THE SALES PERSON’S SECRET CODE

The Salesperson’s Secret Code – Mills, Ridley, Laker, & Chapman

The one sentence summary: The most successful salespeople have specific belief systems based on fulfilment, control, resilience, influence and communication.

WHAT THE BOOK SAYS 

  • Successful salespeople have 5 destination beliefs:
    1. Fulfilment (38% fear, 62% desire is the optimum motivation blend)
    2. Control (22% victim, 78% hero)
    3. Resilience (41% work hard, 59% work smart)
    4. Influence (26% gorilla, 74% guerilla)
    5. Communication (21% lightning, 79% thunder)
  • They fear failure but use that fear to challenge themselves to be the best they can be. They don’t dwell on what they cannot control. They work hard enough to get through tough times, but manage their stress and energy. They know that they can influence others with a flexible approach. And they understand their product or service intimately and communicate it well though continuous dialogue.
  • When it comes to communication, salespeople need the three qualities specified by Aristotle: Ethos (character), Pathos (feeling), and Logos (reason).

WHAT I PARTICULARLY LIKE

8 mistakes that limit our ability to listen (from Keith Rosen):
1. Dreaming. Are you thinking about something else while the client is talking?
2. Answer preparing. During your conversation with a client, do you wait for a pause, so you can spit something out?
3. Compulsive/impulsive. How difficult is it for you to stay quiet? Do you say something without thinking first?
4. Ambushing. Are you faking your listening to the client just so you can get in your comments?
5. Judging. Do you practice selective listening? Do you only hear the things you want to hear based upon your own prejudices?
6. Not fully present. Are you unaware of the message the person is sending through body language such as facial expressions, eye contact and vocal intonation?
7. Noise induced stress. Do you allow background noise in your environment to hinder your ability to listen?
8. Comparing. Do you listen through filters, based on a past experience with another client?

8 ways to become a better listener:
1. Encourage silence to show you are actively listening. Embrace pauses.
2. Never interrupt when the client is speaking.
3. Be present. Put down your electronic equipment.
4. Make the client feel heard., with such comments as. “What I’m hearing is…” or “Tell me more.”
5. Become a solution-oriented listener. Listen for the intended solution more than for problems.
6. Listen for what is not being said. Find the meaning behind the words.
7. Resist the temptation to rebut. Don’t argue.
8. Listen for information you can use.

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