This title may not make total sense until after you read Pete’s post and my comment here.

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4061/default.aspx

Something’s happening here!

Don’t comment here, put it there.

Elaine and I have owned a time share unit at the Village of Loon Mountain for 20-ish years. We’ve stayed there several times, but as we’ve grown older, we’ve grown to prefer a tropical beach to a ski slope. Elaine’s done very well. We’ve been to Disney several times. We’ve used our RCI membership to hunt for colleges in Pennsylvania, visit Williamsburg, San Diego. We’ve also been to the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and the Mayan Riviera in Mexico, twice.

For those of you who have never been, every time we visit one of these places, we’re always asked if we’d like to attend a 90 minute presentation to learn about this resort’s vacation ownership program. WE ALWAYS SAY, “YES”. Elaine says, “Yes.” because she wants the free stuff that they give you to listen. Passes to Disney, Excaret, dinner, etc. etc.

Last week we were at Aventura Spa Palace in Mexico. If you follow the link, you’ll see that this was a great place. Accommodations were cool. Ocean view. Sunrise from our bed. Double jacuzzi in the room. 24 hour room service included. Restaurants were great. Staff in the restaurant, on the grounds, and in housekeeping were excellent. Service oriented. Genuinely happy. Fun to be with, around and served by.

Surprisingly, guest services, public relations and the sales department s-t-u-n-k. Crappy attitude. It’s as if they were taught to disagree and deny first. When tested, stand firm. If the customer persists, stop understanding English. Before I go on, I want to point out one exception. Michelle in guest services was always smiling, always helpful, and if everyone at the resort was modeled after her, not only would they all be beautiful, but I wouldn’t have any complaints. I won’t get into specific complaints, but generally, we didn’t get everything that we expected.

Here’s the point of the post. As always, we said, “Yes.” to being pitched. Salesperson #1 (SP1/no names) spent an hour with us. Bond, develop rapport, qualify, show us the program, yada, yada, yada. She dropped the price three times. Didn’t she get it? We didn’t want it. She said that she could see that we didn’t see a package that we liked, so she called her manager over to see if she could find a package that we liked. Huh? We gave no buying signals. We said that we didn’t see ourselves owning any part of the resort. Regardless, here comes the manager. She asked a couple of questions, but didn’t listen to the answers. Didn’t maintain eye contact. Was constantly scanning the room as if she were looking for her next prey. She presented her solution and when I said, “No.”, she asked, “Why?” I replied that I have no intention of buying anything and won’t change my mind and am ready to leave. She asked why, again. I replied that I was done with her and was ready to leave. Did I have to stand up for her to get the message? She started talking again. I stood up and crossed my arms. She asked if I would please sit down and she would get me out of here. I did.

Interestingly, there were about fifteen closing tables, all occupied in the room and three times, a sales rep stood up, started clapping and said something like, “I want to introduce _____ and _____. They’ve just become owner #83. The reason that they’ve decided to invest is (and they gave a very personal, legitimate, compelling reason that the new owner was buying.) Elaine and I never gave any reason, let alone a compelling reason, so why were we being pressured? Why did they even bother closing? Find a compelling reason, earn the right to close, or don’t waste your time.

The rest of the story. The manager turned us over to Mr. Good-Looking Super Manager. He sat down. Asked us how we liked the resort. How we were being treated. I replied liked the place, but now we weren’t being allowed to get back to our vacation. He said that he understood that I had a problem with one of his people, was it ____? I replied with, “Right now I have a problem with you. All I want is my free stuff and to get back to having fun.”

He arranged it.

Whoever is training these people………I believe that everybody should buy, at least once, but if you can’t uncover the prospect’s compelling reason to buy and recognize the one opportunity to close, YOU DON’T DESERVE THE SALE!

And if you want to talk to me about fixing the problem and you speak English, use the link at the top of the page to send me an email.

I received the following email the day after the Corridor Nine Business Expo.

