2013

30 July 2013

Everyone has their own time machine.
The only question is: how are you using it?

The time machine I’m referring to is music. The music you grew up with and the music you listen to every day. I refer to it as the “music transportation department” because the right song can transport you back to an exact place and time in an instant – and create a great feeling.

Hopefully a positive place.
Hopefully a peaceful place.
Hopefully an inspirational place.
And surprisingly a sales place.

In 1983, I went to an “oldies” concert in Philadelphia. A bunch of doo-wop groups reassembled to sing 25-year-old songs. The music I grew up with. The opening group was The Dubs who started the show singing “Could This Be Magic.” Please watch it here on YouTube.

As I listened and sang along, I started to cry. It was the beginning of my true understanding of music. I’ve been a devout listener of doo-wop since 1955 and considered myself somewhat of an expert. But the memories it brought back were amazing. Overwhelming.

The Dubs provided my first recognized musical time machine, and I have been in the time machine warp ever since.

Fast forward to 2008. I started my subscription to a club here in Charlotte, North Carolina, called Music with Friends. They put on four concerts a year in a small venue (750 people) with great acoustics (actually an old converted church). I’ve got perfect seats (although there is not a bad seat in the house). And every event is TOTAL time machine music. Gladys Knight, Tony Bennett, Smokey Robinson, Hall & Oats, and Diana Ross to name a few.

Yes, I go to large arena music time machine events too. Carole King, Springsteen, and the incomparable Leonard Cohen.

And as a true music lover, I also see who and what is new. Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Rhianna.

There’s magic in live music.

IMPORTANT MUSIC LESSON: Repetition is the mother of mastery. If you hear a song once, and you like it, you tap your foot to the music. After you hear that song five times, you can sing along. After you hear that song ten times, you can sing it on your own.

And if you hear that same song 20 years later, it instantly transports you back to the exact time and place you first heard it.

If I play the right song for you, I can take you back to your first date, first kiss, summer romance, travel, school, riding in a car, first wedding dance, even your first divorce.

In the late ’60s, one of the singer-songwriters I listened to most was Leonard Cohen. Compelling, clear, haunting music. In 1993, I was finishing the writing and editing of my Sales Bible in Hilton Head. Along with my editor, Rod Smith, and my cat Lito, I (we) listened to Leonard Cohen every day as the book was completed. Twenty years later I had a chance to see him live in Las Vegas. Sitting in the second row, the floodgates of memories and life opened. An amazing performance.

Last month we (my partner Jessica and I) flew to New Orleans to watch Leonard Cohen for the second time in two years. I could sing every song. It wasn’t just a concert. It was an emotional remembrance. The ’60s, The Sales Bible, the first concert, and this one. Very emotional. Very inspirational. Very impactful. Very life enhancing.

What’s your music?
What were you dancing to?
What are you dancing to?
What’s making your memories?
What’s keeping your memories alive?
What makes you cry with joy?
What makes you sing along (even if you can’t sing)?
What makes you stop and contemplate life?

SALES MUSIC: Music can also affect and impact your sales. Upbeat music makes the brain think and act upbeat. I prefer to call it “sales music” because it gets you in a positive mood and can provide that extra passionate push.

Don’t you wish your prospect was thinking, “Bob is going to be here soon, I better play some rock music so I’m in a great mood when he arrives.” IDEA: Why not send a few songs to your prospect and ask him or her to listen to them just prior to your arrival. Okay, that probably won’t happen, but you get the idea.

MUSIC ACTION PLAN:

1. Document your music memory makers and get that music onto your music player or phone.

2. Identify the music that makes you wanna dance and puts you in a great mood. Download it all and put it in a separate “sales music” file on your iPod.

2.5 Listen with the intent to be in a great frame of mind. A sales frame of mind.

I don’t know about you, but sales has always been music to my ears.

TELL ME: Got a favorite tune to set your sales mind on fire? Post it on my facebook page at www.facebook.com/jeffreygitomer.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The Sales Bible and The Little Red Book of Selling. He just published two new sales books, available exclusively on Amazon’s Kindle, Win Now! and The Sale Re-Defined. They will change the way you think and sell. His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .


