Everyone is in sales

In a previous newsletter, I made the point that everyone is in sales whether they know it or not. At some point in your day, you’re going to have to sell something to somebody. Maybe you’re giving a co-worker a bit of bad news, or you’re communicating a new corporate direction to your team, or maybe you’re just trying to get your kid to eat his broccoli. In any case, how you communicate¾the words you choose and the attitude with which you deliver them¾makes a huge difference in whether of not people “buy” what you have to sell.

In my previous article on this subject, I told of how a job applicant blew her chance of employment by failing to complete the first task I gave her, that of sending me a complete, comprehensible resume. This month I thought I’d take the process one step further and use some past job interviews as illustrations.

Over the years, I’ve been amazed at the answers I received from people who were interviewing for a job with my organization. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve had variations of the following conversations:

Me: “Why should I hire you for this job?”
Applicant: “Because I’m a lot of fun!”
What I was thinking: I’ve worked for years as a humorous speaker, so I’ve already got the “fun” covered. What I need is some help in my office.

Me: “Why are you the best person for this job?”
Applicant: “Because I live real close so I’d save a lot on gas.”
What I was thinking: That’s great for you, but how is that going to help me?

Me: “Why should I hire you instead of anyone else?”
Applicant: “Because I’d really like working in a small-office environment.”
What I was thinking: Again, that’s great for you, but I really need to find someone that will take care of my office while I’m on the road.

In every one of these examples, the person I was interviewing made the sales blunder of answering the question from their own perspective rather than stepping into the interviewer’s shoes and answering the question from the other side of the table. In other words, they answered the question from the perspective of what interested them, not what interested me.

I would have loved to have had my question answered:
“Because I’m going to work harder for you than anyone you’ve ever hired” or, “Because I have the skill and experience to get the job done!”

See the difference in those answers? Sales 101 dictates that you answer questions with information that the other person feels is important, rather than with what is important to you. Instead of rambling on about what you think is great about your product or service, why not ask a few questions and learn what your prospect (the person to whom you are speaking) thinks is important¾no matter whether that prospect is a potential client, a co-worker, or a 5-year-old with a plate of broccoli in front of him.

If you are to be successful in your life, every answer you give needs to circle back around to the needs, desires, and interests of the person you are talking to. The only way you will learn those needs, meet them, and create opportunity for yourself and your organization is by addressing every question from the perspective of the person with whom you are speaking.

Feel free to reprint this article in your organizational publication. We only ask that you use the following attribution blurb at the bottom of the article:
© 2011 Charles Marshall. Charles Marshall is a nationally known humorous motivational speaker and author. Visit his Web site at http://www.charlesmarshall.net or contact him via e-mail at mpowerresources@aol.com.