Understanding the Sales Force

These aren’t the 10 sales competencies you read about and listen to all the time. No way! These 10 are hardly ever discussed, seldom, if ever written about, and the most difficult to learn. Ready?

Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open, was a great book! I kept wondering what it would have been like if Agassi was in sales instead of tennis. Would he have been the best salesperson in the world? Would he have won all the biggest deals? Would he have earned as much money? So I thought about the areas that would have supported a quest for #1 salesperson, as well as those that would have thwarted the effort.

Mary always succeeded in finding new opportunities, but her weaknesses, especially her Need for Approval, Discomfort Talking About Money, and Tendency to Become Emotionally Involved, would usually interfere with her ability to gain traction and close the sale. During the past year, she has improved enough so that she is not only finding new business, but closing it too. But she isn’t out of the woods yet.

Prior to learning about healthy eating, I believed a bagel was a healthy alternative to a donut. After I was shown that a carbohydrate converts to sugar in the blood and there wasn’t much difference between bread, bagels or rolls; and donuts, cake or pie, I changed the way that I ate.

I just returned from a speaking engagement in Athens and had to stop at passport control several times during this trip. They always ask, “What kind of business?” and over the years I’ve used them all: consulting, speaking, training, business adviser, author, coaching, etc. I’ve learned that if I wantto be interrogated, “speaker” would be the answer of choice. If I simply want to answer a few questions, “consultant” will do the trick. But to elicit the desired yawn from the officers, I only need to say “attend a conference.” Words make a huge difference and if you like scripts, you’ll be disappointed. But a well-chosen word or phrase at just the right time can be the difference between a resistant prospect and an intrigued one. Do you pay enough attention to the things you do and say as well as how you say them just before a prospect becomes resistant or more engaged? Well, you should!

When you speak at as many events as I have over the past 3 decades, you come to expect certain things. As you consider each of the following scenarios, try to make a comparison as to how it might compare with the sales calls and presentations you make to groups:

Can you name 10 Core Competencies of a great salesperson? Let’s see, there’s prospecting, qualifying and closing, and then there’s….wow, this is difficult!

Do you remember dating? Back in the day, when you couldn’t hide behind a text or an email, the three most common questions that teenagers would ask their friends were, “What if she says ‘no’?”, “What if he doesn’t call?” and “What if she doesn’t call back?”

These aren’t the 10 sales competencies you read about and listen to all the time. No way! These 10 are hardly ever discussed, seldom, if ever written about, and the most difficult to learn. Ready?