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Sell, Sell, Sell

In one of my most popular YouTube videos from four or five years ago, my then three-year-old nephew, Braxton, delivered a message to my sales team. His message was, “Sell, Sell, Sell!” I have spent a lot of time talking about industry knowledge and planning. But let’s face it, if you don’t sell, sell, sell, none […]

James Shepherd

Jun 21, 2016

In one of my most popular YouTube videos from four or five years ago, my then three-year-old nephew, Braxton, delivered a message to my sales team. His message was, “Sell, Sell, Sell!” I have spent a lot of time talking about industry knowledge and planning. But let’s face it, if you don’t sell, sell, sell, none of this industry knowledge is going to make you any money or give your family a better life. Let’s dive into this section on sales to make sure you have the basics down and have applied proven sales techniques to this unique industry.

Opening Pitch I want to break down the opening pitch into several keys that are vital to your success. First, you must have a reason to walk into the business in the first place. When you are sitting outside a business in your car about to walk in cold turkey, you need an excuse as much as a value proposition.

Buying begins with an emotional response? Only after this emotional response the logic comes into the picture. Here is a powerful quote I want you to read several times and internalize before you get out in the field today! “People rarely remember what you said or how you said it, but they will never forget the way you made them feel.”

My wife, Christina, and I had an interesting experience with a missionary from Brazil about nine years ago when we had been dating only a few months. This missionary was a friend of my family from way back and came over for a visit when he was in the states. He talked with Christina and me for a little less than an hour, and we really enjoyed the conversation.

A few months later, before he returned to the mission field, my parents told us he was coming over to their house if we would like stop by. Christina and I were both so excited to see him again that we found ourselves asking, “Why?”

We had very little in common with this veteran missionary from another country. We couldn’t remember anything we had talked about on his last visit. And yet, here we were excited to spend our Saturday visiting with him and his family. We realized that on his last visit, he had made us feel important and had listened to us so intently and with such interest that we just wanted to be around him because of the way he made us feel. This man was very successful on the mission field, as I am sure he would have been in any career path. He knew how to connect with people and make them feel important. He knew how to listen and engage in a conversation that mattered to someone else.

These are skills that you must have and can develop as a sales person. The most important time to deploy these skills is the opening pitch. How do you make people feel? How do business owners feel after you leave their business? If they do remember how you made them feel, will they be excited to see you come back? These are questions that must be asked constantly. They are much more important than the value proposition since without understanding these concepts, the merchant will never allow you to present your value proposition.

If you find yourself dragging every prospect to the close seemingly kicking and screaming all the way, imagine a sales experience that feels differently. Imagine business owners who enjoy speaking with you and trust you to protect their interests. Imagine walking to the close with your prospect engaged in meaningful, productive conversation. This can be your reality with practice if you are attentive to the way you make your prospects feel.

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