Page 138 - Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing - PDFDrive.com

It almost embarrasses me.
But it does something else: It works.
It changes how I talk, how I sound (like I am smiling), what I say, and how
well I listen. It reminds me how lucky I am to have this person place so much
faith in me.
Now, how do I talk, sound, and listen when the note gets buried under my
other papers? Different— honest.
So do something corny. Put that note by your phone.

Shoot the Message, Not the Messenger: The Fastest Way to
Improve Your Sales Force

In fifteen seconds, Clifford could talk your children into attending Yale.
Judy could quiet an entire room with her passionate defense of her position

on abortion.
Fred has convinced eleven of his friends to buy Shad Rap fishing lures.
Then I ask the brokerage company executive about these three people—her

fellow partners. Are they pretty good at selling? “Oh, they’re OK.” Are they
selling effectively now? “Not really. Not nearly as well as we’d like.”

What’s the problem?
With few exceptions, the problem is not the sales force. Like most people,
Clifford, Judy, and Fred are extremely adept at selling things they believe in.
This company’s selling problem is actually a marketing problem: The company
has failed to create or identify the distinction that makes a selling message
powerful, and that makes the salespeople true believers.
Sent off to pitch prospects, Clifford, Judy, and Fred start from weakness.
Their message sounds fuzzy; they don’t sound truly convinced and confident.
It’s no wonder. The key to any effective presentation is having a clear point of
view. If you have one you believe in, you are almost certain to be effective in
presenting it.
Does your sales force have that clear point of view? A few people may. But if
your firm has not created or clearly identified its distinction, and the benefits of
that distinction, to people who use the service, most people will not present your
case effectively for one simple reason: You haven’t developed that case.
To fix your messengers, fix your message.