didn't have the most storage. What it had was simplicity, A one button setup, a fun design, and a single bold message. There's no step three over. Complication kills deals. If a customer can't quickly grasp the benefit, they'll lose interest and move on. Strip your pitch down to the bone. If your customer only remembers one thing about your product. What should that be? Now, by 1997, apple was drowning. It needed cash and credibility, and jobs knew that there was only one company that could provide both Microsoft. Most companies in crisis lower their prices to survive. They they slash costs, they begged for investors jobs. He did the opposite. Instead of asking for a handout, he cut a deal. Microsoft would invest$150 million in Apple and in return, apple would agree to settle a longstanding patent dispute and make Internet Explorer the default browser on the Mac. The moment that Jobs announced the deal on stage at Mac World, the audience booed Apple fans saw Microsoft as the enemy. How could jobs partner with them? Jobs reframed the deal. Instead of defending himself, he did something brilliant. He reframed the narrative. He didn't say that Apple needed Microsoft. He said Microsoft needed Apple to avoid monopoly lawsuits. He positioned the deal as a win-win. Apple would survive and Microsoft would have a serious competitor in the market. He made people look forward. He said, we have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win. Microsoft has to lose. Now, as a salesperson, what can you learn from this? Well, I think the most important thing is never negotiate from desperation. See, apple was on the brink of collapse, but Jobs never positioned Apple as weakened negotiations. Instead, he structured the Microsoft deal as a strategic partnership, not a bailout. The moment that a prospect senses desperation, you lose control. People wanna buy from confident winners, not from somebody desperate. Always position yourself as an equal, not a beggar. If you need to negotiate, focus on what the other party gains rather than what you want or need. Apple's biggest challenge wasn't just selling computers. It was changing how people saw Apple in 1997. Apple was the underdog, a failing company with a declining brand. Jobs knew that if he wanted to make Apple relevant again, he needed to do more than just sell products. He needed to sell an identity. So instead of promoting hardware, apple launched a campaign featuring black and white images of visionaries like Albert Einstein, Gandhi, and Amelia Earhart, along with a simple message, think different. There was no mention of product specs, prices. Just a simple, powerful message. Apple wasn't just another computer company. Apple sold products for people who want to change the world. The campaign redefined Apple overnight. It created a sense of belonging. If you owned an Apple product, you weren't just a customer, you were a visionary. Now, what is the sales lesson here? Sell the identity, not just the product. See, jobs knew that Apple couldn't just sell computers anymore. It had to sell an idea. The think different campaign wasn't about processors or ram, it was about rebels, creatives, and people who change the world. People don't just buy things. They buy who they become, when they use the things they buy. If you're selling something, ask yourself, what kind of person does my customer want to be? And then sell them that vision. Don't just talk about what your product does sell the feeling and identity that comes with it. What does owning your product? Say about the customer. See, Steve Jobs didn't just sell computers. He sold a belief. He understood that the most powerful sales pitch isn't about features. It's about a vision. The iMac wasn't just a computer. It was fun, simple and personal. The Microsoft deal wasn't just about money. It was about securing Apple's future. The Think different campaign wasn't about advertising. It was about creating a movement. Do you wanna change the world? Then remember these sales lessons from Steve Jobs first. Radical honesty builds trust. Be direct. Customers. Respect truth over hype. Sell the vision, not just the product. People buy into the future you're creating. Simplicity sells over complication loses deals. Make your pitch crystal clear. Never negotiate from desperation. Always frame the sale as a win-win, finally, sell an identity. The best brands make customers feel like they're a part of something bigger. Now it's your turn. Which of these sales lessons resonates with you the most? Drop a comment below and let's talk about it. And if you wanna learn to sell like a believer, like Steve Jobs, you can grab, stop selling, start believing ebook and audiobook versions for 50% off for the bundle over@salescoachinglab.com. The link is gonna be in the description down here. I'll see you in the next one. Now go sell something and make some money.