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July 30,
2006
Help Your Clients Make
Decisions
My father
was always the top salesman at every company in which he
worked as well as, a very successful businessman later in
his career. When I began selling (for the first time in my
life - at least consciously) for Tony Robbins'
company, I called my father and said, "Remember all those
stories you wanted to tell me about when you were a
salesman? Well, now I'm ready to hear them!" He replied,
"But darlin', I was never a salesman. All I ever
did was help people make decisions."
I used to
have a true aversion to anything remotely related to sales.
To the point that I wouldn’t even sell a bottle of shampoo
to my clients in my long-ago days as a hairstylist. Clearly
that idea changed because I later became General Sales
Manager and Head Sales Trainer for Tony Robbins' companies.
The primary reason for the change is because I realized that
having the ability to help clients make decisions is
one of the most powerful and valuable skills a person can
have, especially in today's climate of intense competition
and conflicting influences - in business and in life.
We all
have clients. We all have something to sell. But a
great salesman doesn’t sell anyone anything that isn’t in
their best interest; they don’t sell anything to someone who
won’t receive true value and benefit. In order to sell
well, I believe you must have the best interest of the
client in mind. That client may be a sales prospect,
a current client, your boss, your employees, team members,
potential employers or employees, your children, your
spouse, a friend, a family member, or even yourself.
The
reason sales people get a bad rap is because many are only
out for the sale, without regard to the true needs and
desires of the client. When a person feels this
single-minded intention, they will almost always resist
even if the product, service, or idea would have been great
for them. On the other hand frequently, people who have
a product, service, or idea to sell are so fearful that they
will be perceived as a “salesman”, they don’t really
step up and help their clients make decisions. They just
put the product, service, or idea in front of them and hope
for the best.
I
leave you with this idea. When you have a product, service,
or idea that you believe will be of true benefit to your
prospects, bosses, employees, potential bosses and
employees, your children, spouse, friends, or family, care
enough about them to truly help them make an informed
decision about it. If that is your deepest intent and if
you develop the skills to genuinely serve them in making a
good decision (which also means helping them beyond their
fears and concerns), you will never be a ”salesman” but a
trusted advisor.
In
that way, everyone wins!
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