Hi Rick,

Blog idea for you.

We were at the C9 expo yesterday. It was a fantastic expo. It reminded me of all the people who just walk the show carrying on and on about their stuff they’re trying to sell. Can you please help them? For their sake, and mine as well?

Thanks,

The short answer is, “Probably not.” Not because I don’t want to, but because they don’t want it.

If you’d like a longer answer, read on.

You may remember this post on how I choose whom to refer, but I realize that your question comes from a different point of view. I think that you’re talking about the person who doesn’t care that you are a real business, that’s spent hundreds or thousands of dollars to have the space that you have, so that your prospects can meet you. He comes because it’s free. Because there are a thousand people in the room and he believes that every one of them should know how great he is at what he does. So, he stands at your booth stealing time that you’ve paid for trying to convince you that he can help you when in fact, he doesn’t stand a chance in hell because he’s a crappy salesperson.

Can I help him? Maybe. Does he want my help? Not until all of you start telling him to get away from you.

Do you like that answer better?

How about this one?

They need their head fixed regarding referrals and networking. Remember this post about selfishness? Almost everybody knows that referrals make for better selling. However, probe a little and you’ll find that most people go to a trade show looking to be a solution, not to find a solution.

Wrong…..Wrong…..Wrong. But, that’s only my opinion.

Bottom line is that I’m always willing to work with people that have the desire and are committed to change. Problem is that although many show walkers say they want better results, it’s easier to stay the way they are.

I had the opportunity to talk at the HYPE9 Lunchbox last Wednesday. Professional Development and Networking with a group of high powered young professionals looking to make their mark on the world. My topic was “Focused Follow Up to Nail the Sale!” They were easy to talk to. Engaged from the first word. At one point, I needed a guinea pig to show how I go from the handshake to giving and getting a referral in less than five minutes. I volunteered Mike Sachleben of BlitzTime to role play with me.

So, we shook hands, I asked him what he did. He told me all about how awesome Blitztime was. We went down two paths and found a ‘class’ of customer that we both liked working with and found two specific introductions that we could make to each other. It went the way it should have.

The next day I got a basket of chocolates with a note that started with, “Rick, Thanks again for the great free publicity you gave us at yesterday’s HYPE 9 event.”

Let’s restate the question. Who’s really the beneficiary here? Who’s gonna benefit the most?

Sure, Mike’s got a few new members. That’s a benefit. And he got some exposure. That’s a benefit.

But, more importantly, the new members have filled a need that they have. That’s a benefit to EACH new member! And, I’m willing to bet that a lot of people in that room have that same need and that they will eventually become members. That’s a benefit to A LOT OF PEOPLE.

The salesperson or provider usually benefits from a referral that becomes a customer because they make a little money. BUT THE PERSON BEING REFERRED BECOMES A CUSTOMER BECAUSE THEY’RE FILLING A NEED! They’re benefiting way more than the salesperson. So, Mike, thanks for the chocolates, but it wasn’t really about you, it was about all those people’s needs.

One more thing! All you HYPE9-ers that become members of BlitzTime can send an email to thank me for the introduction, but please….No More Chocolates!

I was trying to decide how to mention that I’ve been blogging for two years. Since March 18, 2006 at 5:46 AM. This was my first post. https://therainmakermaker.com/2006/03/18/firstwhat-is-a-rainmaker.aspx

I think that my focus changed. I’m not so sure that we’ve been talking about ‘making rain’, but I think that we have shared experiences, challenges, failures and successes. I find it interesting how many examples, both good and bad, that we can see every day if we just watch. The ‘Big Clients’ post came from a conversation with a client during my first month of blogging. As did the post about buying my car and the post about the lesson learned at the Red Sox game………………All in the first month.

Prize Corn and ABL happened a few months later.

More recently, you may remember intimidating women? American Idol? or the school bus lesson?

