You say you don’t sell
The art of sales is about communication. Those who can communicate the most effectively will be the most successful.
We focus heavily on such things as asking good questions, listening intently and not getting emotionally involved in the process. Those skills help you to be a good salesperson—sales training students have discovered that they become better managers, friends, parents and spouses as well.
I recently received the following testimonial from a fellow trainer and want to share it with you. This is verbatim from a real client. Those of you who have received sales training through Sandler Training will recognize the questioning process:
“I am writing to inform you of an event that happened yesterday that speaks volumes of the curriculum that you teach. Standing in the upper level of one of my job sites I received a startling message. To begin with I am a true single father of two beautiful children whose mother abandoned them about a year ago; with that said here is what transpired.
The startling message was from my children’s mother saying she was going to end her life. This message, of course, was returned by a phone call from me. She answered in tears stating that she had lost her children, lost her lover and was done with life. My initial response without forethought was, ‘[name omitted], what do you mean, tell me more, please.’ She responded saying her life was over. I then said, ‘Please tell me what you mean and how long has it been that you have been in this mindset.’
She told me that ever since she had left me she had been addicted to prescription narcotics and in an abusive relationship. By this time I am in my vehicle racing to south Kansas City to her home. I asked her ‘since this realization’ what has she tried to do to get help or leave. She responded saying she had tried to stop using and tried to leave her lover many times. I told her clearly this has failed to work and she agreed. She then told me that this has cost her her family, children and life. With a lump in my throat I asked her what she was feeling coming to this realization.
When I arrived at her house, I found a beaten woman who was in the process of ending her life. I pulled my wallet out and showed her a picture of my beautiful 6-year-old son and my amazing 13-year-old daughter and asked her, “Are you going to give up on them, and are you done fighting?’ She dropped what she had in her hands and allowed me to call for help. Less than 24 hours later, she was on a plane to Colorado to a treatment center for addiction and spiritual healing.
The skills you teach in this program far surpass sales.You teach how to meet people where they are and to get the root of issues and pain. I thank you, I fully believe that without the skills you have instilled in me, I would not have had the clarity of getting through to her or a guideline to do so, and as a consequence, my children’s mother may have ended her life.”
No one can tell me they don’t sell. If you’ve ever applied for a job, asked someone on a date or raised teenagers, you’ve been in sales.
Sales skills are life skills. All of the attitudes, behaviors and techniques are directly applicable. It’s short-sighted to think they don’t relate to you. And those elements, when perfected, create better relationships. Isn’t that, after all, what we’re looking for?