Note to Reader – My friend Robert Hruzek is kicking off a few days of guest posts with this fabulous (and ambitiously titled) entry. I’m so grateful to Robert and other writers who are giving me some much-need free time. Enjoy!

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\"BMW Guy\"

Many thanks to Brad for daring (brave soul that he is) to allow me to guest here at Word Sell. I mean, it’s really a stretch for someone like me to be here. Why, you ask? Well, I suppose I’d better start with a confession: The fact is, the idea of going out and selling something – anything – pretty much causes me to run screaming into the night (sound of terrified screaming as I run into the night).

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. In truth, we’re all in sales to one degree or another. I mean, every time we present our own ideas in order to, for instance, persuade somebody we’re right, convince them to do things our way, or that they need to hire us, follow us, or marry us – well, that’s a sales job if there ever was one, right? I’ll give you that one.

But what I’m talking about is when the sale of your product or service is the outright purpose of your being, if you get my drift. Your task is to convince another (presumably) rational human being of four things: 1) That they have an indisputable need for what you have, 2) it meets their need(s), 3) yours has the best value/price/features or whatever the differentiating factor is, and 4) they simply can’t live without it.

Now c’mon, admit it. In most cases, the sad truth is what you have to offer probably isn’t actually needed by everybody, right? So what do you do? You find and target the market – the segment of the population that can use it. Unfortunately, most products aren’t universal in scope and thus aren’t needed by everyone. (Thus marketing was born.)

But what if you did have a truly universal product? (Or at least one that’s virtually universal; there’s always going to be holdouts. Even if your product was, say, air, there’d probably be some yokel who thinks he can “hold off”. But I digress.) You’d think in that case the sales job would be easy, right?

Well… allow me tell you a story.

A Sad, Sad History

In addition to my usual full-time job, like many folks I’ve had my share of jobs on the side. I mean c’mon; whose bank account can’t use a little extra moolah every now and then, you know? Unfortunately, they’ve almost always involved sales, and thus most (well, let’s be honest and say, “all”) have been rather, um, less than successful.

Now I’ll be right up front and tell you the main reason is – well, as I said before, I’m no salesman. I mean, when I have to actually, you know, go out and find customers… well, it’s just not something I’ve ever been comfortable with. The idea of trying to convince people they needed what I had to sell has never been easy for me.

The usual litany of mental objections rises to a chorus of Olympian proportions: What if they said no? What if they didn’t agree they needed it, even when they clearly did? What if they don’t see the obvious and incontrovertible value? What if they got mad at me for asking? What if they no longer respected me in the morning? And most importantly, what about Mary Lou?

OK, forget Mary Lou. No, going through all that just wasn’t my cup of tea. Alas, those misgivings usually showed up in my attitude, my face, and my words, too. Thus, my success as a salesman has been rather limited.

The Perfect Business

(Disclaimer – In order to avoid turning this post into a commercial, I’m going to be a little vague here, so please bear with me. Feel free to fill in the blanks if you like. Also, please note it’s not my intention to disparage Sales as a career. I’m just sharing my own point of view in order to make a point or two.)

Recently, though, and despite my ingrained feelings about sales, I started another business, once again in sales. This one, though, is really different from other, similar businesses I’ve been involved in. In fact, to my knowledge it’s just about unique.

But what really attracted me to it, and was the deciding factor, was the fact that it’s about the most universal (as close as you can get, at least) thing I’ve ever seen. No, really. It’s no exaggeration to say that in the civilized world, literally everyone I know already uses it. I’d even venture to say nearly everyone I don’t know uses it too.

What’s more; our prices are almost always better (although due to market instability, for short periods this sometimes isn’t the case). Everyone (yes, even you) automatically include this in household budgets, even while griping about the cost.

And when times get tight, no matter how short they are of funds, this is the very last thing folks will stop paying for – and even then it’s rare. To save money, folks may stop eating out, skip buying that extra pair of shoes, or settle for regular TV instead of HBO, but they’ll always, always keep this one going. In other words, it’s virtually recession-proof.

It’s built on a simple business plan (note I did NOT say easy – like many businesses, sometimes it is, sometimes it ain’t), has built a track record of remarkable successes, and most amazing of all, the parent company is actually about to surpass Google as the fastest growing company in the world. (Seriously; you’ll read about it in WSJ this year.)

Sounds like the perfect business, right? I mean, here I am with something pretty much everyone needs, with a market segment that includes virtually everyone! Wow, how can you go wrong?

So what’s the problem, you ask? Why aren’t I on my way to ranking right up there with the likes of Bill Gates, Richard Branson, or Scrooge McDuck? Well, friends, that’s the question, isn’t it? Even with everything going for me, how come I still have trouble making the sale?

The Key to Success

\"Rusty Old Key\"Oh, I know there are all sorts of techniques, skills and tricks of the trade that can help anyone be great in sales. Certainly, there’s no shortage of knowledge or experience available along those lines. And to be honest, there are plenty of things I could be doing that would help. I know that.

But when you get right down to it, the most successful sales folks I’ve ever known all have one single common denominator, and ironically enough, that’s the thing I’m still working to learn. So here’s what I think is the one thing, the ultimate key to being a truly great in the sales game (and remember what I said: we’re all in sales.)

Relationships.

Yup; it’s just one word – but I’m tellin’ ya; it’s filled with literally volumes of meaning. When you get right down to it, as a sales professional the one thing that has the most bearing on any sale has got to be this one, don’t you think?

See, what ultimately makes folks buy your product, or utilize your service, is the fact that they like the relationship they have with you. I mean, think about it (sound of millions of grinding gears). Whenever you buy anything at all, whether it’s a life insurance policy or a pair of shoes, it’s because you’re comfortable with the relationship you have with the provider.

Oh, you may not think of it in those terms, but it’s true just the same. You take your car to a repair place you trust, right? And if you didn’t know ‘em, you most likely asked your friends for recommendations. That’s the relationship kicking in.

You generally buy your dog food or clothes or groceries at the same stores because you’re happy with the value, or price, or the way they treat you – and it’s all about the relationship you have with that store.

Recognize the Power of Relationship

So there’s the key to success in sales. In fact, come to think of it, it’s pretty much the key to success in anything, really. Life, after all, is all about relationships.

So next time you’re about to embark on a shopping trip, enter into a business agreement, go to the movies, or dial up a friend – think about the relationship, implicit or implied, between yourself and them. How does it affect your attitude or your thoughts about them? How does it affect your own life?

So, what do you think? Have I blathered on about something I know nothing about? Do you agree or disagree? Am I on the right track, or should I go back to my regular job as a crash-test dummy? Let me know in the comment box. Hey, I’ll leave the light on.

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\"Robert Hruzek\"Robert Hruzek is an ordinary fellow with an extraordinary sense of the absurd. Apparently, back when talent was allocated, he missed his helping of propriety and ended up with a double dose of a sense of the ridiculous. Fortunately (and before his head exploded) he found relief from the dreaded SHINE (Seeing Humor In Nearly Everything) Syndrome through his writings at Middle Zone Musings. But don’t worry ‘bout a thing, folks; he’s feeling much better now.
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Photo credits
Rusty Old Key, by Steffe on Flickr
BMW Guy, by bonkedproducer on Flickr