© 2013 All Rights Reserved. Don’t even think about reproducing this document without written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer. 704/333-1112

30 July 2013

Eight ways to identify new suspects

Every sales organization, and every sales process, begins with identifying a group of suspects. Suspects are people and organizations you suspect may one day do business with you. They aren’t yet prospects, because you don’t know if they have a legitimate need for what you sell, or if they can make the decision and buy your product or service. That determination comes later.

But in order to get a group of prospects, you must begin with a list of suspects. Here are eight ways to acquire such a list.

1. Buy a list.  

This is the information age, and lists are available for almost every conceivable set of characteristics. For example, I could, this afternoon, contact a list broker, ask for a list of names, addresses, phone numbers, size of business in numbers of employees, and email addresses for manufacturers (or any one of a couple of hundred classifications) within a set of telephone area codes. I could have that downloaded to my computer by the end of the day.

Information selling is now a major industry in this country and there are lots of providers. Just do a Google search on “list brokers” and find a couple with which to work. You’ll be amazed at what information you can purchase.

2. Get referrals from your customers.

Probably the best way to meet a prospect for the first time is to be introduced by someone you both know and respect. Before that can happen, you need to get the name and details for the person who you want to meet. That means you must ask your current customers for referrals.  

The best way to do this is to visit your customers face-to-face, have a conversation about your products/services and their satisfaction with them, and then ask them specific questions to generate lists of names. For example, don’t ask, “Who do you know….”, instead, ask, “Who is one of your vendors who could use our service?”, Or, “Which one or two people in your committee would be possible candidates?” By asking a series of specific questions instead of general ones, you’ll direct their thinking in more productive routes, and acquire more referrals.

3. Rub shoulders with groups of them.

If you have precisely defined your target markets, then you should spend some time thinking and researching this question, “Where do groups of them go?” The answers can vary from trade fairs, association meetings, to other suppliers. The most unusual answer to this was from a client who sold reference books to lawyers. In order to meet them, he discovered that many of them would frequent a local pub on Fridays. He then made it a practice to show up and rub shoulders them, meeting them in a social situation.

If you can identify where they go, then you can see about getting a list of them from someone who organizes or administers that event or meeting place. Or, you can just show up and collect business cards.

4. Advertise in publications and websites they view.

There is a reason why advertising has been around for so long. One way to collect lists of suspects is to advertise in the publications or websites they view, offer something free or inexpensive, and collect the names and details.

The people who respond to the ads move themselves one step closer to being prospects in that they, by responding, show they have an interest in what you offer, and are willing to take action.

5. Partner with someone else who sells something compatible to them

The key here is “compatible.” Again, if you have done a thorough job of describing what the ideal suspect looks like, you can then ask, “What else do they buy?” Or, “With who else do they do business?” That should lead you to some companies and eventually people who may have a vested interest in sharing their lists with you in exchange for something of value from you.  

6. Take a survey or send a newsletter to a larger list.  

If you want to find “sales managers of medium sized insurance agencies who supervise six or more sales people” for example, you could take a survey of all insurance agencies, or send them a newsletter, with an opportunity for the sales managers to respond to something that is suitable for them. Those who respond, if you do this well, identify themselves as being in the category you want.

7. Hold seminars for larger groups of them.

By holding a free or inexpensive seminar, you engage with people who are interested in your subject and show themselves as willing to invest time and money. This has the added benefit that you position yourself as a valuable source of information as well.

8. Use social media to unearth them.

LinkedIn, Facebook, and the slew of other similar sites offer opportunities to join groups of them, and to identify those who meet your criteria. You can use any or all of these means to collect a beginning list of suspects.  

Keep in mind that a suspect list is never finished. It’s not an event you take care of one time. Rather, it is an on-going process that never ends. You are constantly investing time and energy in assembling that list of suspects.

If you do a good job at this step, identifying suspects, it makes everything else that much easier.

