This Guest Post was provided by Joe Crisara, CEO of www.ContractorSelling.com
In this day and age of hundreds of TV channels to watch, as well as internet videos, I found a show that I run across every now and then and I must say that it really fascinates my wife and I.
This show is called the “Dog Whisperer” and it features Cesar Millan, who takes troubled dogs, and their owners, and turns them around.
He basically helps these dogs feel like a productive member of their family.
I’m drawn in by the calm and poise that Cesar maintains in the face of what seems like insurmountable problems that we’ve all seen in dogs that have “toxic” energy and that tend to do the wrong thing.
His tactics never include force. Instead, his amazing arsenal utilizes principles such as leadership, positive energy, relationships, self-discipline and change.
The difference he makes in the lives of those he touches is truly amazing.
As a sales manager or a sales person, you can learn by watching Cesar and the way he goes about his job. Every week, like you, Cesar helps his people (dog owners) overcome their greatest challenges by helping them and their pets reach their true potential.
He does this not by force, but instead by helping our canine friends “discover” the right thing to do to become the dog they were always meant to be.
As he says at the beginning of each show, he “rehabilitates dogs” and “trains people“. While his approach is meant exclusively for dogs, I’ve found a lot of his philosophy applies very well to sales people.
You’ll never succeed by forcing anything, but by discovering the right thing to do, you can find success.
Here’s some of the principles I’ve “discovered” in his system that may help you reach your dreams:
Be calm, be poised and assert positive energy – Cesar tells his clients to establish a leadership role with their dogs by projecting calmness and assertiveness.
As a salesperson, no matter how your customer is behaving, you must remain dettached, calm and maintain your poise. After all, you’ve seen this situation before haven’t you ?
Why be shocked by what clients are doing to you ? Just stay calm and respond assertively and keep your poise. Maintain these states no matter what the situation and problem and most poor behavior by a customer will “miraculously” evaporate.
It’s what we all know to be true: Change yourself and those around you will change too. When you give off an aura confidence and capability, people will tend to go with the flow since you seem so consistent and in control.
Live in the state of NOW – Like dogs, you too can live in the moment.
Apparently, dogs don’t care about what happened yesterday. Every day represents a fresh start. Don’t worry about things in the past because you no longer have any control over those things.
If you keep focusing on bad things, thinking that they may happen, then you create a self fulfilling prophecy which will indeed make those things come true.
Instead, forget the past, and be the person who remains focused on getting this job done and what it takes to do just that.
They key is to listen, and then have a response that makes sense as to why you should do this job. Think in terms of the present and the future and you are well on your way.
Practice every day, exercise discipline and passion – This is Cesar’s secret formula for a balanced, healthy dog. He realized long ago that a dog without a job is an unhappy one that will act out in terrible and unproductive ways.
I would say the same applies to sales people. Remember to never think you’re failing. If you lose a job, learn from it and practice the techniques that will stop the bleeding. Practicing your sales skills, techniques and strategies will release frustration and stress. Have the self-discipline necessary to achieve your greatest potential.
Reflect on your passion for providing solutions to your customers that are of a much higher quality than your competitors. If you have the passion to believe that you’re a better choice for your customer, then you’ll hang in there during the toughest objections and get the job when others with less passion would have quit.
Watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. The principles displayed on this show can do wonders for your sales.
The one lesson I know you will be amazed at is that even an old dog can learn new tricks.
Joe Crisara is CEO of www.ContractorSelling.com a website that helps sales professionals present their solutions to create high value that result in more income, better service and higher closing rates. You can go to the site and receive Joe’s sales tip of the week. Of you can contact Joe by emailing him at joe@contractorselling.com
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