Sales Training: Your Best Investment
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Would you go to or recommend a doctor who had stopped studying his profession the moment he graduated
from medical school? A doctor that no longer kept up with the latest medical advances? Would you consider
him competent? What do you think would happen to a professional athlete who stopped training when he
made the team? The one who said he/she gets all the training needed by participating in games or matches.
How long do you think he/she would last?
So why is it that the vast majority of sales people stop learning. Stop training. Stop practicing. I am constantly
amazed at those who think they can get all they need from on the job training. This is utter foolishness. The
best of the best never stop learning. They never stop training. They never stop trying to get better. They
understand that they do not know all there is to know. They understand that they are not the most successful
salesperson in the world and thus they can still learn to be better.
Ever wonder why there are very few sales superstars? Ever wonder why those that don't quit spend their
careers mired in mediocrity? The problem is, that learning, training, practicing…it all takes an investment of
time, effort, and in many cases a financial investment. Most are not willing to make those investments,
certainly no all at the same time. Oh, they will always have an excuse. It won't work for me. My
customers/business/product/service is different. Whatever the excuse, it is just that…an excuse. Nothing
more, nothing less. Invest nothing in your future, get nothing back. Very simple.
If you truly want to find success in sales, you will understand right here, right now, that you must never stop
learning. Never stop getting better. Never stop. It is a scientific fact that every living thing on the face of the
earth is either growing or it is dying. What is your sales career doing? It is growing or is it dying?
Commit today that you will make the investment that the majority or your colleagues are unwilling to make.
Think of how your life will change if within six months, your income is up by 50%. Imagine a year from now,
you are making twice what you are making now. You can. But only if you are willing to invest in yourself. Make
that decision today. Invest in your career. Invest in yourself. And start today.
When I think overcoming sales objections, I often think of the golden rule. You may ask, what does the golden
rule have to do with overcoming sales objections? Well, I think there is a very tight relationship between the
golden of rule and overcoming common sales objections.
When you think about handling sales objections, you should think of the golden rule. Here's what I mean.
How would you feel if you found out that a basic truth that you've believed since you were a child wasn't exactly
true?
What would think if you found out that the golden rule, or at least the way you learned it, is wrong?
We all know the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Isn't that what we have
been told all of our lives? When we are dealing with common sales objections from our customers, it would
be good to look at the golden rule, but maybe not in the way we were taught when we were kids.
I would suggest that the happiest, most successful, most fulfilled people we know don't follow the golden
rule as we've been taught it! And these people rarely have to overcome sales objections.
Do the happiest and most successful people you know share any common traits? You know the people I'm
talking about. People with genuine success and true lifelong relationships.
Do they share common traits? I bet they do, although probably not the traits you would expect.
What traits do they share?
1)They are very good listeners.
Yes, they listen, but what does that have to do with overcoming sales objections?
Successful people focus on you as you speak. They are truly interested in what you have to say. These
successful people treat you in ways that make you feel comfortable and relaxed around them. They always try
to understand how you process and absorb information.
They give you information in ways that are helpful to you. Think about it. Aren’t our most common sales
objections nothing more than pleas for more information? These folks speak to you in ways that make you
feel important and appreciated.
If you listen to your customer when you talk, they will tell you how to overcome common sales objections.
2)They ask you lots and lots of relevant questions!
Yes, but you may ask, but how does that help with handling sales objections?
Well, don't you hate people who are always telling and never asking?
Very successful people ask you questions and they actually listen to your answer. They listen twice as much
as they talk. When you listen, your customer tells you what his sales objections are. Knowing this in advance
is very useful in overcoming sales objections.
3)They take specific action based on what you have told them.
Very successful people prove they listen by treating you and your views with the respect you deserve.
Overcoming sales objections has everything to do with treating people with respect.
We all feel comfortable with people who understand our feelings and how we think. We all want others to
know and understand what is important to us. When we understand our customer’s feelings and understand
how they think, we can overcome common sales objections before they are even brought up by the customer.
So, here is how you use the true golden rule to overcome sales objections, or even better never hear your
common sales objections.
Seek to understand before you seek to be understood. I discovered this truth when I was just beginning my
career. I was talking to the owner of a small business about my product. I told him all of the benefits and
features my product provided.
At the end of my call, the business owner told me he really liked my presentation. He only had one question
for me. This question really made me take a look at how I worked with my customers.
What was his question? 'What is this product going to do for me'? I realized that based on our conversation
so far, I truthfully couldn't answer his question.
Since I did not even ask the business owner any questions, I was not ready for this very common sales
objection. I hadn't even asked him enough about his business to understand how our product would benefit
him specifically. I certainly didn't understand his emotional state or his problems. I should have known the
business owner would object to that type of arrogance.
That moment changed my view of the world. I knew from that moment forward I must first concentrate on
understanding the needs and wants of my customer before I would be able to help him understand how my
product would benefit him.
Since this time I have used an alternative version of the golden rule. This new 'golden rule' has lead me down
the path of success and happiness.
My golden rule is 'do unto others as they would like done unto them'. As a result, I rarely have to overcome
sales objections. My customer overcomes the objections for me before they ever come up.
