Sales Training Lesson #124: Why Life and Death is an important Topic in Selling
June 27, 2010 
12 Comments
We learnt more in 15 minutes...
What a week..
Australia is out of the World Cup of Soccer (or Football depending on what you call it)
Australia has a new Prime Minister – our First Female Prime Minister
One of my clients almost lost her cat but it has survived (with the help of a very unusual operation..)
And what have these events got to do with Sales Training?
1. THE WORLD CUP LESSONS FOR SALES ATHLETES
We were smashed 4-0 by Germany yet we go on and play Ghana and Serbia, and under incredible pressure (red cards, one man down, no Tim Cahill), we draw against Ghana and win against Serbia (who had beaten Germany).
How can it be?
How can a team get beaten 4-0 then beat the team that beat that team?
Is it the same team?
Answer: Yes and No
At one level it was the same team but at the same time, it was a different team.
Two things had changed.
a. the structure changed — instead of playing a defense / fear based game against Germany, we played an attacking, positive, optimistic game against Ghana and Serbia
b. Attitude – as mentioned, against Germany, it was fear based. It was all about ‘how do we just try and hold this ‘powerhouse’ ‘all star’ German team. In the other two games the Australians we playing for each other, for the country, focussing on the bright future of winning (rather than the dark future of losing..)
Lesson for you: attack… attack.. attack… focus on the prize… the bright future.. the vision… and make sure you have enough attackers in key positions to score.. Get attacking, winning people in key sales positions. Give them excitement, optimism, mateship, team orientation so they are playing for each other…
2. LESSONS FROM KEVIN RUDD’S FAREWELL SPEECH (AND FALL FROM GRACE)
What a day that was!
To wake up to the commentary of what led to Kevin Rudd’s downfall.
Not listening. Too Autocratic. No ‘mates’ or real strategic alliances within the party. Rolling ideas out even when his own colleagues were against him.
But the real insights came when he gave his farewell speech.
What I am proud of…. (the repeating theme) worked very well (not dissimilar to the ‘I have a dream’ recurring theme) A well known speech writing technique..
But the real insights came when he shared about..
a. how he felt going into Cancer Wards…. and being able to give better treatment to those people
b. how he felt being able to boost Organ Donation support – especially as he had someone else’s Aortic Valve..
plus several other personal revelations..
As George Negus said on the Channel Nine Today Show ‘we learnt more about Kevin Rudd in 15 minutes than we did in 15 months.. and.. if he had have spoken like that, and shared like that over the past 15 months, he probably wouldnt have been in the situation he was in..’
Kevin Rudd had stopped sharing about himself..
He had stopped connecting not only to his colleagues but to his marketplace – the Australian people.
Kevin had become too TASK focussed.. and stopped being publicly PEOPLE focussed, even though, as you could see from that speech, he clearly does care deeply about people.
Lesson for sales, influence, persuaders: Remember to share at least a little about you the human being. People connect with people. People connect with people like themselves. Find things in common with your marketplace, your target market, your staff, your family.
You are a HUMAN FIRST, a salesperson, manager, business owner SECOND..
We call it the ORANGE ZONE — THE CONNECTION ZONE… do that well, and the rest of the Sales Process flows beautifully (down to the sea of ABUNDANCE..)
Do it poorly, and you’ll be pushing it uphill all the way..
The red head has already shown her ability to connect.. but that is a story for another day..
3. DO CATS REALLY HAVE 9 LIVES?
The most bizarre story of the week comes from a client POP BY meeting I had.
I was popping by to drop off a CD recording we had done of the Sales Team presenting their ‘Why Should I buy from You’ presentations from a sales coaching session the previous week.
At that session one of the key team members was very upset as her cat had been run over the night before and was at the Vets and almost dead.
She was very upset.
During the session she took a phone call and left work to race to the Vet as her precious cat was about to die.
Needless to say, this was a topic that the rest of the team were deeply moved by.
When I popped by I saw her and asked how she was.
She perked up and said, all was well. Her cat had survived thanks to a bizarre operation.
(How do I put this eloquently??)
To unblock the cats blocked urinary system, the Vet was operating on the Tom Cats vital parts (family jewells) to turn the male into a female.
Her precious cat was having a cats version of a sex change operation to become a TransVestCat…
We all laughed and she in particulary was now a very boyant cat owner.
But what has this got to do with you?
Lesson: The whole person comes to work.
When you hire someone to sell for you, you don’t just get a salesperson.
You also get cat owner, water polo player, musician, parent, dog owner, lover, carer, worrier, student, etc, etc,
The smart team leader and business owner connects with this other part of the salesperson as well.
The more you show you understand and care about the whole person, the more they will give you in return.
