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How a Humble Man Did His Job With PRIDE

Guest post by: Brian Sullivan

Article Overview: St. Nicholas can come at any time!

How a Humble Man Did His Job With PRIDE

As we approach April, we begin looking towards the sunshine that comes with spring. As we anticipate the weather turning a bit warmer, we learn to find our happiness not only in the sunlight that fills our day, but also in the creativity and enthusiasm that we recently directed towards making St. Patrick's Day more festive, spring break more relaxing, and for many, the Easter and Passover seasons more emotionally and spiritually satisfying.

It seems as if it was only last week when Old St. Nick paid his little visit to the Sullivan household in Belton, MO. But wait a minute. I'm not talking about the St. Nick you think I am talking about. Oh no! In fact, this is an entirely different story with an entirely different character. I met my St. Nicholas while pulling out of my garage on my way to another city and speaking engagment just last September. But this St. Nicholas was not the one you and I would recognize. While the one we are all familiar with surely would top the scales at oh…maybe 350 pounds…sport a cleanly groomed white beard, and travel the globe in a stylish red sleigh, this Nicholas carried a much different stature. My Nicholas, in fact, is about 50 years old, probably tops the scales at 145 lbs, sports a half shaven salt and pepper beard, and drives a red pick up truck (circa 1983). This red machine carries with it at least half a dozen dents with rust strategically creeping around the back left bumper.

However, the St. Nicholas you know and the Nicholas I know are more alike than you think. Now take a moment and think of the imagery that comes to mind when you think of old St. Nick (aka Santa Claus). Most of us, regardless of religion affiliation, have holiday symbols like old Santa that conjure up words like joy, excitement, surprise, enthusiasm, eagerness. In fact, Santa acts like a catalyst to lift our emotions and turns what no doubt would be a depressing season into one filled with smiles. In short, this is one of the many symbols that takes a very ordinary time of year and makes it extraordinary. If symbols can have this effect over the ordinary, can you imagine the power that "real people" have.

This is a story about how one ordinary man took a very ordinary job, and made it extraordinary. It was a little more than four months ago, as I stared through the kitchen window towards my wooded backyard that beads of sweat began to build up under my third chin. As I looked at the stalks of poison oak, bushes of poison ivy and other out of control ground cover, the memory of two unsuccessful backyard "cleanout/make nice for the kids" projects haunted me. You see, it was only last spring when I tried to kill off all the weeds, till the soil and plant the grass. After watering the lawn for two weeks straight, the grass that eventually grew looked nothing like a golf course fairway. The assorted underbrush of grass and weed instead closely resembled the new hairy patches that are now springing up on some unexpected parts of my aging body (Had I been watering my back in the same fashion?)

While standing in my driveway with a combined look of frustration and depression, old St. Nick pulled into my driveway in his beat-up red truck and shouted out, "Como esta!" Had I not taken the required two years of Spanish back in high school I probably would have thought that he had just said in his native tongue, "Wow, your lawn looks like crap!" But Nicholas had not come to harass me, he came to help. He saw a prospect in desperate need of a solution, and he was just the salesperson to ease my pain.

After exchanging some pleasantries and building a little respect and trust, Nicholas informed me that landscaping was his specialty. While most "landscapers/salespeople" would have begun to tell me how perfect they could make my backyard, Nicholas began asking me some questions about what I would like to see. He engaged me with questions and opened me up like a blown bank safe. What spilled out were the clues he needed to get me excited about my "future" back lawn. But he not only asked the right questions, he listened intently to everything I had to say. After he felt confident that he knew everything about my frustrations and my wishes for the perfect backyard, he conveyed his solution. But Nicholas didn't just talk…he sold with enthusiasm. He used a few emotional half-nelsons and mentally had me rocking in a swinging hammock, in my new backyard, on a cool summer day with my five and three-year-old miracles (my kids) under each arm.

After telling me how much he charged, I was quickly brought back to earth. But without a twinge of apology on his face for his "fair" price, he said, "Sir, we are running out of time this fall to plant grass, so I suggest we begin right away." (Great job creating urgency!) He then pulled out a beat-up notepad and said, "I can begin this Saturday or Sunday, or we can wait until the end of next week." (I thought, "This guy works Sundays?") After pausing for what must have seemed like two weeks to him, I belted out a liberating, "Aw…what the hell. See you Saturday." He made a note in his pad and then looked to his left.

As he looked away, I curiously asked what he was looking at. He said he noticed that I had a brick patio that was never fully completed. He casually mentioned that he couldn't help but notice there was a large pile of bricks sitting next to the "unfinished" project. This too was on my list of projects. Well guess what? He conjured up the pain of me having to tackle that project and provided another impressive solution. He now was leaving not with one job but with two.

The weekend came and Nicholas and his three employees were without a doubt the hardest working people I had ever seen. They performed lawn miracles with their hands and a shovel that others would have needed heavy machinery to do. And every time I popped my head out to survey the progress, Nicholas gave a warm, "Como esta!"

A lot has happened in the four months since St. Nick came to save me. But as I look through this window in front of me, I find myself not only appreciating the groomed backyard that once did not exist, but I find myself once again admiring a humble man and the PRIDE that he put into his trade. What a pleasure it was to see Nick "do his thing." However, let me be specific about what "his thing" was:

1. He saw a prospect in need and went for it. Had he waited for me to find him or for me to openly express my need for a solution, it would have never happened.

2. He was Prepared. Nicholas knew his profession and had references in his truck to back it up.

3. He built Respect and Trust. His posture and low profile manner made it comfortable for me to tell him what I was thinking and feeling.

4. He Engaged with Questions and Curiosity. He asked questions and actively listened before jumping into his presentation.

5. He Conveyed a powerful solution with enthusiasm.

6. He overcame my Indecision by being patient, but did not let his patience slow down his sale. He knew why he pulled into that driveway and "made a decision to ask for a decision" early on in his sales call.

7. When my faced showed doubt about his price, he didn't crack or seem apologetic. Instead, he created urgency and then Secured and advanced the sale by giving me two-choices about when he should begin the project (Saturday or end of next week). Both choices meant him getting the order.

8. After getting my commitment, he didn't stop there. He saw the unfinished patio as another opportunity and Explored for more business.

9. He worked that backyard with the same precision that got him the order.

What's neat about this sales encounter is that I got the ability to watch PRIDE in action. And it wasn't until this February day that it hit me that Nicholas was PRECISE in his sales process, and I didn't even realize it. While he may not have called it PRECISE Selling, that's exactly what it was. And this process worked beautifully for him…and even better for ME... the CUSTOMER.

Let's review the 7 PRECISE Actions that he used to serve me:

· Prepare

· Respect and Trust

· Engage with Questions and Curiosity

· Convey Solution

· Indecision-Overcome Yours and Theirs

· Secure Agreement

· Explore

You might say that St. Nicholas came a little early last year. Nicholas's actions delivered yet another example of how a dedicated sales process and some good old fashion relationship skills create happy customers. But perhaps the greatest gift was being able to see such a humble man loaded with PRIDE perform "our profession" at such a high level. And to be on the receiving end of this "five star" performance has created a long-term customer in me.

I remember asking Nicholas if he considered himself a salesman. He said, "Senor…me…a salesman. I just try to do a good job for my customers." Well he did. And I can assure you that my St. Nicholas will be invited to my house for many seasons to come. He may even end up fixing my chimney someday.

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Article Tags: customer experience, overcome objections, sales presentation, sales training



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