When I was a pup in the sales business I always
had to be right. What I didn't realize at the time was
that this cost me customers. One of my mentors
pointed this out to me after an unsuccessful sales
call one day.
My initial approach was good, and I got the prospect
interested in what I wanted to sell.
Then he said something that wasn't correct, and I
had to prove that he was wrong. I laid down a really
good argument, and as far as I was concerned, he
wasn't even in the ballpark.
Driving to my next appointment my mentor told me,
"You know Jim, sometimes the difference between you
and a horse's rear end is not really distinguishable."
That took a minute to sink in, and then I got really
mad. I didn't like anybody telling me I was wrong, and
I took my mentor back to his own car. Then I proceeded
to strike out for the next few days.
On Monday morning I met my mentor for breakfast. He
asked me flat out, "Do you want to be right or rich?" I
mumbled something about being rich.
He said, "It doesn't matter who is right or wrong,
what matters is you get the sale. I've been at this a
long time, and I know hundreds of experts in any
field you can name. Now most of them can't tell the
difference between cows and pigs, but I really don't care.
What I'm an expert at is getting the sale. And that
requires that you learn how to hold your tongue in a
good number of situations."
That hit me hard, and I was slow to take his advice.
I blew a number of sales in the next few months because
I had to be right. Then one day I was about to do myself
in yet again, and I heard his words again. I shut up and
got the sale.
Salespeople love to talk. And they love being right. But
your biggest asset can also be a liability. Knowing when
to keep your big mouth shut is a hard thing to learn.
But it pays off in spades.
And when you think about it, don't we have enough
experts already? Do we really need another opinion in
the decision making process?
If you ask the right questions, your clients will sell
themselves on your product. And they'll refer other clients
to you to boot because they are so happy with...their buying decision.
From the big saddle,
Jim Whelan
The Chairmaan of the Board
P.S. To all those who are having trouble selling,
thinking maybe they don't have the right product,
get a load of this. Women in New York are now
paying $180 to get a bird poo facial. And there is
a waiting list at top salons. And all the advertising
has been word of mouth.
So you think your product won't sell...think again.
You just need to get it in front of the right people,
and that's what we specialize in here.
Contact us: thejamesrwhelanagency.com, or call 206 407 3124.
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