Glink tells the story of a family who was trying to buy the home of a former Bruins player, Ferny Flaman, which was being sold by his granddaughter. Five different offers were made on the house, but the granddaughter didn’t accept any of them. She did finally accept the offer of one family—and you’ll never guess what made the difference. Flaman’s jersey number was 14, so they ended their offer with that amount. A connection was made—and they got the house.

In another story, one home had 16 offers and 3 of them were all-cash. But the seller decided to ignore the all-cash offers and accept the offer of a younger couple who had taken the time to connect with the seller. It’s not logical—but it is the way we make our buying and selling decisions—emotionally.

Statistics, facts, features and benefits are not going to sell your product. You need to tug on the heart strings. Imagine how you can talk about your product that will elicit an emotional response. Develop a relationship with your customers. Become something more than just the ‘sales rep’.

Think about the last big buying decision you made.  If you are like most people, you made an emotional decision about your purchase. Later you may explain to your friends that you bought that car because of the great gas mileage or because you can talk on the phone using the built-in Bluetooth technology. But in reality, you loved the way you felt sitting in the driver’s seat…or how the steering wheel felt when driving those tight curves.  Try to capture those feelings when communicating to your customers why they should buy your product. Sell by using emotion.

However, you can prevent this. And it’s not that difficult—based on what customers say are the reasons why they leave.

• The number 1 reason our current customers give our business to someone is because they forget about us.
• The number 2 reason is because they feel we took their business for granted.

What this is telling us is that we might need to think about spending more time with our current customers…at least maybe some of them. We need to develop more meaningful business relationships with them whenever possible. And that requires time. There is the reason “out of sight, out of mind” is so well-known. As humans, we require constant reminders. And especially in relationships, we need that human connection.

You have probably experienced this sometime during your career. You work on a project with a person and interact daily. This gives you the opportunity to engage in small talk. You learn about their families, their challenges, and their interests. And then the project ends. If you don’t bother to keep in touch with that person, your relationship doesn’t grow. That closeness that grew from being in constant contact needs to be nourished to develop.

It is the same for our customers. The one resource that we all have in common is time. No matter how wealthy or poor you are, your day consists of 24 hours—no more, no less, no matter how much we wish we could change it. When you take the time to reach out to another person, you are telling them that they are important to you. No one likes to be ignored. And that is probably the tipping point that makes our customers feel that we are taking them for granted.

This has a significant financial impact: The cost of replacing your current customer with a new one can be 6-7 times more expensive. So it really does pay to keep your current customers happy. Just remember there is no short cut to developing relationships—time is one of the primary elements involved in letting people know you care.  So pick up that phone—and call your best customers. Or better yet—go visit them. Begin by thanking them for their business…and let the conversation flow from there.

This is what we refer to as “death by training”. It is the killing of an idea/an approach/a new way of doing things more effectively. Why?  Especially considering that the trainees seemed so pumped up about applying the learning. The main culprit is the lack of follow-up. There is no effort to keep the trainings alive, no continual reinforcement to remind everyone of what they learned, how it should be applied, and the difference it will make to them.

Why do most corporations ignore this essential follow-up? Perhaps because this is the way that it has always been done. It seems that those people who plan and/or conduct the training ignore how our brains are wired. Based on what we have learned from scientific studies, we need constant exposure to ideas to make them stick. We need to hear about best practices, about how making this change made a difference, and perhaps some fumbles too. Let people know that there is a training curve. They are not expected to be experts but they are expected to try to change what they currently do. You can create an environment so that everyone will maintain that enthusiasm they had when they left the training event.

Perhaps those people who are in charge of scheduling training events—whether the training is a new sales approach, a new selling framework, customer-centric selling, or just some ways to improve targeted selling skills (such as opening, closing, and questioning)—need to pay attention to the statistics and stories about change initiatives that fail. For that is what training is. If you don’t want people to change the way they are currently doing things, why bother to conduct training at all?

One statistic that is often quoted is that 70% of all change initiatives fail. Another expert in the training field, Dr. Robert Brinkerhoff, estimates that the percentage of learners who apply the training after an event and get some positive results may be as low as 20%. Another way to view this statistic is that as much as 80% of the attendees at a training event get negligible or no value from attending.  Why invest in training if the ROI is expected to be so low?

There are a few lessons to be learned from the documented experiences of death by training. If you are planning any training or change initiatives, first stop and think. Take time to consider what has worked well for others—and why others have failed—before you schedule that training event. Do some research. (You can click here to read my white paper about how to avoid death by training that contains practical and real-world advice that we have seen that make a difference in working with our clients.) Regardless of where you turn for help, it pays to be aware of how you can make that training impactful, memorable and ensure that it does not die a premature death.

Pink provides an interesting discourse about upselling versus upserving—which are his terms that reinforce our DPI tenets/philosophies.  (It often helps to hear these ideas expressed in a different way.) Upselling may be a term you are familiar with—it is when you purchase one thing and the sales person attempts to sell you more things related to that purchase—such as an extended warranty or accessories. If this is done correctly and with pure intent, then upselling can be the right thing to do. But more times than not, the customer feels that the sales person is just trying to earn more commission—mainly due to the approach.

