For Sales People Only

I just saw Wall Street....another quintessential sales movie with quotes from Gordon Gecko on the art of selling, trading, negotiating. A movie filled with slick suits, high priced cars and spacious lofts. The intent possibly to have sales people leave the theater, grab a scotch and plot their fortune at the expense of anyone in their way.

Guess What....No one cares anymore. The whole game is changing.

Sales is no longer about sharp dress, slick talk, presentation and negotiation skills. Offices are being cleaned out for mobile work, suits are being hung up for t-shirts and face to face meetings replaced by Skype.

The problem when money drives is that greed takes over. Make a quick buck, flip another deal, burn another bridge and move on.

Two things have happened while you were buying leather shoes:
* Prospects have gotten wise to the slick sales approach
* Organizations are realizing that long term relationships are far more profitable

So you walk from the high rise building, undo your tie and say 'I just tricked those dummies'. Did you consider that they have windows and that they could have seen you coming from a mile away? It's time to grow up!

Here's what matters:
Trust
Long Term Care
Reasonable Relationship Standards

How Do I Know You?
It is very difficult to win someone over in an hour. It is very easy to sour them.

Here's what you can do to win trust on a first dance:
Answer a Yes/No question with either Yes or No
Be Polite
Research your client and their company

Be concise in your responses, let the prospect do the talking and work in a curling metaphor (if your research shows that he/she likes curling).

5 years from now
Why would you build a house just to move out of it? Why would you buy shoes and leave them at the shop? Why would you work to close a deal and then lose it by revealing your false premise?

Happy customers provide guaranteed revenue, up-selling opportunities and word of mouth reference. Why toil in promising and falling short? Find the right customers, treat them with outstanding personal care and watch the flowers grow into big beautiful trees.

Sometimes You Have to Say No
Your client will respect you if you tell them you cannot promise everything. In fact, many prospects ask questions to gage your willingness to set standards. If you promise without flinching you are suspect.

Know what you can't do, promise accordingly and be gracious in the process.

It is far better to know your target market and spend your time wisely. Trying to push your solution on an illogical suitor is a guaranteed waste of time and money.

Put away that fancy tie. Save the $1,200 you were going to spend on a sales seminar. Be honest, be yourself and consult people in the right way for the right reasons (no matter how much it hurts).

When the movie ends you want to be the hero not the villain. There are a lot of villains in sales.....follow the aforementioned directives and you will win more than you lose...the only formula anyone needs to follow.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave