The Art of SalesFu
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It dawned on me recently that I’ve been practicing the Art of Sales and perfecting my Sales Style for over 20 years now. I’ve sold everything from household goods in living room presentations, impossible-to-dull knife sets from kiosks, and office supplies walking door to door. I like the face-to-face interaction, but my favorite sales has to be long distance, sight unseen, phone/internet sales transactions. I’m good at it. I’m very good at it. I’ve sold Hawaiian Music CD’s, Minivans, Taxicabs, Hawaiian Vacation Packages, and Mortgages, all over the phone and internet. I work 45-50 hours per week, and I make well over six figures per year. I’ve worked in call centers for the better part of the last decade, and I’ve opened several offices for very large employers. Every job site has the same problem though, I’ve probably seen at least 1500 employees come in the door and then go out another. Why do so many people have a hard time in this industry?They clearly knew what they were getting into, and then suddenly decided that they couldn’t make it work, or the decision was made for them by upper management.
There are comprehensive training programs out there, and there are more sales books than I care to read. There are great sales speakers and online videos to watch of the great Zig Ziglar, but that guy, and all the other guys I’ve seen on these shows, have some crazy magnetic charm. They have some smarmy gene that I just wasn’t born with. I’m a natural introvert. That’s right, I’m an introvert. Honestly, I’m scared talking to people. I’d rather be at home reading a book or playing a video game. So I’ve had to study sales. I’ve had to dissect it and learn the psychological nuances and reasons that make people say, “Yes”. I’ve had to devise techniques that I’ve learned, then modified and personalized over the years to make work. I refuse to sound like the Salesman’s Salesman, as I’ve heard in the industry, what many think of as the “Used Car Salesman” pitch and close technique. We all know about the pushy sales rep who won’t go away, and keeps pushing until you either meekly say yes, or slither away. The problem with that sales technique is that it works. The pushy sales rep will get a yes or a no from every customer, and a certain percentage will say yes. It’s a numbers game, it doesn’t matter how many No’s a sales person hears, what matters is how many Yes’s were obtained. So the pushy sales rep lives to see another day, and that style is encouraged because it works.
I’ve got a better way, though. I’ve got a secret. Nothing here is totally new. Nothing here should be earth shattering. Truth be told, like most sales people I’ve taken the best of what I’ve learned from others, and made it my own. I’ve taken theories I first saw in Women’s Studies, Communication, Sociology, and Psychology classes in the 90’s, and combined it with a thoughtful, guiding approach that works for training new hires, and for guiding customers through a tough purchase process. I’ve taken ideas and techniques, and molded them together into one sales philosophy for the modern era. We don’t need sales gorillas willing to beat their chest for a deal, we need sales professionals who don’t insult intelligence and bully customers into a sale. We need sales people who will proactively guide and influence a customer until what the customer wants, and what we want are the same. There is no doubt that we must first educate ourselves, and then our customers before sales nirvana can be reached. I offer you the chance to educate yourself starting today. I present to you – The Art of SalesFu.
