Practice, Practice, Practice
Turning sales gems into sales orders

After a seminar, I was approached by one of the attendees. Normally, people will come up and tell me what a great time they had or how much of an impact I made. But this time, a seasoned sales veteran named TJ Carr smiled at me and said, “I have two things to add to your repertoire of ideas.”

With a sparkle in his eye he said, “For years I’ve told my prospects if you want to save money, you’re probably better off going someplace else. But if you want to make money, then I’m your best bet.”

Wow, what a cool thought. For years I’ve been refining the concept of giving value first and talking about profit and productivity rather than price in order to create a buying atmosphere. Along comes TJ Carr, and he adds yet another dimension to that sales concept. It was simple and powerful.

Still smiling, TJ said, “Over the years I’ve found when the customer says ‘yes,’ there’s not much need for a salesperson. It’s only when the customer says ‘no’ that a salesperson begins to earn his money.” That’s a cool concept.

Another sales gem is: They don’t buy what it is. They buy what it does. Convert all your “is” statements to “does” statements, and your sales will soar.

Here’s a gem I’ve been thinking about: It’s not the bank; it’s the banker. The reason this statement is so powerful is that it points out, yet again, that the salesperson (in most instances) is more powerful than the company he or she works for.

I’ve been banking with the same bank for 15 years. I love my bank, so if my banker called to tell me he was switching banks and asked if he could take my business with him, the answer would be yes. It’s true that my bank has helped me and has financed me, but it has been through the efforts of the banker. The human element of person-to-person played a major role in building my relationship with the bank.

And how about those statements that are partially true? For example, most companies think their people set them apart. That’s partially true. It’s their friendly people. Think of how good you feel when you’re in a transaction with a company and the person on the other end is friendly. Somehow friendly automatically leads to helpful, while unfriendly seems to lean toward “policy.”

I once wrote: “It costs no more to be friendly.” That’s a pretty profound statement when you consider how many companies employ people who are not friendly. Friendliness, or the lack thereof, is typically the result of internal circumstances: bad boss, poor internal communication, negative policies, poor work environment – you get my drift. You know exactly what I’m talking about.

And finally, I’d like you to consider one simple phrase that can change your entire selling process, including your focus during a sales appointment. In fact, this statement is so powerful, that if used properly, you can double your sales in less than 30 days.

The concept is: “It’s not the close; it’s the open.”

The way you open the sale, the way you initially engage the prospect, the way you create rapport, the way you communicate, and the way you transfer your message, predetermine your fate at the end of that meeting.

What kind of sales ideas, strategies or gems do you live by? What concepts have you been carrying around for years that others would be inspired by (other than your competition, of course)? I’ll guarantee that everyone reading this has one or two sales gems that would help everybody else get better, and I’m asking you for them right now.

Email me personally at salesman@gitomer.com and put SALES GEM in the subject line. I’ll publish the list.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com.

Back to Sales Index

Back to February Issue

Copyright 1996-2005, by Kentucky Business Online.  All rights reserved.

Editorial content is copyright 2005, Lane Communications Group
All editorial material is fully protected and must not be reproduced in any manner without prior permission.

The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.