How Does Inertia Benefit A Salesman ?
Once upon a time, many moons ago, I was a new, young salesman. I worked for a white-haired man who’d seen more sales dollars go by him than Carter had little pink pills.
As I still am, I was full of ideas. He listened and appreciated my thinking about his business.
That’s a kind way to say he tolerated me.
Many older salesmen would have made short work of me and my ideas, but he allowed me to dream and think. Because of that, I never learned that thinking was a bad or painful idea.
I wish I’d remembered this before my daughters were very old. They’d be better off if I’d never shot down one of their ideas. So will every one of the people you have influence over. Never squash their ideas. Allow them to dream, even if it taxes your patience to the max.
The man I’m speaking of allowed me to bring him my ideas and always found a way to gently toss them out like yesterdays coffee grounds.
I remember giving him one of my all-time great ideas and he told me something that I wish I’d remembered before now.
” If this world was populated by anything other than humans, your idea might work. But as long as it’s humans we sell to, your idea won’t fly… because of inertia. “
Huh ? What the heck does inertia have to do with selling, I thought.
He said I expected way too much from the prospects I called on. He was right.
I hadn’t thought about that and that was the problem.
Years later, when I had moved on to another position, I saw this same premise in print - if you want to succeed in selling, you have to expect to meet and overcome human inertia.
If you’ll read the life story of Sir Henry Bessemer, you’ll see the same idea. He was the inventor of the steel making process that still bears his name. But he was more than an inventor and a scientist, he was a world-class salesman.
He had to be a master salesman, because his ideas were untried and way ahead of their time.
Sir Henry said, ” I have proposed things which I was convinced were very useful. ” But ” I do not know of one instance of one of my suggestions having been tried. The difficulty is getting the first man to move. “
He spoke about is 120+ patents and how he had to personally push - and sell - each one himself. Without his never-give-up attitude towards those 120+ patents and ideas, they would never have seen the light of day.
When he brought steel rails to the railroads, they were using low grade iron rails that weren’t really a good solution. But would they listen to him, even as they used a poor solution to their problem ? No. Of course not, or I’d not be writing this post.
He had to personally lay steel rails on one side and iron on the other to test them.
His steel rail outlasted 23 iron rails. After that, selling them was a tad bit easier.
It took him 12 years to convince the British government to use one of his ideas. 12 years.
” Always allow for the element of inertia in humanity. It’s constant. He who would sell must meet it and overcome it . “
Flattery Versus The Compliment
Centuries of success have proven that compliments work wonderfully well. Yet, few salespeople know the difference between a compliment and flattery. Nor do they know how to properly use a compliment.
I was in a retail store the other day and heard an older man gripe about the salesperson’s attempt to flatter him. He said, ” I’d give almost anything if salespeople would quit trying to flatter people. It doesn’t get them anywhere and it makes me mad. “
The problem wasn’t the salesperson using a compliment, it was that he used flattery. There is a major difference.
If he’d known the difference, he’d have been able to use it (properly) and he’d have made a sale.
Are you wondering what the difference is between a compliment and flattery ?
Here it is :
A compliment is what the person wanted to hear, while flattery is praise to which he is totally indifferent.
To put it simply, don’t start complimenting someone you’ve just met, because you don’t know what they want to hear and they know you don’t.
How do you find out what they want to hear ? Shut your mouth and let them open theirs. They’ll clue you in as to what’s important to them.
As long as you’re complimenting something they’re proud of, you’ll do okay. As long as it’s something important to them, you’ll be okay.
Done properly it will improve your sales and forge better relationships.
Done too soon and/or poorly, it will bite you in the soft spots you’d rather not be bitten in.
Need A Solution For Your Data Storage Problems ?
It’s getting near year end, so I had to start looking for a way to store data for our personal use, our media network and for the corporate clients we serve.
I had begun my search about two days ago and had been a little put off by some of the solutions out there.
Tonite I came home to find an email alerting me to the services provided by Data Deposit Box, so I thought I’d look into the matter a bit more deeply, while writing a sponsored post for them.
You probably feel that all online data storage solutions are about equal, as I did, so I wanted to find out why the solutions provided by Data Deposit Box are different.
What are the Top 10 reasons they should be your online data storage provider ?
1) They encrypt your data as it’s transferred AND when it’s stored. I read the terms of service for several other potential providers and they clearly did not do this. Personally, I want my data encrypted. I’ll feel safer. Safer makes my sleep sweeter.
They also use 448 bit encryption. I’d bet your bank only uses 128 bit, so how safe must this be ?
2) You don’t have to be an IT expert to use their service. They purposely made it so that everyday, common, simple folks can use their service and be successful in securing and retrieving their data.
3) You never have to wonder when you last backed up your data. You don’t have to set a reminder. You don’t need another calendar notation.
