Sell or Be Sold

You are responsible for everything that happens to you

"Price is not your problem—you are your problem! … Salespeople, not the prospect, are the ultimate barriers to every sale."- Sell or Be Sold, page 66

Throughout the book Grant makes it clear that it is important to take complete and total responsibility for the sale and all results you are getting in your life. Once you accept that you are solely responsible, you are in a position to change the results you are getting. It is the job of the salesperson to find out what the need is, find out how important this need is to the customer and then give the buyer confidence that their product will give them the cure to their problem. If everything is done right then price will not be an issue. Grant provides this example: “[What] if a buyer found out that he had a disease and was going to die, but your product would save his life. What would he do? He’d find the money to buy your product, and save his life. Why? Because he’s completely sold on the need.” Relating this to my own job where I work on a team that sells one of the most expensive CRM products on the market, I utilized what Grant suggests in his book which made the prospect realize not buying the product could cost them their job. When you get to this level of personal significance you are able to position your product as the most viable solution and the cost seems like a small price to pay for the benefits.

Always agree with the customer

"Three of the most powerful words in the English language are ‘YOU ARE RIGHT.’"- Sell or Be Sold, page 99

Agreeing with the customer means control for the sales person, happier customers and quicker decisions. Grant notes that it is hard to make a sale when you begin with a disagreement as it’s hard to get to the level of personal importance described above when you not in agreement with the customer. This is why Grant says it is critical to agree before making a suggestion no matter how outrageous the objection is or how wrong the prospect may be. Here is an example when the concern is around money:

Objection: It’s too much money.

Response: I agree, it’s a lot of money. Everyone who invests in this product agrees that this system is a big investment when they are buying it. That is why you should get it installed, so it can start making you money right away.

Can you think of a time when you had an objection around price, but ended up buying the product or service anyway? What about a time you had an objection to price and did not purchase a product or service? How did the salesperson involved make you feel in both situations?

Give-Give-Give

"You must give first before you receive."- Sell or Be Sold, page 117

In order to get the most out of the The Big Idea and insight #1, it is necessary to give all of yourself to a prospect, not just part of you. Give all of your attention, all of your energy, all of your suggestions, all of your information (third party studies and competitive information) and then some more. This mindset is often the opposite of what you will find in many businesses, but Grant says this is necessary. Most businesses try to conceal such things fearing that too much information in the hands of customers reduces their power in the sales cycle. But by giving more information you will create a favorable situation for you and your business, and allow them to make a decision and make one much sooner because they don’t need to search for it themselves. The goal is to make the client feel serviced, not sold.

I love a particular example Grant uses in the book: “If someone asks me for a drink, I get it for them, open the bottle and bring them a glass, ice and a napkin.” Notice how he did not ask if the client wanted a glass and ice – he provided it anyway and left it to them as to whether they wanted it in a bottle or to pour it over ice. This is service!