| Warren's
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The Six Steps to Excellence in Selling
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Why "Go Get 'Em" Doesn't Work
Every year one out of every three salespeople either fails to reach their selling goals or quits their company or chosen field. Others do okay but never reach their full potential. In my opinion most of these people fail because they have never been taught the "profession of selling." If they had become doctors, lawyers, architects or engineers, they would have spent years in academia studying the principles of their field. They would have learned from experienced mentors, had the best textbooks and benefitted from the successful experiences of those who had entered the field before them.
In my own early selling career, and in the early careers of others whom I know, people who came to selling from backgrounds in marketing, economics, engineering and the like, there is a rather common and unfortunate bond. None of us had any formal education in the principles of selling. We all were similarly prepared (or unprepared) for our careers. We were handed a catalog of company information, a telephone and a phone book and told by our sales manager or the owner of the company to "go get 'em." Perhaps many of you had a boss who was an "instructor" or a "graduate" of the Go Get 'Em School.
Imagine what would have happened if, having decided to become a brain surgeon instead of a salesperson, you were handed a scalpel on the first day of medical school, pointed toward the operating room where a patient was waiting and told by the chief surgeon to "go get 'em." Imagine if the contractor building your dream home handed a hammer to a new employee with no experience, gave him some wood and said "go get 'em." Imagine if the law firm representing you gave your file to a first-year law student, pointed her in the direction of the courtroom and said "go get 'em."
Ludicrous, isn't it? Yet many of us are put into situations like this every day because no one ever gave us the tools or taught us the techniques necessary to be successful in a selling environment.
My manager told me, "You have a great attitude and your test results show that you have the right blend of abilities to be successful. Our company has an excellent reputation and a wonderful mix of products. Our service is second to none. Your territory is the major metropolitan area, and your catalog is at your desk, along with your phone and a box of business cards. I know you'll be great. Now GO GET 'EM!"
It didn't work for me. It doesn't work for most people. I was initially a failure in my selling career. I soon realized that my positive attitude, product knowledge, hard work and company support were only part of the story. I had to learn how to be an effective and successful salesperson. So I began the process of learning everything that I could about the selling business. I talked to successful salespeople and found that some people who are excellent at selling are not always good at conveying and teaching the hows and whys of their success to other people. I read many books, listened to lots of tapes and attended numerous seminars on the topics of selling, motivation, goal setting and time management. They were helpful.
As I began to understand the basic principles of selling, my sales began to increase. In fact, they doubled in one year. And as my sales grew, my confidence grew. My success soon led to promotions, and I found myself in sales management positions where I had the opportunity to help others get off on the right foot in their selling careers. Remembering my own successes and failures, I thought that the best way to share my knowledge would be to suggest to others that they read books, attend seminars and listen to audio cassettes on the topics of selling, motivation, goal setting and time management -- just like I had. But as I thought about it, I realized that I had spent years picking up ideas from numerous sources. Some of the information I had absorbed focused on motivation, some on principles of selling, some on attitude, some on goal setting and some on a wide array of other topics.
But not one book, tape or seminar told me the whole story.
No one source explained the principles of selling and offered the practical, hands-on, here's-how-you-do-it knowledge that I developed on my own. Throughout my sales career, by studying classical sales theory and observing the techniques of top salespeople, I learned what works best. But not until I became a manager and began working with and training other salespeople did I realize that I could not point to one organized system of knowledge and say to a new salesperson, here are the principles, here is what you need to do, and here is how to do it.
So I decided to create a blueprint for selling success by writing down the principles I had learned, used and developed. I knew that in any field of endeavor a step-by-step approach built on a strong foundation yields the best results and that the go get 'em model was not going to cut it. I also knew that a program based on activities had always worked best for me and the people I managed. I decided that the best model for my blueprint would be one that was simple to understand, easy to follow and based on common sense.
The result is my six-step blueprint for the profession of selling. It's practical, professional and nonmanipulative, and it is my pleasure and honor to share with you. It offers an organized, easy-to-follow, step-by-step approach that enables salespeople and other business and professional people to achieve success and fulfill their potential in selling.
That's why this book is different.
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