It’s all about mindset and your approach. I like Pink’s term of upserving. It’s another way to be other focused. In selling, you should be focused on doing what is right for your customer. In Pharma sales, this is thinking of what is right for the physician and the patient. (At Delta Point, we call this Thinking Like a Customer). Pink talks about making the sales interaction memorable by doing more for your customer than that person expects.

Thinking as customers, we would all likely enjoy a sales interaction where the sales person is focused on doing what is best for us. This really shouldn’t be so surprising. One of the basic tenets of Thinking Like a Customer is that folks enjoy buying things—it is a pleasurable experience. The emphasis is on “buying”. What most people do not enjoy is being sold to. As Pink points out, conducting sales calls by focusing on the customer is not only the right thing to do, it is also the more effective way to sell.

When you think about it, that is why the right thing to do is what we should be doing as we plan and conduct our sales conversations. After all, there is a reason it is the right thing to do.

Pink describes an experiment that Adam Grant, a professor from Wharton, conducted to see if they could get employees of a hospital to pay more attention to washing their hands. (Studies have confirmed that if folks working at a hospital wash their hands more frequently the spread of germs and diseases can be significantly decreased.) In a controlled study, Grant posted 3 different signs in different parts of the hospital.  One emphasized how washing hands can prevent the hand washer from catching a disease, one emphasized how washing hands can prevent patients from catching a disease, and one was a control group—reminding people to wash.

What you may find surprising in this “me-focused” society is that the sign that was most effective was the one that emphasized how this activity would benefit others—the patients. The hypothesis as to why this is more effective relates to the purpose. If you want to change behavior—which is the goal of all selling—then you need to focus on how others will benefit. Pink emphasizes how focusing on others—which he refers to as serving—will not only improve your life but, in turn, will improve the world.

What does this mean to you as a sales person? That you should take the time to torture your words. It is becoming more commonplace to find examples of how small changes to the words we choose can matter a great deal.  We can soften the blow when we deliver bad news. We can choose words that resonate with our customers, getting them to think differently about our product, and enhance the probability of a sale.

The main takeaway is to think before you speak—and to take the time to plan and torture your words. How will the words that you choose be heard by the person you want to talk to? Could it be misconstrued? Is there a better way to say what you want to communicate to make it more effective—to make it purpose-driven? Why not start today to make some changes? When communicating with your customers, include the purpose and focus on how your product will benefit others. And then pay attention to how they respond to you—and how your sales results increase as a result.

And not only do you need to think but your goal in selling is to have your customer think differently about your product. Because if they don’t, they’ll just go on buying and using what they normally do.

How to engage the thought processes of your customers requires skill. Some say selling is an art. If you define art as a skill acquired by experience or study, I’d agree. To sell effectively requires understanding of the selling process—how sales calls normally progress. And as importantly, it requires understanding of how and why people buy.

If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you know that I’m a big advocate of the phrase—people love to buy but they hate to be sold. Therefore, if you want to excel in selling, you need to learn what makes people buy your product. What does your product offer that is attractive to the buyer? How does it compare to other products that they could buy?

The answers to these questions require thought and planning. In fact, I would venture to say that you can’t be a great sales person unless you plan and prepare. You need to be ready to respond to a question that your customer will raise about your product—whether it is about its indication, its side effects, or where it will likely fit best for your customer’s practice.

Dealing with people means that there will always be surprises. No sales call goes exactly as planned. But the thinking sales person knows the likely avenues the call may take and is prepared to engage the customer in meaningful dialogue about any of them.

The thinking sales person also knows that the words they choose to engage the customer matters greatly. You want to choose words that resonate with your customer.  They are smarter than the reps who use acronyms, forgetting that these mean something to their peers but often are confusing to their customers.

Great sales reps know that asking questions is more effective than telling features and benefits. But asking questions requires thinking. You need to pay attention to the answer and you are never sure where that question can lead.

To be great in selling, spend time just thinking. Then start planning. When selecting words to use to engage your customer, think “How would this sound to you if you were the customer?” Could it be misconstrued? Does it clearly state what you intended? Does it make the customer think differently about what your product offers? Think about what will work best for that individual. And take the time to ponder. Only by thinking through your sales conversation and identifying your call objective for each interaction will you truly become great.

Here are some examples of bad openings….

• How’s product X going?
• How’s it going?
• Are you busy today?
• Can you sign for samples today?
• I know you are busy today but…
• Doctor, today I’d like to talk to you about……

To understand why these are classified as bad, let’s consider what great openings are supposed to do:

• Capture attention and interest
• Lead to meaningful dialogue
• Propose an agenda and set the context for a meaningful sales interaction
• Build rapport and establish a working relationship
• Create a low-pressure sales environment

Now, let’s revisit some of those bad openings. In fact, it is hard to figure out how you are supposed to answer some of those questions if you are the customer. If someone asked you, “How is product X going?” what would you say? In my mind, this is one way to shut down the customer’s thinking process. If I were the customer, I’d want to extricate myself from the conversation as quickly as possible.

