The moment was VERY exciting. I’m on my way to work, walking along listening to my IPod when suddenly I hear a well-known author say exactly (well, okay not exactly in the word-for-word sense) what I said to the entrepreneurs in my workshop the night before.
Let me set the scene for you:
Walking has always been a big part of my life. Growing up in a small town meant walking to school, walking to church, walking to piano lessons – you get the picture. Today I continue to do a lot of walking, not out of necessity but because I enjoy the meditative aspects and the fitness benefits. Whenever possible I walk from my home to my office, which is exactly an hour door-to-door. (It is important to note here that if I took public transit, it would also take an hour.)
To make the heavy-traffic route more palatable, I listen to books while I walk, business books specifically. The ideas I hear and the inspiration I receive always add energy to the start of my day.
Right now I’m listening to a second book by author Dr. Joe Vitale, Life’s Missing Instruction Manual. It’s a delight! Filled with relatively short “lessons”, from Dr. Vitale and others, it provides excellent advice for some of life’s most challenging situations.(You can find more information on all of his books here: Dr. Joe Vitale)
So there I am marching along North Street, listening to a story about someone Dr. Vitale met who was very energetic in his complaints about marketing, yet who was an amazing marketer of his own products and a great salesperson. At the end of the story, Dr. Vitale says:
“Marketing is simply engagingly informing the people most likely to be interested in your product or service that it’s available. It is not about manipulation, it’s about information.”
Exactly right! This is the foundation of every cold – or warm – call you will ever make.
He continues:
“The more passionately and sincerely you convey your information, the more hypnotic your marketing will be. … If you are offering a product or service you believe in, then you share your excitement with the right audience. If you don’t believe in your product or service, what are you doing trying to sell it? Said another way, if you have something that would truly benefit a certain group of people and you don’t tell them, aren’t you doing them a disservice?”
This is when I actually stopped walking. It was hard to believe my ears! What I was hearing on my IPod, in different words, is what I teach. It forms what I refer to as my Pledge. I hand it out at every workshop on a separate piece of paper in the hopes that new business owners and salespeople will place it near their telephones, use it as inspiration to have more conversations with more of their potential customers.
Here it is in my words:
“It is important for me to let potential customers know I exist. They cannot make the best possible business decisions for themselves if they have not, at the very least, reviewed my information.
I introduce myself to my potential customers in a very professional way, keeping in mind that my phone call is an interruption but that their job is to cultivate new ideas and service providers.”
I was thrilled to find this idea expressed in a new way. And Dr. Vitale goes a bit further, sheds some light on why I find it difficult to teach closing a sale. For me, sales happen because of the conversation (or conversations), not because of how I “close”. Here’s what he has to say:
“Again, marketing is basically sharing your love, your passion, your belief. When you share it with someone who welcomes it, more often than not, it leads to a sale, naturally, easily, effortlessly.”
Does this ring true with your marketing and sales? Have you found that once you share your excitement and passion with the right audience your sales automatically increase? It would be great to read and share your stories.
Happy dialing everyone! TPL