800-CEO-READ Blog

Why Johnny Can't Sell

Well Johnny shared some of his ideas for increasing sales with me and I have to tell you. I now know why Johnny can’t sell. His first thought was, “lower the price� everyone buys the cheapest. Johnny I only want to tell you this once, “no matter what price you sell your products and services for, someone will always sell it for less.� In general people do not buy on price alone.

The next thing Johnny was going to do is to, go into the market and hire sales superstars. This too is probably a bad idea. In the book Conversations on customer service and sales, Ken Edmundson writes, “we have a 52% chance of hiring the right person�. It is only increased by 8% if we employ superior interviewing skills.

He goes on to say that there are certain traits great sales people possess. They include:

• Passion
• Determination
• Self-discipline
• Attitude
• High self esteem
• Belief system
• Communication skills.

I shared this with Johnny. Finally he shocked me with this one…�You know Michael, Emotional connections are for sissies�. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny – my prodigal child. Most buying decisions are based on emotion. We typically buy on emotion and justify with logic. Think about that time-share you bought in Mexico last year. I can assure you that if a buyer doesn’t like you, your company or products, they ain’t buyin from ya!!!!

Posted by Michael Nick at September 28, 2006 1:36 PM | TrackBack