These posts, comments and blogversations have led to some pretty interesting off-line conversations and I want to thank everyone that encouraged me, answered my questions, read, commented and otherwise got involved.

At various times, I’ve gotten distracted by trying to link to other bloggers, growing readership, plugging events, or products. That’s not where I want to be.

I read other blogs. Occasionally, I bring a post to your attention, but mostly, I read to enjoy and grow. Occasionally you’ll bring something to my attention and I’ve posted it. Sometimes not.

So many other things that I could mention. Guest bloggers. Personal events. It’s interesting to me, how many people have started a blog since March, 2006 and stopped after one or two posts. I plan on continuing on and if you are so moved, I hope that you’ll keep reading.

In closing, I was talking with one of my favorite readers last Thursday and he told me that he really enjoys reading, but he gets really turned around when I put a lot of links in the post and sometimes winds up with twenty windows open thinking, “Huh?”

Dan, this ones for you!

You are one of the first to know about this. Please feel free to forward this post and/or info to anyone that you think should know about it.

“It’s official – according to the latest poll of Economists, the US Economy is in a recession. Consumers and businesses will be watching their spending much more closely and salespeople will find it more difficult to close sales than at any time in the past 15 years. While great salespeople will struggle, salespeople who live off of repeat business and existing accounts will suffer tremendously. This issue makes the timing of Dave Kurlan’s upcoming Baseline Selling Boot Camp just perfect.

If you need to bring in more business, find new accounts, close opportunities that are languishing in the pipeline, win against price-cutting competition, retain accounts, close deals, reposition your company, differentiate more effectively, sell more consultatively, sign up new clients or simply uphold slipping margins, or you have people who need to do that for you, the Baseline Selling Boot Camp is sure to help. Under the expert guidance of Dave Kurlan and his dynamic team of top sales experts, you and/or your people will be assessed and trained hard over two days to develop the strengths and skills needed to close more business despite an uncertain economic environment.”

Dave Kurlan

You can get details on the Boot Camp here.

You can register for the Boot Camp here. (Be sure to change the drop down at the bottom of the page from “Invited by Baseline Selling Tips” to “Invited by Rick Roberge”.

If you have any questions, call me or email me directly.

You may remember this post. Tom picked up the fact that neither I nor my reader exhibited any need for approval and that is correct. But, today, Rob gave up on behalf of all of you, so I’ll give you the answer.

Neither of us was emotionally involved in the conversation. I didn’t get upset that my reader wanted to pitch their stuff on my blog. If I were emotionally involved, I might have replied, “What are you crazy? A blog’s not for selling stuff. Especially, ….” Instead, I teased her by asking, “Is it ever not about you?” Now, were she emotionally involved, she might have come back with, “I was just trying to help your client. You didn’t have to make it about me.” Instead, she replied, “What are you my husband?”

Two professionals. In the moment. Having fun with each other.

Now, here’s another real live story about how emotional involvement can hold you back.

About a two weeks ago, a client agreed to provide a display for their customer. The customer was going to use the display to sell my clients stuff at a profit. The average sale was going to be about $1,500 and the display was going to cost my client’s customer $1,100. Everybody was ready to go, but then my client’s customer asked for a break on the cost of the display. My client immediately started thinking…Why couldn’t this just go smooth? I wonder how many sales their gonna make for me? If it’s only one, I need to be paid for the display. If it’s 20, they can have the display for free. What should I do? I need to call Rick. So, she told her customer that she’d get back to him.

As soon as my client was faced with a situation that they didn’t expect and didn’t know how to handle, they lost control. They started talking to themself. They stopped listening to the prospect.

My client got to a phone and called me. Told me the story and asked me what to do. My client was totally willing to give the display for free if she was going to get enough business, but wanted to be paid for the display if there was no or little future business. I asked why doesn’t she just tell the client that she’ll charge $1,100 for the display, but give $100 credit on the first eleven sales? “Brilliant!” my client said.

