Diplomacy Leads To More Sales Or Happier Enemies !
The next submission in my (potentially named) The Simplenomics Guide to Desirable Traits For Sales People or maybe Mike’s Simple Guide To Desirable Traits For Sales People is one of the hardest traits to master:
Diplomacy
It doesn’t matter if you call it tact or judgment, what matters is that without it, you’re never going to be anywhere near the top of your industry, sales wise, without it.
It’s simply saying the right thang at the right time and not saying the wrong thang at the wrong time. No more, no less.
What does in allow you to so that’s so important ?
It enables you to handle difficult, but profitable, prospects, clients and customers with a finesse that keeps you far away from those embarrassing situations.
It also gives you the ability to get rid of the difficult, but unprofitable, clients, customers and prospects, without destroying your credibility.
It allows you to answers sales objections without being argumentative, which turns prospects into customers and then into walking advertisements.
It also speeds your trip up the organizational ladder, without burning bridges.
Improving Your Creativity Improves Your Sales
The next submission in my (potentially named) The Simplenomics Guide to Desirable Traits For Sales People or maybe Mike’s Simple Guide To Desirable Traits For Sales People is one of the least understood traits:
Creativeness
If a salesperson has creative abilities, his or her future will be limited only by fear and/or willingness to take calculated risks.
The salesperson who can create desire gets the first opportunity to fill that desire.
I’ve been lucky enough to do this a lot in the past and when I caught on to the formula, which happens to work in my industry, I played it every time I could … and still do, with the clients it’s been proven to work with.
When a salesperson creates a feeling of optimism in a client, who then gets awarded a bid, that salesperson usually benefits from that feeling they created.
The least understood part I alluded to is this:
Stupidity is stupidity, even if you try to dress it as creativity or being different. Don’t try to be different, unless it’s necessary. Try to be creative, without going across the line into dumbdom.
I get salespeople calling on me all the time who bring up the dumbest, least thought out plans I’ve ever heard.
They attended a seminar or were told by some consultant to be different and the best they can do is to be dumb.
Lest I leave you without any actionable ideas, here’s the links I found thru Google’s Blog Search, pertaining to “being creative”
Copyblogger’s 10 Mental Blocks To Creative Thinking
How You Can Improve Your Creativity
5 Excuses For Not Being Creative
The Creative Approach To Marketing In Uncertain Times
Car Ads Prove Buyers Want Steak, Not Sizzle
As I was perusing the NYTimes online this morning, I came across a story that kinda disproves Elmer Wheeler’s saying from 1936 - ” Sell the sizzle, not the steak. ” Or was it, ” The cow’s don’t sell the steak, the sizzle does. ” ?
Either way, it may sell steak, but it ain’t selling cars.
In an article titled Car Ads Sell Sizzle. Drivers Don’t Buy It, Marv Salter goes on to show that Mercury’s ads aren’t helping them gain ground on the top-selling Camry, of which I’m a multiple time owner.
The Mercury ads seem to try to use a sexy actress to “sell” you on their product. That tactic doesn’t really work, does it ?
It just might, as that post I referenced has been my number one most viewed each and every month since I wrote it.
I apologize if you have to, but don’t want to subscribe to see that article. I’ve been a subscriber for many, many years and it hasn’t hurt me yet, so don’t be paranoid, go ahead and join. They want to serve up content and info to you. They love you. Don’t be afraid.
I Jumped On The BlogRush Train !
Just in case you don’t hang around the “internet marketing” circle as much as I do, I wanted to show you what John Reese has exploded on the blogging scene.
Over in the right-hand sidebar is a widget for BlogRush, a syndicator.
Basically, for every page view this blog shows, I get credit on another widget, in a category I chose, on another blog in the system.
And for everyone who signs up after clicking thru from my widget, I get a credit for each of their page views.
So if 10 marketing or sales blogs signup after using my widget or link to sign up, I could potentially get thousands of readers.
I’m willing to give it a try and I hope you will too.
I’ll definitely let you know if my visits, viewers or page views skyrocket, but for now, it’s almost a no-lose situation worth trying.
So try it.
Using Your Imagination Can Improve Your Power To Sell
Next up in my (potentially named) The Simplenomics Guide to Desirable Traits For Sales People or maybe Mike’s Simple Guide To Desirable Traits For Sales People is one of my favorite traits:
Imagination
When you were younger, slimmer and had fewer bills, you had a vivid imagination. If you still have it and can harness it, you can make a lot of sales, money, friends and have a grand ol’ time doing so.
Warning ! - if you hang around coffee shops all day and imagine things, without the effort to make things happen, you’re not on the right track, you’re basically a worthless fool, but the mental fitness type things in life are best left to my better half.
Somebody claims that Napoleon once said,” Imagination rules the world. “ Since I never met the man, I’ll take their word for it.
How can you rule the world of sales, using imagination ?
When you’re talking to a customer, use your imagination to help them visualize all the profits they’ll make when they use your product or service.
Tell ‘em a story that weaves in the facts about your cooperation, your service and your willingness to send them ideas and potential clients.