30 July 2013

Almost every professional B2B sales person comes to grips with one of the challenges of penetrating key accounts. Key accounts are different than the ordinary, and require some more sophisticated skills and strategies. Here are four fundamentals for effectively penetrating key accounts.

1. Recognize that key accounts are different.

First of all, they are larger, but that’s only the beginning. Their decision-making processes will be much more complex, and in some cases, highly structured. A product that may, in a smaller account, only need one person’s approval to purchase can require dozens of people to sign off on it in a key account.

The people have widely different specialty skill sets, perspectives, and motivations. In smaller accounts, you may only have to deal effectively with an owner or executive. In key accounts, the same product may require skillful communications with an engineer, a purchasing agent, a project manager and a foreman. Each of these specialties is likely to have a different personality type, challenging the sales person to adapt.

Because of the size and complexity, there are a variety of motivations and agendas inside a key account. A naive sales person can be constantly frustrated because they all don’t think the way he/she thinks.

I can go on for pages on ways in which key accounts are different, but this is sufficient to make the point. If you don’t adjust your strategies and tactics to the unique dynamics of a key account, you will be wasting your time.

2. Approach the organization of your time within a key account like you would your entire territory.

When you look at your territory, you see lots of independent units we call accounts. You understand that each has a unique set of needs, budgets and personal dynamics, and that each offers its own set of opportunities.

When you approach a key account, think of it as a territory on its own, with lots of units that act like accounts. These units can be departments, or branches, or plants, or whatever organization exists within that account. Each one of them may conceivably have the ability to purchase or move forward the purchase of your products and services. Each unit, whatever it may be, has its own unique set of needs, budgets and personal dynamics. And, in many cases, the purchasing power of one of those units can far outstrip the purchasing power of one of your smaller accounts.

Just as you would begin your work in your sales territory by first identifying all the potential accounts, so too, you begin your work in a key account by identifying all the individual units, and then understanding the relationships among them.

Just as you would take six months or a year to come to know the accounts in your territory, so too, expect that it will take a like period of time to identify and come to know all of the units within your key accounts.

Just as you would attempt to ascertain what opportunities there were in each of your other accounts, so too, you should attempt to uncover the opportunities in each of the key account units.

While key accounts are more complex and require some more sophisticated strategies and skills on your part, the perspective that you take to managing your time in a key account should mimic the perspective you take in coming to know the accounts in your territory.

3.  Understand that you gain traction in key accounts through relationships, leverage, and organization.

If you are going to have influence in a key account, you must have relationships with the influential people.  Because of the size of a key account, and the natural movement of people within it, that means that coming to know the influential people is not an event which has an ending, but is rather a constant process that never ends.  Make a list of the people who should know you, and update it after every sales call.

Who are the department heads in each of those units?  Who are influencers?  The decision makers?  Who could be a champion for you?

Not only do you need to proactively expand your relationships deep into the organization, but you also need to focus upward, and come to know those people who oversee combinations of units, and the C-level people in the corner suites.

There is a fundamental equation in B2B sales, and it operates just as reliably in key accounts as it does elsewhere: 

• Relationships lead to opportunities.

• Opportunities lead to projects

• Projects lead to sales.

So, if you want to increase your sales, begin with relationships. And, the primary way you do that is to leverage every question, every positive relationship, every conversation, and every opportunity to more of the same. Leverage, in this case, means using something to create something additional.  In other words, you use every conversation as an opportunity to open the door to more. Assume the attitude that there is always more.  There are more people to meet, more opportunities to uncover, more problems to solve, and more needs to fill.
In every single sales call, you ought to ask, “Who else should I be talking to?”  Or, “Who should I know in xxxx department? “ If you successfully sell something, that experience should be leveraged to uncover the next opportunity.  If you meet someone, that relationship should be leveraged to create more.  And so it goes, unending.

