The Three Sales Laws
Last week I found myself entangled, against my better judgment, discussing sales tactics on LinkedIn.
There are so many wrinkles to a really tough (and rewarding) career, yet so much terrible advice. Usually, the worst advice is the loudest. I've been in sales 20+ years and have seen quite a bit.
Here are the three most important laws I’ve learned in selling:
1) Sell something great
2) Be yourself
3) Do no harm
They seem so simple, but that’s the point.
Easy is easy, but simple is hard.
These three simple laws will help eliminate nearly all the bad habits, bad advice, and harmful tactics from our careers.
A few examples of how these laws are applicable to all-too-common terrible advice:
* Gimmicks. They're everywhere. Silly dog pics. Breakup emails. “Give me 27 seconds of your time," gift cards, paying for meetings and tricks to get people on the phone.
* Pestering. I've seen posts that encouraged '16 touches in 15 days' and 'three LinkedIn touches three days in a row.'
* Bragging and hubris. LinkedIn has been overrun by salespeople talking about how great they are, their product is, or the ‘value’ they bring
Law #1: Sell Something Great:
If I'm selling something great I don't need a gimmick. My product/services offer real value which people need.
If I need to pester someone to get attention, my offering isn't great.
And if I need to tell someone how great it is myself - is it really great?
Law #2: Be Yourself
I don't use gimmicks in my personal life with my friends/loved ones to get their attention. So I don't do it selling.
Pestering others makes me feel uncomfortable - which means they're uncomfortable.
Personally, I think bragging is gross. So I don't want to do it.
Law #3: Do No Harm
Using gimmicks cheapens my time, my product and me. I'd like them to believe my time is valuable.
Pestering people pushes them away. I want them to like me and my offering.
And bragging isn't an endearing quality to most people. I'd like others to share how good a team/product we have.
I've found these laws work. I sell more. I can sleep at night knowing they can help me have a positive impact on the world instead of clogging up inboxes and social networks.
Most advice has a purpose. It is to sell us something or someone. Especially in the days of everyone trying to be an influencer.
I hope my experiences can help some younger salespeople find success in a career path I've grown to love.
Happy Selling!