Scaling Sales Success: Lessons from Dan Henderson and Petar Lackovic

In the latest episode of Profit Made Simple, host Dan Henderson sits down with Petar Lackovic, one of Australia’s leading sales experts, to uncover the secrets to scaling sales success.

From humble beginnings in family business to becoming the co-founder of the Reverse Selling Method and helping generate $2 billion in client sales, Petar’s insights are a goldmine for fitness business owners.

If you’re ready to boost conversions, empower your team, and remove yourself as the bottleneck in your fitness business, this blog is packed with actionable strategies inspired by the conversation.

Petar’s journey began in family-run businesses, where he learned the value of hard work and developed an early knack for sales and customer service. He transitioned into the fitness industry in the 1990s, quickly rising from sales rep to managing multiple health clubs. Through trial and error, Petar developed sales systems that could scale, eventually co-founding the Reverse Selling Method.

Key Takeaway: Success stems from understanding human behaviour and creating systems that simplify decision-making for customers.

Many fitness business owners excel at selling themselves but struggle to replicate that success within a team. Common challenges include:

• Relying too heavily on personal charisma.
• Lack of documented sales processes.
• Difficulty training staff to close at high rates.

Petar’s Reverse Selling Method offers a proven framework to overcome these hurdles.

Petar’s five-step Reverse Selling Method focuses on understanding human decision-making and creating a seamless experience for prospects. Here’s a high-level overview:

1. Lower Buyers’ Resistance (LBR)

The first step in any sales conversation is to lower the customer’s natural resistance to being sold. This involves creating trust and rapport quickly.

2. Frame the Conversation

Set clear expectations and position yourself as the prize. As Petar says, “Be the chip, not the seagull.” When prospects see value in your process, they’re more likely to engage seriously.

3. Qualify the Prospect

Understand the true motivators behind a prospect’s goals. Petar emphasizes the RAV (Recognise, Acknowledge, Verbalise) model to uncover emotional drivers and buying motivators.

4. Create a Compelling Solution

Tailor your offer to the client’s needs. Don’t focus on features—focus on the outcome. When your solution feels custom-built, objections fade.

5. Best Next Steps

Close with clarity. Outline the next steps, combining emotional and logical appeals to make the decision irresistible.

A major takeaway from Petar’s philosophy is the shift from rigid scripts to adaptable frameworks. While scripts feel robotic and can create friction, frameworks allow salespeople to:

• Adapt to individual customer needs.
• Inject authenticity into the conversation.
• Maintain a consistent process without sounding scripted.

Key Insight: Sales frameworks empower teams to replicate success while staying true to their unique personalities.

One of the most critical phases in the sales process is understanding what drives a prospect. Petar shared the RAV Model as a tool to get to the heart of a client’s needs:

1. Recognise the client’s surface-level goals.
2. Acknowledge the deeper effects these goals have on their lives.
3. Verbalize these motivators to create clarity and commitment.

Example: A client might say they want to lose weight, but further exploration reveals they’re motivated by setting a positive example for their kids.

Fitness business owners often become bottlenecks in their sales processes. Petar recommends these strategies to scale effectively:

• Document Processes: Create a clear, repeatable system for sales.
• Empower Staff: Train your team to use frameworks that align with your brand values.
• Focus on Outcomes: Shift from task-based thinking to outcome-based thinking, ensuring the customer feels progress at every stage.

Leadership plays a pivotal role in building a successful sales team. Petar’s journey from an ego-driven salesperson to a leader focused on empowering his team underscores the importance of mindset shifts:

• Move from being the hero to being a mentor.
• Focus on creating systems that allow others to succeed.
• Celebrate team wins rather than personal accolades.

Key Quote: “For me to win, I had to make my team win.”

1. Invest in Sales Training: Equip your team with the tools and frameworks they need to succeed.
2. Tailor Offers: Focus on creating solutions that resonate with your clients’ deeper motivators.
3. Track Metrics: Measure conversion rates, average sales value, and time to close to identify areas for improvement.
4. Stay Client-Centric: Always prioritise the client’s goals over features or upsells.