Finally, key accounts are no place for the unorganized sales person.  Successfully selling in a key account requires organizational tools and disciplines that are a stretch for the average sales person. Imagine all the people who you need to know, multiply them by the relationships and agendas among them, overlay that with the account’s strategies, needs and budgets, factor in all the opportunities and the steps in each process necessary to bring it to fruition, and you’ll begin to get an idea of the degree to which you’ll need to collect information, store it, and continually use it.  A sophisticated CRM system is a must, as is the discipline to use it religiously.

While these few ideas are not the whole story, they will get you started in your efforts to successfully sell to key accounts.  Recognize the difference, plan your time as if each were a sales territory on its own, and apply the weapons of relationship, leverage and organization to the task.  You’ll be well on your way.

30 July 2013

In a consultative B2B environment we are often faced with a situation where we are selling the invisible. There is no physical product we can showcase when we are prospecting on the phone and we are challenged to connect with a prospect in a short period of time. Telling stories and sharing best practices gives us an opportunity to communicate a business objective in a fashion where people can relate.

Once upon a time…… From a very early age on I was fascinated by fairy tales and stories. Story telling is essential in a consultative sales environment. It helps you connect with your prospects and it is a great way to add value rather than pushing a feature.

Remember 1001 Nights?

When I was a kid I loved the idea of people gathering in a tent or square and listening to stories. Still to this day I remember the dinner parties best where people were telling stories, sharing, laughing, showing compassion or just simply cracking a joke. When we are children growing up, it’s fairy tales and stories that shape our thinking, they trigger our imagination and fuel our creativity. As adults it’s not that different, we are always drawn to stories that we can relate to.

When I started out in sales, I had come from a public relations/marketing background with no credentials in sales so I decided to do what I liked best – listening to stories. I researched case studies and told my prospects about the success that other companies had when using our service. It worked!

Why?

Because people like to listen to stories, they can relate to them. Product features are boring to people unless they can use them to their advantage. Nobody wants to listen to you bragging about your company, your service, how good you are, etc. What people are interested in is what your service can do for them and how it will help their business.

If you don’t have something to show, share a story.

In a B2B environment very often you don’t have a product to show and you need to rely on anecdotes to get people interested, especially when you first engage with a prospect. The key question is “What do the clients do with the service you provide?”

What better way to explain then sharing success stories.

Why is it easier to sell a story than a product or service?

Rather than selling a service, focus on the value it brings to the client and the human experience. Instead of selling a service that is “better”, offer a solution that helps increase efficiencies, for example. Especially in a consultative sales environment, once we are able to tap into somebody’s emotion, it’s a lot easier to connect. Never forget that it is human beings you are targeting. Although you are trying to sell them something, you are also an advisor, a consultant in the true sense, a resource to help them make the right decision.

When telling stories, it is important that you own them and make them yours. Be personal, just like a dinner conversation. First, listen to your prospects, then choose a case study/story that you think will resonate with their needs and I can assure you that your prospects will listen. Everybody likes stories…………

About Monika D’Agostino

"I am the Chief Consultative Sales Officer of the Consultative Sales Academy. My goal is to help companies and individuals grow their business through a mindful, consultative sales approach. My background was not in sales and to this day I believe that it has worked to my advantage. I learned the ropes by copying things that I liked and avoiding approaches that I disliked. The secret to my success is humor, tenacity and perseverance and following a Consultative Sales Process!

"

You can reach her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
or 203 299 1645.
 Find her on LinkedIn at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/monikadago

30 July 2013

How to be prepared if you get hit by a bus

Personally, I believe that CRM systems are a blessing and without them you really don't have a company positioned to grow. What you have are business relationships that are not documented and opportunities that might easily fall through the cracks.
I have been saying to my clients for years that I think a sales person's salary should be, in some way,  tied to the accuracy of their record keeping. Imagine you get hit by a bus (metaphorically and literally) and nobody can trace what you have been discussing with clients and prospects when you one day don't show up. A company is only as strong as their database and their ability to target clients and prospects in a meaningful way.

In sales, database management will help you prospect and stay on top of opportunities. It also helps your management to track your efforts (perhaps that's why so many sales people don't like them?). And most importantly, it provides a way of communicating effectively with your audiences- externally AND internally.

