Jeffrey Gitomer September 11, 2013
September 10, 2013
By Jeffrey Gitomer
September 11, 2013
September 11, 2013
Hi Jeffrey, I just purchased your new book on the 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling. As usual, it’s full of amazing content. But as I read it, it generatedthree compelling questions I hope you can answer. Thanks, Brandon
1. What is the biggest difference between selling today and 10 years ago?
Three things have changed selling (and buying) forever – THE INTERNET,SMARTPHONES, and SOCIAL MEDIA. The Internet sells trillions annually,and it does it 24-7-365. Customers can investigate, shop price, compareprices and values, and buy with one click – anyplace in the world.Social media is the largest one-on-one sales reference on the planet,and like the Internet, it’s keeping business (and salespeople) honest.And it’s making smarter customers. Smartphones have created access.Ultimate and instant access. Apps are the new Internet. And thecombination of these three elements has changed the face and manner ofdoing business – forever.
NOTE WELL: You can only SELL at your place – but customers can BUY anyplace in the world – any time of the day or night.
What has changed is that salespeople HAVE NOT CHANGED. No personal website,no personal brand, no social media interaction, and not taking advantage of smartphone technology.
ADVICE: Get heavily involved with the Internet. Make sure it serves your customers, not just your company.Get heavily involved in social media, and don’t just post – respond tocomments, concerns, and praise. Use your smartphone to study yourmarketplace, transact business, and post on social media. ASK YOURSELFTHIS: Is it easier to find and do business with you, or yourcompetition? Got app? If not, invest whatever is needed in people andmoney to set and maintain a leadership position in all three areas.
2. Why “21.5” unbreakable laws and not more or fewer?
I started with more than 50 laws that I had written and compiled over the years, and after weeks of study and deliberation, I pared it down to21.5 through combination and elimination. These are THE hard-and-fastlaws of selling. They cannot be broken, unless you’re willing to losesales. These laws form the foundation for your selling success and yourpersonal success. CAUTION: They are NOT rules. They are LAWS. Rules canbe bent or broken, but laws remain steadfastly the same. BIGGER CAUTION: Reading the laws once will not make you great – re-reading, studying,and implementing them day-by-day will.
3. What are the biggest mistakes salespeople make today?
I have interacted with hundreds of thousands of salespeople – that’s how my 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling came about.
During my continuing journey, I have seen 3.5 flaws that are common to allweak salespeople. Not necessarily “mistakes,” like asking the wrongquestions. Rather, blunders and errors in judgment and thinking thatcauses failure…
1. Lack of belief in what they sell, who they represent, and in themselves. Lack of belief shows up in your presentation and is evident to theprospect. ADVICE: Visit customers who LOVE your product and have beenloyal to you for years. Talk to them about WHY they have belief. It will strengthen yours.
2. Lack of love of what you do. If you have “hate” or have “no passion” for or about what you do, you’ll never give it full effort, and you’ll always be looking for greener pastures.“They don’t pay ne enough” will ALWAYS be your mantra. Your attitudewill suffer more that your sales. (If that’s possible.) ADVICE: Find ajob you love before you’re fired from the one you don’t.
3. Blaming everything and everyone for what goes wrong or what didn’t happen, rather that takingresponsibility for what happened, and adding personal responsibility for making things happen. Seems so obvious, yet it’s one of the biggestmissing elements of sales (and society). ADVICE: Responsibility startsin the bathroom mirror in the morning. Look, smile, and commit. Next,check your language. Negative talk is usually blame talk. Avoid it. Get a partner to stop you when you start. This is one of the biggestchallenges in sales and life. CAUTION: The media is blame-ridden, andthe more you expose yourself to it, the more you are likely to play thegame yourself. Turn off the negativity. Turn on your life.
3.5 Weak resilience. Rejection occurs 74% more than acceptance. Salespeople, especiallythose forced to make cold calls, weaken and bow out way too soon.
There are many more mistakes made by salespeople – too many to list here forsure – BUT many sales shortcomings can be reduced or eliminatedcompletely, simply by taking responsibility and purchasing the 21.5Unbreakable Laws of Selling – and putting the laws into action.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The SalesBible and The Little Red Book of Selling. His new book, 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling, is now available September, and will feature anational public seminar tour. Get the details at www.gitomer.com. Itwill lead you to more information about training and seminars, or emailhim personally at [email protected].
