[elky] Re: Attitude toward selling (was: The dance of the sugar plum sports car fairies)
- From: Chris Lindh <chrislindh@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:50:49 -0400
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
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
> Rules: Please play nicely with others.
>
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