When it comes to service and account management, CRM systems are equally important. You want to tap into opportunities to up-sell to your clients and to provide them value. In the example below that I recently experienced, bad database management led to me (the customer) being annoyed and disappointed. Happy Reading,

Sometimes sales and service blend in with each other and it's hard to determine where sales ends and service starts, or the other way around. In an ideal world, every service situation should be a sales opportunity and every sales situation should be an opportunity to provide stellar service but we all know that the reality doesn't always reflect that.

Keeping track of your CRM system is key to developing new clients but also crucially important when staying in touch with your existing customers. Bad database management can not only lead to lost opportunities it can irritate and annoy customers.
The other week I got a solicitation letter from the bank that holds my mortgage offering to lower my interest rate. Usually, I throw these letters right where they belong - in the garbage. But this was a different case. I’ve been their customer for years and they own my mortgage, so I was intrigued. They should know my account, they certainly know my payment history, they have all my data and information with the exception of my blood-type and my firstborn, so an offer to lower the rate of my existing mortgage has to be real, you’d think, wouldn’t you?
When I called in, the very friendly customer service representative asked me all the questions to verify that I was really the person who I said I was, and that is totally legitimate. What was not cool was the fact that there was no pre-qualification, no initial check that was done to put me on the fast track. It was almost like calling a company that solicited me based on my address, or my credit rating or any other criteria that is publicly available. In essence, it was a cold inquiry call from my end, although I was invited to call in. In my opinion, this was really unacceptable given the fact that I am a customer of theirs.

I mean, come on. You are Bank of … and for the last five years I have been paying my mortgage to you after  refinancing  to take advantage of low interest rates. So, you should know everything about me and only send me letters with offers if they are actually real and to my advantage.
In the end it turned out that re-financing wouldn't make any sense at all and I would actually not only NOT save any money, but it would cost me thousands more! This was not only disappointing but very annoying because I had just lost 30 minutes of my time and it left me with an unwanted inquiry on my credit report.

That is what I mean by bad database management. If you solicit existing clients you need to make sure that you tap into all the information that sits right there in your database. I would expect that and so should everybody else.
But here comes the "adding insult to injury" part. The other day I got another letter that was the same content as the original one I had received a couple of weeks ago. Not only couldn't Bank of … deliver on their offer, they then proceeded to NOT mark their database which resulted in me receiving more letters.

Database management is key to a company's health and growth. Keeping a clean database and segmenting it so it works to your advantage is an art as much as it is science. Sloppy set-up and spotty record keeping will eventually lead to lost sales opportunities (how do you know when to follow up with whom) and it will leave existing customers/clients disgruntled when they receive offers that treat you like you weren't a customer to begin with.
It's just bad business and reflects poorly on your overall brand and image. So, here are my little drops of wisdom. Take the time and set up and manage your CRM as if your business depends on it (actually it kind of does!). And if you can’t, and no one else in your organization can handle that professionally, then spend the money to hire an outside expert to assist you. It’s well worth the investment, and your ROI will astonish you!

About Monika D’Agostino

"I am the Chief Consultative Sales Officer of the Consultative Sales Academy. My goal is to help companies and individuals grow their business through a mindful, consultative sales approach. My background was not in sales and to this day I believe that it has worked to my advantage. I learned the ropes by copying things that I liked and avoiding approaches that I disliked. The secret to my success is humor, tenacity and perseverance and following a Consultative Sales Process!

"

You can reach her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
or 203 299 1645.
 Find her on LinkedIn at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/monikadago

30 July 2013

We have all been there: rejection, working alone, time management, balancing business and family, closing the deal, fear of disapproval, feeling inadequate and the BIG one: fear of failure. The common thread here is getting past the scarcity mentality. As women, we are socialized to please other people. We look to take care of others before we take care of ourselves. We do not want to make others uncomfortable so we tend not to step out. Building confidence comes in different forms for different women.

What can you do to change it? Here are some thoughts: build a relationship with a mentor, take a self-study course, participate in weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings and create a bond with an accountability partner.

