Lesson 6: Humility

According to Wikipedia: "Humility is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others."

Is this you? Are you humble? Are you humble in your approach to your customers? Are you humble in approach to your leaders? Are you humble in your approach to your peers?

Would you buy from someone whom you get the impression feels better than you or that the deserves your business?

If you are working, and you are not at the top of your game, how can you get help without if you are not humble?

When you are at the top of your game, you may feel on top of the world. The best salesman bar none. Guess what: You're not. And the next guy, who has more humility than yourself will eventually run right past you because of his or her ability to become humble and learn from each encounter.

Remember, it was Benjamin Franklin who said: "A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle."

- Nathan

Get Slightly Famous

I came across this in my email today:

It emphasizes the importance of becoming a recognizable expert in your field. Use PR to your advantage.

There are many ways to create "buzz" marketing and get people talking. (think: that commercial that reaches people that never saw it because people tell their friends how funny it is)

Its audio about 10 mins long:

http://blogs.bnet.com/intercom/?p=1512

-Nathan

Top 3 Must Watch Sales Movies For New Years

Check out these movies for sales motivation 08! Find your favorite clips and play them on a challenging day or in the mornings and it will affect your performance:

Glengarry Glen Ross
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TROhlThs9qY

Boiler Rooom
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1C6ZeKpx7xY


Thank you For Smoking
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iBELC_vxqhI (trailor)

Christmas break

Everyone have a good Christmas. My posts will continue on the 26th

Gift for the Sales Pro: books

Books I highly recommend are by Jeffery Gitomer. The most well rounded would be The Little Red Book of Selling. I am not going to post an Amazon link at this time but you can check out www.gitomer.com. You can also subscribe to the free weekly E-zine. Any of Gitomer's "Little books" are great reads. Second is Joe Girard "Sell Anything to Anyone". He has a couple and he is old school. I think the books are written in the 70's but he has the same idea.. Principles haven't changed, just the clothes you wear when you apply them!

Lesson 5: Listening

If you don't listen well, then you won't know what your customer is trying to tell you.

It sounds obvious, but we still end up puking all over the place to fill the void.

Remember this:
Any time your customer says or does anything they are telling you what they want! They are telling you how to sell to them.

Your conversations should be about 75% listening and 25% asking questions and overcoming objections. (unless you are a firm believer of the 80/20 rule, then that works too, its the principle not the percentage)

Listening is a skill. You have to practice. Here's how:

You need a friends help. Listen to a story or someone's opinion of something. If no one has anything good to say, have someone read you a short editorial from the paper.

Just listen. Listen to the whole story and take it in. Connect the dots and listen for hotpoints and cues.

Next, tell them the story in your own words and touch on the most important parts and motives.

You should be able to get the entire point across in your own words.

Fine tune this skill to help you in your sales.

-Nathan

Everything You Need to Know About Customers

I just finished writing my last post, and was doing some reading and stumbled upon Geoffrey James' rendition of Jerry Acuff's Everything you need to know about humans.

Its a great refresher (and quick):

http://blogs.bnet.com/salesmachine/?p=188