Be InterestED not InterestING: By Rocco De Leo

Ok, we've all done it! We hear from a customer, friend, or family member of a story about a vacation, site, experience, etc. Our first inclination (and probably action) was to "one up" the person. "You won $1,000 in Vegas, wow, I won $1,200 in Atlantic city". Does that look familiar. Nothing tells a person "enough about you, let's talk about me", like attempting to be interstING while not being interstED. The great Dale Carnegie in his landmark How to win Friends and Influence People uses the analogy of fishing. He says that while he is a big fan of strawberries and cream, the fish seem to be much more fond of worms. The point he makes is that he can go the lake with his interests in mind; throw some strawberries and cream on the line and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait: get the point! Take the worm to the fish, and enjoy the catch! This is very simple! I continues that the "the only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what THEY want and show them how to get it." Dale Carnegie had an idea on how to win over people. So tomorrow, go out to your customers and listen. Of course you have an objective to your meetings (ie, make a contact, appointment, commitment, etc.), but remember that you cannot make that person do what you want, you need to get them to WANT to do what you want them to do. Show them that you are interested in their business or their issues. Listen intently and sincerely when someone tells you something. Make sure you understand what is being said...ask for clarifications, dig deeper (or as we say "peel the onion"). Your opportunity to "sell" your solution will present itself. Just remember to focus on the person talking to you. If you find yourself talking too much about yourself---you may just find that you are talking yourself out of a sale...good luck and good selling.

Learning self reflection from Curt Schilling: By Rocco De Leo

As I sat watching game 6 of the ALCS this evening, I noticed one of baseball's best pitchers over the last decade, Curt Schilling, doing something that we should all consider doing ourselves. Schilling takes copious notes on each and every player he faces. He logs his experiences, reactions, and results between innings. He has the ability to look ahead at who is coming up next inning and to form a very educated plan of attack. As salespeople, trying to become great salespeople, we must be able to learn from our past experiences and build ourselves advantages over our competition. An average sales rep spends some time preparing for a sales call, maybe even reflecting on the last interaction with the customer. A great sales rep goes into each call knowing that the call is not only a call for today, but also a learning experience for every call to every customer thereafter.
My customers are doctors. I have a few key customers who can be a little tough to catch. These doctors are "hospitalists" who work only at hospitals. What makes them difficult to see is that they don't have an office like most doctors. While they are difficult to catch (at least until you build up a good working relationship and learn their "secrets"), they are very important to what I do. I was recently meeting a colleague at a hospital I don't normally work in. As I was standing in the lobby waiting for my colleague, who walks in but two (not one, but two) very influential and busy hospitalists. Not only did this happen, but I ran into one of them again in the parking lot. What did I do with this great "Manna from heaven"? I spit on it! I said hello three times, and left with nothing. Now, was this a complete loss? Not for me! Just like Curt Schilling, I take everyday as a chance to get better. At the end of the day I reflected on this colossal waste of opportunity and realized that I needed a plan on how deal with this type of situation. I need to know who are the most important customers to look out for, what do I want from them (appointment, contact info, etc), and why they want to give me what I want.
The point to all of this is to look honestly at our shortfalls, mistakes, and skills gaps. Take small bits of our daily experiences and reflect upon them and find the opportunity to improve. Good luck and good selling.

Never let go of your dreams: By Rocco De Leo

Sometimes, in the hustle of daily life, we forget our dreams. Sometimes, people tell us we CAN'T. For most of us, the first person in line to tell us we CAN'T is the same person looking back at us in the mirror. Whether you are considering a career change, a challenging account, are anything outside the status quo, "Carpe Diem"--sieze the day and go out and get it. This guy had the eyes a'rollin when he came out on stage. A cell phone salesman, wrinkled shirt, and zero confidence in his demeanor. But what happens next is absolutely amazing. He entered the world of his passion: Opera. He turned the rolling eyes into watering eyes. We all see the American dream (in this case, the British Dream) in this guy. We can go from zero to hero in an instant. It's not easy, but it is possible. I want you also to look at him when he's singing. Look at his face, his eyes...he is in heaven! When he sings, he is more alive than he has ever been. Find what does that for you. Forget the money, forget the "CAN'Ts"- just make it happen like Paul Potts made it happen. Thanks to my dad Frank for passing this on to me---just the kick that I needed. Good luck and good selling.