I’ve been in sales for 15 years. Over that time, I’ve tried to document my system or pillars or whatever you might call them. Every now and then I revisit and rewrite.
Maybe someone else will find it useful.
We’ll see how it translates to the next phase of my life: selling my book to an agent and to the public.
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Be a REAL person. Tell them when you don’t know something. Admit when you’re new. Authenticity beats polish.
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Ask questions and listen. Listen more than you speak.
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Urgency! Respond quickly. 24 hours used to be the standard but, in today’s economy? Same day. Or quicker.
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Set realistic expectations (under-promise, over-deliver)
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Fall on the sword when you screw up and deliver bad news quickly. Even the best QBs throw picks. It’s how they respond on the next drive that matters.
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Be persistent. Like, almost to the point of being annoying. I can’t tell you how many times my clients, or even prospects, have thanked me for staying on them. You’re taking something off of their plate.
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Don’t let the highs get you too high and don’t let the lows get you too low. (Marc Schneider)
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NO is OK (Sandler)
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Reps, reps, reps. Practice on anyone who’ll listen. Get your reps in.
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Everybody counts or nobody counts. Yes, prioritize. Yes, establish fit. Yes, find ideal clients. But, once you say yes, treat everyone like your top client. (Michael Connelly)
In a lot of ways, these feel old school to me now. Some will stand the test of time, some wont.
Let me know in the comments if anything jumps out at you or if there’s something you disagree with.