"To Sell is Human" and We all do it

Selling is one profession that has very low public esteem.  For some it reeks of poor ethics, for others of ostentatious behaviour and for others is just too difficult.  Daniel Pink did not consider himself a salesman and his general thinking was that it is a job with declining prospects.  However a closer look revealed that selling is more common and important than ever.  Daniel realized that he himself is in sales.  He added a category he calls "non sales selling" and chances are many of you are in the same category.

"Non-sales selling" involves almost everyone.  There are a lot of worthy ideas that don't get executed because no one has been able to sell the idea.  Each day however people like yourself do sell their ideas and get things done that benefit many others.  And even more common, many people fail to sell their worthy ideas.

Selling has changed, not only our understanding, but conditions. Before more modern times the salesman had the knowledge and the buyer was dependent on that knowledge.  Now the tables have turned and the buyer often knows more than the seller.

"Always Be Closing" was a phrase common to selling and really offended a lot of people as presented in the movie "Glengarry Ross".  Daniel updates the ABC acronym to "attunement, buoyancy and clarity."

Attunement simply means understanding your customer or prospect.  Buoyancy requires you to deal with rejection (the real reason people give up selling).  Clarity means identifying the real problem or opportunity.

Sales techniques suggested by Daniel are less manipulative, but practical.  Questioning and listening are key.  A question I also found very effective at opening conversations at trade shows is "Where are you (folks) from?"  It is more important to understand the customer than to trap them into an unwise purchase. Pink suggests websites where you can learn aspects of selling through interaction.

A change in attitude is to see yourself as a servant.  It is not satisfying to feel you have to put one over on a customer in order to make a living.  It is also not effective over the long run.  It is more satisfying to realize you are really meeting a need.

Daniel has a short section on commissions.  I have spent a good hunk of my life selling on commission and can appreciate the benefits, but I have also seen some of the bad aspects.  Commissions can encourage unhealthy competition and unethical manipulation.  I remember a contest where we were allowed to bend all the rules and in the end it created a lot of bad feelings.  I also remember another contest where there were two components--an individual goal and a team goal.  If you achieved both goals you got a bigger prize but as long as you achieved the team goal everyone got something. The advantage here was that we did achieve a high goal and had a lot more collaboration.

A few years back I stumbled on "Drive,"  another book by Daniel and bought it with a birthday gift card.   I originally read Daniel Pink because of his thoughts on motivation and he demonstrates that there is more to sales, business and life than just money.  I highly recommend that book as well.

To end I would like to borrow a quote used by Daniel at the beginning of 'To Sell is Human".  He borrowed it from Arthur Miller  in the Death of a Salesman with a comment aimed at Willy Loman, "The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell.  And the funny thing is, you're a salesman and you don't know that ."  By now you should realize you are all sales people.

To keep up to date with a very innovative thinker visit his website at http://www.danpink.com/

The Go-Giver

At a networking meeting I was introduced to a book written by Bob Burg and John David Mann, "The Go-Giver." Following my initial impulse I was able to quickly borrow the book from the library and found it to be a quick read.

A quick read doesn't mean there isn't potentially life changing wisdom. Many people in business eager to get ahead picture themselves as go-getters. What does that mean? Many of us take it to mean that we are always looking for opportunities and pushing to take advantage of them. This book gives a little (but potentially life changing) different perspective.

It is told anecdotally about a go-getter who has always been looking for ways to get business. Things aren't going well and the pressure is on to make a quarterly quota. Time is running out and Joe has to find some lever to help him reach his target. By chance he is steered towards a very successful man and he thinks maybe he can develop some leverage through this man.

The contact represents a change in focus, although Joe is resistant and skeptical. Instead of getting some support in his strategy, a new way of approaching business is suggested. Gradually you as the reader (and mostly identifying with Joe) realize the title of the book comes from not getting business, but more giving business.

Joe is, over a period of 5 days given 5 laws of Stratospheric Success. This is not just a theoretical discussion as he is expected to put each law into action before the next day. He is skeptical as are most readers. Gradually although the story might seem a bit unrealistic, you start to realize you do know of people who live this way and they are not only successful they are enjoying life more than the rest of us.

The five laws are of value, compensation, influence, authenticity and receptivity. They are not difficult, but you really should read the book. It won't take you very long and it comes in easy chunks. There is a wisdom that you can apply to get more out of business and your personal life.

For those who need more encouragement (or excuses) I will explain a little further. The essence of their belief is the first law of value. Your worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment. We are all familiar with the complaint that a worker won't do something because "they won't pay me what I am worth." The truth is we all want to buy more value than we have to pay, although we will accept (if we don't have time to look elsewhere) equal value. As buyers we all want to get as much value as we can for as little cost as possible. It makes sense that if we are trying to sell something (our services for instance) we need to offer a lot of value and if we don't understand that we will lose to those who do understand it.

The other four laws logically fit the first premise. The author dances around with the expected criticism that being nice doesn't always pay. My own suspicion based on my experience is that there certainly are a lot of people looking to take short cuts to success or have a different definition of success (based more on money and power). Another underlying view I have accepted (via Sharon Drew Morgan) is that in fact sales people will do better if they realize they are servants. It is only by serving the needs of customers that we will be accepted as sales people. I think the views are compatible.

There are a few plot twists, but they serve to make a point. The story is very easy to read and pulls you along painlessly.

It takes a strong person to go against common perceptions. It starts with a strong understanding of values. The Go-Giver is a simple story that will deepen your understanding.  I plan to hunt down an earlier book by Bob called "Endless Referrals".

Thanks to Art Dyck for drawing my attention to this book and to Bob Burg.