May 19, 2021
I
used to tear up the competition. I used to dog on them and make fun
of their technology or their features. I used to try to win because
the other guy sucked. I didn't sell very much by doing that. I
didn't understand why the customer couldn't see how superior my
product was to the comps. Then I started blaming the customers. I
started thinking they were stupid or something. How could they not
see what I saw in my solutions?
...
WORST SALES GUY EVER ...
I
cannot pin point where I heard the saying from but I remember the
saying " If you are helping others make money then you never have
to worry about money". This is part of it, but not the full
picture. However, this is where I started to have success. I
started to slash prices and give discounts to beat the other guys.
I would go out of my way to try and save them money. That is how I
got my opportunities. I saved bottom line dollars. From there I
created relationships by ALWAYS being available, ALWAYS changing my
schedule to fit their needs, and ALWAYS being transparent with the
customer. Sometimes I was too transparent, but I figured give them
the information and they can make the decisions themselves. By
being authentic in my interactions with them they started to gain
trust in me. I stuck it out for years like this. I didn't make
hardly any money the first few years in my career. I made enough to
live decent enough, BUT there was something bigger at play here. I
was starting to enjoy the pursuit of new business. I welcomed the
competition because I started to gain and understanding about my
customers NEEDS and DESIRES because I was listening to them more
than SELLING them. I was creating bonds with them. I was creating a
deeper connection to them. I was not doing it because i was trying
to manipulate them. Some of them still never bought from me. A lot
of them did, but some still do not buy ANYTHING from me. Granted I
do not spend a lot of energy on those accounts, but I sort of know
why. The OTHER guy already created those relationships there and
they are winning that battle. I stay connected though, in case they
retire or they just cant meet one of those needs. Being a SOLID
number 2 option is better than nothing at all sometimes. Getting to
that level took about 4 years to accomplish. I went to the trade
shows and did trainings for the up and coming talent for free for
years. I put myself out there not gaining anything except knowledge
about the customers I was serving. That knowledge helped me in my
delivery and my approach to my customers. You know what i figured
out ... they're just normal people with bosses that want certain
things out of them. They are NO DIFFERENT than I am. They have
goals in their job. Maybe I can meet that, maybe I can't. Maybe my
competitor does it better. HOWEVER - By sticking to my plan of
learning more about the customers NEEDS I am now able to help them,
guide them, protect them, and they trust me more now. The last
couple years of my business has been amazing, but I had to be in
the business for YEARS before I was comfortable being able to
"challenge" the customers and have that be respected. If I would
have tried that early on then I would have had NO CLUE what I was
talking about. This all came from TIME IN THE TRENCHES! I put the
time in because I wanted to succeed at this thing. I wanted it more
than I wanted the money. I wanted to be a resource more than a
salesman. WHEN THAT transition happened I transitioned into more
money somehow!
Caring and being a genuine human being matters in the
business world. CUT THROAT tactics are short term thinking. I want
to have passive income so I can focus on GROWING business than
worrying about where the next sale is coming from. In order to do
that, I have to care about my business and the people's lives that
are effected as a result. This is how I am winning business. I care
a whole hell of a lot about people and their lives.