Over the weekend, I ran into an old colleague of mine. I used to work with him several years ago when I was in the corporate sales world. He was always moderately successful financially. But he always worked his behind off. Much harder than me, I must admit. My discussion with him on Saturday told me that not much had changed.

Knowing that I am now a sales coach, he asked me if I had any advice. Well, hopefully, everyone reading this knows you have to start with questions before you can give any answers! So, I asked him, “What specifically are your problems as you see them?” “Well,” he said, “I’m working 70 hours a week, I have more to do than I feel I can get accomplished and I just can’t seem to get past the income level I’ve been on for the past few years.” So, I asked another question, “Exactly what are your financial goals?” He answered, ” I don’t know, maybe $75,000.” Wow. this kind of answer always puzzles me. So I asked another question, “Why only $75,000?” Why would you not want to make twice that?” “That would be wonderful! But I would really satisfied if I could just get to $75,000. I just think $150,000 would be too hard.” As I began to talk with him about how he could actually get there and work less than he is now, he lost interest. He had already made up his mind that he wasn’t prepared to do what it took to get to that level regardless of what I said.

I actually ended the conversation by saying, “Look, I would really like to help you. I have always thought that you had potential. But I have to tell you, I’m not interested in working with someone who strives only for mediocrity. I work with winners. Those who have a passion for more. And not just a little more. If you ever decide that you really want success, to excel, to reach your true potential then give me a call.” I gave him my card and with that, I ended the conversation.

Now, that may sound harsh to you but I am an unreasonable friend. I expect more and generally, I get it. Maybe it was a bit harsh, but my goal was to get him to reconsider his less than lofty goals. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. But one thing I know for sure...if I had given him a few tips for improvement, a few tips that would have put an extra $5000 or $10,000 in his pocket over the next year, that would have been as far as he would ever go. At least this way, he has a chance to wake up and realize that he is not only shortchanging himself but everyone around him, including his family.

Everyone has greatness within them. Everyone. Yet so few nurture it and bring it forth. You must be willing to set your goals high, to push yourself, to work at greatness. It rarely falls in your lap. But, one thing I have found is that it is actually much easier to achieve true success than it is to spend your life mired in mediocrity or worse yet struggling just to pay the bills. And there’s one more thing you should know, success is a lot more FUN!

It can be yours, but you must take action. You must examine your true goals, then take whatever steps are necessary to learn how to reach them. It’s really as simple as that.

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below.  We look forward to talking to you soon!

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A man (customer) walks into a car dealership. He is immediately greeted by a salesperson who asks, “Good morning! How are you?” “What brings you in today?” (Notice, he did NOT say the sales killer phrase you hear at almost every store you ever go into.) “Well,” said the customer, “I am looking for a truck.” “Great!” exclaimed the salesman. “I’m certain that you’ll find one that will be just what you want.” “And I already know what I want. A 2019 “XYZ” truck.” “I see,” said the salesman. “I can certainly see why you would like that truck. It’s a great one. And in demand too. So much so that I’m afraid we don’t have any left and we won’t be getting any in for about 2 weeks.” “Apparently,” said the customer. “This is the third dealership I’ve been to today and it’s the same everywhere. The other dealerships put me on a list and said they would let me know when the new shipment comes in. Will you do that for me?”

Now, this is where the story takes a different road. You would expect a “good” salesperson to do as the customer asked and hope that his shipment arrives before the others. But not this guy. He understood that we have to give our customers what they want, but sometimes they are not entirely aware of what they want! I’ll explain it a bit further.

This particular salesman said. “I’ll be glad to do that for you, but before I do, may I ask you a few questions?” Ah yes, those wonderful magical questions. “Just for curiosity, what exactly are the features of the 2019 “XYZ” that you like so much?” The customer named about or 8 features that were what drew him to the vehicle. I won’t list all of them because I don’t want to bore you and also because I don’t remember what they were! That’s not the point. The point is that our salesman whipped out a sheet of paper and began taking notes. When he was sure he had all the features that were important to his customer, (How did he know…because he asked!) he invited him outside to the lot where he stood next to a 2006 model of the same truck.

“Now,” said the salesman, “let me make sure I got everything.” He then went down the list that the customer had just given him. The customer responded, “Yes, I think that’s about it.” Now, here’s what the salesman said. “Mr. Customer, this truck has every single feature that you described to me. And, “it has two very important features that the 2019 model doesn’t.” “Really,” said the customer, “what are those?” “It’s here on the lot today, ready to be driven off and it’s $2000 less than 2019.” Bam! Done deal! Less than an hour later, the customer drove off in a new 2006 truck that was everything he wanted and more!

What have we learned here? The customer is not always right. In this instance, the customer insisted that he wanted a 2019 truck when all he actually wanted were the features of 2019. The customer had to be educated. He had to learn what it was he really wanted.

Just as importantly, the salesman did not immediately give up on the sale and take his name and address, nor did he “tell” the customer he would be just as happy with 2018. He let the customer tell him! He asked the questions, the customer sold himself. Had the salesman insisted on trying to convince the customer that 2018 was just as good, the customer would have resisted. Instead, he came to the conclusion on his own.

Remember, when you say it, you are a salesman trying to make a sale. When your customer says it, it’s the truth. Thus the mind of your customer.

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below.  We look forward to talking to you soon!

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“What? Ask me questions? You mean in the middle of a conversation with my customer?” No, no, nothing that drastic. Not that drastic, but certainly incredibly effective.

You have to ask yourself what your purpose is. Certainly, your purpose is to make money…to make money for yourself and also for your company. But for the most successful sales pros, I have ever met or have ever personally encountered as a customer, it’s about more than that. It has to be. Think about this. The last time you had an encounter with a customer who gave you the impression that his/her #1 goal was simply to make a sale and book the profits, what was your reaction? If you are like me, you ran like the wind and didn’t look back.

So, given that making money is a noble pursuit and one that you should definitely be focused on in your sales career, how do you avoid situations such as this? Well, the truth is, even though making money can be your #2, #3, or any other goal, the most successful sales pros are the ones that truly care about their customer and meeting their needs and their wants. Your goal should always be that your customer leaves your encounter better off than they were before it occurred. And by the way, if you are selling a product or service that you cannot legitimately feel good about, you need to start your search for another product or service today.

Before every customer encounter, you should ask yourself this question and be perfectly clear so that you can relate it orally and through your attitude and actions. Otherwise, customers, who are generally skeptical without any help, will become even more so and your chances for improving both your lives drop to near nil.

Your customer will see the difference. Your results will see the difference. Ironically, by focusing less on your goal of making more money, you’ll actually make more money. You’ll sell more and you’ll have more happy customers who are more likely to offer up referrals when you ask. Besides, you’ll sleep better at night knowing that both you and your customer are better for your transaction.

Are you interested in selling Verizon Wireless services? Call us at (855) SELL-VZW or fill out the form below.  We look forward to talking to you soon!

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