Every now and again, a discussion (and a rather heated one at that) shows its face in the sales circles. The question itself is innocent enough but the waters ahead turn into rapids and the discussion may turn treacherous.
I’m referring, of course to the old “Which is the best sales methodology” question.
Invariably you’ll get people who are adamant about Sandler and the SPIN Selling enthusiasts will chime in too. Miller Heiman folks will swear by their teachings and I don’t blame them because when I worked for Dale Carnegie, we thought we were the sh*t too! And yes, I just left out enough other sales methodologies to populate the state of Rhode Island, but there is a much bigger point to be made.
Why would you limit yourself to just one?
Sales is a mixed martial art requiring command of multiple styles, techniques and your ability to know when, where and how to execute.
There are some who believe that you are hurting yourself if you don’t dedicate yourself to one methodology. BS! You’ll hurt yourself if you think one selling style fits all!
I would suggest that you simply consider yourself a student of sales and to that end . . .
1) Visit sites like http://salesopedia.com , http://eyesonsales.com where they have lots of sales gurus contributing content. When you find yourself connecting with the content, consider buying the author’s book if one is listed on the little blurb at the end of the article.
2) Check out all these freakin sales blogs on alltop.com. Lots of great sales tips available for the low, low price of FREE!
3) Understand that some of the best sales talent under the sun might be right in front of you in your own company. Todd Youngblood addressed this brilliantly a few days ago in his post here!
4) Get in the habit of asking people that you meet or connect with if they’ve read any good sales books lately. Check their profiles on Linkedin for reading lists.
5) When you meet other sales people, ask them for their best piece of advice, a tip, a resource, their philosophy on ___________ etc.
6) Don’t you dare limit your development to studying people who are experts or gurus. You can truly learn from everyone, even if its just a new distinction.
7) Become an observer of people. Watch how they interact. Note their style, key phrases. What makes them likeable, convincing, dynamic. The same can be said for the idiots you meet. What is it about them that made you disconnect?
8) Embrace a daily “Sales 101 Gut Check” This is when you find yourself dismissing something because its too basic or “sales 101”. When you find yourself embracing this limiting mindset simply ask yourself “Is this sales 101 and I’m already doing it, or is it sales 101 and I need to actually do it” You might enjoy this post I did a few months back on this very subject!
9) Don’t limit yourself to sales methodologies. Study behavioral styles, psychology, communication, NLP . . . anything that will contribute to your mixed martial arts approach!
10) Stop searching for the BIG ANSWER . . . it doesn’t exist! Sales excellence is derived from doing many small things, better than your competition, consistently over time.
I’ll leave you with a final thought, and its nothing you don’t already know. This world we live in is moving at the speed of light. What was relevant and spot on today, can be old news and antiquated in a blink of an eye.
By keeping yourself open to various styles and keeping yourself up to date with techniques and approaches, you get to eat the lunch of the dude who is still clinging to some 1970’s old school monkey style kung fu.
And if, by chance, your competitor understands this concept and you don’t . . . guard your lunch dude because your competitor is about to show up and they’re really hungry!
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