To provide contrast, let’s look at a question designed to capture interest while learning something valuable:

“Doctor, I realize that I have been calling on you for quite some time but I don’t think I have ever asked you what you feel is most important when selecting a treatment option for patients with ABC disease. Can you share with me how you view my product X in comparison with the other treatment options that you routinely use?”

Do you see the difference? As the customer, I have clarity as to the type of information you are looking for. And as the sales rep, I’ll learn some information that will guide me to tailor the conversation—so I can position my product to meet your needs.

Don’t waste your openings. Each opening presents the opportunity for your customer to tune you out or tune into you. Take advantage of how you can quickly capture attention and set the tone for a meaningful dialogue. You’ll be glad you did.

Honesty pays off for several reasons. First and foremost, it is the right thing to do. Telling falsehoods only gets you into trouble. And then you have to remember what lie you told to which person. It can lead to telling more and more lies—and you wind up in a tangled web.

When you are honest you set realistic expectations. If you don’t accurately explain what your product can do as well as what it can’t, then your customer may try to use it inappropriately. Or perhaps your customer will use it where it is not strongest and get less than stellar results. Because your customer does not understand that this is its weak area, they may assume that these are the type of results they will get whenever they use your product. Thus your product is relegated among those that aren’t very good or reliable.

By acknowledging a negative about your product, your customer will likely view you in a positive light. It is part of our psychological make-up to believe a negative about something, especially when it is conveyed by a sales person describing the product they are trying to sell. It is harder to us to believe the positive—especially when told by someone who has a vested interest in our buying what they are selling. Being honest builds credibility.

One important aspect of selling is developing relationships—and being honest helps to further develop that business relationship. When you honestly acknowledge the limitations of your product, it changes how your customer perceives you. Being honest about where your product should not be used or where it won’t work tends to make you stand out as different than other sales representatives. Your customer is more inclined to view you as someone who has integrity. And that is a great way to develop a business relationship.

Probably the best way to apply this honest approach is to implement what I call “pure intent”. This means putting the needs of the customer above your own. This is caring more about your customer than about yourself and the sale. It is being “other-focused”.  Although this may sound counterintuitive, this mindset will actually result in more sales. Your genuineness is felt and recognized by your customer.

So is honest the best policy? I’d answer unequivocally “Yes”. And more so, it should be the only way you interact with your customers and prospects.

I especially like the question “give me an example of an account you lost”. This reflects reality. And although no one really likes to admit it, even great reps can lose accounts. In fact, anyone who has been truly successful has experienced failure.  What is more important to focus on is what was learned from this loss. If the person doesn’t provide that as part of the answer, it indicates that they are not the type to learn from their mistakes. And if you can’t learn from your mistakes, how will you avoid making them in the future?

Being a true advocate of developing substantive business relationships, I was interested in the question that asked the potential new hire how they establish good communication and information flow with others.  Dorman provides examples of the ideal answer—and though he didn’t use these terms, he referenced the Delta Point tenet of Thinking Like a Customer.  Before you can work with other people effectively, you need to take the time to understand them first. That is one of the secrets to selling success.

If you are in the market for a sales job, I would read Dorman’s blog. And if you are a sales rep, I would also read this blog to serve as a reminder of what great sales people do. I’m a firm believer in that you always need to be learning—and growing and developing. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know one of my favorite sayings is, “”When you’re green you are growing and when you are ripe you are rotting.” So stay green and keep reading those blogs that can help you grow and develop (like mine).

Now, I’m not surprised to learn this—after all, I’ve spent my entire career in sales. In fact, many of the tenets of Delta Point in regards to being a more effective sales person could be applied to being successful in any career.  Many of the same qualifications that make a person great in selling can be defined as positive qualities that make a person successful.

Gone is the antiquated definition of looking at sales as something negative. Selling has become much broader in its definition. In fact, Daniel Pink’s new book To Sell is Human deals with this very topic. More people are involved in selling then would classify themselves as sales people. This applies to teachers, to doctors, to parents. Ask any parent—and they will tell you that from the start (beginning with birth), they are trying to convince their kids to do what they want them to. Actually, Pink refers to this as “moving” rather than “selling” which is an apt description for we are all trying to move folks to our point of view at some point.

All of us, at one time or another, are involved in trying to influence someone how to do something that we want them to do.  In other words, we are selling them on our idea or way of doing things.

To be effective in selling, you need the ability to communicate effectively. And to do this you need to understand the other’s point of view. We call this Thinking Like a Customer. Because before you can sell or influence someone—convince them to your way of thinking, you need to understand that person’s perspectives, needs, wants, and the issues they are wrestling with. Only then can you communicate with confidence and conviction.

Think of the people you know or have read about who are successful. They were able to convince others that their ideas were right. And those successful people usually experienced failure—at least once, if not multiple times. This reinforces the need to be skilled in selling. For once you have failed, you have an uphill battle getting others to follow you down a similar path—and convince them that this time you’ll succeed.

So it’s not surprising that successful people are great at selling. Of course they possess other qualities to that lead to their success—they work really hard to get where they are and aim high. They don’t settle.  And they need to believe in themselves and in their ideas to convince others to buy into what they are advocating. And isn’t that what great sales people do?