Fishing for Business

Sometimes all it takes is a little creativity. Read this story from sales expert Anne Miller, as well as her thoughts on how you can apply the same creativity in your sales, and you'll be luring in the big fish in no time.

A young man from Texas moves to California and goes to a large department store for a job.

Manager says: "Have any sales experience?"

Fellow replies: "Yes, I sold some back home."

Manager liked him, hired him, and said, "You start tomorrow. I'll come down at the end of the day to see how you did."

The new hire's day was rough, but he got through it. The sales manager came down as promised at the end of the day.

"How many sales did you make?" he asked.

"One," said the new hire.

"Just one?" Said the manager. "How much was it?"

New hire said, "$101,237.74."

Manager said, "$101,237.74! What did you sell?"

The new hire said, "First, I sold him a small fish hook. Then I sold him a medium fish hook. Then I sold him a larger fish hook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod. Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast, so I told him he was going to need a boat. So we went down to the boat department and I sold him that twin engine Chris Craft. Then he said he didn't think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the auto department and sold him that 4X4 Blazer."

The manager said, "A guy came in here today to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and truck?"

The new hire said, "No, he came in here to buy medicine for his wife who had the beginnings of a two-day migraine, and I said, 'Well, since your weekend's shot, you might as well go fishing."

Turning "Migraines" Into Opportunities

I love this story for what it reminds us as salespeople to do: listen to the client and come up with bigger and more creative solutions than the client ever thought of to deal with his current problem. Times may be difficult but clients still have needs and therein are your opportunities.

Find those opportunities by asking these seven questions:

1. What issues are you facing today?
2. What are these costing you (in revenue, ROI, market share, efficiencies, productivity, morale, turnover, other?)
3. What is the urgency to resolve these?
4. What will happen if no action is taken?
5. Who has to get involved to take necessary actions to address these issues?
6. What options are you looking at? Why?
7. What would be most useful to you now?

With the answers to these questions as context, you are in a very good position to figure out what you can offer to be of real value to them now that they most likely have not yet considered.

Anne Miller is a popular sales and presentations expert and author of the book, Metaphorically Selling: How to Use the Magic of Metaphors to Sell, Persuade, & Explain Anything to Anyone. Her free newsletter is available at www.AnneMiller.com

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Listen with Empathy

Have I been talking too much about resolutions? I know New Year's has come and gone, but it's still on my mind. There are a lot of things I'd like to do and change - including being more understanding of what motivates other people. This article from sales trainer Tony Alessandra is motivation to make just one more resolution.

"No matter how outrageous, inconsiderate, false, self-centered, or pompous the person you are talking to is, remember: He or she is simply trying to survive, just like you," says Alessandra. "We are all participating in the same physical and psychological struggle. Some of us just have better survival strategies than others. Thus, the obnoxious person deserves more pity than scorn. "The wounded deer leaps highest," Emily Dickinson wrote, and it is true."

"So listening with empathy means asking yourself, "Where is this person's anger coming from?" "What is he or she asking for?" "What can I do that's reasonable and supportive?" You are not everyone's shrink, and you do not have to carry the weight of the world on your back," continues Alessandra. "However, if you can think through what makes this person behave like this, perhaps you will be inclined to cut them a little slack."

Try Alessandra's advice the next time you're getting an earful from a difficult customer.

Tony Alessandra is a contributor to Top Dog Sales Secrets. He has authored 17 books translated into 49 foreign language editions, recorded over 50 audio/video programs, and delivered over 2,000 keynote speeches since 1976.

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Abstain From Judging

As someone once advised, "Grow antennae, not horns."

"If you prejudge someone as shallow, crazy, or ill informed, you automatically cease paying attention to what they say," says sales trainer and author Tony Alessandra. "So a basic rule of listening is to judge only after you have heard and evaluated what they say. Do not jump to conclusions based on how they look, or what you have heard about them, or whether they are nervous."

"In fact, a good exercise would be to go out of your way to listen to a difficult speaker," continues Alessandra. "Maybe he talks with a thick accent. Or talks much more rapidly, or more slowly, than you, or uses a lot of big words. Whatever difficulty this speaker poses, seize it as an opportunity not to prejudge but to practice your listening skills. Given some time, you will become more comfortable and effective in listening to diverse styles."

Tony Alessandra is a contributor to Top Dog Sales Secrets. He has authored 17 books translated into 49 foreign language editions, recorded over 50 audio/video programs, and delivered over 2,000 keynote speeches since 1976.

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