I was wrong... Dear John, You’ve heard me say it for years. It’s one of those expressions people associate with me. I didn’t invent it, but I use it so much it is part of my “personal brand.” I’m talking about this phrase: “Nothing happens until somebody sells something.” I began using it when I led a sales team in corporate housing in New York City. That was a cutthroat business in an unforgiving environment, and I used it to remind the sales executives that if they didn’t sell, we didn’t eat, the lights would be cut off, and the business would quickly become extinct. In high-ticket consulting I used this phrase to motivate myself. I had a huge group of people dependent upon my partner and me. If we weren’t motivated, lots of folks would have nothing to do. Then I began working with lawyers. I used the phrase as a club to bludgeon them into submission. You can’t be a great lawyer if you don’t deliver value for financial compensation – that’s sales. Now I work mostly on sales strategy with senior executives and on sales training in the business-to-business and affluent client market segments. And that language isn’t my “go to phrase” any longer. Selling is still critical. But something else is more important. For years I thought selling was all about filling a need with a product or service and you did this by demonstrating the benefits of that product or service to your client. And if you had some fancy, differentiating features, all the better. Then something happened. I got fired. One of my clients went through some leadership changes and my company was thrown out and a competitor was brought in. But the senior executive who was my “buyer” at that company landed a better job and within 90 days brought me into his new company with an even bigger contract than I had at the old place. Why did he do that? Because he trusted me, and he knew I would help him achieve his goals. We had a relationship. That gave me an idea. I immediately went through my list of former clients and began reaching out to them. One by one I had conversations about what they were doing and their goals. Then I tried to help. I made introductions. I set up lunches and dinners with people they needed to meet. I forwarded interesting articles and gave thoughtful suggestions. Financially, I had my best year ever. I was selling and it felt amazing because I was helping people. These days, my entire approach is based upon relationships. You can find this system in my award-winning, best-selling book: The 60 Second Sale: The Ultimate System for Building Lifelong Client Relationships in the Blink of an Eye. People hear the title and think it must be some slick, psychologically manipulative batch of tactics that puts people into a trance and gets them to follow you blindly. The opposite is true. The 60 Second Sale happens when you have a great relationship with someone who can invest in your services and you help them solve a problem or achieve a goal. It only takes a minute for them to agree to work with you because of the trust you’ve established. I was wrong. Sure, nothing happens until somebody sells something but… Everything happens when you develop a relationship. What are your goals? What problem can I help you solve? If you’re serious about growth, I’d enjoy helping. Reach out to me but only if you are committed to doing things differently. 888.444.5150 Have a great week. Regards, Dave Lorenzo |