Intrusive, invasive, slimy salesmen have been finding ways to trick us out of our money for years. In response to the fast-talking peddlers, the buyers of America have developed a defense mechanism: lying. The maxim “Thou shalt not lie” is ignored when faced with a trained sales killer! Perhaps there isn’t malicious lying, but misleading the salesperson is clearly the first step in the time held tradition of the “Buyer Seller Dance”.
Every leader realizes that if they are going to build a successful business, organization, community, or congregation, they must develop the skills needed to ‘sell’ themselves and their vision to others. How do you sell your ideas without triggering the misleading dance of deception? There is a method that is counter to tradition and may go against some of what you may have come to believe is true. Learning this method requires altering what you believe. Re-writing your beliefs is difficult, time consuming, and fraught with risk. The task shouldn’t be taken lightly.
PLAN YOUR SUCCESS
Every journey requires a road map. The journey to change is no different. You must have a written plan with a beginning benchmark, and follow through with a system to track the progress. Successful business owners often have a business and marketing plan. Unfortunately shortly after the document is complete, it finds a place of prominence on a shelf and collects dust. What keeps these tools from being effective is a lack of accountability and commitment.
For a plan to be effective, it must be forged in the fires of desire and purged in the crucible of commitment. Commitment is the staying power that will hold on to the end. Without commitment, the noblest ambition is forfeited at early signs of pain. Napoleon Hill said it this way: “Whatever you can vividly imagine, ardently desire, and enthusiastically act upon…must inevitably come to pass!”
COMMIT TO CHANGE
Your earning capacity is set by what you accept as true. The beliefs you have concerning money directly impact your ability to help others. Adopt an attitude of abundance. Be comfortable helping prospects talk about money and you will unconsciously overcome a great obstacle to your success.
BUY CYCLE
The way you buy has a direct impact how you sell. If you over-analyze a purchase, shop around for the lowest price, or ‘think it over’ before purchasing, you will accept this behavior from your prospects. Change how you buy and you will change how you sell!
SELF-LIMITING RECORD COLLECTIONS
Records are thoughts that occupy your mind. If you have the courage to face and then kick out the wrong thinking, and then re-write what you believe, you will start to see unconscious competence in your sales abilities!
TENDENCY TO BECOME EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED
People who have become sales super stars have learned how to stay emotionally detached from their prospects and clients, however, they maintain the empathy required to identify with prospect’s pain. If you learn to be the 3rd person outside the conversation, you will be a master communicator.
NEED FOR APPROVAL
We have all been created with a need to be accepted and loved. This is a basic human instinct that cannot be erased. However, when applied to the business world, this need can be crippling. Recognize your need for approval and get it met anywhere but work!
These daily behaviors, if they are faithfully followed, will help produce the outcome designed. Understandably, this new method of salesmanship is challenging to embrace and precarious to pursue. It takes great faith to embark on such a journey but the results can be very dramatic. There are those who are content to only take small steps and settle for ‘good enough,’ but settling thwarts true success. ‘Great’ may be just a few painful steps further.
