[E5] Week 1: My Favorite Quote

Welcome to Episode 5 of The Sales Experience Podcast. My name is Jason Cutter and I’m your facilitator of helping you or your sales team with ways to enhance the sales experience you provide your prospects in order to turn them into more than just customers, referral advocates who shout from the top of mountains about you and your company.

Before I start talking about today’s topic, I want to address some questions I get constantly regarding the sales related tips and training I share.

People often ask me if it applies only to a certain industry. Is this only for people who work in sales call centers?  What if I am selling something that someone buys, and I won’t ever talk to them again?

No matter what you are selling, whether it takes 15 minutes or 3 months, the basic principals I cover can be applied. While it may not always be of direct use, my goal is that there are gems that you hear that will help you.

And even if you do not really focus on generating referrals, providing an award-winning sales experience will help you create consistent sales results as well as ensure that people are happy after buying from you. Even if you never speak with them again you will know that you did the right thing for them and took that extra step to changing the landscape of how people view sales.

Alright, now for what I really wanted to talk about on this episode – one of my favorite quotes. Its not a motivational quote, but rather a guidepost for my life. And it has great implications for leading a sales career life that is built for the long term. One that ensures that you never have to worry about what you did to close a deal. You never have to lose sleep over how you treated other people. You see, there is a dangerous thin line that is at the heart of why the profession of sales has historically had a bad reputation.

When someone gets paid to get someone else to buy what they are selling then there is a motivational element that enters the equation. One in which the salesperson’s reward for convincing that prospect to buy equals income. And the greater the income potential of a deal, the more risk there is of said salesperson to use manipulation to make the sale.

But, if your goal is to be one of the good guys – to make a living, and potentially earn an income greater than most others you know, while at the same time looking at a long life of selling, then it requires doing the right thing by people.

One of my guiding quotes that I hope you adopt as well – especially as you fully embrace a focus on the sales experience – is from Zig Ziglar. Most people have heard it before. Its ‘You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.’

It doesn’t say you will get everything in life if you can just get enough people to buy your crap. It doesn’t say you will get some things in your life if you help some people. It doesn’t say that you won’t get anything from helping enough other people with their own goals.

It says that you will get everything in life you want. Everything.  What does everything mean? It means everything!  Now you might be saying ‘Yeah Jason, sounds great, but how will helping other people get me the house of my dreams, or a Lamborghini, or a trip around the world?’

The key is that you have to help enough other people. How many is ‘enough’? Depends on what you want in your life. If its stuff…then you need to keep helping people in ways that get you the income you need to buy that stuff. If its satisfaction with your purpose on this planet, then you have to help enough people to meet that need. And there is nothing wrong with stuff, so don’t mistake this to mean its all about bigger life purpose.

And what does it mean to help enough other people get what they want? You have to solve problems. That’s it. And that is really your job as a sales person. Someone is in need and has a problem they want solved. At the root of every purchase comes the desire to solve a problem which could be on the surface or down deep. And remember that people make purchases with their money and or their time.

So to get what you want by helping enough other people means that you are solving a ton of little problems – think, Angry Birds app for 99 cents that solves the problem of boredom and the desire for entertainment and accomplishment and gets downloaded by millions and millions of people – or a few big problems – think, Tony Robbins who charges $1 Million a year for his1-on-1 coaching. And anything in between.

Its not a matter of you helping people to get what you want…its about helping ‘enough’ – and that will all depend on you.

Why else am I sharing this quote on The Sales Experience Podcast? Because…when sales people have this as their selling moral guidepost then they will see their product or service as a way to help other people. They will focus on solving problems for others, and shifting away from self-centered income focus, to knowing that if they help other people that they will for sure get paid.

And sometimes you will find that you help people by not selling to them…because its not the right thing for them to buy…and that will come back to you in spades when they tell their friends and family about the crazy ass sales person who didn’t sell them that car, or couch, or insurance plan, or whatever. I know…I know…you think I am crazy for saying that – but in a future episode on referral generation I will explain why that is the best thing to do with unqualified prospects and the steps to turn it into referral gold.

For now…whether it’s this quote from Zig Ziglar, or you own quote about service to others – I strongly recommend you have something that you mentally refer back to, especially when you are struggling with results. Know the world is in desperate need for authentic, transparent, and caring sales people. That doesn’t mean you can’t sell hard…just make sure you are selling right!

Until next time, always remember that everything in life is sales and people will remember the experience you gave them.