Music and Selling - There are Many More Similarities Than You Think

August 22, 2012
Posted by: Dave Kurlan
Category: Understanding the Sales Force

It appears that I have written enough articles about music and selling to include a series about the connection. One of the constants in the music business is that the artists must choose between writing and recording songs that are either consistent with what made them famous (giving their core audience more of what they want) or adapting and creating music which would appeal to a potentially newer audience (and perhaps alienating their core audience.) I think that Paul Simon chose the latter and alienated everyone!

We make the same choices in business and, more on topic, in sales. We must also choose between doing what we’ve always done (and get the same or worse results) or adapting to the changing times in appealing to a younger audience of decision-makers who possess different values, make decisions for different reasons, and go about the process of buying with the internet as their primary source for information and choice.

So, why are so many sales forces continuing to do what they have always done, failing to adapt or choosing what and where to adapt and moving at such a slow pace?

Here are some of the music-themed articles which I’ve written in past years:

Breaking News – More Salespeople Suck Than Ever Before

Can the Beatles Help You Close Big Deals?

Singin’ the Sales Blues

Only 11% of Salespeople Do This at the End of a Sales Call

Professional Sales and the All-Star Jazz Performance

Selling the Dream – 3 Lessons for the Sales Force

How to Use Playlists to be More Effective at Selling

When Are Salespeople Too Old to Sell Effectively? 10 Conditions

Is Showmanship a Lost Art in Selling?

Selling Styles – How Many Styles Should Your Salespeople Have?

Developing Top Performers – How to Turn Salespeople into A Players