They have a continuous process that makes new backups as you change you files. How cool is that. No more drag-n-drop. No more wondering. No more worries.
No more data loss because you weren’t scheduled to do a backup for 2 more days when your hard drive crashes.
4) They keep multiple versions of each file. I wondered what would happen if a file got corrupted and during the continuous update process I corrupted my data, so I searched their FAQ’s and found that they keep multiple versions, so I can revert back to an earlier version if I want to. That’s the first time I’ve found a online data storage service that does that.
5) They only backup the changes to files, not the whole file every time there’s a change. Think about some of your larger files, say 500 MB to 1 GB. Do you want to wait for that puppy to backup every time theres a small change, or would you be happier to just have only the changes backed up ? Yeah, me too.
6) You’ll be okay if you lose your internet connection. Their software remembers where it was and restarts the next time you’re online, if you happen to lose your connection during a backup. How likely is that to be a factor ? For me and my connection, probably a dang good thing they do this.
7) Most errors are human errors. If you delete a file, it’ll be there waiting on you. They will never delete a file, just because it’s not on your PC anymore. Some online data storage solutions will do this to try and save space. Not Data Deposit Box. Never.
Instead, they have a Clean-Up Wizard that you can use to reconsile your files and find out what you can safely delete.
You don’t get charged extra for multiple PC’s or multiple users. With most services you get to backup a single PC or a a single user. At Data Deposit Box, you can do multiple PC’s, multiple users, multiple networks, whatever. It’s your space and you get to use it like you want to.
9) You can access your data from anywhere. Some online storage solutions only let you access your data from the unit that you used to upload it. That kind of defeats the purpose of a backup, doesn’t it ? So the good folks at Data Deposit Box made your data available to you from wherever you are, on whatever machine you’re on. You’d have thought this would have gone without saying, wouldn’t you ? Me too, but it doesn’t always work this way. Be careful who you trust your data to.
10) Last, but maybe the most important is price, value to the customer. Some online data storage providers make you buy more space than you need. If you think you’ll need 100 MB of space, you better buy 105 MB or 110 MB, so the backup won’t fail when you go over your limit.
At data Deposit Box, you pay for what you use and not one kb more. If you use one GB, you pay $2. If you use 1.1 GB, you pay only $2.20. Pay for what you use, not for what makes them the most money.
I’ve found the online data storage solution I need and I hope this review has helped open your eyes to the solution provided by Data Deposit Box. They sponsored this post and they hope to help you, just like they did me and my network. If you’d like to see all the reviews of their service, just click here.
My Name Is Toast … err, On Toast
Have you seen the newest, phattest idea to come around these here parts ?
Pete, The Toast Guy, is using toast to raise dollars for charity and do some link leak’s too.
I got a piece of toast for me and one for my wife.
They both look great and the toasty dollars are really starting to pour in.
Drop by and buy a piece of Pete’s fine toast and help the world become a better place.
Go BIG … Or Don’t Go At All
As someone who spends time in hotels, I can tell you I’ve never seen such a great idea as the one from Holiday Inn. I actually saw the board at a Louisville hotel one time when I picked up a business dinner guest.
I didn’t think much of it, at the time, as I didn’t spend as many days away as I do now.
I can also say I’m terribly disappointed in the promo from Marriot. That’s incredibly cheesy and cheap.
The worst part is you know that Marriot knows what Holiday Inn is doing and still doesn’t match their ingenuity or their effort.
That spells lack of caring, lack of love, lack of direction from management, and last but not least, lack of pride.
If you’ll knowingly let your competition outdo you with something as simple as that, you’re really not much of a competitor … are you ?
If you’re going to be a player, you’ve got to play.
If you can’t run with the big dawgs, stay on the porch.
Either go big, or don’t go at all.
Lukewarm companies are worse than a cold company.
If you didn’t even try that kind of campaign, say like most discount motels, nobody would blame you. But if your last name is Marriot or Hilton and you don’t match that campaign with your own campaign that’s at least equal to, if not better than, then you are not very interested in your image, in my simple opinion. And you know I like simple.
What can your company do today to make your customers feel special, loved, appreciated and best of all, like you showered, shaved and put on some Victoria’s Secret for them ?
PS - Image above courtesy some really brave BMXers.
We Play Til The Whistle Blows …
The title of this post ( and the image above) was lifted from the trailer I saw for the soon to be released movie We Are Marshall. I was sitting there waiting for the blue-eyed Bond to come on the screen and prove himself worthy. He did.
I thought about that phrase and instantly saw the correlation to salesmanship. It was Friday when I went to see Bond at 6:40 pm CST. I was the last salesman to leave the building. On Friday’s, I usually am and always try to be.
Why ? Because all the other salespeople have taken the liberty to quit early, usually. The hourly and salaried staffers have no such freedom. The will respect you more if you don’t flaunt your freedom’s, as a salesperson, in their face.
