Let’s play a word association game. I’ll give you a word and you allow any image, any associated word to appear in your mind. Ready?

“Sales”

What came to your mind? Many people think of associations like “snake-oil” and “dirt bag.” Some even have cigar-chomping, plaid-wearing images pop up. Unfortunately, most of us have good reasons for our negativity – who hasn’t been harassed, harangued or taken advantage of by an unethical sales person?

In the end, tough but true, the fallout hurts us individually because our ability to sell is equal to our ability to succeed. Rethinking our perceptions can prove vital to a productive life.

On February 2nd, Robert and Kim Kiyosaki came to Salt Lake City to visit us at Legacy Learning LLC. As a cheering crowd greeted them, Robert stepped forward and boldly asked, “How many of you here are involved in sales?” Of course, the entire sales force proudly raised their hands. Robert’s penetrating gaze and firmly set jaw indicated his displeasure with our response. “How many of you are in sales?” he repeated. This time a few of the Rich Dad Coaches also raised their hands. Robert continued to emphatically ask the same question until the entire crowd had lifted their hands high in the air. His point? Every single person is a salesperson at some level or in some arena of life.

Every time we prepare and send a resume, we follow a sales cycle. Every minute we spend responding to a “Request for Proposals,” we play within the sales game. Each time we ask another person to go with us on a date or try to convince a friend to link up for a movie, we are engaged in making a sale. If we are good, we get what we want. If we are not, well…

The best news is that for those of us who feel like we flunked Sales 101, the sales process is something we can quickly learn. In addition, we are probably better at it than we think. Prove it to yourself, and improve your personal effectiveness immediately by trying at least one of the two activities below.

1. Face off with the fear of having your offerings rejected. Practice this exercise a few minutes every day for about three weeks and you’ll be conditioned to not take another person’s reactions personally. In fact, you might be so prepared that the rejections are scared to show up.

Step one: Upon hearing an objection, give a positive acknowledgement to the person speaking. Say something like “Thank you for asking that question” or “Boy, I can see your concern.” The point here is to let the other person know you are fully listening.

Step two: Wrap their comment up in a question and hand it back. The conversation might go like this: “I agree that this product seems a bit pricey” (you just acknowledged that you heard them). “What would you have to experience from the product to feel like it was a good financial investment?” Or “Thank you for asking about the length of our program. What specifically do you want to know about the time commitment or length of the program?”

Step three: Repeat steps one and two until you are both perfectly clear about what the potential client wants to know. Take this “peeled onion” bit of information and decide to make a deal or not. Be ready to walk away if the situation isn’t a win/win.

2. Prepare a set of two polished elevator speeches. The basic elements are:
· who you are,
· what you do for people, and
· what value they can expect from working with you.

Be ready with one version that takes 60 seconds or less and one that takes 15 seconds. Here is a quick example of one of my 15-second speeches:

“Hi, I’m an Innovator. I work with people who want to take their ideas from zero to a zillion. I believe that every person has at least one million dollar idea bouncing around inside their grey matter. I assist people in finally getting those ideas out on paper and putting their thoughts into action.”

Begin now by writing a 60-second speech. Practice it and time it. Get some feedback and use it to refine the speech. Once you are happy with your copy, narrow it down to the 15-second version. Always be prepared to use these speeches.

Last week I spent four days with Marshall Goldsmith and his coaching network. Marshall had us all mesmerized by how comfortably he could insert one of his “sales” speeches into casual conversation. His speech goes like this:

“Can you give me the name of a key executive in your organization that if this executive makes one or two measurable, positive, long-term improvements it would have a significant impact on your overall business?”

Can you see the basic elements of an elevator speech there? Marshall doesn’t usually have to tell folks who he is, so that part is missing. However, what he does for a company and the broad value it offers are smoothly woven into the fabric of one sentence. This speech helps Marshall pick up 10 clients a year who each pay him a mere $150,000.

I hope you’re either convinced or reaffirmed on the importance of knowing how to sell. Daniel Pink author of The Free Agent Nation, once wrote:

“If you’re a free agent or want to be one, you’re in sales.”

Should you want more exercises or information on this topic visit www.headtripaudio.com and order the audio-magazine titled Rethinking Sales.

“It is the innovator, the visionary, the entrepreneur that coaching sets free.”

©2004 SoulSalt, Inc.