Now, my guess is, that most of you figured out that solution before you read it. Either we are all brilliant, or none of us are emotionally involved in my client’s sale. We don’t care.

Fast forward to today. I asked my client how it went, and they said, “My customer loved it. Why couldn’t I do that?” So, I explained about emotional involvement and told her how I might have handled it.

First, don’t stop listening to the prospect. Not only that, listen actively. When they say, that they want a break on the cost of the display, look up and go, “HMMM.” Then ask, “How would I do that? They might say, “Just do it.” I might ask, “Why would I do it? The display costs me regular price.” They might say, “We’re gonna sell a lot of your stuff.” “Really? How much do you think you’ll sell?” Them: “Probably a minimum of 10. Maybe 20!” Me: “20? That would be worth it. Let me think for a second….” “Hey, how about this? If you sell 1 or 2, I need to be paid for the display, but if you sell 20, I’d give it to you. How about if you pay me for the display, but I’ll give a $50-$100 credit on the first orders you place until the credits total $1,100?”

Emotional involvement kept my client from asking that first question, from listening to the prospect, from having the customer give them the solution. Stay in the moment. Listen. Ask.

I’ve been watching American Idol. It’s very common for the judges to comment on song selection being a factor in the overall performance and frankly, I agree with them. Song selection can affect the performer’s passion if it has a particular personal meaning. The type of song may also fit or not fit the performer’s ability. A hard rock performer’s voice may not easily adapt to a ballad that needs a gentle croon.

Don’t similar circumstances exist in salespeople?

Are you passionate about what you sell? Do you feel like you’re changing the world?

Does your process have the right amount of challenge? Detail? Do you get the right amount of gratification? Is it interesting? Are you the type of salesperson that needs to make 2,3,4 sales a day like a furniture salesperson? Or can you work all year long to negotiate and design a custom engineered solution like a salesperson who sells world-wide computer networks. Is a $500 sale exciting, or do you have to be selling a $500,000 house before you feel like it’s worth talking about.

Are you passionate? Does it fit? Does it show in your performance?

Elaine has a cousin, Nancy. Nancy has a daughter, Kris. Kris has a daughter, Laura. Laura’s cool.

Laura’s a participant in Model UN at her high school. A couple of weeks ago, she was at our house having dinner and we somehow got onto the subject of American politics. I don’t remember the specific topic, but knowing the political makeup of most of the adults at the table, I made some extreme comment like ship them all back, or shoot him, or some other comment just to take the conversation to a new level. After the adults went back and forth trying to decide how to ‘fix me’, someone said, “Laura, you’re up on these kind of things, how should we deal with Rick?” Laura replied, “The North Koreans would agree with Rick’s approach.”

That got the table going again, but let me tell you why Laura’s cool. Laura left for Italy the next day for a multiple day summit where several countries were going to be presenting their position on some current situation on which a decision must be made by the UN. She was going to be presenting her case as a delegate from North Korea. NORTH KOREA! Get it? She has to put her own beliefs aside and fully understand the North Korean point of view. WHAT SHE THINKS OR BELIEVES DOESN’T MATTER. Isn’t that great? She’s getting sales coaching in high school. She’s learning how to put what she believes aside long enough to get the job done. If she argues what she personally believes, she loses.

Isn’t that what salespeople need to do? Put themselves aside? Understand their prospect? Remember this post?

Now, I admit that it’s a bit of a stretch comparing Laura understanding North Korea’s beliefs and positions to a salesperson understanding a prospect’s beliefs and positions because, in this case, Laura’s not trying to change North Korea’s mind to get them to accept a new position. But, can you see that by understanding their beliefs and positions, she’s much better equipped to explain why they might want to change their mind?

So, the lesson from Laura is,

If you understand your prospect’s position enough so that you could argue their side, you’ll find yourself able to look at your offering through your prospect’s eyes and maybe discover why they might buy.