They respect your being there with them, when the whistle blows. They’ll remember and they’ll be there to help you when you call in and need a favor.
When one of your customers needs something from one of them, you’ll be glad you were there when the whistle blew.
Also, it means, to me anyway, that I have to treat every single day like a new play, a new set of downs and a new opportunity. It doesn’t matter what you did yesterday … what did you sell today ?
It means you have to play hard, all the way thru the initial sales presentation, the follow up, getting the purchase order and beyond. It ain’t over til the goods are delivered … and paid for.
Stick with the customer and see that they can use the product or service to their satisfaction … and beyond.
And lastly it reminds me that some of my best orders have come to me late on Friday. Sometimes a client will be sitting at his desk late on Friday, trying to clean off some of the clutter and come across the fact that he really needs to get something done about a project. He needs to buy something and get that deal done as soon as possible.
So he calls you up and expects to get your voicemail, because it’s late on Friday.
When he hears your voice and sees that you’re there for him, even late on Friday, you very well may have made one of the best and easiest sales of your life. And somebody else will have to go way beyond good to push you out of the catbird seat.
Play til the whistle blows and good things will happen to you.
And I will be there on opening day for this movie. It looks to be another good one from Matthew McConaughey and company.
Casino Royale Happens To Be …
… the best Bond film ever.
Ok fine. I admit it. I love James Bond movies. I’m a tad bit over 40 and I’ve been watching them since I was in grade school. I’ve seen ‘em all, except for that George Lazenby thang, and Casino Royale is the best ever.
There. I said it out loud.
Daniel Craig is a Bond’s Bond.
And dammit, I didn’t want to like the little blue-eyed bugger.
Too short, I said.
Too blonde, I said.
Looks too feral, I thought.
I was wrong. There. I said that out loud too.
I was wrong because he wasn’t too short or too blonde, nor did he look anything like a weasel.
He was all-man, a man’s man, a bad boy, faster’n any Bond ever. A helluva fighter. Looked damn good in those tailored suits, too.
As Cowboy Troy would say,
” He ain’t no John Travolta, but he’s slicker than grease ! “
The effects are very 2006, which means they’re way better than waht Sean Connery had available to him.
The story required a badass, muscled up thug, which leaves out Roger Moore, who I dearly loved as Bond.
He had to endure some serious pain, and Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan weren’t quite the suffering type, me thinks.
This is a new Bond and it works very well in 2006 … and beyond I hope.
Who’d have thought you could like a blue-eyed Bond ?
Who’d have thought I would have to come home and search for the final scene’s villian, because I had forgotten who he was and where he came from.
Thanks to the power of the net, I don’t have to go watch it again just to find out.
But I may go see it again anyway.
Because it’s the best Bond film ever.
There. I said it out loud … again.
Credit goes to Sony for the photo I used to help promote their tremendous film. It came from the link I gave you to the movie.
New Shirt Of The Month Club
Thanks to a loyal reader, I just found out about the new Fresh Shirt Club at Mens Wearhouse ( Yes, I guarantee it…. you’ve seen the commercials).
How great is that for those of us who go thru shirts like ducks go thru junebugs ? There’s a million of those clubs that send you something every month, why not something you can use and something you need ?
Every month, you get one of their best 100% cotton, non-iron dress shirts, delivered direct to your mailbox. Or you can order a shirt and tie combo.
While there’s wine, book, flower, chocolate, and even BBQ sauce of the month clubs, this is the first monthly club focused on dress clothing for us businessmen.
For businessmen who are far more interested in looking good than in shopping, like me, this is a convenient, time-saving way to stay up-to-date, keep my look fresh and seasonally updated, without having to step one foot in a store. I love not going in to a store to shop. Love.
The shirts and ties are great quality, like everything in Mens Wearhose, and are selected by their business wardrobe style experts. I like not having to try to read GQ every month to see what’s what about colors and textures.
I need all the help I can get and am looking forward to saving time and staying up-to-date, without a lot of wasted effort.
Thanks to Jennifer for alerting me to this ! This is ANOTHER reason blogs rule.
How To Make Blog Posts And Sales Communication More Effective
I read a lot of old books. Very old. The writers in the ’20’s thru the ’50’s especially had to know what they were doing with regards to marketing and sales, because they didn’t have the ‘net to easily test theories and the cost of a campaign was much higer than it is today.
One old time business writer, Frank Meeks, discovered that he got a tremendous response from a flip little collection letter he wrote that left room for the reader to make a smartass reply.
Checks rolled in … with little smartass remarks !
That gave Mr. Meeks an idea. That idea made him famous and wealthy.
The idea ? When you write a letter, let the prospect get in a word edgewise. Leave ‘em room to make a wisecrack, smartass reply or clever retort of some type.
He proved, thru testing and tracking, that customers bought more just to make their remarks.
