I appreciate you explaining this, I've ventured back into selling after being away for sometime. I too HATED selling when I was a financial planner. It is very difficult to sell an intangible like financial services. I could relate endless tales of woe but the short version is the average wealthy individual does not respect the profession (and knowing the people in the business I can understand...). I never had patience with the sales process - I wanted my prospects to give me a yes or no answer, not lead me on for months. Now selling performance parts online is a different game. I provide all the information I can on a product and the customer can make his/her decision when they're ready - typically I don't know about it until they've made the purchase. I do get questions though - which I answer immediately, since most questions are "buying questions" which end in a sale. I've also come to the realization that keeping a good attitude is as much a part of success as the sales number. Often times you miss opportunities if you dwell on past misfortunes... for instance: I just applied to become a warehouse distributor for a manufacturer. As a credit reference I put down the warehouse I used to work at, and now have a jobber account with. When he received the fax from the manufacturer, my old boss at the warehouse actually called the company and asked them to NOT sell to me - he wanted to continue to be the middle man. Thankfully the manufacturer is selling to me anyway. In the past I would have gotten angry at what I would have viewed as a personal attack - now I just chalk it up to a learning experience and move on. Thanks for the advice - I'm going to use it! Chris On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 10:48 AM, Ray Buck <rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Well, ok. Here's the deal. I've had a lotta negative experiences doing > personal selling. I got to where I dreaded it. I was always telling > myself, "I hate selling." Of course that reinforced the belief. > > I knew I wuz gonna have to sell myself (world's oldest profession...selling) > and my product. I knew I couldn't continue with that attitude...something > would break and it would probably be me. > > So after some a lot of prayer and meditation, I realized that the problem > lay at the root: what I was telling myself. Not the act of selling, but my > own internal dialog. So I started telling myself, "I used to hate selling, > but now I'm better at it. And every time I make a sales call/pitch, I get a > little better still." I also reinforced my belief that I AM a good > photographer and the shots I'm presenting to a potential customer ARE very > good. Not just ok, but very good. > > Then when I went to people with some sample prints in my hands, I'd just > tell them what I could do for them and leave it at that...but I always asked > for the order...in a low-key way. I'm told that this is the "soft sell" > technique. Well, it musta worked cuz I left with a pretty decent amount of > cash in my pocket and more to come when I get CDs in the mail. > > This is what I've always heard referred to as "positive self-talk." I know > it works, but this was a very dramatic example of it. So when I go out for > World of Speed (we'll find out in about 90 minutes if it's been rained out > or not) I'll be sure to have some sample photos from Speed Week and a good > attitude. > > I'm having a hard time believing that it's me writing this stuff. For a guy > who spent most of his life as a "glass half-empty", Type A personality with > a bad attitude, it really doesn't seem in character at all. But a whole lot > has changed over the last 18 years and a lot of it has occurred in the last > 4 or 5 years. I really believe that I've become a Type B person and I've > come to look at the glass as at least half full, if not overflowing. Take > it for what it's worth. > > Ray > > > At 08:15 AM 9/16/2009, you wrote: > > "new mental attitude toward selling"? > > Do tell... > > On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 10:02 PM, Mary McCarthy <printces@xxxxxxxxxxxx> > wrote: >> for 1/2 a mile away that's a pretty darn good pic. >> >> glad to hear you're having fun and making a little cash, too. >> >> excellent! >> >> mary >> >> >>> I covered a race event that lasted 4.5 days last week and I'd be on >>> the salt flats if it wasn't for this little rain issue they've had >>> there. A decision was to be made at 10:00 am today...and they made >>> one. They decided that a decision would be made at 10 am >>> tomorrow. (Sits here, twiddling his thumbs...and editing >>> photos.) If they decide to push things back by one day, then I'll be >>> there Wednesday, Thursday and half of Friday. I'll come back to >>> shoot qualifying for the Grand-Am race at Miller's and stay to shoot >>> the race on Saturday. Then I'll go back to the salt for a week. If >>> the event is cancelled, I'll spend 2.5 days at Miller's and then see >>> if the Streamliner Shootout will take place. Weather: the ultimate >>> powerlessness. >>> >>> As for the sugar plum fairies, in the final race of the NASA >>> Championships last weekend, it seems that a Corvette (I believe it's >>> the brand-new Pfadt car...a local race car builder) and a Viper were >>> discussing 2nd place; the Viper had it and the Corvette driver wanted >>> it. On the last lap the Viper slid wide in turn 3 and got a couple >>> of wheels in the dirt, forcing him to lift off the throttle for a >>> moment. The Corvette driver used that opportunity to go by on the >>> left. But the driver of the Viper wasn't about to put up with that >>> so he attempted to get back on the track as soon as possible. When >>> he did his car made contact with the Corvette (and I believe he hurt >>> something underneath his car) and the Vette went flying and the Viper >>> spinning. >>> >>> I bleeve they both came back on rollbacks. I know the Viper did. I >>> don't think either driver was too happy with the whole deal. >>> >>> I've just attached one photo and it's cropped from a shot made from >>> turn 1 all the way across the track....about half a mile. I've got >>> several more of the whole thing but a lot of it is obscured by dust. >>> >>> It was an interesting few days....sometimes it was hours of boredom >>> (Spec Miata and 944 Spec classes tend to be slow and boring) >>> punctuated by moments of cynical excitement as someone would spin and >>> hopefully be caught on digital film. >>> >>> I shot a whole lotta photos (around 9500) and made a decent amount of >>> money by selling prints and CDs with photos on 'em...which will be >>> mailed out in October. Most people were happy to pay in advance, >>> since I'd throw a print or two in with the deal and let 'em have >>> something in their hand for the money. I also adopted a new mental >>> attitude toward selling that seemed to help...a lot. >>> >>> Now...to wait and see if I'm heading for the salt tomorrow or not. I >>> spose I'll do some more photo work. >>> >>> Ray >> >> >> >> >> Rules: Please play nicely with others. >> >> -List members page (text & pic links): >> http://www.myelcamino.net/eclist.htm >> -List members page (all pics): >> http://www.myelcamino.net/ec_list.htm >> >> > > > Rules: Please play nicely with others. > > -List members page (text & pic links): > http://www.myelcamino.net/eclist.htm > -List members page (all pics): > http://www.myelcamino.net/ec_list.htm Rules: Please play nicely with others. -List members page (text & pic links): http://www.myelcamino.net/eclist.htm -List members page (all pics): http://www.myelcamino.net/ec_list.htm