| Any selling approach that lacks a proven strategy, | | | | more sales, profit and success. The courses have |
| a practiced proficiency for its application and most | | | | been taken and the rules have been learned but |
| significantly, a full understanding of its | | | | sadly, NEVER PRACTICED!Tiger Woods / Michael |
| psychological, human behavioral import - is at best, | | | | Jordan / Wayne Gretzky - pick any one you like. |
| a wishful endeavor. ...Paul Shearstone | | | | At the top of their game, they still practice/d the |
| 2003......................................................................................No one ever | | | | basics [the Rules]. Name any professional discipline; |
| questions the fact there are born athletes who, | | | | would a surgeon be allowed operate on someone |
| when compared to others, make what they do | | | | without first having benefit of exhaustive |
| look effortless. For these athletes, instinct seems | | | | practice? I sure hope not!The irony is, selling is the |
| to guide them like a good road map. That is their | | | | only professional discipline that allows someone to |
| gift.Exceptional though they may be, even | | | | start with no experience and learn on the job. |
| athletes like Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan, | | | | Even a professional laborer has to apprentice |
| would never rise to their true potential without | | | | first.The point? Knowing what to say is only part |
| one integral ingredient - Coaching.Although I've | | | | of the success-formula in selling. Much like any |
| written many articles on Coaching, this isn't one of | | | | Academy Award-Winning actor, his or her part is |
| them. I mention it only to point out that the | | | | honed and made convincing [award-winning] only |
| aspect of coaching, is Mental. That is to say, | | | | through rehearsal and practice.In Sales: To the |
| gifted athletes already possess the physical skills | | | | degree a sales-pitch appears natural and |
| necessary to excel. Nevertheless, it is only one | | | | spontaneous, is in direct proportion to the practice |
| aspect of their sporting expertise.Who among us | | | | put in it! ...Paul Shearstone 2000 [from the book |
| hasn't heard a professional coach say things like: "I | | | | Up Your Income!]The Psychological |
| only want players with a good head on their | | | | Import:Independent, confident personalities may |
| shoulders" or, "I only want players with | | | | make great leaders - not always great believers. |
| Heart!"What are they saying? They [Coaches] are | | | | My policy in life has always been to be guarded in |
| saying there is more than one key discipline for | | | | what information I'll take in or believe. I am not a |
| success in sports and that what's in the heart and | | | | skeptic but since: [According to Albert Einstein] |
| head is more important than most all other | | | | "We become what we believe", and, [According |
| attributes. The right knowledge and the right | | | | to Abraham Mazlow] "Most people live lives of |
| attitude, compensates for, often usurps, things | | | | quiet desperation", my reluctance to accept the |
| like natural talent.Can the same thing be said for | | | | reality-interpretations of others has served me |
| Natural Born Sales People and the Discipline of | | | | well. It hasn't, however, stopped me from asking |
| Selling? Bet on it!The Rule:Renowned sales guru, | | | | the question, "Why?"Anyone looking for the one |
| Dale Carnegie, is known to be the architect of the | | | | defining ingredient that separates top sellers from |
| 'Five Steps to a Sale' selling process. Over the | | | | the rest can find it here. Much like the runner who |
| years, his successful program has stood the test | | | | wins gold by 1/100th of a second, the difference |
| of time and spawned many other successful | | | | is subtle - but dramatic.In selling, knowing the Rule |
| interpretations upon his theme. "Up Your Income! | | | | and learning to deliver the Rule, still pales in |
| Solution Selling for Profitability" by Paul Shearstone | | | | comparison to the importance of knowing WHY |
| [available at all fine book stores and on the Net], is | | | | the Rule is so integrally important to the success |
| just one of them. :-)The reason for the success | | | | of the process.How much more successful, more |
| of Carnegie's strategy is largely due to its | | | | convincing could one be if they knew the answers |
| simplicity. In short, five clearly defined, easy to | | | | to: "Why is it so vital the Rule be done at this |
| understand Laws or Rules that apply to almost all | | | | time, this way and not another? What is the |
| products or services. For example:Step #1: "Talk | | | | psychological, human-behavioral importance of |
| to your customer Briefly regarding something that | | | | such a rule and why are my chances of success |
| interests Them".Easy to say but what does it | | | | predictably diminished should the rule be |
| mean? Simply put, when salespeople meet | | | | overlooked or poorly articulated? How does this |
| customers for the first time, they must say or | | | | Rule psychologically embolden my interaction with |
| do things to help with the initial Get-Ta-Know-Ya | | | | the customer resulting in mutual respect, rapport |
| bonding process. Dale said, in your opening | | | | and better communication?" - and so on.At the |
| meeting with customers, the best way to get | | | | risk of diluting this point, consider this. The worlds |
| them to like you is to engage them in brief | | | | best Landscape Architects concentrate their |
| conversations about things they find most | | | | designs more on the artistic value or utilitarian |
| interesting. I could go on to elaborate further but | | | | purposes of the open spaces - where nothing is - |
| the fact is, it works.The real lesson here is, now | | | | giving lesser importance and an academic |
| knowing this Rule, those without natural born sales | | | | expectation to the fact, the flora and fauna |
| abilities can integrate it into their selling approach | | | | appeal is a given.Comparing that to elite |
| and be guaranteed better results in the | | | | salespeople, their methodology is focused at a |
| introduction stage of the sale. Incorporating the | | | | higher level, gravitating more toward the natural |
| four remaining steps can unquestionably level the | | | | laws of human interaction and psychology - the |
| playing field with other competitive seasoned | | | | esoteric - the essence for which the Rules of |
| selling professionals - but only if the steps are | | | | Selling were written and in which they find |
| applied Correctly!The Application:Home Depot may | | | | credibility. Their delivery appears effortless albeit |
| have every tool we could imagine but if you don't | | | | transparently deliberate. What they do and the |
| know how to use them, what good are they? In | | | | success they achieve is not by accident!The |
| professional selling, RULES are TOOLS. Use them | | | | Bottom Line:The discipline of the Professional Sell |
| right and they work.One need only look at the | | | | is both an art and a science. As such and in |
| home libraries of most mediocre salespeople to | | | | keeping with all other disciplines, mastery finds |
| find plenty of books and tapes filled with | | | | bedrock in the academic understanding of its |
| time-tested and proven rules designed to garner | | | | Laws, its Applications and its Rationales. |