Like it or not, every one of us is a salesperson. It’s a fact of life. We’re all selling something whether it be our friendship, an idea, a point of view, a product, or a professional service. The people to whom we try to sell these things are our customers. This means that our success is directly related to our ability to get our customers to buy whatever we are selling.
The success of attorneys, consultants, and other professionals is dependent on their ability to develop and maintain a client base. The success of physicians, dentists, and psychologists depends on their ability to attract and maintain a cadre of regular patients. Directors and CEOs depend on their ability to build and maintain a base of influence within their respective organizations. And the success of professional salespeople and account representatives is directly related to their ability to attract and maintain a base of committed buyers.
Although every one of us sells something every day, it is not easy to do well. Standard methods of selling often leave us unhappy, burned out, or rejected—and very often all three.
Many salespeople today find themselves frustrated. Most of what they learn from books and seminars about selling does not match what their hearts tell them is right. What’s even worse is that these methods don’t work very well. By and large, salespeople are taught that the name of the game in selling is to get the order and they are to do whatever it takes to achieve this end. If this means using techniques that smack of manipulation, con, deception, or even intimidation, then so be it—but get the order!
The problem with this traditional “Win-Lose” method of selling is that it views each sale as an isolated event. This means that every time a salesperson wants another dollar, he or she has to close another sale. And since most people strongly resent being manipulated or deceived, salespeople who apply these Win-Lose methods experience very low success rates. They have to make an inordinate number of sales calls in order to make up for all the rejections they encounter. Clearly, pursuing such a course of action as a salesperson is a sure ticket to a high level of stress and eventual burnout.
But take heart, there is an alternative! For now, let’s call it the “Win-Win” method of selling. Salespeople who apply this method take a longer-term view of the selling process. They don’t just want their customers to buy on a one-time basis. Rather, they make their customers feel so good about their buying experiences that these customers continue to buy, and they feel compelled to tell others. In other words, Win-Win salespeople are not after the order, they’re after the business. As a result, they don’t have to pound the pavement or experience the rejection that Win-Lose salespeople do; they have their satisfied customers who, in turn, sell for them. They are actually managing their customers as their own personal sales force!
Turning your customers into your sales force means you work smarter, not harder. Joe Girard got into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s Number-One New Car Salesman” by selling 1,425 new cars in one year. He is quick to point out that 65 percent of his sales was repeat business. Given the high level of regard his customers had for him, the other 35 percent of his sales was probably the result of referrals from his satisfied customers. So in reality Joe Girard actually sold very few cars that year. He was a master of working smarter, not harder.
This book will show you how to work smarter instead of harder as a salesperson, regardless of who your customers are. The Win-Win method of selling described in this book works equally well in all sales situations, whether you’re a professional salesperson, attorney, dentist, or CEO. Even though every sales transaction is different, the basic elements involved do not change. The payoff for using this method of selling is simple: You’ll be more successful with less effort, but most important, you’ll feel good about yourself.