It works. And it’s been proven to work in in other areas of life. I found a reference to Madame Recamier, pictured above, who’s been called one of the most socially successful ladies who ever lived.
She had no money, no social status and lived in a modest 4 four-room flat in Paris. Yet, all of the famous men and women in Europe paid tribute to her.
Her secret of power ?
She made them feel clever. She was never the life of the party, she let others be the focal points.
She never made clever remarks, but she drew them out of others.
These actions made other want to be around her, to be near her.
I know of a salesman like this. He’s as dull as can be, but he he leaves room for the others to make the witty remarks in the conversation.
Customers pass by the better schooled, better looking salesmen to buy from him.
These methods seem to work for blog posts, too.
Think about it. Do you get more comments when you tell the whole story, or when you leave a little to be said ? Easy answer.
Do you get more interaction when you’re the expert-know-it-all, or when you ask leading questions that can be answered easily ?
Do blog posts that are a bit snide get more remarks that are, shall we say, tame ?
Do you get Tracbacks and links from those who you make feel clever or those whose views you trash ?
Do you get more page views when you keep the conversation going with a reply to a comment ?
Do you have an instance you can point us to where this worked for you ?
I’m Almost Ashamed To Admit This, But …
I just picked up on a new post over at Copyblogger.com. I couldn’t believe that my friend Brian was actually promoting the reading of an Internet Marketers newest scheme to capture my email addy.
How could he justify this, I wondered ? Why would he give in to The Dark Side ?
I had already deleted about 22 of those freakin’ emails that wanted to be the first one to alert me to the new report by Mike Filsaime, so why should I treat Brian’s post any differently ? Because he had earned the right to scam me … once. He’d been giving and giving and giving, so if he wanted to take, just this once, it would be okay.
Well, not only had he not scammed me, he’s earned even more trust by delivering even more good advice.
I gave up my email addy to Mike and his machine., even though I’d found him hard to get away from with that damn Butterfly thang.
I jumped thru some hoops, gave away some personal info and downloaded The Death of Internet Marketing.
That would be my link, click thru now or come back later, but do not miss this chance to grab this report. Trust me, I read the whole thang, 61 pages, without stopping … and I took notes !
How often do you think I need to take notes on a marketing campaign, sales advice or info such as this ? Not very freakin’ often.
The first 12 pages are info that you need to read if you even think that you might think about being in the marketing biz over the next year or so.
On page 13, Mike says what I’ve been saying and thinking for a long time. You don’t have to have a passion for a niche to make money in it, you just have to have a strength that coincides with the niche in some way. People get way too much sillyass advice about seeking their passions and what they need to do is find their strength and use that.
I have no passion for several of the blogs/sites that we operate. BUT, I can sell ads and products off those sites and never need to be passionate, because I can sell knives at a gunfight. Selling is my strength and I use that to make money for our business, even though I have no passion for the product or topic.
On page 15, Mike says ” The last thing any of us need is more information. ” True.
Our problems as online business people is not lack of information, it’s lack of implementation.
My post that’s already written, but not due to hit the front page til Tuesday the 14th goes into what Mike talks about on page 19, efficiency versus effectiveness.
It’s so inexpensive to market on the ‘net that most of the marketers never learn how to really do a good job at what they’re doing.
Back in the old days, you had to be good or starve, because the costs of testing a campaign were so high.
I’ve already proven this report to be worth your time to read it, but if you miss what’s on page 29, where Mike deals with how to really get the most out of your niche product, you’ll be sorry.
I had already devised a plan to deal with this and seeing Mike put it on paper confirmed my thoughts to the max.
It’s kinda like the Gold rush days of 1849 all over again. Who do you think made the most money -
The gold prospector
or
The guy who sold him his tools ?
Starting on page 46, Mike gives you what some of us already knew was a better long term strategy for launching a product of any kind. Miss this and you’ll never get the most out of your niche.
I am already in the process of doing this with a niche product in the area of a musical instrument. Again, I have no passion for the topic, just the product and my ability to sell, which is my strength.
And on page 52 he goes on to tell you what I’ve been saying all along. If you find something that works, makes you gobs of cash and is the bomb of marketing …. shut the hell up and don’t sell it to the freakin’ general public !
That’s what ruined several of the great techniques that have been made obsolete in the last 2-3 years.
When you sell it to everybody, some idiots will buy it and won’t ever learn the proper way to market with it, they’ll abuse it and the search engines will ban it.
It’s exactly what the sploggers are trying to do with blogs … ruin them.
That’s happened way too many times in the last 2-3 years, so find a way to keep it amongst your mastermind group and use it forever, instead of letting every doober out there get a copy and ruin it.
There’s 61 pages here, a copy of his PayPal report, which you NEED and a survey. It won’t hurt you at all and you will learn a lot, so go download a copy right now !
