Today my sales team attended a seminar by one of the more notable sales trainers in the country over the past 30 years. Halfway through the seminar I came to realize how great our two styles of selling contrasted. The material seemed dated with the traditional 1970's closing techniques. For half the afternoon, the speaker focused on how to close business. That's when I knew this wasn't for me, I couldn't bare listening to the (9) different closes. And what's even worse, several people were buying the speakers books and cds. I guess I feel fortunate enough to know that my competition hasn't figured it out yet.
Also one of the more noteable differences had to do with "control" of the sales process. This out dated approach to sales, reinforced by dozens of carefully honed techniques, aims to control the prospect. In my opinion, it's not much fun to have someone try to control you. IN FACT its' a turn off.
When you spend time with a genuinely successful salesperson, pay close attention and you'll see that none of the hundreds of standard sales techniques are what makes them excel at what they do. They may utilize some of these when necessary but what makes them great is that he or she is wholeheartly interested in the other person.
The truth about selling is that isn't not about your product, not about the close, and it's not about you - - it's about the other person. Genuinely great salespeople are not great because they have mastered "the close", or because they can spin any type of customer objection. They're great because they focus on providing value to the other person, regardless of "making the sale".
P.S. I wish my team could have listened to Jeffrey Gitomer today, his content is current, and practical. Not forced.
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