The Hindu Business Line : The best salespeople are invisible

The Master, according to him, is “an influencer, an educator, and a force that enables us to bridge the gap between what we see and what may well be the greater truth.”

Life throws curve balls at you, and you can’t stop them from coming nor can you just duck, writes Stevens in God is a Salesman ( www.centerstreet.com). “You have to deal with them and how well you do is the acid test of a life just lived or a life lived with faith. The difference is monumental.”

Gleaning an insight from ‘religion’ he tells salesmen to focus on educating, instilling faith and confidence, rather than on selling. “The best salespeople are invisible. They never look like they are selling anything.”

The sad truth though is that most salespeople can’t sell. Why so? The author identifies five reasons. One, they have nothing interesting to say. Two, they cannot present their offering in a compelling fashion – as more than just products or services. Three, they believe they have done their job if they get prospects to like what is on offer. Four, they fail to develop a ‘power offer’ that makes what they are selling impossible to refuse. And five, being too preoccupied with the commissions, they don’t bother to read the prospect. To counter each of these problems, the book offers tips. Such as, ‘story selling’, which packs in the element of surprise, entertains, and allows the listener to discover a new truth!

Listen, instead of talking, counsels another chapter. “Small-time salespeople believe success is based on magic tricks, gimmicks, and clichés built around the idea that the hand is faster than the eye. But the fact is, great selling is complex and profound, genuine, and visionary.”

Well-argued, with verve.

The missing secret

The Key
Joe Vitale

Joe Vitale, who heads Hypnotic Marketing, an Internet marketing consulting firm, writes about “the missing secret for attracting anything you want,” in The Key ( www.landmarkonthenet.com).

“Everything in your life is there because you attracted it. This includes the bad stuff. You simply attracted it on an unconscious level,” he begins. “When you become aware of the mental programming that is operating behind your experiences, you can then change it and begin to attract what you prefer.”

Getting clear of the inner blocks, or removing the counter-intentions, is the missing secret, explains Vitale. He tosses many questions at you, as a quick way to help dive deep. Sample these: “Do you have a recurring problem area in your life? Have you ever set a New Year’s resolution and not kept it? Are you frustrated by self-help methods that haven’t worked for you? Are you not taking action to get what you want? Do you feel like something is sabotaging your success?” Don’t despair when you feel stuck, the author counsels. “There is a way out…The key is the missing secret… It’s your ticket to freedom.”

A book you may have to keep locked when not reading it.

D. Murali

http://BookPeek.blogspot.com

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The best salespeople are invisible