SERVICES SELLING I DIDNT RAISE YOU TO BE A SALESMAN
SERVICES SELLING I DIDNT RAISE YOU TO BE A SALESMAN
Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be salesboys
Don't let 'em sell siding or drive them big trucks
Have 'em be consultants and accountants and such.
Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be salesboys
'Cause they'll never stay home or they're on their cell phone
Even with family around.
With all due apologies to Willie Nelson, I am sure this was the sentiment of most of our parents. Yes, be a lawyer or accountant or even (heaven forbid) a consultant, but please don't ever come home and declare, “Mom, I found my calling. I am going to be a salesperson!”
Why all the disdain from those of us selling professional services? With most services firms we work with, this is what we hear:
I didn't become a lawyer, accountant, consultant, or (fill in the blank) so I could be a salesperson.
My clients won't respect me if I try to sell more to them.
I don't want to sound too “salesy.”
I don't sell professional services; I uncover problems and partner with clients to solve them.
I wasn't trained to sell. I don't know what I'm doing and I am afraid I will look foolish. Everyone will see me fail.
I'd rather just provide my clients with great value and let word of mouth do the rest.
I just don't have it in my genes. I am not one of those used car sales guys.
My parents raised me better than that. (OK, we made this one up.)
So maybe you didn't enter your profession so you could sell all day, but in the words of another great artist, the Eagles, “Get over it.” The world of professional services has changed considerably in recent years. To be successful as professionals, most of us have to do some services selling. Firms can no longer rely on one or two Rainmakers to hunt and then feed the rest of the professionals. Every one of us must become involved in growing the firm.
The good news: selling services is not as loathsome as you think. It can even be exciting. To help you get over your fear, disdain, or avoidance of sales we share these six thoughts about selling professional services.
What makes a good professional makes a good sales person. Think about how you deliver your services to your client. You ask questions. You extend expert opinions. You work hard. You are accessible at all times. You look for creative solutions. You deliver what you say you are going to deliver.
This is exactly what you need to do to become successful in sales. It is not about convincing someone to buy something they do not need. It is about helping them find solutions to needs when they realize they don't have the expertise to do it themselves.
Your prospects and clients actually want you to sell to them. What do clients (and prospects) expect from you? Certainly, not to provide free advice. They expect you to provide the expertise or the resources they do not have. If they are walking into trouble, it is your job to point it out and provide assistance. If you can see a better future for them that they can't see, help them find it. If you sell the same way you provide your services (as in #1 above), they will ask you for more.
You're most successful when you aren't too “salesy.” Think about the rainmakers in your firm. Do you equate them with the used car sales image in your mind? Probably not. They build relationships. They develop trust. They engage conversations to find out what is really going on in their client's world. They work to show their competence and that of the firm. And, they gain commitment – not by asking “What will it take to get us in to do work for you,” but by building creative solutions and creating value for their clients.
Those of you who argue, “Professional services don't need to be sold,” are partially right. It all depends on your mental model of sales. You do have to do many of the things a good salesperson does (plan, persist, hustle, stay in contact) but the tone is different than what many of us think it needs to be. Selling shouldn't be as it's depicted in most movies.
Selling is rewarding. Even though you may not have entered your profession to sell, it can be rewarding from many perspectives. There is a certain amount of thrill and excitement in brining in new customers. There is also the element, in many cases, of bringing in more money. But for many professionals, the reward is finding new people for whom you can provide much needed assistance.
Selling helps you build relationships. Selling services is about building relationships. If you approach it from this mindset, even the sales calls that do not produce direct sales can be considered a win – if you continue to put energy into the relationship. Over time, these so-called losing efforts can produce new referrals, contacts, and, at some point, sales.
Selling is fun. Yes, you too can have fun selling if you look at it as a way to build relationships, solve problems, and help your clients succeed. You may not fall in love with sales, but it doesn't have to be as distressing as most professionals go out of their way to make it.
Remind yourself often that selling isn't a necessary evil. It's a part of being a well-rounded and successful professional service provider. Once you start to feel the business development juices flowing within, you will be well on your way.
If, however, you find yourself reminiscing about the days when you didn't need to sell, and find yourself asking, “I wonder if I'll ever be able to just put my head down and do the work again, and leave the selling to everyone else,” stop yourself and take a break for a minute to consider the sage words of an old salesman.
What was it you wanted?
Tell me again so I'll know.
What's happening in there,
What's going on in your show.
What was it you wanted,
Could you say it again?
I'll be back in a minute
You can get it together by then.
- Willie Nelson (unedited)
During that minute when you're getting it together, forget you asked yourself the question. Instead, get back to your business development to-do list.
What's the worst that can happen? If it does not work, you can always climb back in your truck and get the heck out of Dodge. (Or try again.)
SERVICES SELLING I DIDNT RAISE YOU TO BE A SALESMAN - To learn more about this author, visit Laurie Stafinski's Website.