Additionally, I suggest that you create a habit of growth. Each day spend time with you writing down what you plan to accomplish today. It does not have to take a lot of time, and will take less time the more it becomes a habit. When we write down what we want to do- there is a chemical reaction that goes off in our brain that joins our intentions together and works to make us successful. Let’s take this one step further. On Sunday nights, before going to bed review the upcoming week, look at your calendar and get a handle on where and what you will be spending your time. This provides an opportunity to exercise your choice of how to spend your time. This review provides you an opportunity to choose where to spend your time wisely so that you are running your business, and your business is not running you. In review, you might notice activities that can be bundled together, thus streamlining your schedule for new, exciting ventures. By reviewing your upcoming week, you choose how to spend your time, you get to see where you are going and with whom.

I would also like to remind you to schedule "me time" even if it is only 20 minutes here or an hour there once a week. When you schedule “you” time for you in your calendar, you will be more likely to follow-through with that activity. After a short period of time you will see the benefits of understanding that you are as important as your business, your partner, the kids, parents and anything that might be part of your life. You will also feel rejuvenated providing you a fresh sense of accomplishment.

As women, we get caught up in the process of doing business- We got into business, even if just a part-time business, to make money. Yet many of us have a discomfort with asking for what, we believe in our soul, we are worth. Our vulnerability can get the best of us and hold us back from reaching our full potential. As we start to break down into steps we will build our success quotient. One success begets the next success and so on and so on...

As Eleanor Roosevelt said, "You must do the thing you cannot do, you gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."

To building your business and to your continued success,
Carole DeLaOsa, Transition4You
Effecting Change by Conscious Choice

30 July 2013

It’s August,  the time of year where we look at the calendar say, ”Is it REALLY August?!.” Well, yes it is the 8th month of 2013. I’m sure that you, like just about everyone else,  at the start of the year, dove into  your new year’s resolutions with the belief that you were going to enact lasting change. As business owners, midyear is the perfect time to review the year and determine what needs to be done in the future.

Where are you? Do you have goals in place to take you through the year?

Setting intentions or goals is easier than you may think.  You don't need to spend hours working on them: 10 lines is all it takes.  As you write them, make sure you choose intentions in which you're ready to put your time and energy. The act of writing intentions is only one part of the process.  Taking action to fulfill your intentions is what inspires doors to open and pathways to clear.

Your intentions might relate to your finances, your health, your career, or the dreams you keep putting off.  Whatever intentions you set, remember, keep them simple. What matters most is that they feel right to you. You'll know this is the case when you look back over the list and think, "Yes! This is exactly what I need to focus on or what I'd like to have happen!"

Looking back over my corporate career, I realized my "A-ha moment" was about eight months before I got right-sized. Now, you may be thinking what in the world is "rightsized"? It's another way of looking at being downsized. Over the past 20 something years, I spent my time in telecommunications with various Wall Street firms and later with a direct competitor to Verizon for small to medium businesses. What did this do for me?

It afforded me the ability to work with small to medium sized businesses to learn how the inside of those businesses worked. I learned from these business owners what worked to grow their business and what didn't.  I learned that technology was great but only as great as the business owner utilized it. If she didn't have an intention or a goal written down then she didn't have a baseline to measure from. Similar to a business plan, having a set intention will inspire you to achieve your aspiration.

Now is the time to set your intentions: Let’s go back to my earlier question: Where would you like to be a year from now? Take 30 minutes to review the following checklist.

1. List what you want your life to look like one year from now.

2. What specific areas are you working on? 3. Break the larger thoughts into smaller objectives. 4. Clearly define each intention. 

5. Give each intention a specific achievable time frame.   

6. Ask yourself: How will you know when you have achieved your goal?

7. Continue by asking: What results will you see?

8. This will confirm if your goal has been reached. 

9. If you achieve your goal; what will it be worth to you?

10. Imagine how you will feel. Think how your interactions with others will change after you have successfully completed even one of your intentions.

