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Beware Of The Quotation Mill: Common Selling Quotations
by Gerry Robert
Some quotations are good, some are bad. Let's look at a few to see
which ones we, as salespeople, should embrace and which ones we should
discard.
"Fake it till you make it."
Fake it? Fake what? Is "fake" something you want to be associated with?
I don't want to be genuine. I think we should re-word it to "Be genuine
at all costs."
People want to buy from someone they trust. If you don't have that trust
you can forget the sale, repeat business and most importantly, referrals.
Let nothing about you resemble fakeness. Be real, be honest, be yourself.
If your heart is in the right place there's no need to mask anything.
You can't "fake" your heart.
"Selling is a numbers game."
Unfortunately many people look at selling that way. This quotation stems
from the philosophical error that if you knock on 100 doors or are rejected
99 times you will find one buyer. So in the sense, I guess selling is a
number game.
Is it the game you want ot play? Do you like the odd numbers? The reason
those numbers are so terrible is that salespeople are chasing "unqualified,
disinterested suspects." Their reward for that is untold misery caused by
constant rejection.
Sure, selling might be a numbers game. Do what I do. I figure out how
to make the biggest number of my knows market come to me, call me or in some
way approach me. I attract them like magnets, and in big numbers. If anyone
is doing rejecting is should be you.
"Every 'No' leads you closer to a 'Yes'."
Similiar to the other quotation, this one tries to brain-wash people into
liking being rejected. I've heard some bright motivational gurus tell people
to se each "NO" as US$5 in the bank because you are that much closer to a
"Yes". Come on!
You will never covince me that you can make salespeople impervious to
rejection. A "No" is a "No" is a "No". It ain't pretty, no matter how
many mental gymnastics you use to make it less painful.
This nonsense is one of the reasons legends of salespeople slug away,
day in and day out in an approach to selling which is ineffective.
They would never consider how to figure out how to sell with rejection.
No, don't do that because ... "every "No" leads closer to a "Yes"."
"Fail to plan and plan to fail."
There's one we should follow. So often, poor performers are disorganised
and their desk is messy, they don't return calls, they miss appointments.
I know of one person who drove across town and realised his presentation
folder was still on his desk. The tragedy was that this was the second
time this happened; with the same client. It might be as simple as taking
five minutes before you go to bed to focus yourself for the next day but
without a plan your (sales) ship is wothout a rudder.
"To be enthusiastic, act enthusiastic."
I like this. So often when I get tired and I notice my energy levels start
to weaken. I sit up straight. I change my breathing. I clap my hands, make
some noice. Maybe I'll listen to some good music. Sometimes I do this
excited gestures with my arms as if I just won a race (Unlikely!)
Someone said that motion creates emotion. Moving yourself around when you
want more enthusiasm helps. Good quotation.
"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Now I know some people reading this think I am getting soft again but I am
convinced that to sell successfully here in Malaysia we must think long-term.
There-fore building relationships are the way to go.
I was selling to a man the other day and it looked as if what I was selling
was not really for him. I could see that his interest lies elsewhere so
I started to pull back. I decided to pretty much stop the selling process
because I knew that pushing him would have been more in my interest rather
than his. He appreciated that and he initiated further discussions.
Focus on them, not your commission. That will take care of itself if you
put the prospect first.
"Sell, sell, sell, and all will be well."
A friend of mine once shared this quotation with me. I really liked it
because it showed what the number one focus is in our profession. It
doesn't say "Sell, sell, sell at any cost."It doesn't say "Manipulate,
manipulate, manipulate." No, it says that most of your problems (as far
as your job is concerned) will be fixed once you sell, sell, sell.
It is possible for you to sell more. Figure out how. Move into action.
Get accountable.
I added to this. " Learn, learn, learn, and you'll earn, earn, earn."
Isn't it true? So many of the top income earners in selling are some
of the most committed people to self development. Ideas are impoortant.
Many hungry salespeople would never think of attending a seminar, reading
a book or listening to tapes. Pity!
"Just ask for order."
Wrong! As my friend and colleague Terry Murphy always says. In many cases
you would be making a big mistake to ask for the order. As far as I can tell
there is only one time you should ask for the order and that is when they
have given you ample evidence that they are sold. Now this requires that
you listen for buying signals. I teach to look for Force One (interest)
and Force Two (commitment) Buying Singals. If you ask for the order too soon,
you'll scare them away. My vote: dump this quotation.
"Don't leave without the cheque."
What? The salesperson attending the Mystical Manipulation Sales Seminar
asked. "Are you telling me that I must get the money tonight?" "Yep!
Don't leave wothout the cheque." Retorted, Slick Willy sales trainer.
"Well, what if they don't want my prodcut?"
"Make them want it!"
"But you're talking about high pressure sales?"
"You want a paycheque, don't you?"
"Yes, but I also want to sell them for the next 20 years. If I pressure
them to buy instantly, they might buy once but they'll never buy again."
The student was now wiser than the teacher.
"Build a better mouse-trap and the world will beat a path to your door."
So many people I speak with tell me they know they are good at what they
do.
They know that they could sell more if they could only get in front of
more people. My suggestion is very profound: Get in front of more people.
Give them some compelling reason to call you. Make them as irresistible
offer. Give them something free. Give them some reasons to move in your
direction, if you don't you will just have a basement full of better
mouse-trap. If you don't advertise, it's like winking in the dark. You
know what you are doing but no one else does.
"There are no problems in life, only a shortage of ideas"
This is my philosophy of life. I didn't originate this saying, although
I have included it in several books I've written. I cannot believe the
amount of people who are locked into problems. All they can see is what's
not working out. They are so focused on the problems that they never see the
opportunities.
They, in fact, cannot see opportunities because the minute you get lost in
the problem your creative juices stop flowing. So the next time you are
faced with a mountain of problems, and we all are, (you should see some
of the problems before me today!) concentrate on embedding this quotaion
into your belif system. You are only one idea away from solving this
problem. Believe it because it's true.
"I'm a worthwhile person no matter what you think, say or do to me."
This one quotation helped me more than any other. I wrote this on a
3 x 5 card and I read it several thousand times pre day for months.
I did not feel that I mattered, I did not feel worthwhile. By repeating
this one affirmation to myself a million times, I re-programmed my negative
self-talk and no longer beat myself up if something had happened to me.
For example, as a speaker. I speak to over 100,000 people every year. I
speak from Kota Kinabalu to Kingston, Jamaica. If they don't laugh at all
my jokes. (they should laugh, I'm funnier than Jerry Lewis) I no longer
take it personnaly. Why? Because.... "I'm a worthwhile person no matter
what they think, say or do to me."
If someone rejects my sales offer (and the odd crazy person does).
I never think that I am of any less value. If someone doesn't like me
that's their problem.
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