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By Mike Schultz and John Doerr
Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be salesboys
Don't let 'em sell siding or drive them big trucks
Have 'em be consultants and accountants and such.
Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be salesboys
'Cause they'll never stay home or they're on their cell phone
Even with family around.
With all due apologies to Willie Nelson, I am sure this was the sentiment of most of our parents. Yes, be a lawyer or accountant or even (heaven forbid) a consultant, but please don't ever come home and declare, “Mom, I found my calling. I am going to be a salesperson!”
Why all the disdain from those of us selling professional services? With most services firms we work with, this is what we hear:
I didn't become a lawyer, accountant, consultant, or (fill in the blank) so I could be a salesperson.
My clients won't respect me if I try to sell more to them.
I don't want to sound too “salesy.”
I don't sell professional services; I uncover problems and partner with clients to solve them.
I wasn't trained to sell. I don't know what I'm doing and I am afraid I will look foolish. Everyone will see me fail.
I'd rather just provide my clients with great value and let word of mouth do the rest.
I just don't have it in my genes. I am not one of those used car sales guys.
My parents raised me better than that. (OK, we made this one up.)
So maybe you didn't enter your profession so you could sell all day, but in the words of another great artist, the Eagles, “Get over it.” The world of professional services has changed considerably in recent years. To be successful as professionals, most of us have to do some services selling. Firms can no longer rely on one or two Rainmakers to hunt and then feed the rest of the professionals. Every one of us must become involved in growing the firm.
The good news: selling services is not as loathsome as you think. It can even be exciting. To help you get over your fear, disdain, or avoidance of sales we share these six thoughts about selling professional services.
What makes a good professional makes a good sales person. Think about how you deliver your services to your client. You ask questions. You extend expert opinions. You work hard. You are accessible at all times. You look for creative solutions. You deliver what you say you are going to deliver.
This is exactly what you need to do to become successful in sales. It is not about convincing someone to buy something they do not need. It is about helping them find solutions to needs when they realize they don't have the expertise to do it themselves.
Your prospects and clients actually want you to sell to them. What do clients (and prospects) expect from you? Certainly, not to provide free advice. They expect you to provide the expertise or the resources they do not have. If they are walking into trouble, it is your job to point it out and provide assistance. If you can see a better future for them that they can't see, help them find it. If you sell the same way you provide your services (as in #1 above), they will ask you for more.
You're most successful when you aren't too “salesy.” Think about the rainmakers in your firm. Do you equate them with the used car sales image in your mind? Probably not. They build relationships. They develop trust. They engage conversations to find out what is really going on in their client's world. They work to show their competence and that of the firm. And, they gain commitment – not by asking “What will it take to get us in to do work for you,” but by building creative solutions and creating value for their clients.
Those of you who argue, “Professional services don't need to be sold,” are partially right. It all depends on your mental model of sales. You do have to do many of the things a good salesperson does (plan, persist, hustle, stay in contact) but the tone is different than what many of us think it needs to be. Selling shouldn't be as it's depicted in most movies.
Selling is rewarding. Even though you may not have entered your profession to sell, it can be rewarding from many perspectives. There is a certain amount of thrill and excitement in brining in new customers. There is also the element, in many cases, of bringing in more money. But for many professionals, the reward is finding new people for whom you can provide much needed assistance.
Selling helps you build relationships. Selling services is about building relationships. If you approach it from this mindset, even the sales calls that do not produce direct sales can be considered a win – if you continue to put energy into the relationship. Over time, these so-called losing efforts can produce new referrals, contacts, and, at some point, sales.
Selling is fun. Yes, you too can have fun selling if you look at it as a way to build relationships, solve problems, and help your clients succeed. You may not fall in love with sales, but it doesn't have to be as distressing as most professionals go out of their way to make it.
Remind yourself often that selling isn't a necessary evil. It's a part of being a well-rounded and successful professional service provider. Once you start to feel the business development juices flowing within, you will be well on your way.
If, however, you find yourself reminiscing about the days when you didn't need to sell, and find yourself asking, “I wonder if I'll ever be able to just put my head down and do the work again, and leave the selling to everyone else,” stop yourself and take a break for a minute to consider the sage words of an old salesman.
What was it you wanted?
Tell me again so I'll know.
What's happening in there,
What's going on in your show.
What was it you wanted,
Could you say it again?
I'll be back in a minute
You can get it together by then.
- Willie Nelson (unedited)
During that minute when you're getting it together, forget you asked yourself the question. Instead, get back to your business development to-do list.
What's the worst that can happen? If it does not work, you can always climb back in your truck and get the heck out of Dodge. (Or try again.)
SERVICES SELLING I DIDNT RAISE YOU TO BE A SALESMAN - To learn more about this author, visit Laurie Stafinski's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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