I am blessed to count the greatest living sales writer as my client. You may not have heard of him, but you will. His name is Anthony Iannarino, author of thesalesblog.com and of two forthcoming books to be published by Penguin. If you have an interest in sales, if it is your profession or you are a business manager, you need to know Anthony. He is the no BS, integrity-filled voice of sales wisdom. I don’t say that because he is my client; he is my client because his sales philosophy and teaching is so spot on that I’ve read him for years and regularly harassed him with the line “Your brilliance is too good for typos.” (I’m his editor).
Anthony and I have many lively exchanges about selling, rarely disagreeing because he is, say it with me, “the greatest living sales writer.” But seriously, he is that because he understands that the fundamentals of sales have not changed, despite what social selling gurus will tell you. Yes, sales is more complex, and yes, competition is global and fiercer than ever, but the fundamentals – they remain the same.
You win sales when you can gain a commitment for a meeting with a prospect, ask the right questions to understand their desired outcomes and goals, prove that you are a value creator and can partner with them to help achieve those goals, and ask for and get the deal closed. The key there is getting the initial meeting with the prospect. Anthony’s weapon of choice? The telephone.
Yes, that good old fashioned tool invented way back in 1876. It is time efficient and personal, and because so many of your competitors have bought into the social selling myth it puts you leaps and bounds ahead of them. Picture yourself in the role of prospect. Would you rather have a salesperson call you on the phone and quickly ask and inform you of why exploring her offering may be beneficial, or would you rather be messaged on social media or into your inbox? Think of the difference in how both of those feel to you. Most of us see email and social solicitations as spammy and intrusive. We may not warm up to telemarketers, but if it’s a business professional calling you up to help you with a problem, or to offer a superior solution to what you’re already using, chances are you’ll at least give them a chance.
Think of the difference in how both of those feel to you. Most of us see email and social solicitations as spammy and intrusive. We may not warm up to telemarketers, but if it’s a business professional calling you up to help you with a problem, or to offer a superior solution to what you’re already using, chances are you’ll at least give them a chance.
And if you’re a professional salesperson, most of the time all you need is a chance.
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Photo credit: Man calling after the Brussels attacks via photopin (license).