I recently spoke with a group of my company’s up-and-coming professionals. Most of my talk centered around the kinds of things I always talk about in my speeches from my book, Six Simple Rules for a Better Life.
Because it was a business event, I decided to add some thoughts about my philosophies and best practices in business. Most of the attendees were customer services professionals, with just a few focused primarily on sales, so I focused on customer service.
After that event, I thought more about my best practices for successful selling, which led to these, my Six Simple Rules for Successful Selling™.
- Be Alert. Keep your eyes and ears open (or you will miss out on opportunities that come your way).
- Be Opportunistic. Jump in when you see a situation where you can help. And don’t be afraid to do so.
- Be Persistent. Many of my best client relationships came about after years of follow-up. Someone once told me, a mantra I adopted: everyone out there is a client, or a future client.
- Be a Team Player. Partner with colleagues who complement your expertise. In nearly all situations, we are stronger when we work with others.
- Be a Good Listener. Ask questions. (People love to talk, and most people love to talk about themselves. I know, I am one of those people.) And then really listen.
- Be Client-Focused. Dan Sullivan, from whom I learned a great deal during my nearly 20 years participating in the program he founded, Strategic Coach®, talks about four, critical behaviors he calls The Referability Habits™: (1) Show up on time, (2) Do what you say, (3) Finish what you start, and (4) Say please and thank you. To those, I would add (5) Under-promise and over-deliver, and (6) always communicate.
The business focus makes this post somewhat different than most of my others. But, we are all engaged in selling, even if “salesperson” is not your profession—from selling friends and family on ideas in your personal life, to selling yourself to a prospective employer in a job interview.
I’ll likely flesh out these six rules over time. For now, I hope you find this framework helpful.
All my best,
David