A constructive imagination will sweep away your competitors like yesterdays trash. Imaginative stories and ideas will seem like a breath of fresh air to customers who’ve only been “entertained” with dry details, facts, figures and me-me-me-ness by your former competitors.
If you’ll develop your imaginative powers to the utmost, you’ll develop your sales numbers in the same proportion.
You’ll also face fewer pricing debates and less resistance to your offers. Those might be good things.
Sales People Have To Be Enthusiastic
As entry number two in the soon-to-be-officially-namedThe Simplenomics Guide to Desirable Traits For Sales People or Mike’s Simple Guide To Desirable Traits For Sales People, I bring you…
Enthusiasm
Are you genuinely and simply slobberknockingly happy with your job, position or career ? Or are you just goin’ thru the motions.
I love what I do. I could sell, market, teach and educate all day, every day and be happy. I don’t even want to really ever retire. I want to sell !
Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm, so it’s easy for me to get my customers excited about their purchase.
Without enthusiasm, I’d be an advertisement, not a salesman.
With enthusiasm, I try every day to move a mountain … and then try to sell it !
If you don’t have it, start trying to find something you actually like to do and then find someone willing to pay you to do it.
That would simply be called success.
Gimme Your Advice About Sales And Marketing Podcasts
I’m in need of some good sales and marketing podcasts, so I thought I’d start my search here with y’all and let you tell me about any you can recommend.
Got any that you listen to on a regular basis and can vouch for ?
Got any that you’ve heard might be good ?
Got any that suck that you’ve tried and hated ?
Help a brother out and show him some link love to some great sales and marketing podcasts !
If You Want To Excel, Rather Than Just Sell
As I endeavor to fill the shoes of a salesman gone astray, I’m reminded that we’ll need to find a replacement for him fairly soon, or I’ll have to hire someone to blog for me !
While I was riding my usual 300-350 miles today, I started thinking about the qualities that the next salesperson we hire will need to have.
Right now, I’m up to 20-25 desirable traits that I’ve though of, so I might as well turn all that thinkin’ into some bloggin’.
And since I’m bloggin’, I might as well try to turn it into linkbait, so I’ve decided to call it The Simplenomics Guide to Desirable Traits For Sales People. Or maybe Mike’s Simple Guide To Desirable Traits For Sales People.
I’m open to suggestions, so if you a better name, email me or leave it in the comments. After I nail it down, I’ll create a Category for all the posts/traits.
These will be in no particular order, so #1 won’t be more important than #25. And I will put this into downloadable form after we’re done.
Feel free to add to my list with traits you feel are important or with additions to the traits I write in the comments section. Full attribution will be given in the downloadable form I settle on at the end.
The first desirable trait for sales people is;
Knowledge
Knowledge is power, it’s been said. So can we deduce from there that the lack of knowledge is akin to the lack of power, right ?
” Not so fast, my friend ! “, as the former coach and current college football announcer Lee Corso like to say.
Saying, ” I don’t know, but I’ll find out and get back to you. “, has never really hurt me in my sales career.
Nobody expects you to know everything. And if they do, you’re probably better off if they don’t buy from you.
But you need, really, really need to know your product line inside, outside, upside and downside. You can’t know too much about your product.
More importantly, you need to be able to impart that product knowledge in an interesting, intelligent, impactful way, such as using stories and case studies to prove your point.
And if you want to excel, rather than just sell, you need to know your customers, your competition and you need to know yourself. You need to know your limitations, your powers, your strengths, your weaknesses and your capabilities.
On the flip side, you need to know your customers business, his potential, his possibilities and his desires.
The salesperson who’s in the know, knows that he knows and let’s the customer see that he knows, is someone who hears fewer “No’s” !
PS - Those trees in the photo are part of the view from the back deck of a cabin at Lake Barkley State Resort Park. I took that shot two weekends ago when two of my Inner Circle/Coaching Club students and I spent some time there on Labor Day weekend. Click on it for a full-screen view.
How Hot Is Your Sales Fire ?
I’ve noticed that some salespeople are rarin’ to go, while they’re sitting at home or in a hotel, in front of the fireplace.
But when they get out the next morning, their fire is easily doused.
I’ve been a little scarce around here lately, because I’ve been in the field, replacing a salesman who quit. His fire was non-existent.
I love selling. Having twice as much territory to cover every day for the last 3-4 weeks has rekindled my sales fire. There’s no better feeling than to plan your work, work your plan and walk away with the order.
Don’t be one of those ‘wishers‘. The kind of salesman who sits in front of the fire at night and ‘wishes‘ for sales the next day, but isn’t willing to work for them.
If you have to wish for sales, at least do it the right way.
Set up the next days wishes something like this:
What do I wish would happen ? What are the results I wish I’d see ?
Then set up the steps to make it happen.
You know the result you’re looking for, so start there and work back thru everything you’d have to do to make it happen.
It’s selling, not rocket science. You can make it happen with educated effort and sincere sweat…but not wishes.
