I have always been a commission salesman or a professional service provider that didn’t get paid to sell, but got paid by the customer after I sold and delivered on what I sold. I’m telling you this because it shows that my financial success has always been directly proportional to my ability as a salesman. Additionally, whether I knew about it or not, the Rule of Ratios has always influence my customer’s buying decision. For you financial-types, I used to sell cost-saving projects that typically had an 1-2 year payback and a 5-10 year life. I can tell you that I spent most of those 5% commissions as soon as I got home and wrote the check, but my customers got to enjoy 100% of their savings for up to 10 years. So who got the best end of the deal? When I was a bill collector, I charged anywhere from 10% to 50% of what I collected. My customer always got as much as I did. Usually got more and I had to do all the work. So who got the best end of the deal? If the Rule of Ratios is working (and it always is working), your customer will always be better off than you after they buy from you. So, stop apologizing for making a good living. Stop feeling bad about earning a commission or your hourly rate. Don’t cut your price, ever. If your customer buys from you, they are going to benefit at least as much as you. Are you gonna raise your price if you realize that your customer really needs you?

So, believe in what you do. If you don’t, do something else. But once you believe in what you do, bring it to the world. But, before you do, set your goals. Your goals should cover everything from the very first thought of the initial contact, through the sales process, all the way through the delivery process and billing. How much time will be required at each step? How much time cumulative per customer? How much time for the month? Year? Are there enough days in the month? Can you pay your bills if you meet your goals? If you’ve never been able to set goals that worked, you should note that having written goals are the first core competency in the list. If you want help making a set of goals that work, contact me.

OK, so what was #4? “Always remember that if your customer buys from you, they will ALWAYS benefit more than you. So, who’s doing who a favor by going through the process?”