Carole DeLaOsa,
Transition4You Effecting Change by Conscious Choice

12 June 2013

by Jeffrey Gitomer • #1108

With all the dumb laws on the books these days, you’d think they’d have one smart one for taking responsibility.

Wouldn’t it be cool if every politicians weren’t allowed to blame anybody else, and had to take full responsibility for their own actions and results?

Well, the same is true in sales.

I’m pretty sick of salespeople still telling me, “the guy said he wasn’t interested” and “the guy is happy with his present supplier” and “the guy won’t set an appointment with me” and, my all-time favorite, “the guy wouldn’t return my call.”

As you read those excuses, they seem kind of lame don’t they? Wait! Are they lame? Or are they pathetic excuses for poor salesmanship, poor preparation, lack of ability to transfer a passionate message, lack of belief in your own product or company, lack of perceived value, inability to differentiate yourself from your competitor, and most important, lack of proof?

Whether you’re in politics or sales, the burden is the same: take responsibility for all that happens. And if it’s not happening in the best way possible, take responsibility to make it happen in a better way.

It’s funny how you can picture responsibility and blame in terms of a politician. I mean, come on! Can you imagine a politician saying, “The bill didn’t pass and it was all my fault.” Could you ever imagine that in your lifetime?

That’s why I want taking responsibility to be a law. If it was a law, everyone would be forced to tell the truth, admit their shortcomings, and go back into the battleground and return with a winning result. Politicians included.

Aren’t you sick of blaming? Aren’t you sick of politicians blaming each other ad nauseam for what the other guy didn’t do? Isn’t there a biblical phrase that begins, “Let he who was without sin cast the first stone”? I think if it were law, there would be a lot less stone casting, and a lot more people taking responsibility to make something happen.

Let’s get back to the objection of not getting your call returned. When I hear a salesperson say, “The guy wouldn’t return my call,” I really want to punch somebody in the face (gently, of course).

Let’s take a look at the real reasons someone won’t return your call to help you understand the difference between blaming and taking responsibility:

1. The message you left had no value.

2. The customer has no intention of buying from you and just doesn’t want to tell you.

3. The customer is not ready to buy yet and was too busy with their stuff to deal with you and your stuff.

4. The customer does not consider you a value provider, and is out there looking for one.

5. The customer does not perceive you as being genuine.

6. You are unaware of the customer’s motive to buy, and as a result have a hard time perceiving what their urgency is. Better stated: you don’t know why or when they intend to purchase.

7. The customer is still shopping.

8. You failed to connect emotionally or intellectually with the customer, and they would rather not do business with you.

9. You failed to offer enough proof to eliminate risk and create peace of mind.

9.5 The customer has decided to buy from someone else and feels no sense of obligation to inform you of their decision.

Those are accurate descriptions of some of the real reasons why. “The guy would not return my call” is not a problem. It’s a symptom. “Why” the guy would not return my call is the issue. If I can find out why, and correct it, then more if not all of my calls will begin to be returned.

Wow! What a concept.

Here are three new ways of thinking:

• I’m going to uncover my customer’s intentions and motives for purchase.

• I’m going to share with him or her how they produce more and profit more after purchase.

• I’m going to bring in several of our existing customers who will do video testimonials to corroborate my claims.

A “taking responsibility” law could revolutionize this country. Can you imagine a politician actually having to tell the truth instead of blaming something or someone else?

For the past 100 years, it’s been the same sales. Salespeople and sales trainers conveniently called reasons for not buying, or not communicating, “objections,” thereby shifting the blame to the customer.

HERE’S THE REALITY: There are no objections.

There are barriers. There are symptoms. There are circumstances. But there are no objections. And all of those barriers, symptoms, and circumstances would disappear if the salesperson takes responsibility, studies the outcome, and implements a better way.

Or you can just blame and whine.
Like a politician.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The Sales Bible and The Little Red Book of Selling. He just published two new sales books, available exclusively on Amazon’s Kindle. Win Now! and The Sale Re-Defined. They will change the way you think and sell. His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .


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