1. What is the biggest difference between selling today and 10 years ago?
Three things have changed selling (and buying) forever – THE INTERNET,SMARTPHONES, and SOCIAL MEDIA. The Internet sells trillions annually,and it does it 24-7-365. Customers can investigate, shop price, compareprices and values, and buy with one click – anyplace in the world.Social media is the largest one-on-one sales reference on the planet,and like the Internet, it’s keeping business (and salespeople) honest.And it’s making smarter customers. Smartphones have created access.Ultimate and instant access. Apps are the new Internet. And thecombination of these three elements has changed the face and manner ofdoing business – forever.
NOTE WELL: You can only SELL at your place – but customers can BUY anyplace in the world – any time of the day or night.
What has changed is that salespeople HAVE NOT CHANGED. No personal website,no personal brand, no social media interaction, and not taking advantage of smartphone technology.
ADVICE: Get heavily involved with the Internet. Make sure it serves your customers, not just your company.Get heavily involved in social media, and don’t just post – respond tocomments, concerns, and praise. Use your smartphone to study yourmarketplace, transact business, and post on social media. ASK YOURSELFTHIS: Is it easier to find and do business with you, or yourcompetition? Got app? If not, invest whatever is needed in people andmoney to set and maintain a leadership position in all three areas.
2. Why “21.5” unbreakable laws and not more or fewer?
I started with more than 50 laws that I had written and compiled over the years, and after weeks of study and deliberation, I pared it down to21.5 through combination and elimination. These are THE hard-and-fastlaws of selling. They cannot be broken, unless you’re willing to losesales. These laws form the foundation for your selling success and yourpersonal success. CAUTION: They are NOT rules. They are LAWS. Rules canbe bent or broken, but laws remain steadfastly the same. BIGGER CAUTION: Reading the laws once will not make you great – re-reading, studying,and implementing them day-by-day will.
3. What are the biggest mistakes salespeople make today?
I have interacted with hundreds of thousands of salespeople – that’s how my 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling came about.
During my continuing journey, I have seen 3.5 flaws that are common to allweak salespeople. Not necessarily “mistakes,” like asking the wrongquestions. Rather, blunders and errors in judgment and thinking thatcauses failure…
1. Lack of belief in what they sell, who they represent, and in themselves. Lack of belief shows up in your presentation and is evident to theprospect. ADVICE: Visit customers who LOVE your product and have beenloyal to you for years. Talk to them about WHY they have belief. It will strengthen yours.
2. Lack of love of what you do. If you have “hate” or have “no passion” for or about what you do, you’ll never give it full effort, and you’ll always be looking for greener pastures.“They don’t pay ne enough” will ALWAYS be your mantra. Your attitudewill suffer more that your sales. (If that’s possible.) ADVICE: Find ajob you love before you’re fired from the one you don’t.
3. Blaming everything and everyone for what goes wrong or what didn’t happen, rather that takingresponsibility for what happened, and adding personal responsibility for making things happen. Seems so obvious, yet it’s one of the biggestmissing elements of sales (and society). ADVICE: Responsibility startsin the bathroom mirror in the morning. Look, smile, and commit. Next,check your language. Negative talk is usually blame talk. Avoid it. Get a partner to stop you when you start. This is one of the biggestchallenges in sales and life. CAUTION: The media is blame-ridden, andthe more you expose yourself to it, the more you are likely to play thegame yourself. Turn off the negativity. Turn on your life.
3.5 Weak resilience. Rejection occurs 74% more than acceptance. Salespeople, especiallythose forced to make cold calls, weaken and bow out way too soon.
There are many more mistakes made by salespeople – too many to list here forsure – BUT many sales shortcomings can be reduced or eliminatedcompletely, simply by taking responsibility and purchasing the 21.5Unbreakable Laws of Selling – and putting the laws into action.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The SalesBible and The Little Red Book of Selling. His new book, 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling, is now available September, and will feature anational public seminar tour. Get the details at www.gitomer.com. Itwill lead you to more information about training and seminars, or emailhim personally at [email protected].
