1. Get interesting. “Jeffrey, too many prospects tell me they’re notinterested.” Boo, hoo. Real easy remedy– get interesting. Stop the sameold drivel about who you are, and what you do, and that you want a fewminutes of their time to …CLICK. Instead of getting “hung-uped” or”door-slammed” or “not-interested-ed,” why not take a more creativeapproach? Walk in or call up with a question, a survey, or something totest their present use or value.

EXAMPLE: If a copies salesman walks in with 10 sheets of paper, spreadthem out and tells the receptionist that if she can guess which ones arethe copies and which are the originals she gets a miniature bottle ofperfume–you’ll have the whole office playing. Then give them the fiveoriginals and tell them to copy the same five originals and see if theycan tell the difference. Now have them take the entire package to theboss and offer $100 of the boss can tell the difference–then show himhis own copies. Then ask how much his image is worth? The result will beinterested (and involved) people.

2. Say it in terms of them. So often the start of a sales presentationor sales call or cold call is: ” We do this, we offer that, we’ve beenin business since, we are the greatest– we…we…, This is what’sknown as a we-we (spoken very quickly) presentation.

SALES TRUTH: No one wants to hear about, much less care about, you.

3. Prospects want to know all about how they can succeed, not a bunch ofcrap about you. Which do you think your prospect wants– a copy of yourbrochure, or things and ideas to help build their business? If theanswer is obvious, why are you still giving out your brochure? Answer:No homework done by you before the sales call.

EXAMPLE: Tell the prospect things about use of product or service. Tellthem about the three things others overlook that can boost productivity,or reduce costs. Bring in a new idea, or something you saw workingelsewhere in a similar business. One thing about THEM will be 1,000times more interesting to them than 100 things about you.

4. Take a risk. All of life is a risk. Sales is just part of life.You’ve heard the old saying, “No risk, no reward.” That statement iswrong. I say, “No risk, no nothing.” If you’re getting rejected, it’sprobably that you’re so bland, no one can perceive a difference. Ifthat’s true, the customer will stay with their present supplier, oroutright reject you, or fight your price, or worse– Jerk you aroundwithout an answer.

A RISK IS: A daring or humorous voice mail to someone who won’t returnyour phone call. A high powered question to begin your talk. A try for ahigher authority on the first call (it’s where the decision is madeanyway–may as well start there.)

5.Study creativity. If creativity is important to the sale, why have younever read a book on it? Run to the bookstore or amazon.com and orderTHINKERTOYS, by Michael Michalko–a landmark book on creativity that’seasily transferable to sales.

CONSIDER THIS: When is last time you has a new objection? There has onlybeen one new one in the past twenty-five years: I can get it faster andcheaper on-line. If you hear that objection, this information can’t helpyou–and I would strongly consider jumping to that competitor. Companieswithout a Y2K Web Strategy are either kidding themselves of fools orboth–ask Barnes & Noble–they thought amazon.com was a joke. Visit bothwebsites–see if the joke is more apparent now. How funny is your website?

CREATIVE ACTION must permeate every sales action you take. Let 1999 bethe year to take apart every aspect of your sales process, and rebuildit more creatively. Cold calls, information delivery, presentations,proposals, voice mails, follow-ups, closing strategies, how customersorder, what is customer service, and staying in front of your existingcustomers with value messages instead of sales calls, are at the heartof your loyalty factor and your referral quotient. And oh yes–yourability to differentiate yourself from the competition with somethingOTHER than price. Creativity is a learned science. Read, learn andapply.

6. Just because they are important to you, does not mean that you areimportant to them. Prospects and customers are busy with THEIR agendas,not yours. Many salespeople prepare weekly “Hot Prospect” lists. Hot towho? Want to take a cold shower? Put a checkmark by each customer onyour list who is hot for you. Uh, oh. Different list.

Your cold call is an interruption to them. For the most part a negativeone. Your 9am follow-up may be in the middle of their staff meeting. Youcan’t just be hot to sell them (quotas, sales goals, and commissions),they gotta be hot to buy (need, value established, resource, trust). Andyou have to be timely in your approaches.

HUGE MISTAKE: Only looking at the “Hot Prospect” list from your point ofview. The dimmest one.

7.Sell one thing at a time. Most basketball games are won with lay-ups.Two-foot shots or dunks. Just go through the fundamental steps of thesales cycle. No behind the back passes. No full court passes. Whenyou’re in the first call–stick to your objective. Get to the next step.When you’re on a cold appointment telemarket call, just sell theappointment. Save your trump (best information) for the last trick.Complete the cycle one step (one two-foot shot) at a time.

WHAT IS IT? So you even know your sales cycle? Most salespeople don’thave it defined. Define it.

7.5. You gotta believe. The first sale that’s made is the salesperson.If the prospect does not buy you, they’ll NEVER buy your stuff.

TO MAKE A SALE: You gotta believe you work for the greatest company inthe world, you gotta believe you have the greatest products and servicesin the world, and you gotta believe you’re the greatest person in theworld. Three key words, you gotta believe.

OK there are the Sales Club by-law to make initial sales by. How did youstack up? In the club? Probably not–but take heart–very few are.They’re easy to find however. They’re always the ones who sell the mostand win the sales trips–they may be the ones you hate/ Real worldupdate–it’s not hate, it’s envy.

IDEA FOR 2000: Form a group inside your company, and another groupoutside your company and see if you can update your by-laws and make thesales club this year–I hope you do

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, and CustomerSatisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. President ofCharlotte-based BuyGitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual salesmeetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customerservice. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail tosalesman@gitomer.com

1999 All Rights Reserved- Don’t even think about reproducing thisdocument without written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer andBuyGitomer