If you’ve ever watched the Dog Whisperer you know he doesn’t train the dogs.  Nope he balances the dog and “trains” the owners.  He shows the owners how to become the pack leader their dog is looking for.

Very interesting…  You’ve probably also heard most people are sheep looking to be led.  People are looking for a person who has the answers they want.  When they find that person they will eagerly follow that person to the solution they so desperately want.

When the dog owner tries to “train” the dog rather than leading the dog the dog resists.  The dog senses the owner lacks the calm assertiveness of a leader.  So the dog presumes the leader position and refuses the owner’s direction.

Most sales people try to “train” their buyers to buy.  Excuse me… I have a mind of my own and I’m not going to be told what do to or how to do it by a pushy sales person!  Therefore, I resist your attempts to “train” me and the sparring match begins.

However, I hold all the power because you have chosen to give up your power.  I can leave the ring any time I please leaving you without a sparring partner.  I can toy with you like a cat with a mouse leading you to believe I’m going to buy then snatching the prize away at the last second.

Yet, if you approach me with calm assertiveness aka as a balanced person,  open and friendly I will mirror that back to you.  Projecting the image you want in return from the other person is powerful persuasion.  When you project balance I’m able to maintain my balance and have no desire or need to resist you.  If I’m not in a balanced state you have to get me out of the state I’m in and help me return to a balanced state.  At that point we, as two balanced individuals, can work together discovering, exploring, and defining our relationship.

When it makes sense for both of us that relationship becomes a long-term relationship as an extension of the sale.

The dog whisperer’s success is the result of his attention to and appreciation of balanced dog behavior.  How is sales so different?  When you pay close attention and appreciate your future buyer for who they are, what they want, and why they want that your success follows.

Click on the Gold Card to Discover the Step-by-step Solution to Increase Sales

I don’t know how many times I’ve been told, “I hate prospecting!”

Just thinking about prospecting dregs up raw emotions.  Bad feelings.  Feelings that make you want to do anything other than setting yourself up to feel those feelings again.

You think you hate prospecting because you:

• don’t know how to do it
• don’t know how to do it well
• don’t like getting rejected

Yet, you like:

• meeting new people
• making new friends
• helping other people

So how about:

• Finding out what’s most important to your ideal clients and future clients
• Opening a conversation about that
• Guiding a meaningful conversation

You don’t hate prospecting you just hate doing it poorly.

Click on the Gold Card to Discover the Step-by-step Solution to Increase Sales

I was reading a blog post on Robert Phillips blog.  When much to my shock and dismay this Super Uber Marketing Guru made a gigantic blunder.

It certainly wasn’t that his mistake was unique.  I’d be willing to put up a 5 spot you’ve done it.  I know I’ve certainly done it.  No, it wasn’t the uniqueness that shocked me it was the person in combination with the very public nature of a blog.

I mean, anyone can read your blog.  In fact, you write a blog post because you want people to read it.  Lots of people.  So how could a marketing guru make such a huge mistake in a public arena?

The common mistake he made, that we have all made, is the mistake of explaining away a problem with excuses.

You get yourself in a pickle because you didn’t do what you said you’d do.  You dropped the ball and didn’t keep your word.  It’s embarrassing.  So what do you do?  Well, you make excuses for your poor performance.  Isn’t that what you’ve done since you were a kid getting called on the carpet by your Dad for screwing up?

The problem is your excuses aren’t communicating what you think you’re communicating.  What an excuse really communicates to the other person is the fact that you thought things other than them were more important.  How insulting is that?  You just told a potential buyer they aren’t important!

Worse yet the more you talk about why you didn’t do what you said you’d do the more the conversation centers on you.  Now tell me, where is the benefit for your buyer in hearing you go on and on about how you didn’t have time to do what you said, or how other things or people got in your way, or whatever else you’re trying to come up with to explain away your bad behavior?

So puhleaeeze save the excuses!  Excuses don’t make you more human or more forgivable.

photo credit: Matt Biddulph

Apologizing does.  Yep, just straight up say you’re sorry.  Simply say, “Mr. Prospect I promised XYZ and I did not keep my promise please accept my sincere apology.  You and your needs are important to me even though my behavior did not demonstrate that.  What can I do for you now?”

That’s it.  Takes your licks, let the prospect have their say about how what you didn’t do impacted them.  Then focus on what you can do now and what’s important to or for the prospect.

You are far more likely to salvage the relationship and the sale if you accept responsibility for your actions and apologize than you ever are trying to excuse the problem away.

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“Time! The Key to Your Sales Success”

Tuesday May 12th 2009 1.00 PM EASTERN

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