Escalante Pure and Simple

Part I

They know how their product or service is the solution for the qualified company.  In today’s highly volatile marketplace every company large or small is faced with unexpected problems.  You have heard and read the cliché phrase, “sell benefits.”  The stellar salesperson is a modern day Sherlock Holmes at finding the elementary problems of key accounts they are targeting to position themselves to be the preferred vendor with the solution mojo.

In my own experience I once targeted a company that the sales cycle was a year to get the first order. It was part luck, part knowing their problems, and having a breakthrough solution from our R&D department.  That one small trial order progressed into growing that company into the second largest account in sales revenue.

We have entered into an era of specialization.  The superstar salespeople know how to become experts at providing simple solutions to complex problems.

Part II

They get the job done!  It sounds so basic and yet so difficult to achieve by mediocre salespeople.  Superstar sales people have the stick to itiveness.  They show up for preset appointments prepared.  They follow through on promises made during the initial sales call when they are in the discovery phase of the customer’s real problems. They attend to the details of processing work orders to make it frictionless.

Once they have the order they track it to completion.  The product or service is delivered, the order is paid, and the process starts all over again.  There is a multiplicity of reasons why a select few 20% (Paredo Princicle) sell the lion’s share of commerce; this may be one of the top ones.  One small book that transformed my sales career was, “The Blue Vaser”, the story of a go getter.   A compelling story of a crass salesperson that against all odds, would not give up.

Part III

They love some or all aspects of the sales process.  No one succeed or got rich by doing something they hated. This love is a form of inner motivation from the positive feelings the salesperson gets.  Some get a rush from filling out the paperwork or hearing the sweet words that they beat out the competition and got the order.  Others have a genuine love for meeting and interacting with new people.   Even if they are turned down when cold calling they get a positive feeling in the brief interaction.

The superstar sales person identifies strongly with the product or service they are selling.  When this happens great things happen because the salesperson takes ownership of the whole process.  This leads to becoming self employed rather than working for a paycheck putting in the time.

Part IV

They live in a unique subjective emotional reality.  This goes beyond being the proverbial half glass full optimists.   Superstars have the emotional alchemy to literally be wizards at deal making.

They have emotional centeredness or congruency (everything in it’s place).

This is the phenomena that legends are made of.  Napoleon Hill in his book ,”Think and grow Rich”,  alluded to it with a sexual twist.  The superstar is not born though some are.  The majority had to work at mastering their emotions. One’s  emotions can be the secret horsepower that levels the playing field in a fiercely competitive world that will get more competitive.  Emotions can inspire and raise one to champion status or defeat one even before one makes the first cold call.

If this is an area one needs to master, a great book that changed my life is ”Feeling Good” by David Burns MD.

Part V

They are learning machines for new fresh knowledge and its application.  They invest heavily in themselves by reading industry books and periodicals.  They purchase motivational books, audio visual materials, conferences, seminars, trade shows to stay ahead of the competition.  This thirst for knowledge makes them open minded as well as innovative for new approaches for execution of the deal.

According to NY Times reporter Chris Hedges, “A third of high school graduates, along with 42 percent of college graduates, never read a book after they finish school. Eighty percent of the families in the United States last year did not buy a book.”

Flabby minds can never out perform the mental horse power of sales superstars that have the breadth and depth of knowledge.

Part VI

They are cold calling machines!  Their brain is wired to go on autopilot when they are in their “game.”  In modeling projects I have participated in to profile sales super achievers this is a common trait they all have.

They have their elevator pitch honed.  They view cold calling a game you play rather than the current business metaphor of a hunt.  In my opinion  it’s a more effective mindset to play a game and not score rather than the prey becoming the predator or  getting away.

In interviewing  persons that engaged in high pressure direct sales such as selling religion, books, cookware, vacuum cleaners, insurance, time shares, coupon books, etc.  These career superstars loved the game of engagement.  Because it’s a game they don’t take the rejection personal.  There are many smart educated talented candidates that failed in sales because their success depended on that illusive and dreadful cold call.

Part VII

Sales superstars are either born or defined by life’s circumstances. In my case it was both.  As a kid, I was selling newspapers and gum on the streets of Piedras Negras Mexico.  I still recall the magic of seeing people reach into their pockets to exchange their pesos for my daily paper.

These days the magic is still there even with large or small work orders.  In my mind  advertising is the Mona Lisa.  Advertising is an art that is a product of several disciplines.  These include psychology, linguistics, sociology, photography, and others.

Over the years I have studied many sales models and have even taught my own version.  At the risk of  dating myself  my first inspiration in sales was Earl Nightingale. I dreamed of one day growing up and having a large audience like Earl and did as a radio broadcaster.  Even on the air I knew that I had to sell ideas disguised as entertainment.

~Victor