‘How’s the cat, Mary?’
‘How did you go at your son’s parent teacher night the other night?’
‘How did you go in indoor soccer the other night?’
These and many more are important questions, where when you pay genuine interest, deliver massive results.
We coach and drill this ORANGE ZONE genuine connection in our Blue Rocket Sales Breakthrough Training programmes.
Whether it be Richard Branson of Virgin, Steve Jobs at Apple or Herb Kelleher of SouthWest Airlines, one of the key reasons they have such incredible staff loyalty is that they know and care about the WHOLE person.
The same with your prospects and clients, DEAL WITH THE WHOLE PERSON.
You don’t need to pry into their private lives.
But when you share a little about your private life, your interests, your family; they do too.
One of my clients shared he was having his birthday with his son last week.
Another shared he was about to head off to Fiji with his family.
Another was visiting his son and daughter in Darwin.
These are all important conversation pieces for next time we meet.
If I never referred to those pieces of information again, our relationship would probably still go on. But by referring to them, ‘how was Fiji?’ ‘How is your son?’ ‘How are they going up in Darwin?’ you connect at a deeper level; as HUMANS FIRST..
Plus, I find, business is more fun when you connect with HUMANS not just PROSPECTSÂ or CLIENTS or REVENUE STREAMS..
What do you think?
See you next week.
As always Leigh, a master of learning from the drama that unfolds in our lives.
I’m not sure how the politics of all that will pan out, but if we get nothing more from it than your lesson Leigh, well that’s definitley something.
One thing that I wonder whether will be another lesson for us all, is Julia calling her opponent ‘Phoney Tony’ about inconsistencies in his talk and action, then not a month later, she does the same thing. ‘I’ll line up for the bulldogs before I challenge the leadership.’ etc
Keep on rocking Leigh and your clients are lucky to have a great team like you and John in their corner.
Glenn Twiddle
Real Estate Training Brisbane
Thanks Glenn
I really enjoyed the CD of the month interview you did with John
I just re-listened to it in the car the other day..
Great tips on Hypnotic Selling
Keep up the great work
Leigh
Mr Leigh,
Very moving. One of your best blogs (of course they’re all good
but this one is great! Well done, nice to feel your passion through your writing.
Hope you and John Boy are enjoying the winter swells.
Cheers,
Paul G
Hi Leigh,
Always enjoy your weekly snippets – there is always a powerful message in them that is either new to me or reinforces what I already do or think.
I emailed you a few weeks ago about not loosing that personal touch, that connection. I have only met you twice, I listen to an audio tape of you to keep me enthusiastic, and read your weekly post, and because you share a tiny bit of “you” each time that connection has remained. The fact that I am just one of many people you have met, and if I walked up to you you wouldn’t have a clue who I was, doesn’t matter. The point being I wouldn’t hesitate to talk to you, refer other people to you, seek your asistance (if I could afford it), all because of that connection.
Have a great week Leigh.
Cheers,
Shirley Taylor
Thanks Shirley
We always love coming down to Albany and I always make a point of popping into your shop to see what you’re up to..
Good to see you at Roberta’s Quantum Change Seminar the other week
All the best
Leigh
Great insights Leigh. It is amazing how many lessons there are in day to day life. We send emails, leave messages, SMS, even letters sometimes and it is so easy to forget that there is a person at the other end.
I always look forward to reading you weekly updates and inspirations to start the week on a positive note.
Cheers…Simon
Leigh thats well written – exactly the way I felt throughout my sales career. What matters first is our health and our relationships. Almost makes me feel like heading back into the arena… almost…!
Big ups to you and JubWah
I’ve been around the block a few times now but in my travels to date I have never actually met a TransVestCat! Very funny and great article Leigh.
Have a productive week everyone.
Deeg
Thanks Deeg..
I just found your comment on our blog..
Sorry I didn’t reply sooner
Hope all is well in your world.
The work at the West Australian is going along very well
Keep me posted on what you’re up to
Leigh
Thanks Paul..
John is sitting tight waiting for the birth of their second child…
and I am busy training 5 times a week for the World Masters Water Polo in Sweden starting July 27th..
Very chilly 3 degree start today at 6am in the outdoor pool…
Enjoyed the hot shower after..
All good… about to embark on a new, exciting marketing campaign..
Will keep you posted
regards
Leigh
Wow, I only just found your reply Leigh. How cool is that? Having Leigh Farnell listening to me in the car…
Man, seriously, that’s one for the CV.
Cheers bud, look forward to getting you on a CD of the month for my crew.
Glenn
OK Glenn
Look forward to being interviewed by you..
John told me today we need to set up the time for all 3 of us to be on the line..
Will await your call
All the best
Leigh