Can You Sell Anything to Anyone?

I recently read an online article that compared the various strategies of two American politicians. The article likened the political strategies of Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama. Without drawing any conclusions on the strategies, it compared the campaign strategies to various sales strategies, such as new customer acquisition.

While I found the analogy interesting, the article got me thinking about sales in non-traditional situations.

It seems to me at times everyone is selling something. Whether it their ideas, their values, or actually some product or service, people get things done through other people through selling and persuasion. Have you ever thought about why some individuals are more successful than others at the art of persuasion? I have found the basic common denominator for non-traditional sales people.

1. They seek agreement on problems BEFORE they pitch the solution.

It is fascinating how many approaches and ideas can exist in situations that require problem solving. I am amazed when a group of individuals is brought together with a common objective, how creative the solutions become. At the same time, it is often surprising how one solution can quickly be discounted by another. The quick dismissal often has nothing to do with the merit of the solution itself.

It is interesting that people spend so much trying to find the solution and they haven’t even agreed upon the problem! How can solutions be agreed upon and implemented when there is not sufficient diagnosis and agreement on the root cause and problems?

The ValueSelling Framework™ is based on the principle that "People Need a Reason to Change." In order to find that reason, we need to become problem experts whenever we interact and converse with clients and prospects. Not only do we need to find and confirm the problems before we begin discussing the solution. We need to discover if the problems we are working on with our prospects are worth solving. In solving those problems, will it impact issues and objectives in a material way?

Without agreement on the problems first, it is naïve to expect agreement on solutions.

1. They are likeable.

The reality is that if you are going to convince people to go along with your ideas, being likeable is important. While this alone won’t get or keep you the job, this factor will enable long term success. When everything else is equal or similar – likeability will often be the tie breaker.

In 1936, Dale Carnegie wrote the book How to Win Friends and Influence People. This book is thought of as the first book on sales training. Whether that is fact or not, the principles in it are foundational for all human relations and interactions. He has tips, tricks, and lots of common sense on creating, building and managing relationships with other people. One of the premises discussed at length in this book is, “Always make the other person feel important.” As a sales professional, do you do this?

• Is the phone or an email an interruption?
• Do you take the time to listen and respect your prospects and clients, even when you disagree?
• Do we pay attention to the details when talking with prospects?
• Are we responsive?

However you answer these questions, it is important to understand that professional or non-traditional sales is not about the sales person, it is all about the prospect!

Whenever we are interacting with others, we need to be conscious that they are probably thinking: “What is in this for me?” How would you answer that question, if asked?

When someone talks, pitches, presents or pontificates before they know anything about me – I tend to not only dislike the situation, but also the person. It may not be fair or politically correct, but that is often reality.

In the current political race, the only thing that it seems the pundits can agree on is this particular criteria. Since so many of the positions between the candidates are similar, many individual votes will be decided based on whom the voters like the most or in some cases, who is disliked the least!

1. They are excellent communicators.

Communication today is pervasive. Yet it seems as if it is more difficult than ever to do it effectively.

Sales professionals know that to get results they need to communicate effectively. The message has to be clear. Today, it has to be differentiated. And messages need to be understood. But it is not just about the words, it is making sure that people are interested enough in the words to actually listen.

The best communicators that I know, are flexible. They don’t have their speeches memorized, but they do have their key points fully understood. If you have a foundation, flexibility becomes an option.

Excellent communicators can tell stories. They can find their message and analogies everywhere. They can connect their messages to almost anything. They stay on message when asked questions. They are both interesting and interested in their audience.

Finally, they test for understanding. The single greatest illusion about communication is the fact that it has actually taken place. Good communicators know that communication only takes place with engagement of both parties. Without engagement – the message becomes noise.

There are many lessons we as sales people can learn from non-sales people. Politicians, good or bad, are selling themselves and their ideas. It will be interesting to see who can actually “close” the most voters in November!